McDonald's

So McDonald's fired their CEO today in hopes of turning things around for the failing fast food company. I don't know if a change in management will do the trick and get customers to return to the golden arches, but I suspect McDonald's has greater problems than who's at the helm. I can only speak for myself, but I haven't been to McDonald's for lunch or dinner in quite some time. I don't think I've had a McDonald's cheeseburger or some McNuggets since I left New York and the last few times I did go there for lunch, the burgers just weren't that great. I remember when I enjoyed a cheeseburger from McDonald's, but that time has passed. Wendy's and Five Guys make a tastier burger than McDonald's. People's tastes also change and there's nothing you can do about that. If people stop liking and eating your food, then maybe you need to start cooking something else.


I read a comment on Buzzfeed today about McDonald's and the commenter said McDonald's needs to bring back the secondary characters they used to have like Grimace, the Hamburgler, and Mayor McCheese. Although I'm sure the dude who wrote this comment was joking, I still think he may be on to something. What happened to those McDonald's characters? Why were they dropped? You barely even see Ronald McDonald anymore but that's because people have a bias against clowns. (Thanks a lot, John Wayne Gacy!) I grew up with Ronald and the gang but kids today don't even know who they are. Burger King did try to bring back the King, but he came off as weird and creepy in their commercials (although maybe that was intentional). My advice to the new McDoanld's CEO would be to bring back Grimace and the gang and work on making the burgers better.

Blizzard 2015!

I am refusing to refer to the East Coast blizzard by that stupid Weather Channel name, so I'll just go with Blizzard 2015! I'm glad not to be living in Brooklyn now because I'm sure it's a cold mess. Subways shutting down, grocery store shelves cleared out, panic on the streets. I remember when the subways were shut down for Hurricane/Super Storm Sandy. It took days to get the system up and running again after that. Hopefully the snow won't cause those kinds of delays. Hunker down, East Coasters! It's gonna be a long night! I know Lonnie Quinn has his jacket off and his sleeves rolled up today. It Lonnie's jacket is off and the sleeves are up, just prepare for the worst weather-wise. Rock on, Lonnie!

Pivot - Available Now!

My new book, Pivot, is available for sale now with JMS Books. Here's a link to access it:


 http://www.jms-books.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=29_94&products_id=1352


This is my first interracial gay romance book and I hope readers enjoy it. Pivot is the story of a relationship between Mark Cross, a white Chicago dentist and Darren Nichols, a black Chicago public school teacher. It's got romance, a little mystery, sex, and a lot of drama.

My Left Foot...Is in Pain!!!

While I was in New York last weekend, the heel of my left foot started to really hurt while walking around the city and I hadn't even walked very far! As I limped around the streets of Midtown Manhattan, I knew it was time to call a doctor once I got back home. I've been having pain in my left foot off and on for a few months and finally today I saw a podiatrist about it. I'd suspected the pain was caused by plantar fasciitis and/or a heel spur and I was right. I got a cortisone shot in my heel today (that hurt like hell even after the doctor numbed my foot) and I've got anti-inflammatory pills to take twice a day. Oy! Getting older is no joke. I feel like my body is breaking down and, I guess, it is!

Virtual Medicine

I rarely talk about my day job because of a variety of reasons, but I recently received information about a service my employer contracted (?) to provide virtual medical services for employees. This company (whose name shall go unmentioned) allows people to discuss common, non-threatening medical problems with a doctor via Skype, email, or telephone. This sounds like a terrible idea to me for a variety of reasons. First, how do you know if the doctor on the other end of the line or computer is an actual doctor? He or she could be some joker set up in a rented storage locker in Tijuana with a fake backdrop of an office (for those who choose to Skype with him). Second, the company claims it's HIPAA compliant, but how can it be? How do you know the doctor isn't recording your interaction and putting it on the web somewhere? Third, how can someone diagnose you over the phone, by email, or via Skype? One of the disorders listed as common by this organization is bronchitis. How can you diagnose bronchitis remotely? Do you open your mouth in front of the webcam and hope the doctor on the other end can get a good look down your throat? If you're on the phone, do you cough into the phone so the doctor can hear what you sound like? I've had bronchitis. I have doubts someone could make a diagnosis of this condition without actually seeing the patient who has the symptoms. Is this the future of medical care? I certainly hope not.

Home Again

I am back from my visit to New York. I had a great time. I had dinner in Harlem with my cousin who lives there, I saw friends and coworkers, and even took the F train back to Brooklyn to see my old neighborhood (pictured below). I don't know why I thought things would have changed dramatically, but the place pretty much looked the same as when I left more than a year ago. I miss you, Brooklyn, but you cost too much!!!!

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.