South Of Someplace: October 2015

Friday, October 30, 2015

New York Minute 21 - Recessed Doorway

Yesterday, on the way to Starbucks, I saw a guy urinating against the wall in a recessed doorway.

(Two details of note: the guy had a guitar in a gig bag strapped across his back, and this incident happened half a block from a train station that has free restrooms!)

When I returned from Starbucks a few moments later, a woman stood in the same spot smoking a cigarette with a large puddle of pee beside her shoes.

The Truth About Dishonesty

I have an idea to liven up the presidential debates - real time fact checking. A loud buzzer will sound every time a candidate lies. Or maybe they could play a song, like Kendrick Lamar rapping "Liar! Liar! Pants on fire!" That would be fun, and it would perform a valuable public service. :-)

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Marco and Carly

Marco Rubio and Carly Fiorina seem like clones to me. They both project false outrage. They both whine continuously. They're the same height, and they have the same haircut except Rubio is prettier.

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Why Do Republicans Want To Run The Government?

Republican Presidential Candidates: All of them say that government can't do anything right, yet they all want to run the government. Are they deluded, dishonest, or both?

Monday, October 26, 2015

The Thrill Of Improvisation

My short story, The Horse Farm, is improvised. There's no outline. I make up each chapter as I go along. Most of the time, I have a general sense of where the story is heading, but sometimes the narrative forces me to change direction and follow an unexpected path. The driving force is believability, i.e. would the characters really do these things in their current situation?

The process is exciting, because I encounter surprises along the way. I get to know more about my characters over time, just as the reader does. Last evening, I worked on a chapter, and I realized that I needed to revise my expectations. What I thought would happen didn't make sense at that time. It would have been unrealistic.

Where is it all going? Well, I guess we'll have to see. I don't think that the story would have been very interesting if I had conceptualized every detail in advance. Writing it would have been dull. I prefer discovering the course of the story chapter by chapter. I hope that you'll enjoy it as well.

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Storm of Vengeance

For those who believe that God actively uses weather to punish people, note that recent storms have caused catastrophic damage in Texas and South Carolina, while the biggest hurricane in history just passed over Mexico but left the country virtually untouched.

Maybe there's a lesson in there somewhere. Can a brother get an Amen?

Friday, October 23, 2015

The Impressive Mrs. Clinton

I watched Mrs. Clinton's interrogation yesterday and excerpts of her interview on MSNBC. She is poised, energetic, calm under pressure, and thoroughly knowledgeable about a wide array of topics and foreign policy situations.

I guess that I shouldn't be surprised given that she was a Senator and the Secretary of State, but I have to admit that I am becoming a fan. I still like Bernie, and I feel that his message is important, but I believe that Mrs. Clinton is going to get my vote.

Wimp Of The Year

The Wimp Of The Year Award goes to Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC). What kind of man spars for eleven hours with someone's grandma and loses?

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Witch Hunt

Wow! I've never watched a live witch hunt before. It's tedious, but I have learned an interesting thing about interrogations.

If the interrogators keep asking the same pointless questions over and over again, it means that they don't have any evidence against you and they're just waiting for you to screw up.

Hang in there, Mrs. Clinton! Stay strong! When you become President, maybe you can pay back some of those bone-headed interrogators with a vacation in Cuba. Guantanamo, Cuba.

History Lesson on the Holocaust

In a year of surprising political developments, the most shocking of all was having the German Chancellor give the Israeli Prime Minister a history lesson on the Holocaust. Wow!

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

The Cops Are Pissed Off

Lots of sirens racing up and down the avenues through the evening. The cops are pissed off.

Police Officer Killed in New York

Deepest condolences to the family and colleagues of the police officer who was shot and killed this evening in NYC. I hope that the scumbag who shot him meets with a cruel and unusual reckoning.

James Woods on Bernie Sanders

Wow! James Woods really doesn't like Bernie Sanders! That's okay. Let him support Carly Failurina. They deserve each other.

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

A Change In The Weather

Two days after bundling up in a jacket, gloves, and sweatpants, I ran this evening in shorts and a sleeveless shirt - and I felt too warm! You've gotta love October.

Saturday, October 17, 2015

New York Minute 20 - Cigarette Break

Two young women stood in front of a restaurant smoking. You can't smoke in New York restaurants, so the patrons go out to the sidewalk when they want to enjoy a cigarette.

One of the women was facing the street. The other was facing the same direction that I was as I walked up the street. Her back was to me, so she didn't see me approaching.

Just as I was passing them, the woman whose back had been turned toward me said very loudly: "But I finally got my PERIOD, so THAT'S a relief!"

