Okay, Since When Was It Cool For A Man To Carry A Purse?

Here in New York City, I'm witnessed to a lot of crazy fashion choices that leave me scratching my head. But this latest fad among men is driving me bat shit insane! I've always heard of the man purse (or "murse")--which is also called a man bag--but the ones I've seen that are favored by European men look nothing like this. This is going too far! What's next, matching pumps and hoop earrings?

The first time I saw this, I was walking down the street. The guy in front of me had a full-on woman's bag hanging from his shoulder. It wasn't a messenger bag. *I* have a messenger bag--it's the type of bag you can fit a laptop into. In my day it was called a satchel.

But this . . . this is a completely different animal.

I mean, WTF? This is not cool. I know that as a man we sometimes need a place to stick our extra crap just like women. In my case, I'm constantly carrying around loads of books, papers, magazines, and work files. That's what a messenger bag is for. But this thing with big, loopy straps and supple leather exterior? Um, no. That my friend is a purse. Or handbag. Or whatever women call it. But the important thing is, it's for WOMEN!

On the subway, I saw another man with a similar type bag slung over one shoulder. But this one had a black & white tiger print pattern. You heard me right: TIGER FUCKING PRINT! I'm waiting to see rainbows and kisses next. Or maybe X's and O's written in pink lipstick all up and down the bag. *barf*

I'm thinking of starting my own photo essay collection, that's how bad it's getting. I'll take my camera with me wherever I go, and when I see one of these walking vaginas around town, I'm going to snap pics and post them on Flicker. Then you'll know I'm not kidding around here.

What I thought was just an odd sighting or two has recently blown up to a full out invasion in this city. And I'm sure it's not limited to just New York. Oh, and before you ask: no, these dudes did not seem like they were gay to me. I mean, I can't exactly tell of course. But from what my limited abilities can deduce, these guys are straight. They've just been brainwashed by this metrosexual phase that's been sweeping the country over the past several years.

And it needs to stop. I mean, seriously!

Back In The Wold Of The Living

Well, I hadn't intended on being a stranger all this time, but as you know I've been busy writing my latest sci-fi story. That's not an excuse, though. I've written stories before while keeping to a semi-regular posting schedule here. But I guess this latest go-round just sucked me in THAT much. I mean, I was so much invested in this story that I had no desire to write anything else at the time. There was also an issue of time. Between work (which was hectic this last week), weight training/running, and this story, I had little time for anything else. Including Gears of War 2 (boo!)

But I'm happy to say I'm done! With the first draft, at least. I finished last night, actually, and it came in a little longer than I wanted -- at 10,000 words. But I'm diving straight into the second draft today and will look to cut out around 3,000 of those words and add perhaps a thousand more in flesh-outs and scenery, as well as some tie-ins to make the plot flow better. It would be nice if, after the final polish, I can have something in the 7.5k range. Keep your fingers crossed.

And, so, what is this story about? Sorry, I won't divulge any details. Especially while I'm still in the rough draft phase. But I will let you in on the story idea that generated this tale, which goes:

What would you do if a bad man from your childhood walked into your clinic needing urgent medical treatment? Would you treat him like any other patient, deserving of your care? Or would you use the opportunity to take a life rather than save one?

This is the dilemma a physician--my protagonist--faces in this story. Can she put aside her hatred for what this man did to her family?

And of course, since this is sci-fi, it takes place aboard a space station situated at the mouth of a strategic wormhole. Because, hell, why not?

I'm off from work all next week, so between this second draft, editing an older story from September (and, oh yeah, that turkey-day thing too!), I'll be playing copious amounts of GoW2 until my bleeding eyes match the Locust splatter across my tv screen. YAY!!!!

Anyone have plans for T-day?

Movie Review: Quantum of Solace

Before I get into the review, let me clue you in to a little secret about me: I've seen all the James Bond movies at LEAST 3 times each; some even more times than that (Dr. No; From Russia With Love; Goldeneye; Casino Royale). So I consider myself well versed in the 007 movie tradition.

When Casino Royale came out in 2006, I was more eager than most due to the fact that I believed the franchise had run out of steam utilizing the Pierce Brosnan model. Don't get me wrong, Pierce was a fantastic Bond. But the writing and direction of the two latter Bond flicks were terrible, and his performance suffered slightly as a result. Even more alarming, it had become clear (to me at least) that he had gotten far too old to play the character anymore. Which is a shame. If the producers had gotten to him a decade earlier when they first wanted him, we could have had one of the longest-running actor Bonds of all time.

