Enough Already

Just when I thought I'd finally be able to enjoy a week free from hearing about Kentucky Kim, she puts herself back in the spotlight by telling everyone she met the Pope. For someone who claims she doesn't want attention, she sure does a lot of media. Why can't this woman go away???

The Trevor Noah Show (and Other Stuff)

I watched the new Daily Show with Trevor Noah and it was okay. Not great, just okay. It was very similar to the old Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I suspect the suits at Viacom didn't want to freak the audience out too much at once, so that's why they kept the flow of the show basically the same. I still say an American should have been hired for the job (in spite of Noah's claims that none of the Americans asked to take the job accepted the position). My response to that is dig deeper, Viacom! Whatever. What's done is done so either Trevor will work out or he won't. Time shall tell.

In other news, my sister is planning to take some time off from work around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays and she has to coordinate her time off with the other people in her office. That is such a foreign concept to me because my day job work environment doesn't function like that. I don't have to coordinate my scheduled time off with anyone else's and, frankly, I'd hate to have to do that. I can't even imagine being told, "Kim, you can't take the Wednesday before Thanksgiving off because Bob wants that day off and he's got more seniority than you and you both can't be off the same day, so, sorry, you lose!" Ugh. I think I've been spoiled by having managers for so long who don't care when I take a vacation day.

I've been watching the first season of American Horror Story on Netflix and it's pretty darn good. It's also pretty darn raunchy. I know it comes on FX, but that's still basic cable. How did this show make it through? (Then again, they put lobster boy on during the Freak Show season, so go figure.)

I'm not Catholic and I thought the media coverage of the Pope's US visit was excessive (I also thought the Pope's schedule was too tight--he's not 25 years old!), but I did enjoy seeing some largely positive news on for a change. And who didn't like seeing him kiss that baby dressed like him in Philly? How cute was that? The Pope emoji created were also cute (although I doubt the Pope ate a cheesesteak during his stay).

One more thing: Matt Damon: just shut it already.

Monday Moaning

I was reading about the former prison worker who helped the two guys escape from the prison in upstate New York. The worker was sentenced today for her role in the escape and I was surprised to see her dressed in black and white stripes. I didn't realize prisoners still wore zebra stripes. Interesting, but I digress. I guess I can understand that this woman formed some kind of bond with the prisoners because of her daily interaction with them, but how do you go from having feelings for a prisoner to smuggling tools to them to aid their escape? That's a big leap to make, in my mind. If she wanted to help these guys, she certainly could have done so legally by helping them with legal aid or something, but she didn't and now she's headed to the big house herself.

Why is Brian Williams back on the air? I don't get the admiration for him. Maybe he's a nice guy, but he lied time and time again on the news and that should have been enough to have him off the air for good. Someone at NBC certainly loves the guy. Either that or he's got some serious dirt on someone at the network. Lester Holt had better watch his back. As soon as they start trying to put Bri Willy in his place to anchor the evening news while he's on vacation, you know there's trouble afoot!

I try not to get too political on my blog because politics generally annoy and depress me, but I have to say it: I'm not feeling the Bern. Every time I see Bernie Sanders I think, "This guy hasn't got a chance in hell of being the Democratic nominee let alone the President." He looks like a professor who's been teaching too long. I'm sorry, but I don't want a 75-year-old President. (I don't want Clinton either, but that's another story.) I really wish someone else would break from the pack on the Democratic side and run. How many jokers are still in the Republican race? Too many, yet we can't even get more than a few Democrats out there? Are they afraid of Hillary?

I've got to stop reading internet comments on some websites. I got pissed off today after reading some comments after a story on Salon.com and then I was annoyed with myself for actually getting pissed off. Life is too short to get my panties in a wad over stuff like this and I know better.