"Yeah..." the other woman muttered sheepishly.

I just kept walking.

Cancelled TV Shows

I don't have a lot of time to devote to television. Each year, I pick one or two shows that seem uniquely interesting. I commit to watching those shows and ignoring everything else.

Unfortunately, most of the shows that I enjoy end up getting cancelled in the first or second season.

"Almost Human" was an amazing sci-fi show about androids working side by side with humans in the near future. Cancelled.

Despite all of the bad press that Katherine Heigl receives (and all of the bad karma that she has built up in Hollywood), I thought that her "State of Affairs" show was excellent. Of course, it was promptly cancelled.

I shouldn't be surprised. My tastes have never aligned with those of the masses. The television business is a numbers game. If lots of people aren't watching your favorite show, don't expect it to last very long.

My top pick for the autumn of 2015 is "The Game" starring Wesley Snipes and Phillip Winchester. "The Game" is a crime drama that features amazing action. The show's budget must be fairly high to deliver that kind of "second unit" quality week after week.

Of course, a high budget is a great excuse for cancellation. Why should the studio spend money on expensive special effects when they can attract high ratings with cheap "reality" shows?

I'm enjoying every minute of "The Game" because I realize that it could be cancelled at any time. The ratings haven't been high enough to keep an expensive action show in production.

As they say: "That's show business!"

New York Minute 19 - Amish Sighting

I had a surprise a few weeks ago when I came across a large group of Amish people in Grand Central Terminal. I don't recall ever seeing the Amish in Manhattan before. I imagine that New York City isn't high on their list of places to visit.

And yet, here they were, just passing through, I suppose.

The funny thing was that they weren't on the main concourse waiting to board a train. They were in the food court having lunch at Shake Shack.

Apparently, Shake Shack is Amish approved. Who knew?

Times Have Changed

I noticed evidence of a major cultural shift earlier this week when I was invited to have drinks with some colleagues.

I don't visit bars frequently, so when I do go out, I tend to notice details about the room, the staff, and the other patrons.

This time I noticed how popular tattoos have become with women. If you see a young lady whose outfit shows some skin, that skin probably has a tattoo on it.

I saw tattoos on necks, shoulders, arms, and backs. Some were small, and some covered a large area.

Back in the 1980's when I went out to clubs to see live music with friends, we never encountered women with tattoos. Tattoos were worn by men, and not even by all men.

Ink was a masculine badge of honor for guys who had endured tough situations - serving in the armed forces, spending time in jail or in a counterculture like motorcycle gangs. Most women never would have considered getting a tattoo.

And yet, in 2015, it's unusual to find a young woman who doesn't have ink on her body.

When did we make that leap? When did tattoos become a desirable fashion accessory for professional women, housewives, and ladies with day jobs? When did average, unremarkable people convince themselves that skin ink would make them seem more interesting or alluring?

Friday, October 16, 2015

New York Minute 18 - Splash

If you're in New York during or following a rain shower, you'll learn quickly to avoid puddles, especially large puddles in the streets.

If a passing car drives through a puddle, it's likely that the impact will cause water to spray up onto the sidewalk. Sometimes, it's a lot of water.

New York's streets are dirty, and the water in those puddles is filthy. Getting splashed by cold, dirty puddle water is an extremely uncomfortable experience. The dirt and oil in urban puddle water can stain your clothing beyond repair.

This morning, I put on a clean suit in anticipation of an important meeting with upper management. As I waited to cross the street at an intersection, a passing Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) hit a puddle that was a few feet away from me.

You might be thinking that I should have known better, that I should have stood back away from the street and out of range of potential puddle splash.

In my defense, the puddle was tiny, about ten inches (25 cm) in length, five inches wide, and it had less than a half inch of water in it. I never would have believed that I could have been splashed by such a tiny amount of water.

Unfortunately, the guy must have hit the hole just right. Bam! Water from an inconsequentially small puddle is suddenly all over me, my pants, and my jacket. Yuck!

So, here's a word to the wise about street puddles: avoid the big ones cautiously, but realize that even a small puddle can splash all over your clothing if a motorist hits it at just the right speed and direction.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Bush Body Language

I just noticed something about John Edward Bush. It may explain why his candidacy for President is struggling.

Observe Bush's body language, the tension in the neck and shoulders, the constant grimace on his face, the uncomfortable posture as he bends slightly forward awkwardly from the waist. Bush looks like a man who's waiting in line for an open toilet stall while resisting a desperate urge to empty his colon.

South Of Someplace