Anyway, Casino Royale came out with a new Bond and a new mission: to eschew the gadgets and wonky villains, and go for something grittier and more realistic. And that's exactly what we got. Daniel Craig was excellent as Bond, evoking the franchise's original star, Sean Connery, who many argue (this reviewer included) is the greatest Bond of all time. Craig still has some catching up to do, but with Casino he was off to a great start.

Two years later, we now get Quantum of Solace. A film which, for the first time in Bond history, is connected to and takes place directly after the previous film. In fact, if what I've deduced of this current film's theme is in fact true, this may just be a trilogy! *gasp* Who'd a thunk it?

QoS does in fact take place roughly one hour after the last film ended, with Bond in the middle of a high speed chase after taking care of Mr. White at the climax of Casino Royale. The chase ends in typical dramatic Bond fashion, and then we're treated to the opening song and titles, which this time is called "Another Way To Die" (I think this should have been the title of the actual movie), and which marks another first for the franchise: a duet! And performed by Jack White (of the White Stripes) and Alicia Keys, no less! This song is kick ass! I've since listened to it about a billion times now.

From this moment on the movie is almost non-stop action all the way through. Almost. When Bond takes a breather or two, unfortunately, is where the movie falters just a tad. Whether due to the impending writer strike when the film was being penned, or perhaps because of the uncharted territory concept of a sequel, the story isn't quite as nifty and engaging as Casino Royale's was. Less spectacular, too, are some of the locations, with Haiti and Bolivia providing some of the most boring backdrops ever.

Where the story does excel, however, is in connecting the dots and filling in some of the blanks leftover from Casino Royale. I've spoken to a few friends who have expressed disappointment due to the confusing plot. But, honestly, I think it's really a matter of them either not having seen the previous film, or perhaps not remembering some of the finer plot details from the flick. In this matter I guess you can say I cheated, for I'd just re-watched Casino Royale a week before, so the plot was still very much fresh in mind. And watching QoS, I recall thinking to myself: oh, cool tie-over detail! I wonder how many people caught that? When a secondary, but somewhat pivotal, character from CR shows up about a quarter of the way through, I got the sense that about half the audience did not even know who he was. Yikes!

Due to the above, I have serious reservations about *some* of the negative reviews I've been hearing/reading over the weekend. I think of lot of these naysayers fell for the trick of thinking this was just another standalone Bond film. And, even when they learned that it was in fact taking place directly after the events depicted in CR, simply shrugged it off and said to themselves: well, how complicated can a Bond plot be anyway? And then complained that the very same plot was too convoluted after exiting the theater.

Are you serious, people?

Now, I'm not going to brandish a whip and tell people that they HAVE to go re-watch Casino Royale before seeing Quantum OR ELSE . . . but, please, do consider that maybe the reason a scene or bit of dialogue is not making sense to you is because you're pretty much watching it out of context if you don't remember the previous movie all that well. Believe it or not, there *are* quite a number of spots where knowledge of the prior film comes in handy. I'm not making this up.

Anyway, back to the review at hand.

QoS suffers from what I think will be seen as "middle movie syndrome" -- especially if it does turn out that a third film in this current arc is in the making. If so, then QoS works well to do what middle movies in a planned trilogy do best -- carryover from the previous film, and set up for the next. However, I'd stick my neck out and say that QoS did one better than that; it effectively ended the current storyline on a satisfactory note if the producers decide NOT to continue the arc into a third film.

For those saying the movie ended too abruptly and with no closure, you obviously weren't paying attention. Because of the storyline in Casino Royale (and a certain love interest in that film), the ending was perhaps one of the best moments of closure EVAR in a Bond title. Yeah, I said it.

QoS has excellent action, an engaging enough story if you remember the previous film well, and--best of all--some truly great performances by the leads Daniel Craig (better than ever as Bond), and the beautiful Ukrainian model-turned-actress, Olga Kurylenko (who I originally fell in love with in the movie, Hitman, a year ago). Judi Dench was superb as always as M (she really nails it with her performances in this role), and I can't get enough of my man Jeffrey Wright, reprising his role as CIA agent Felix Leiter. The movie's improved just by the presence of these two thesps alone! But I'd like to single out actor Giancarlo Giannini especially for his truly exceptional performance as the returning character, Mathis, who we were first introduced to in Casino. This guy was simply awesome!