Tray Table Typhoid

In the travel section of my local paper, a reporter reviewed some kind of travel wipes to use when you fly. The wipes were antibacterial and could be used on surfaces and on yourself. One of the areas mentioned in the article for cleaning when traveling is the all-purpose tray table. I never really thought about how nasty a tray table can be on a flight. I've never been on a flight and actually pulled my table down and found that it was covered in filth. However, looks can be deceiving. Do those tables actually get cleaned between flights? I bet they don't. And, let's face it, some people are nasty. They go to the bathroom and don't wash their hands, they touch all kinds of stuff (and people) during the day, they put their fingers in their mouths (and other places). It's a gross world out there. No, you can't protect yourself from every parasite, but cleaning the table you eat and drink on during a flight is one small way to try and keep the germs at bay. The next time I fly, I'm definitely getting out some wipes or hand sanitizer and giving my tray table a good wipe down before I enjoy my complimentary beverage.

Creepy Kids

I saw the movie Goodnight, Mommy (comma added) recently. When the movie started, there were three people in the theater. By the time it ended, I was the only one still there. I don't know why the other two folks walked out. (They each left at different times during the movie.) I can't remember when the first guy bailed, but the second guy beat it during a scene where twins start to torture their mother (or is she REALLY their mother?). Horror movies that show kids doing awful things are often hard for people to take and often end up being stupid as a result. Remember Sinister? Killer gangs of kids terrorizing the inhabitants of a house (with the help of some creepy dude in a mask)? What about Pet Cemetery with the murdered toddler coming back from the grave to kill? Not good. Goodnight, Mommy had an interesting premise, but ultimately failed to deliver at the end. It's also long and drawn out. I stayed until the end, not because the movie was good, but because I wanted to find out what the deal was. I think it's better to leave the killing and torture to adults in horror movies. Having children commit heinous acts like these seems like a recipe for disaster.

Today's Ridiculousness

Kentucky Kim: Newsflash: You're NOT good at your job. You aren't even DOING your job! Can I get paid to go to work, make $80K a year, and do nothing? I don't think so! My anger over Kentucky Kim is starting to shift from her to the Kentucky government. How long are the powers that be over there going to keep this circus going? Squash it already. If that means having a special election to remove Kim from office, then do it. Enough of this ridiculousness.

In other ridiculousness, I saw a very funny video of Jimmy Kimmel having James Taylor sing snippets of his hit songs with the added line "in my pants." I've seen fire and I've seen rain...in my pants. I thought it was funny, but I laugh at pretty much anything.

Stonewall Movie

I've been reading a lot about the new Stonewall movie and most of the narrative has not been good. The Gawker review from Rich Juzwiak and the Vanity Fair review by Richard Lawson were both particularly harsh. Critics are complaining that the movie portrays an unrealistic view of the Stonewall riots. The main criticism is that the star of the movie is a fictional character who's a handsome, young, blond, white guy who can "pass" as straight while the "others" (minorities, transgender, women, non-blonds) are relegated to the background to bask in the white guy's glow.

I haven't seen Stonewall (and probably won't), but I don't see how the theme of the white guy on top (pun intended) is any different from a whole host of movies out there. White guys have been saving folks in movies since movies started. How is this different from any superhero movie or Jason Bourne franchise or pretty much any blockbuster out there? It doesn't even have to be an action movie. Indie movies like Half Nelson and Children of Men have the same white savior complex theme.

I try to be a realist when it comes to things like this. I understand how the world works. Look at my books. With the exception of Clean Hands, they've all got white guys on the cover and that's where the market is for m/m fiction. The problem, I think, so many critics are having with Stonewall is that it's a movie based on actual historical events. Had it just been an entirely fictional story, the writer and director probably wouldn't be getting so much heat. I've watched a lot of gay-themed movies and the majority of them do feature good looking white guys, so the Stonewall casting shouldn't come as a huge shock to anyone. I suspect the director is hoping to attract gay men and, I guess, straight women to the movie and figured an attractive blond will help put asses in the seats.

