Stranger Danger

My sister sent me a link to a story about a woman who encountered a stranger in her home. The homeowner walked into her kitchen and found a strange woman there putting jars of food in her refrigerator. The strange woman was clearly mentally ill and seemed to believe she had a reason to be in the homeowner's kitchen. The homeowner calmly called the police who came and removed the woman and no harm was done to anyone, but the story made me wonder how I'd react in a similar situation. If I just walked into my kitchen and saw a strange woman there rummaging through my refrigerator, what would I do? I'd probably ask her what she was doing there, tell her to get the f out, and, if that didn't work, break out the pepper spray. No matter what, I'd either get the woman out of my house or vacate the premises myself and, in either case, I'd call the police and have the woman arrested. The woman in the story didn't press charges because her own teenaged son had allowed the strange woman into their home, figuring she was a friend of his mother's, so trying to press charges probably would have been difficult. But if nothing is done, this woman continues to walk the streets and enter the homes of others and that doesn't seem like a good solution to the problem.

This Week

My three-month free trial for Sirius radio came to an end this week. I decided not to sign up for a longer subscription for two reasons. 1. I'm not in my car for terribly long periods of time that would justify having this service. 2. The music on the stations wasn't that great to me.Musical taste is such a subjective thing and, while Sirius offered a vast array of channels, I found a lot of the music on those channels repetitive and/or not to my liking. The Lithium station played too much Foo Fighters, the Bridge station played too much Jim Croce, the Watercolors station didn't play a lot of the smooth jazz music that I like, the New Wave station didn't play a lot of the 80s New Wave music that I like. So, my decision not to subscribe to Sirius wasn't really a difficult one. Now it's back to my CDs, iPhone music, and (sigh) the radio.


This week also brought an end to Derek Jeter's baseball playing career. I'm glad Jeter went out on a high note. Go Kalamazoo!


I had my second swimming lesson this week and it went quite well. I was actually able to put my face under water and that's a huge step for me. My swimming teacher is very patient and she really helped me to relax and get my breathing together. I certainly hope the four remaining lessons are productive for me. I'm sure I'll take the course again, but I hope the second time around I can go in with some of the basics nailed down.

Van Morrison, Where Have You Been All My Life?

Lately, I've been listening to a lot of Van Morrison's music mainly because his songs keep popping up on one of the Sirius stations I have programmed on my radio. (Sadly, or maybe not so sadly, my three-month free subscription to Sirius will be coming to an end this week, but more about that later.) I've always liked Van Morrison, but if I have to hear "Brown-Eyed Girl" one more time, I'll lose it. "Brown-Eyed Girl" is truly one of those songs that I just can't stand to hear anymore because it's been played too much. Like "Tainted Love," "Piano Man," "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow," and a host of other songs I can't think of right now, these tunes have been overplayed for years. They simply won't die. However, I've only recently discovered some Van Morrison songs that don't have me reaching to change the station as I often do when "Brown-Eyed Girl" comes on. I recently downloaded Van Morrison's "Caravan" and it is a great addition to the Morrison songs I already have, "Jackie Wilson Said" and "And It Stoned Me." I was not old enough to enjoy Van Morrison during his heyday, but I appreciate him now as an adult. His voice is very soothing and soulful and I enjoy it.

Release the Hounds!

After hearing that some nut job hopped the White House fence last week and through an unlocked door, I, like many Americans, wondered where the hell was the Secret Service? Sitting around eating donuts? Cracking jokes while this dude sprinted across the lawn and opened an unlocked door? "We've got a live one!" In addition to wanting some answers about the lack of Secret Service agents, I want to know why the hounds weren't released on the intruder. Where were the dogs? Doesn't the White House have a canine unit to go after these fence jumpers and subdue them? Granted, seeing a guy attacked by a pack of German Shepherds won't be pretty (and I've seen a guy taken down by one and it was no bueno), but security is needed and those hounds can surely take care of business.

U2? Not Me!

I'm officially jumping on the bandwagon to complain about Apple dumping U2's new album into my iTunes cloud last week. Now I like U2. The Joshua Tree is one of the best albums out there. However, I think it should be my choice whether or not I want to download the band's new album. The beauty of iTunes is that I can select the music I like to listen to. When Apple made the decision to give all iTunes users the new U2 album they assumed everyone wanted to have it. We're not all the same people and we don't all have the same taste in music! Why didn't Apple simply make the album available as a free download to anyone who wanted it rather than forcing it on everyone? 

Sorry, I'm Hanging Up

Some guy from Verizon called me the other day and started talking about a survey. I could barely understand what he was saying because his accent was so thick, so I hung up. He called back. I tried to understand what he was saying (apparently he had a series of questions he wanted to ask me), but trying to comprehend each word without constantly asking "Can you repeat that?" was just too much of a hassle for me, so I apologized, told the rep to send me an e-mail, and hung up...again. He didn't call back again. If I'm struggling to understand what you're saying, it's pointless for me (and you) to try and have a conversation. Put it in writing and send me an e-mail or forget it. I don't want to waste my time or yours any longer than necessary.

The Struggle Is Almost Over

My next book is about 75% done. Aside from struggling with the book itself, I've also been struggling with finding a title for it. I think I finally have one that will work and that won't break my self-imposed rule of not having a book title over two words. Plus, it's easier to put a shorter title on the cover. I don't know why I've had such a hard time with this latest book. Maybe because it's the first book I've written since I moved from New York. (Daddy Issues was pretty much done by the time I moved last year.) Whatever the reason, I finally feel like I've got a grip on this one and it's just a matter of time before I can crank out the last of it and get a final draft finished. Despite my struggles with this book, I do love it and I love the characters. I'm writing an interracial gay romance this time around and I'm excited about it. Although my books always have racially diverse characters, I've never written about an interracial gay couple before. I think there's a need to have more diversity in m/m romance books and romance books in general and I certainly hope readers agree.