I was telling Tarrell over at The Dragunz Den that, if you ignored Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace would be the best Bond film behind From Russia With Love and Goldeneye (both of which I hold as tied for first place). That spot is reserved now for Casino, of course, so QoS is third on my list. But you get the point. This movie is GOOD -- go see it!

Rating: 8/10

Some Slowdown

You'll notice sporadic updates for the next few days, as I'm in the middle of writing a brand new short story. I just started it yesterday and already I'm just under 4,000 words. If all goes well I should be able to bring it in at around 8,000, which I'll then edit down to 7 or 7.5k. Since I'll be back at work tomorrow, I don't expect I'll be able to write more than 900 words tomorrow night and the rest of the week. But I'll try to find the time after dinner somehow.

I was expecting to post up a review of the latest Bond flick this weekend, but the story took precedence so you might have to wait a little longer for that (don't hold your breath). I'll tell you this much: it was very, VERY good! :)

In the meantime, I hope everyone had a great and productive weekend like I did! Or better yet, a weekend where you just relaxed all day vegging out on the sofa. Either scenario sounds damn fine to me.

Chivalry Died On The "A" Train

This morning on my commute in, the "A" train was its usual crowded tin of sardines. Which meant I had to stand the whole way to work -- a 40 minute long ride for me. Anyway I noticed something that made me realize (yet again) that there is something fundamentally missing from the youth of this city. I've noticed this trend before, but never really actually thought about it until this morning.

Chivalry is dead!

Now, of course, New York City is not quite the bastion of politeness and good manners, and nowhere is this more apparent than on the NYC subway system. People will just as soon ignore a pregnant woman as give her a seat. I give my seat to pregnant women, the infirm, and the elderly on general principle. But that's the way I am. And surprisingly, *most* other people are as well. Not all, but most. New Yorkers are assholes, but from my experience not more per capita than any other city in this country.

So, no, what I observed this morning didn't fall under the banner of general politeness which most New Yorkers actually do extend to each other in this great big city of ours. No, this has to do not with how we treat strangers in public, but with those we're romantically inclined towards.

Let me preface this with a rather obvious, though necessary, example first: when Lisa and I are on the subway, and if there is only one seat available, she gets the seat. End of story. It's not even something I think twice about or bemoan or anything. It's simply automatic. And that's the way it should be, right?

Well apparently not. I don't know if this is an age thing or a cultural thing, but I've now seen on numerous occasions where a teenage couple (and I stretch the word "couple" a tad here) are faced with the same scenario, but it's the male half that takes the seat. And not only does the SO of this equation not protest, she actually seems genuinely *okay* with the arrangement.

WTF? Did I stay home the day they issued a public decree thereby disavowing all young males from the act of performing common decency? Since when has this been *okay*?

And, as I've said, this was not the first time. I've seen the exact scenario play out half a dozen times on my way to work now. A teenage girl and boy, obviously on their way to school, making googly eyes at each other, standing way too close, but yet pretending like it's not really all that serious. Then a seat becomes available, the two walk towards it, and without even a moment's hesitation, the boy sits down rather than the girl. The girl then continues talking and laughing with the boy as if a major breach in interpersonal etiquette had not just transpired.

Again: WTF?

I've tried to rationalize how this could be happening within the youth culture of today. And I can only come to 3 possibilities:

1) The parents of these kids never taught them manners.

2) Pop culture of the day has dictated a new code of behavior between boyfriend and girlfriend, whereby boys get treated as if they're "the shit," and girls glibly stand by while feeding into their BF's egos.

3) A natural progression of the age-old quandary that girls like bad boys, and good boys never get laid.

So in this equation: (being a punk + stuckup asshole) * the degree of your indifference = girls forming long lines for the privilege of gulping down your junk.

In order to stay sane, I'll allow for the fact that No. 3 on that list is simply absurd, and lean more towards No. 1 instead.

Unless No. 2 is the actual reality here, in which case our planet is seriously and utterly SCREWED!

Anyone else notice this? Is this just with young people? And, if so, what the hell is wrong here?

Hooray HBO! I Knew You Could Do It!

Finally! It took them nearly two years from acquiring the rights to George R. R. Martin's acclaimed fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire, but HBO has finally greenlit the production of the first book in the series, A Game of Thrones, for their original lineup. Variety.com announced the details earlier this week, so check out the link if you want the full scoop.