Bad News for VW

As a Volkswagen driver (although one who doesn't drive a diesel vehicle, thankfully), the recent revelations about VW's janky emissions systems for its diesel cars is bad news. What are the owners of these vehicles supposed to do? The value of their cars has just dropped into the toilet and I read that the cars can't be fixed properly without ruining the engines. What a mess. I like my VW Jetta a lot (except for the stereo system that I've complained about more than once here). I got my car used last year and, so far, so good. I really hope it lasts me a while. Hell, I've got a few more years until it's paid off! I also hope Volkswagen doesn't fold as a result of this emissions thing. I used to have a Saturn and I know how it is when a car brand folds up shop. At least with Saturn you could get service at GM dealerships, but that won't be the case if VW folds. Volkswagen doesn't share its brand with anyone else, does it? The Germans really shit the bed with this one.

Black Mirror

That David Cameron rumor (rumour?) of him doing something unsavory to a pig is just a little too close for comfort to that Black Mirror episode. I'm just saying. Coincidence, or something more? The Black Mirror writer swears he didn't know anything about the Cameron rumor (rumour?) when he wrote that episode, and if I take him at his word, then I have to wonder is the whole pig thing a British thing?

Ivan Lins and Pen Names

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love Brazilian music. I was listening to a CD from Ivan Lins the other day and, after hearing Lins sing in Portuguese and English, I feel that his singing voice is much more passionate in his native language. I enjoy listening to him sing regardless of the language, but he just seems to much more expressive when singing in Portuguese. There's a song he does in Portuguese and English that has the English title "Who's In Love Here?" and the Portuguese version is so superior to the English one.

In other news, I posted a question to a writing forum I'm a member of and asked about the use of pen names. (Do you use one? If so, why, if not, why not?) The whole Kentucky Kim Davis thing has got me thinking about pen names a lot although I doubt I'll use one myself because my name IS Kim Davis and it has been Kim Davis since I was born, and, unlike Kentucky Kim whose real name is Kimberly, I am NOT a Kimberly. (If we really want to be technical, Kentucky Kim's name should be Kimberly Jean Bailey Wallace Davis McIntyre Davis.) Kentucky Kim is so busy trying to fight the courts on her behalf, I'm wondering if I can sue her for using MY name and potentially damaging my reputation and causing me to lose readers with her homophobic behavior. My sister thinks I'm blowing the whole Kentucky Kim thing out of proportion, but that's easy for her to say because her name isn't Kim Davis and she doesn't write gay romance books.

My Kalani Experience

I've been so busy blogging about that Kentucky Kim Davis and other assorted annoyances over the past few weeks, that I haven't taken the time to do a post about my brief stay at the Hawaiian resort Kalani. I was supposed to stay at Kalani for seven days and six nights, but I only made it through about two days and two nights. As I've stated before, the geckos that filled my bungalow (see below) drove me out of there. Had I not had to share my space with lizards, I probably (maybe) would have remained at the resort for the full week. It's an odd place and I knew that going in. During my brief stay, there weren't many guests. In fact, most of the people I came into contact with were staff members who live and work on the resort grounds. I tried to talk with people during meals to find out exactly why and how they ended up at a remote hippie retreat on an undeveloped part of Hawaii and each person had a rather interesting story to explain how he or she came to be there. The guy who drove me from the airport was originally from Germany and had also lived in Chicago for a time before ending up in Hawaii. (The weather in Chicago drives many people out of town and he was no exception.) I spoke with a  Canadian woman who had taken a leave of absence from her job as a family counselor to bounce around Hawaii and live out of a rental car. She was trying to decide if she wanted to become a volunteer at the resort. Most of the people I saw working there were young and white and many of them seemed happy to live off the grid out there in the jungle. Hey, if that's your bag, baby, do it. I, on the other hand, could never live out in the middle of nowhere like that. No cell phone signal? Spotty wi-fi? Clothing-optional swimming? Oh, and did I mention the geckos? Yeah, thanks but no thanks. When I left Kalani and relocated to a nice hotel in Hilo, I must have checked my bags and the room for the first two days making sure it was gecko-free before I was able to totally relax. (My fear was that one or more of those lizards had hitchhiked in my luggage. Thankfully, none had.) What I learned from my brief stay at Kalani was that I am not cut out to "rough it." I'm a city kid who doesn't do well in a non-urban environment. I also prefer a clothing-required swimming environment and critter-free living space.

