Back in New York

So I'm back in New York for vacation/work and it's been a nice trip. The weather has been great: cold,  it sunny. I enjoy coming back to New York as a tourist now. During this visit, I feel like the people on the streets are younger. Maybe that's just my imagination.

Riding the Rails

I'm on my way to New York via train today and this is the first time I've ever sprung for a sleeping car. My sister and I decided to shell out for one and, I have to say, it's pretty nice. Just having your own space (even though it's a small space) is nice.

Praise for the Sleazebag

I admit, I often love reading and writing about sleazebags. I just finished reading a M/M romance by author KZ Snow called Precious Boy that I largely enjoyed, but the person who really interested me wasn't the main character or the young man he had feelings for. I was drawn to the main character's slightly older ex-boyfriend Donald, the man he started seeing while he was in college and the guy was his professor. Donald, was a dick for a variety of reasons including a lack of commitment and a blasé attitude towards his own son, just to name a few. But Donald was also a hoot to read about. The words that came out of his mouth were often crude and crass, but I loved them. For me, there's freedom in writing for a sleazebag. You need your straight man/woman to tell the story, but you can go off the rails a little (or a lot) with the person who's the shit stirrer. Writing dialogue for the sleazebag, the dirty talker, the bad guy, the seducer can be fun and liberating.

Depeche Mode

During my treacherous drive home from work today through snow, wind, and freezing temperatures, I had to listen to some soothing music to help me concentrate on the road and not sliding into the car in front of me. Depeche Mode's Greatest Hits were on the bill today (along with some jazz by Bob James). Depeche Mode has been on my mind lately, mainly because I've been listening to this two-CD set, but also because their music fits the vibe for a new book that I'm working on. The song "Only When I Lose Myself" is so great. The hits are also wonderful. I'm always happy to hear "Walking in My Shoes" and "Everything Counts." Depeche Mode was always a little BDSM, right? Hmm. Maybe I can find a way to work their music and that angle into my next book.

The Ledge

I saw an interesting movie over the weekend called The Ledge starring Charlie Hunnam (the man who was almost Christian Grey), Patrick Wilson, Terrance Howard, and Liv Tyler. The movie was about a man (Hunnam) who started having an affair with a married woman (Tyler). Tyler is married to Wilson and they're very religious. When Wilson finds out that his wife has been cheating on him with Hunnam, he forces Hunnam out on a building ledge and threatens to kill his wife if Hunnam doesn't jump from the ledge and kill himself at a designated time. Terrance Howard is the hostage negotiator trying to talk Hunnam down. I thought the premise of the movie was great and the acting was pretty good, too.

Eddie Money...Again

Look, I enjoy classic rock as much as anyone and I like Eddie Money. (Hell, I have his greatest hits CD!) However, Chicago radio stations play too much Eddie Money. There. I said it. How many times do I need to hear "Two Tickets to Paradise," "Take Me Home Tonight," or "If I Could Walk on Water" before I go slowly insane? What's up with putting Eddie Money in heavy rotation on these classic rock stations? And, at least if these stations are going to play Mr. Mahoney constantly, can't they put on "Shakin'"? That song isn't played nearly enough, in my opinion.

Welcome 2015!

Happy New Year! I certainly hope 2015 turns out to be a good year I welcome the opportunity to put 2014 in my rear view.


In totally unrelated news, I've been watching a lot of movies over the holidays and just wanted to mention a few.


First, Revolutionary Road. WTF? I didn't get it. I'd heard it was so great and the acting was Academy-Award winning, but I didn't see it. Not that Winslet and DiCaprio were terrible, but there was no "there" there. And where was the plot? A bored couple in the suburbs wants to change their lives and move to Paris, but their plans change when she becomes pregnant? Okay. Call me when you get some real problems.


Second, The Babadook. This scary movie (that wasn't really scary for me) was interesting because I wasn't sure exactly what was going on. Single mother has a hyper son who is terribly afraid of some monster that seems to exist only in his mind (or does it?). I wasn't sure if the mother was mentally ill and if she created this Babadook story to scare her own child. The ending also confused me, but kudos to the writer for creating something different in this genre.


Third, Top Five. I largely enjoyed Chris Rock's movie, but it's low down and very raunchy in spots, so prepare yourself. What I mainly liked was that you get to see black people who aren't all the same having very honest conversations with each other, something you rarely ever see in movies. I thought Rosario Dawson was miscast and I had some issues with the portrayal of her white maybe gay/maybe bi boyfriend Brad, but these minor quibbles didn't stop me from finding the movie entertaining.