I'm ecstatic! This is the best set of fantasy books since Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Trust me, I don't deliver such praise lightly. The funny thing is, ASoIaF doesn't actually delve so much on tried and true fantasy tropes as most books of this ilk do. There are no elves, barely any magic at all, and dragons (for the most part) are only mentioned in songs. There are giants and ghouls and all sorts of weird, crazy things in this world though. But they're kept behind a massive protection wall, sort of like what China tried to do with the invading Mongolian hordes (and look how well that worked out for 'em!)

The series, instead, deals primarily with internecine and devious strategies between several vying factions and kingdoms, all jockeying for control of the high throne. Hence, the title of the first book, A Game of Thrones. For me, this is the series' best selling point--it's sorta like The Godfather/Sopranos meets King Arthur! In fact, not unlike HBO's previous series, Rome, now that I think of it. Clearly the network has a keen love of the twisted power-play theme for their shows, and in this case Martin's books will fit right in.

Now that the show's been greenlit, fans can breathe a collective sigh of relief. A script for the pilot has been written, and so hopefully this means we can see an air date of sometime in 2010, although early 2011 would be my best guess. I can wait. Maybe in that time the author can *finally* deliver his latest book in the series, A Dance With Dragons, which fans have been waiting on now for going on 5 years!

There's A Black Panther TV Show?

As my grandma would say: Slap me silly and call me Shirley!

I don't know how this news slipped by me, but apparently at this summer's San Diego Comicon, Marvel announced plans to bring its Black Panther property to the BET network as the channel's first prime time adult animated series. The tv show will hit the air sometime in Feb. 2009.

And just this week IGN.com reported that actor Djimon Hounsou will be voicing the famed Wakandan king turned superhero, which I think is just all sorts of awesome! I mean, DAMN, this is just the guy to get for the role!

Wow, this is so exciting! I've been waiting a long time for Marvel to finally get around to this, although personally I was hoping more along the lines of a movie deal. And starring Wesley Snipes, of course. Since Wesley is currently playing the stupid rich black man role in tax-evasion prison, I guess that will have to wait.

But in the meantime, this is the next best thing. I'm hoping for something along the lines of HBO's animated Spawn series over a decade ago, or even Spike TV's Afro Samurai mini from last year. So far, though, the details are looking good.

Apparently the show will spring directly from the most recent incarnation of the BP comic series as penned by Reginald Hudlin and drawn by John Romita, Jr. Hudlin also happens to be BET's "Entertainment President" at the moment, and the man responsible for bringing the show to the network. Right now it seems the show's run will directly follow the first six issues of the recent comic line, before going off to tell its own story. The art style is being strongly reflective of Romita's artwork, recreating the artist's look for the television screen.

From what I've seen of the teaser trailer (voiced before Hounsou came on board), it appears they've captured the look and feel of the comics perfectly. In fact, it's uncanny! Take a look for yourself:

Another Bloody Game . . .

Was busy with writerly duties over the weekend, so I didn't get to crack this game open until tonight. Phew! -- what a gruesome beast this Gears of War 2 is shaping up to be. I've only played through the first two chapters, but already I'm loving all the bloody disgusting mayhem I'm raining down on these bastard Locust hordes! And even though I played the first game 2 years ago, I wasn't rusty one bit! The game takes place roughly 6 months after the first, but really in terms of design, engine, and control mechanics it is the exact same experience. Of course the story is different, and the battles so far are more intense (if strangely easier). But, yeah, I'm in love!

For those not familiar with the series, Gears of War takes place on the fictional world of Sera, where humanity has occupied for a thousand years in what they thought was solitude. Lo and behold there was a literal underground civilization deep beneath their feet just waiting for the day to launch a surprise attack on the surface and take back control of the planet. When the veritable shit eventually did hit the fan--called "E-day," the day the Locust forces emerged from out of the ground--humanity was caught severely off guard. Now, 15 years later, most of the human cities of Sera lie in ruin. Locust hordes are getting stronger and more aggressive. The only thing standing between them and total annihilation of mankind is the human Cog Army. Soldiers are called "gears" in this army, and of course your main character, Marcus Fenix, is in charge of a small specialized recon group called Delta Squad.

The rest is pure runnin and gunnin at its best!

Anyone else out there love this series? Are you playing it right this very minute? I'm tempted to call in sick tomorrow and just spend an entire day kicking pale Locust ass all over the map! But of course I won't. I'll probably play this off and on until Thanksgiving break, when I can devote a lot more time and probably finish the game. In the meantime, I'm knee deep doing a finishing polish on several older stories, revising a couple of recent ones, and planning the plot details for a brand new story or two to be written between now and early December. On top of that, I have to work the regular 9 to 5, too.