Land Rover=Bad Driver

Some dude in a Land Rover tried to take me out on the way home from work today. He just veered over into my lane and almost hit me. Thankfully, I was quick on the horn and he jumped back into his own lane. You would think that someone driving an expensive vehicle like a Land Rover would do a better job of driving safely, but maybe he felt like his luxury vehicle entitled him to own the road. Or maybe he just wasn't paying attention. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I hate driving now. I used to be okay with it. I'm from Detroit and driving was a way of life for me. But after living in New York and being without a car for a few years, I grew to enjoy NOT driving. I really need to get another day job that enables me to catch public transit to and from work so I don't have to schlep out to the suburbs on a weekly basis. It's tiring. Say what you will about public transit. It can be annoying (well, other people can make it annoying), but at least you can sit and read and not worry about someone in a Land Rover trying to mow you down after a hard day at the office.

I keep seeing commercials with the actor Adam Scott. I don't know what it is about that guy, but I don't like his face. He has the face of a former frat boy and looks like the kind of guy who'd call you a bitch if you didn't bow down before him. (Adam Scott could be a totally wonderful person who exhibits none of the douchebag qualities I've described here, but I'm going with my gut until I have proof otherwise.)

A Little Life

I finished reading the 720 pages of Hanya Yanagihara's A Little Life this morning and I had to blog about it because I found the book so fascinating.

First, this is a terribly depressing book that deals with sexual and physical abuse of a child, so anyone thinking of reading this book should be aware of this. That being said, the largely self-inflicted mental and physical abuse of the character who's been abused, Jude, is equally (if not more) destructive than what he suffered as a child. Jude just puts himself through such turmoil that I found it hard to believe that he, as an adult, was able to become a successful attorney. Apparently he's the kind of person who can compartmentalize his life in such a way that he's one person at work and an entirely different person outside of the office.

Second, the jacket flap of A Little Life says that it focuses on the lives of four friends (Malcolm, JB, Willem, and Jude) but that's not entirely true. The book largely focuses on Jude and Willem. JB and Malcolm are given the short shrift here (Malcolm more so than JB) and my theory about this is that Yanagihara just wasn't comfortable writing for non-white characters. Malcolm, who's biracial (black father, white mother) is barely given any ink in the book. I don't know if his wife was white (I suspect she was--her name was Sophie, for God's sake) and I don't really have any idea how he felt as a biracial man with largely white friends. And JB, the Hatian-American guy, is presented as a man who has a fetish for white men. He wishes he could be Jude (who's supposed to be racially ambiguous, but really isn't--more about that later) even though Jude is physically disabled and a mental mess, JB still sees something in him that he wants and wants to be. Everyone focuses on Jude's self-loathing, but what about JB's? For JB, being white and being with white men seem to be his (unattainable) goals in life. His life, and largely his artwork, focuses on white men, yet this isn't really explored in the novel.

Third, I have read reviews of A Little Life that refer to it as a post-racial novel. It's not post-racial. Race is just pushed into the background, I suspect, by the author in an attempt to make (white) readers feel more at ease. Jude, who's described as being racially ambiguous (perhaps he's supposed to be half Native American or something, but this is never explored), but he isn't really. If he's not 100% white, he's certainly treated as a white man which means he certainly must look like a white man. To even throw racial ambiguity into the mix seems unnecessary here, almost an afterthought by the author, who's Asian herself and clearly knows what it's like to be a racial minority. (Asians don't feature prominently in the novel at all. There are a few on the peripheral, but none of the major characters are of Asian descent, something I found interesting.)

