Pimento

Last night's episode of Better Call Saul was really good. All of the recaps keep focusing on the McGill brothers but the best part of the show for me was Hamlin's exchange with Kim when she came to his office to plead on Jimmy's behalf. Could it be that Hamlin isn't the douche I thought he was? As a side note, Patrick Fabian and Bob Odenkirk are great together. They'd make a lovely gay couple! 😊

Underwhelmed

Is it wrong that I'm underwhelmed about Trevor Noah, the new host of The Daily Show? I admit, I've only seen the guy on one episode of The Daily Show and I'm not familiar with his stand-up act at all, but my main problem with him replacing Jon Stewart is that he's not American. The Daily Show largely revolves around American politics and problems that Americans face. Having a South African guy take over as host of the show just doesn't seem right. Maybe the focus of the show will shift away from primarily American news to more international topics. I'm willing to give Mr. Noah a chance but, for now, he's getting the side eye from me.

Another person getting the side eye is Indiana Governor Mike Pence. I saw his ridiculous interview on This Week yesterday and witnessed his inability to answer George Stephanopoulos's questions about the discriminatory freedom of religion bill he signed. Pence didn't even try to clarify what the bill meant. He just bobbed, weaved, and deflected. I would have had more respect for him if he had just come out and been honest and said, "Yes, this bill discriminates against gays and lesbians." He signed it, he backs it, so he should be able to come out and defend it.

The End of the Mad Men Era

The final episodes of Mad Men are scheduled to begin airing this month and I am glad to see it go. Sure, I enjoyed a lot of episodes from the show (and I always enjoy seeing Jon Hamm), but the era that the show represents is not one that I have any interest in examining. Granted, the show takes place in the 1960s before I was even born, but I know enough about that time to know that the world was a place where straight white guys ruled and everyone else was in a race to the bottom. Blacks and other minorities were largely used to serve whites and gays were in the closet. Whenever I hear someone praising Mad Men, I find myself wondering what, exactly, is being praised. The acting? The cast? The scripts? Or do people who love Mad Men long for the days when men drank and smoked at the office and treated women like garbage? When blacks didn't work on Madison Avenue (unless they were operating the elevators or cleaning the toilets)? When screwed up white guys ran the show and destroyed the people around them in the process? 

On a similar note, Indiana Governor Mike Pence has opened the door to open discrimination against gay and lesbian people by signing that religious freedom nonsense into law and the backlash against him and the State of Indiana is well deserved. Maybe the economic hits and media attention will force him to make some changes. This is not the 1960s!

Bad News

Two bad news items came up during the day: (1) Jon Hamm was in rehab and (2) Looking was canceled.

First, Jon Hamm's drinking problem. I was sad to hear about this. I hope Jon's 30-day stint in rehab gets him on the track to sobriety. Perhaps playing Don Draper cut a little too close to the bone with Hamm. One day at a time, Jon. One day at a time.

Second, the HBO show Looking was canceled. I'm sure the Monday morning quarterbacking will start in an effort to explain why the show failed to gain a substantial audience. I'll join that debate by giving my own reasons. (1) The show just wasn't interesting enough. (2) The guys weren't hot enough. (3) The show focused too much on Jonathan Groff's character and he wasn't that interesting. Say what you want about Queer as Folk. Yes, it was at times ridiculous and the show stayed on way past its due date, but when it was good, it was good. The raunchiness and plot twists were entertaining. I largely enjoyed the first season of Looking and I'm looking (ha!) forward to seeing the second season once it's on Netflix (since I don't have HBO) and I hope HBO and other cable providers don't shy away from another gay-themed show just because this one didn't catch fire.

Upgrade

I finally bit the bullet this weekend and upgraded my old iPhone 4 for a newer model. My 4 served me well but I could barely hear on it during phone calls unless I had earphones on, so it was time  to put that puppy down. The 6 is larger and that's great for me. Unfortunately, I've already dropped the thing twice. Thankfully, I've got a screen protector and  a good case.

So long, old friend!

Thanks, But No Thanks, Starbucks!

I'm officially jumping on the bandwagon of criticism against Starbucks for their new "Race Together" campaign. No, I don't want my Starbucks barista/cashier to start a conversation about race with me. I just want that person to take my order, accept my payment, and give me my beverage and/or assorted snack. When I first heard about this campaign to get people talking about race, I thought, Only someone who isn't a minority would come up with this. If you're a minority, chances are you're talking about race constantly, even if the conversation you're having is with yourself. Frankly, it's exhausting. I'm sure there are some minorities who want to discuss racial issues with a Starbucks employee, but I'm not one of those folks.

American Fusion

I watched a relatively cute movie called American Fusion over the weekend. It was the tale of a middle-aged Chinese-American woman who falls for a Mexican-American man. Seeing a movie with two minority leads of different ethnicities (and who weren't black and white) was a refreshing change from the normal romantic comedies out there. However, I had a quibble with the movie. A huge plot point was that the Asian woman's family gave her a hard time for dating a Latino. The guy was a dentist, too, but the family, particularly the woman's elderly mother, didn't seem to care. (I wonder if they would have been just as upset if she'd hooked up with a white guy. I doubt it, but whatever.)


In addition to showing their displeasure with the Latin dentist, the family members were also suspect of the black doctor who was treating the mother for a problem with her spine. What bothered me was that the Asian family members were only able to overcome their prejudices when the Latino dentist and the black doctor did something that benefitted them. The doctor performed surgery on the woman's elderly mother and saved her life, so the family liked him then. And the dentist donated blood to the elderly mother when she needed a transfusion, causing the family to embrace him when they'd shunned him before. Why did someone have to do something for these bigoted folks for them to be able to see beyond their own prejudices? Unfortunately, this is often the case with some people. They just can't accept someone different unless that someone does something special for them.