Yeah, I have a full plate. But that's cool. I like being busy! :-)

A Little Tweak Here And There . . .

Made a few minor adjustments to the site that might not be immediately noticeable. I've moved the comments page so that it appears at the very bottom of a particular blog entry whenever you click on the "Comments" link to leave feedback. Previously it would appear on a side-panel alongside the entry. I like it better this way because it appears flush with the actual template of the site, and is easier on the eyes.

Also, at the end of each entry (just above the "Comments" link) you'll now notice a neat little feature whereby readers can leave their quick feedback, or "Reactions," to the piece. If you don't have anything you feel like writing in the "Comments" page, but want to leave your mark nonetheless, just check off which of the 3 boxes applies to your feeling of the entry in question. :)

But please leave comments, too. I do so love reading your thoughts!

Oh, and if you haven't done so already but are a registered Blogger, please click on the "Follow This Blog" link on the right-hand side of the page. Pretty please? I enjoy collecting followers!

More Cool Audiobook News!

Whoa! I was just mentioning in this post last month about how I needed to check out more audiobooks after listening to the superbly produced and written anthology, METAtropolis, released by Audible.com. Well now it seems that my favorite SF author in the world is jumping into the audio format foray.

Alan Dean Foster has updated over at his official website that audio versions of his acclaimed ongoing sci-fi series, Flinx of the Commonwealth, have been contracted for release through Audible! Yay! What better time for me to hop onto the audiobook bandwagon than with the very series that began my whole love affair with the genre?

To clarify, Foster currently has one of his books in the series, Flinx's Folly, available through Audible, as well as the Star Wars media tie-in novel, The Approaching Storm. Stephan Rudnicki, who narrated Folly (and, coincidentally, one of the stories in METAtropolis) has been tapped to handle the voicing duties for all the remaining Flinx novels, previous and future. I like Rudnicki; he possesses amazing narrative talents, including an uncanny knack with accents. Can't wait to hear how he lends his voice to Flinx's perilous adventures with his pet minidragon, Pip. Should be nothing short of awesome.

Foster has made no mention of a timeline for these audiobooks on his site, but here's hoping for a 2009 release.

This is sure to make many fans of Foster's work--and the Flinx books specifically--very, very happy little pandas!

A True "World Leader"

This video clip taken from CNN is just amazing. It shows how Barack Obama's win was a big deal not just for Americans, but for all stripes of people in nations around the world.



Seriously, does that not give you goosebumps? Who can say they've ever seen this much positive reaction to an American election in the world before? The folks are celebrating as if he was *their* President.

And that's the beauty of our country . . . we truly do represent the world. And it's not because we're better (we're not) or superior in any way other than arms (we're still not), but because America shows the promise of someone born and influenced from other cultures making it to the very top of the political system here. If that's not the true meaning of the word "hope," I don't know what is.

I've never felt so connected with the rest of the world than I do now. This is something just another old white guy in the White House couldn't have made happen. Even before he's officially taken on the mantle of President and expounded any kind of policy at all, Barack Obama is already a symbol of hope and something different than what the old regime has offered. To a lot of folks around the world, that is enough. To the rest of us, we wish and pray that he can live up to all the hype.

No, I don't think he's the second coming. Nor do I think our country will immediately heal from all which ails it. But I, along with the rest of the world, can see this moment as the *possibility* for something really good to happen. And we need that glimmer of the possible more than anything right now.

My Favorite Time Of The Year

I'm a cold weather person. The colder the better. If Alaska wasn't such a jacked-off, redneck hunter's paradise, I would seriously consider moving there. I mean, it has so much of what I love -- mountains, nature, solitude, and COLD! And being that I'm more at ease during the nighttime than I am in daylight, I could deal with the whole eternal darkness thing for a few weeks out of the year, too!

And yet, despite all this, winter is not my favorite season. That would be autumn. I've loved this season ever since I was a kid, and not just for the cool colors, but because of all the promise the Fall brings with it. This is my favorite time of the year because the weather starts to turn cooler, drearier, and also cleaner. When the wind shifts from out of the southwest to now from the northwest, the air has that crisp, clean freshness to it that you don't get the rest of the year here in the northeast. It smells of mountains and freedom to me. As a kid, there was also the added bonus of the big holidays -- Thanksgiving and Christmas. This meant time away from school and being with family and getting lots of gifts! :)

Yeah, you can see where my real priorities were.

