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.