Sticker Shock

This year, I've decided I'm going to buy a bicycle. I used to have a bike when I lived in New Jersey, but I dumped it before I moved to Brooklyn, figuring I wouldn't ride it in the city anyway and I didn't want it clogging up the limited space I had in my apartment. However, now that I'm living in Evanston and I'll be able to lock my bike up in the basement of my apartment building, I think it's time to get a new bike. Granted, I haven't been bicycle shopping in a while, but I can't believe the prices of the bikes I've seen online, especially the ones sold at the little bike shops in town. Call me cheap, but I can't see myself shelling out $500 for a bike. Sorry. I'm either going to have to go Target to get a bike or try to find an affordable used bike somewhere. I don't want a fancy bike either. I'd just like a nice, old-lady's bike with a comfortable seat and space on the handlebars to put a little basket. (The basket is essential!) I don't even plan on riding the bike that often, but I'd like to be able to ride around town and to the Y. Frankly, I'm scared to death of riding a bike in traffic, but I'll have to get over that. The bike sharing program Divvy is coming to Evanston, but I'd rather have my own bike instead of renting one. When Citibikes were introduced in New York while I was living there, I thought they were dangerous because riding bikes on the streets of Manhattan (particularly midtown) just seemed like a recipe for disaster. I could see renting a bike to ride around Central Park or Prospect Park, but riding down Sixth Avenue? Uh, no.

 

Diarrhea of the Mouth

Is it just me or has there been a rash of people with diarrhea of the mouth in the news lately? Some folks have to learn the hard way that keeping your mouth shut sometimes is better for everyone. Free speech ain't free. Sure, you can say what you want, but be prepared for consequences and repercussions.

School Night

After working, getting my hair done, and feeling generally crappy today due to stomach issues, I went to a book club meeting at my local library. The LGBT group was discussing Charles Isherwood's novel A Single Man. I went mainly because (A) I had read the book, (B) I had a copy of the book, and (C) I saw the movie. The turnout was disappointing, but the discussion was interesting. I believe I was the youngest person there (and I'm not exactly young myself). Apparently Isherwood doesn't bring out the young folks! Although the discussion was interesting, it went on a little too long for me. This book club meeting should have been an hour at the most, yet it went on for an hour and a half. That's not good especially on a school night. It's hard for me to do things after work because after work, I like to relax. I have to mentally and physically prepare myself for the next day. I remember the days I used to work all day and then attend classes at night when I was an undergraduate. Yeah, those days are over.

Colin Firth

I went to see Kingsman: The Secret Service mainly to see Colin Firth and I was not disappointed. (Well, maybe a little when Colin wasn't on the screen.) The church scene with Colin was excellent. It really was, for me, the highlight of the movie. Aside from enjoying seeing a dignified Colin Firth fighting folks in a wonderfully tailored suit, I enjoyed the effects. The karate stuff, the Matrix-y stuff, it was all great. Some parts of Kingsman made no sense to me, but I know I'm not exactly the target demographic for a movie like this. But I still enjoyed it. It's nice to watch a movie sometimes that isn't some heavy drama filled with people crying and fretting over life in general. But back to Colin Firth. I actually think Colin is better looking now than in his younger days. The general consensus was that he was swoon-worthy back in his Pride and Prejudice days, but I have to say I like him now as an older man and I love seeing him in glasses and a suit. I think I really started to give him another look after A Single Man. He really seemed to have aged in a way that was pleasing to me around that time. Of course it helps that he's a great actor also.

TGIF!

Brand New Heavies

I discovered some new (new to me) music by the Brand New Heavies while listening to my Jamiroquai Pandora station. I have been a Brand New Heavies fan for many years. I saw them in concert back in the late 80s/early 90s at Industry in Pontiac, MI and they threw down. I know they've been through some different lead singers, but I enjoy their work with N'Dea Davenport. The band's early work with her (Brother Sister, Never Stop, etc.) is really excellent. I had no idea they'd even put another CD out with N'Dea until this yesterday. The CD Get Used to It came out in 2006. Sadly, I'm just now learning of it in 2015. Oh well, better late than never, right?

Jamiroquai and Maria Rita

I'm always on the hunt for relaxing music during my commutes to and from work because I really don't enjoy driving anymore, as I've said many times, and today's selection was "Rock Dust Light Star" from Jamiroquai. I enjoy Jamiroquai's music. It's very mellow. I call it weed music because, really, it is! The band has made a point of being herb-friendly, right? I've also been listening to Maria Rita. I listened to her music a lot while I was writing Clean Hands and I've circled back to it recently. Brazilian music is so great to me. I just love it. I have no idea what's being said because I speak no Portuguese, but I don't care because the music and the singers are often so wonderful that it doesn't matter.

Henry Rios Series

I've been reading a series of mystery novels by writer Michael Nava that revolve around a gay Mexican attorney named Henry Rios. The series started in the mid to late 1980s and the first few books were published by the now defunct publisher Alyson Books that used to publish a lot of LGBT works. Unfortunately, they went under, but it seems Nava was able to get his later works published by bigger-named publishers. I've read three books in the series so far, Goldenboy, The Burning Plain, and The Little Death and, although they've been hit or miss with me personally, I'm glad the series exists because it provides some much-needed gay minority fiction.