So each year around this time I start to get excited, although family get-togethers are far smaller and fewer between than before. And of course, I don't get quite the same Christmas haul as I used to as a kid. Still, when the leaves turn that's when my mood changes. I get happier for no specific reason, and suddenly the world's problems don't nearly seem as pressing.

The only downside, however, is living in NYC around this time since the city takes far longer to fall into the traditional Fall patterns than the rest of the outlying areas. I never noticed this oddity until I went to college in Vermont, where the leaves there start to change in late September/early October.

In NYC, they start to turn around Halloween. Even today, one week later, the leaves are only barely midway through the cycle of change and discard. See for yourself:

(I took these pics from our bedroom windows this morning.)

Ultimately, the best thing about Fall is that Winter is not far behind it. I love anticipating the first snows and welcome the truly bleak and blistering weather to come in mid-January and February. When others are cursing the season, I'm grinning and feeling more alive than I've ever felt. This is why I miss Vermont so much. NYC just doesn't cut it when it comes to having *true* winters. All the concrete and crowds just retain too much heat to make it really bone-chilling cold the way I prefer. And of course the air is far cleaner up north in Vermont, too.

Maybe someday I'll move back? Not likely since Lisa, being a true Caribbean girl from Kingston, cannot stand the cold. She would prefer we move to Florida or San Diego -- or even Hawaii.

Blech! I don't know what I'd do without my changing seasons.

Box Set Dilemma -- And More Fraggles!

Those of you reading this thing semi-regularly may be aware of my recent run-in with Fraggle Rock related issues. If not, click here and here for a refresher. Seems I can 't get away from the little buggers now. And to make matters worse, I just learned of a GARGANTUAN box set release of the entire show on DVD!

That's 20 discs of Fraggle mayhem, folks! I mean, my god, how tempting *is* this? And it's not really that bad of a price for such a huge haul -- only 90 bucks on Amazon.com. I want so badly to ask for this for Christmas, but there are so many box sets that, to my chagrin, I've also discovered on Amazon. It must be that time of year I suppose, because already my bank account is screaming at me.

Case in point:

Exhibit A

Exhibit B


Seriously, how can I resist? The Planet of the Apes complete movie collection is especially sweet because it is on Blu-ray. But then, Batman: The Animated Series is the greatest cartoon show of all time.

Surely the solution is simple, no? I must BUY THEM ALL!!!!

Haha, no. I wish I could, but I can't. If I really, really could only choose one . . . I'd have to go with my buddy, the Dark Knight.

Yeah, that's what I'll do.

And yet . . .

R.I.P. Michael Crichton

HOLY CRAP!

CNN.com just announced that Michael Crichton, famed thriller novelist and TV show producer, passed away yesterday at the age of 66 following an undisclosed bout with cancer. Crichton is best known for writing such best-sellers as The Andromeda Strain and Jurassic Park, as well as co-creating the hit medical drama "ER."

I was first introduced to Crichton's work in high school when I read Sphere in a single day, that's how engrossed I was with his fabulous writing. I remember being impressed that he had been a medical doctor who switched to writing full time. Back when I entertained ideas of becoming both a doctor and a writer, you can see why he was such an inspiration to me.

Such sad news. A great talent has been silenced forever.

One Helluva Night!

Last evening was one of the most surreal nights ever! I was having misgivings over the weekend and during the day Monday. But when I woke up yesterday and voted it started . . . this indescribable feeling of giddy hope that washed over me. It stayed with me the entire day, making it hard for me to concentrate at work. I swear I was only going through the motions. Then I came home and breezed through my 4-mile run without even remembering doing it. I literally blinked and my 16 laps were done! I was just so enraptured by the news broadcast the entire time.

I barely remember cooking dinner and watching some Tivo'd programming with Lisa, all the while switching back and forth between the live coverage on normal tv. It was an anxious night, and I didn't have much of an appetite. I was more excited than nervous, though. I pretty much knew once I came home which way the polls would go. Normally I wouldn't dare jinx something this important . . . but as soon as I saw Lisa I told her: don't worry, he's got this. I just *know* it.

And he did. Oh damn did he!

A strange thing happened to me when they announced Barack Hussein Obama as our next president. When the networks started running the footage of crowds in Times Square cheering and hugging each other and crying . . . I felt the tears well up in me too! I couldn't believe it, but it's true! I was actually overcome with emotion. Chills went down my spine; my vision went blurry. I simply could not believe the highest of my hopes had been realized.