Fourth, despite my issues with the racial aspects of the novel, I did find it fascinating. Jude and Willem's relationship is certainly the best "gay for you" male romance I've never read about. Jude's brief relationship with Caleb was like a train wreck. I wanted to look away, but I couldn't. One thing that bothered me throughout the novel was that as the characters aged, they didn't seem to change mentally. The 20-something Jude sounded exactly like the 40-something Jude and the same went for the other characters (Willem, JB, Harold, etc.). No one seemed to mature and I thought that was odd. Different things happened in their lives as they grew older, but they seemed to remain mentally the same. Also, I don't think I've read a novel where the words "I'm sorry" were used so much. If I had this book on my Kindle, I would have done a search to see how many times "I'm sorry" appears in the book. It must be hundreds of times. It seems like every time Jude opens his mouth, he's apologizing to someone.

Yanagihara knows how to tell a story and she knows how to keep readers engaged so the pages keep turning. Yes, A Little Life is at times a little too long, but it's an interesting look at functional and dysfunctional relationships between men.

Good News (For a Change)

I've been in a bit of a tizzy all week because I had to have some medical tests done and I was worried they wouldn't turn out favorably but, thankfully, they did and everything seems to be okay. Between worrying about that and everything else going on (I'm looking at you, Kentucky Kim) I've been more than a little stressed this week. I am glad that I'm not on Twitter and/or Facebook now with all of this Kim Davis nonsense in the news. Some poor woman named Kim Davis on Twitter has been bombarded with messages from people who have her confused with Kentucky Kim. This is why I'm glad I'm not on Twitter right now. I was on Twitter for exactly three days a few years ago and I hated it. I didn't have a handle under my name because, of course, it wasn't available. I just found Twitter weird and frenetic, so I bailed on it. Every few months, I think I should start an account again, but I keep talking myself out of it. As for Facebook, I ditched that many years ago and have never looked back. Keeping this blog up is about all I can handle right now on top of my day job, my writing, and life in general. It's hard to maintain multiple social media platforms and I'm not twenty years old. I don't want to be on my phone or on the computer during every waking hour just so I can post online.

My message for other weary Kim Davises out there is to hang on. Hopefully, the stench of Kentucky Kim will dissipate and we can all go back to breathing clean air again soon.

That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore

I've received a number of emails over the past week about Kentucky Marriage Cockblocker Kim Davis and people think it's funny that she and I share the same name. Well it's not funny to me! As Moz would say, "That joke isn't funny anymore!" Actually, it never was.

Speaking of Morrissey, I've been listening to Louder Than Bombs by The Smiths this week and it got me thinking that I'd like to read Morrissey's autobiography. Once I finish this 700+ page book I'm reading now, maybe I'll do that. I read Moz is supported to be writing a novel next. If his novel writing skills are anything like his songwriting skills, I'm sure he'll put out an entertaining book.

Post-Labor Day Observations

This Kim Davis is proud to say she's had the same name since she was given it at birth and she's never been locked up. She also supports same sex marriage. (I'm just letting folks know in case I, by some bizarre chance, get confused with Kentucky Kim.)

So Jon Hamm is back on the market after breaking up with his long-time girlfriend. I hope Hamm doesn't end up dating some 20 or 30-year-old. I enjoyed the fact that he and Jennifer Westfeldt were around the same age. That's not something you see very often with Hollywood couples these days. I have been down on Hamm since I heard about the vicious hazing he participated in during his college days, I assume Hamm has changed his ways. I certainly hope he has.

And Colbert's new show starts tonight. I've missed Stephen even though I stopped watching The Colbert Report before it officially went off the air because I'd grown tired of it, there's been a drought since he disappeared from the airwaves and it will be nice to have him back on television doing something slightly different. I doubt I stay awake to see his show because I have to get up early to go to my day job, but I'll try to catch it on On Demand or something if I can't see it tonight.