I stayed up late into the wee hours listening to the speeches by both McCain and Obama. I've never been so proud to be an American as I was on that night. The streets around my neighborhood were alive with celebration. People were running up and down the street screaming "OBAMA!!!!" at the top of their lungs. Cars, taxis, and even city buses were honking their horns in unison. I've *NEVER* in all my years seen this kind of a reaction to a presidential election.

Even today it still seems so unreal. My doorman was grinning from ear to ear when Lisa and I left for work this morning. "Thank you for your 2 votes . . . thank you!" he said, over and over. He's from the islands, and is not a U.S. citizen. But even he looked close to tears. I just had to smile, because it really wasn't like we did much. Only followed common sense. But it made me feel good to see so many people this morning in such great cheer and actually smiling. SMILING, do you hear me? This is New York. No one smiles in the morning here, if ever. But everyone was happy beyond belief.

What a great moment in time. I don't think Obama is anything more than a common man, mind you. He won't deliver us from evil or heal the sick. Let's be real here. But at the same time, I do think he's brought a paradigm shift with him. And, from the tone of his speech, might actually bring about some measure of unity across this great country.

I feel like a giant weight has been lifted off of my soul. A weight I've been carrying around for exactly 8 years.

UP THE UNIVERSE!!!!

Because I Promised: There Will Be Kittens!

Well, I did say I'd post about kittens to make up for that last, slightly caustic, rant. So here you go: KITTENS!







Everyone loves kittens, right?

Actually, now this makes me remember my own cat, Tiger. The only pictures I have of him are from when he was already an adult cat. But he was one cute tabby kitty! Maybe I'll save an entry on him for the next time I go off. :)

The Young Vote

I'm getting sick and tired of hearing about the "young vote." Never have I heard such a crock of shit than the belief that young people will decide this election. Who's been lacing the Kool Aid?

Truth of the matter is, young voters are STUPID and LAZY. Every election the media makes a big deal about voter registration drives on campuses across America, rife with footage of earnest young people proclaiming how the right to vote is sacred and how they take their responsibility SO seriously.

You know what, young people? Go STFU!

Because after every election comes the reports of historically low voter turnout among young voters. Just look at the last election. Remember "Rock The Vote" and "Vote or Die"? Remember MTV rallying all the Puff Daddies and Eminems out there to charge up the young vote and get them to the polls? Yeah, remember how well that went?

So, it's cute for the media to pretend that the 18-24 vote actually matters. But let's be honest, we relied on it the last time and it got us nowhere. I'm not implying that young people would vote more liberal if they *did* exercise their right. But the fact of the matter is that that last two elections were really close. And the young voters did not show up. If they had, do you not think things might have turned out differently? I think so.

When I went to the polling station this morning, the line was out the door. But you know what? I can honestly say I saw maybe 5 people younger than me. Only 1 was under 24. Trust me, I kept an eye out for this. I'm sure most of this was due to the fact that it was 7am in the morning. I did say they were LAZY, didn't I? I really shouldn't have expected a college student to be up at such a godforsaken hour of the day. What was I thinking?

Anyway, the youth vote is a joke. Obama's people are wasting their time e-mailing and texting these poor excuses for human beings. Young voters believe that they don't need to vote because the right decision will be made regardless. And that, whatever the outcome, it doesn't affect them anyway. Because their own personal problems are so much more important. Yeah, okay.

Yes, I know I'm only 32. But sometimes I look at these young people and feel such a gulf between our priorities, despite only being 8 or 10 years apart.

Well, here ends my old man rant for the day! :) I'll write about fluffy kittens in my next entry to make up for it.

Well, That Was An Experience!

Got up super early this morning and went two blocks over to get my voting in before heading to work. I figured it would be crowded, so I gave myself an extra 30 mins. Turns out I should have given myself 90!

Jeez, the line was out the door, down the block and around the corner! And once inside, it was pure madness. I've never seen such a large turnout before, and I've been voting since 2000. And people were EXCITED! I couldn't believe how many black and hispanic people were actually looking proud to be on line voting. You could see it in their faces. This is huge because, in past elections, this was not something I was used to seeing. Voter turnout in the Bronx is iffy at best, due to the majority of people feeling apathetic and left out of the political arena at large.

Now of course no one said who they were voting for, but I think it's pretty obvious. :)

The only thing that can damper the experience was the fact that NY is going blue anyway, so whether the Bronx had a bigger than usual turnout or not, the end results are still going to be the same. Huge turnouts here are just overkill. If only the popular vote meant more . . .

Anyway, I came into work (eventually) and it seems the excitement is not just limited to NY. Early indication is that there is larger voter turnout all up and down the Eastern seaboard. Time will tell whether or not this fervor will spread West, but I think it will.

It's a funny feeling, but I think Obama has a VERY good chance now. I wasn't feeling it over the weekend, but I've never seen a voting climate so charged like this. Since McCain is really nothing new, I can only assume this is due to Obama. Unlike Bush/Kerry 4 years ago, people actually care this time and are fired up. Especially the Democrat base, which was pretty lamely backing Kerry last time. I mean, we voted for him, but no one was really all that happy about it. And yet we almost beat Bush regardless.

Obama has far more going for him than Kerry, and McCain has far more going *against* him than Bush did. So we'll see . . .

I hope the rest of you go out and vote today. No matter who you choose, your ancestors fought long and hard and sacrificed so much so that you would have this freedom. Don't toss it aside lightly.

This Book Saved My High School Career

Math was never my top subject. If I could have had my way, six year old David's school life would have involved nothing but reading books all day, and perhaps completing the occasional word problem or two. I was good enough to constantly get stellar grades in math, but it was always a chore for me. And I was a lazy kid. I hated any subject that required actual studying on my part.

Anyway, in 8th grade I had the world's worst algebra teacher. He took a disliking to me for whatever reason and seemed (in my opinion) to pick on me above all others. He actually told me to my face one day that I was a poor student and would never figure out math. How f'd up is that? As you can imagine, I didn't do so well in his class. Eventually I got my act together by the end of the year to pass, but it was a hard battle.

After that year, I actually believed I was really bad at math, and so I didn't apply myself the way I should have when I went on to high school. Things got really bad to the point I was on the verge of flunking geometry and possibly having to repeat a grade because of it. I was stressed out beyond belief. I had one last major test to prove myself and make up for the poor year I had had up to that point. The test was a super tests of sorts, a New York State oddity called a "regents" exam. I actually felt the cold dread of failure grip my heart as the day approached.

I studied my ass off like no sorry math cripple had ever studied before. Notes, text books, Regents-prep courses -- I did them all! And while I did actually pass the exam with a good grade, I of course thank none of these things for my success. :-)

No, you see, it is the book above that did it for me. I firmly believe this. Neverness is a hard book to get through, but it had a major impact on me nonetheless. The story takes place in the far future on an ice world colonized by humans thousands of years prior. The protagonist is a deep space pilot trainee studying to get his license. In this future, piloting spacecraft requires, among other traits, an affinity for complex mathematical algorithms and a near photographic memory to boot. The plot happened to be a really good one, too, which I suppose is why the book resonated with me. In any event, I used it as my inspiration when going to take my test. I pretended I was the protagonist, and that this regents exam was really my pilots exam. Except if I failed, I would die.

You think that's extreme, huh? Just remember, I was a 15 year old male in high school. Teenage boys dwell on that sort of high melodrama. :)

Anyway, the book actually opened up a love of mathematics for me. While I would never be deemed brilliant at the subject, I wasn't too shabby, either, for the rest of my years in high school. I was particularly good at trig, which surprised me. Everything about it just clicked for me. I ended up getting a 108% score on my final -- 100% for getting every single problem correct, and an additional 8 points for answering both extra credit questions correctly too! I was on fire that year!

I then went on to college and completed Calculus I and II when I thought I would be preparing for Med school. Yeah, the whole doctor thing fell through obviously, but at least I can say I faced my childhood fears concerning math and overcame them (and then some!) I'm proud of that much.

But it just goes to show the power of a young mind sufficiently motivated. One of my dreams is to someday have enough money or clout to produce an interactive sci-fi video game that uses mathematics in a fun way to, I dunno, power fighter ships through space or build suped-up, badass mech fighters or something. Basically, something that would appeal to a teenage boy or girl and show them that math can be fun if you spin it a certain way.

I'm serious. I would really *love* to make this happen someday.

Writerly Quiz

I took this quiz to determine "What Type of Writer I Should Be." Big surprise I got the result I did, huh? :)

You Should Be a Science Fiction Writer

Your ideas are very strange, and people often wonder what planet you're from. And while you may have some problems being "normal," you'll have no problems writing sci-fi. Whether it's epic films, important novels, or vivid comics... Your own little universe could leave an important mark on the world!

What Type of Writer Should You Be?

What type of writer are YOU?