Labor Day Sale and A Little Life

I forgot to mention that my publisher, JMS Books, has a Labor Day sale going on through today with titles for sale at 30% off. Check out the deals here: http://www.jms-books.com/

I've been reading the 700+ page book A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara for a little over a week now and I'm about halfway through it. It's fascinating and I'll have more to say about it once I finish it. The book kept coming up on my Amazon recommendations list and I got a sample of it for my Kindle, but I just wasn't able to get into it via Kindle, so I bought the book. Some stuff I just have to read in hard copy form. I find it hard to flip back on the Kindle the way I can with a book. There was also an article in Friday's Wall Street Journal about the author and I read my boss's copy last week while he was out. I didn't realize the author was 40 years old. I thought she was younger. Anyway, I'll have a lot to say about the book once I'm done with it. It's been long listed for the Man Booker Prize and I certainly see why.

Amy

I went to see the documentary Amy about Amy Winehouse and it was a total depress fest, but it was also fascinating. Amy Winehouse was so talented and such a hot mess. I'm surprised she held on as long as she did given the amount of drugging and drinking that she on top of her bulimia problem. It's always a shame to see someone so young and so talented just self-destruct. Hearing how the album Back to Black came to be was  interesting. It's such a great body of work and Amy got famous for "Rehab", but I think that's one of the weaker tracks on the album. "Some Unholy War" is so much better. I know it's not catchy and it's not the kind of song that would get a lot of airplay, but it just hits all of the buttons for me.

One Long Week

This has been a long week and I'm glad to see it's coming to an end. I'm exhausted from traveling and my head hurts from listening to news about Kentucky Kim Davis all week. I'm ready for the holiday weekend and I hope to catch up on some much-needed sleep and on some writing.



I'm posting the David Naughton song "Makin' It" to round out this week because I heard it yesterday while I was in an art supply store buying a picture frame. I don't think I'd heard this song since I was a kid in the 1970s. Wow.

Kentucky Kim Davis Ordered to the Big House!

Well, Kentucky Kim Davis has a one-way ticket to jail because of her refusal to issue gay marriage licences. I got an email from a former coworker today about this and I told her how much it infuriates me that this Kentucky woman and I share the same name. Ugh. Granted, there are many Kim Davises out there and most of us go through life without having our names mentioned on the news or plastered over the web, but when one Kim Davis is in the news, especially for something ridiculous like this, the other Kim Davises take notice. (Well, I don't know if the others really take notice, but I do!) Of all of the things for a Kim Davis to be in the news for, I never thought one would become popular for refusing to grant gay marriage licenses. The whole fiasco is, to me, a writer of gay romance books, annoying and sad.

IOU

I read that the State of Illinois is delaying payments to lottery winners because legislators have failed to pass a budget. For the winners, this certainly must suck. You hit the lottery and the state gives you an IOU with a promise to pay as soon as the budget is ratified? That ain't right! The State of Illinois certainly isn't freezing the funds they receive from the many losing lottery players out there, so why can't they pony up for the winners? If I was a regular lottery player, this is the kind of thing that would make me reconsider playing the lottery here. People would probably be better off playing in an adjoining state like Wisconsin or Indiana. At least there you'll get your money if you win.

Stop the Nonsense, Kentucky Kim Davis!

Once again, Kentucky Kim Davis is refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay (and also now heterosexual) couples complaining that it's against her religious beliefs. I don't know why I expected her to do the right thing after the Supreme Court refused to hear her case. She defied the Court's ruling initially, so why even take your case to them? Whatever. This woman needs to be removed from office. If it takes a special election to do it, then so be it. You were elected to do a job, so do it. If you can't (or won't) perform the duties of that job, then step down so someone who can and will do the job can step in and take care of business. It annoys me to no end that this woman and I share the same name, but that's what happens when you have a common name as I do (although I believe Kentucky Kim has Davis as a married name with her, what, third or fourth husband?). The stupidity of some people just astounds me. I'm also annoyed with people who just say gay couples should go to another county to get marriage licenses. Those couples shouldn't have to do to that. They're entitled to receive the same services at Kim Davis's office as they would receive at any other Kentucky office that issues marriage licenses. The law is the law everywhere and Kim Davis needs to stop with the nonsense! Do your job, lady!