Quill & Claw/Pen & Paw

"You rang?" Roger looked at his computer to see if one of his interoffice chat windows opened. "Up here, big guy," Roger hated that comment, created by straight men to keep in touch with one another. But when Josh said it, it didn't seem as bad. Roger looked over the PC at Josh staring down at him. "Lunch hour bum rush. Julie sent an email saying you needed help?" That was Josh. No interoffice chat. Right down to business. Roger had hoped the fake email would work. It apparently did. "Yeah, I mean, yes, yes, I do. I, yes, ahh," Roger had been focused on his work and allowing himself to daydream about what would happen if Josh came over. There was little opportunity to think of much else when Josh honestly did come over. "yeah, I mean, yes, I can't get my own email to open. I didn't want to walk downstairs to get the tech guy. You know how they are." "I know, so full of personality. Here, scooch back and I'll take a ...

It's a curious state we live in here, a country sans an identity. I read, recently, about how Barbara Walters mentioned her discomfort with a woman breast-feeding her baby on an airplane next to her and how, when she landed, "lactivists" picketed her office at ABC in New York. This would be the same nation that got upset of Janet Jackson's flashing of her breast during the Super Bowl. Um, what is it we want? I'd heard two different reviews of this movie going in. Some really recommended it, saying it was an exploration of sexuality and some panning it, saying it was a stoner road movie. And like our confused nation, I'm going to add to the problem. I agree to both. I think the reasons some people put this movie down is because, sadly, they think like Americans. Since joining Netflix last year, I have seen more foreign films they I thought was possible. Before, I had only been exposed to England's cinema and France. Now I've been to India, Japan, China,...

I had not wanted to attend. When I had heard the news that my Mom-mom (yes, even at this age, I still referred to her as such) has moved on, I knew I didn't want to attend. For years, I had been writing her, reconnecting on a level that I only knew how...writing. But I was never honest with her about who I was and where I was going and doing with my life. Then she was dead. Forget all the 'she's in a better place' stuff, I already knew that and it wasn't a concern. But when a man comes out of a closet, he has to turn his back part way on parts of his past. It's not his choice. There are just those in the family who the mere sentence, "I am gay" will not suffice. The explanation has to be longer and deeper. And for my grandparents, that would have been the case. So with every letter about tales of my students and the adventures of my dog, there was nothing about the love of my life and the family I had created and worked so hard to maintain. The smiles ...

It's that time of the year again, the reason Netflix was created. I've been waiting for an opportunity to finally sit and watch the movies established in my queue for some time now. Their presence at my coffee table blew pangs of guilt my way whenever I reached for my glass. But the guilt was not motivating enough to pick up the blasted DVDs and slap them into the player. I guess I felt that there was much more to do then watching movies--that guilt was stronger. Perhaps it's something my mother taught me...there's always something that needed to be done. But now that summer vacation is here, the guilt has taken form in the opposite. I have to watch these movies and broaden my horizons. Guilt is not the only gift of my family's matriarch. Growing up, she had a dancing school--so a movie like Billy Elliot takes on a new, more profound meaning then it would for the average Joe. I've seen a gazillion movies about dancing growing up--and my perspective is far differ...

Roger sat down at his PC and wondered where to start. He was always the anal retentive type and it bothered him when work piled up on him faster then he could get it out to the appropriate people at the college. He ran his left hand down the yellow tan folders looking to make sure they were all marked with the correct sticky colored note. All the greens, yellows and reds were there. But the their flicking noise awoke his memory and he reached back to his plastic lunch bag and unzippered the bottom portion. THere was his paperback, dogeared but otherwise clean, and on it's front, a yellow note from Josh. He had to contact Josh. That would stall the day's work for a few moments and open his mind to the work he had to do for the afternoon. He wheeled himself into position and moved the keyboard forward. He reached beside the monitor and grabbed his antibacterial hand gel and scrubbed away. The smell gave him a touch of energy. Josh was new to the offices at the college but not new...

Humph. I've always been iffy about this topic. I can believe in ghosts, heck I investigate them, write and read about them and sometimes think I see them. But UFOs? I guess there is a difference between the two topics, and I need to recognize that. I was addicted to X-Files, too, but that doesn't mean I think they are real. I'll tell you what I believe. Other then God, peace and enlightenment. There are aliens. But I don't believe that they fly a gazillion miles to flit about in machines and stare at us like some kind scientific experiment. If they have the smarts to make such a machine that can bring them here, they can have the common decency to stop by and say hello. Or do something other then probing our heinies. I just think that something that smart can be so dumb. But then again, Republicans still exist in this society, so I probably should rethink that. A smart society and those yahoos still exist. I know, for show there has to be life somewhere out there. Can...

If I could meet and talk to any three musicians, I have to say my main concern would be not who they were or what we would talk about, but more along the lines of what to serve them. My mother has taught me the art of entertaining, and yes, there is some personal reward watching people be full on food I serve and whatnot. Screw Martha Stewart, I have my own style. But the request today is who would I invite and what would be the three questions. I'm guessing this can be very telling, psychoanalytically. First, I'd go with historical. I listen to classical music nearly constantly on a radio I just leave on in the living room. It adds a certain peace to the atmosphere. It also helps where I teach. And since there as been a movie and whatnot based on him, I believe we already have a powerful interest in W.A. Mozart. His music, I've noticed, I've been able to identify by ear and that says something. My three questions for him would be more along the lines of self-applicatio...

I didn't like today's topic, so I rolled back the calender and picked another. It should be easy. The request is to write about myself from the perspective of someone who doesn't like me. Who likes themselves? Surely, the guy with the white beater at the gym last night likes himself. But underneath, I'm sure he's got the issues. Probably hates to cook and stares at porno all day and feels dirty about it. I'll switch to third person. He's weird. Plain and simple. He has this strange facination with Disney. But it's broader than that. He's like a big kid. And with that he carries a huge imagination with him. Because of that, he's a daydreamer. He keeps imagining worlds and places that aren't fit for the situation at hand. He also tends to do the masculine thing and turn all conversations into something about himself. When a coworker complains about a student, he'll immediately list what he's done and not, regardless of the discussion. I...

I have a love/hate relationship with the sun, I really do. I still can't freegin make up my mind about it. I love to sunbathe, I really do. I know it's risking cancer. I believe it's part of my own poor body image. I joking like to say that 'tan fat is better than white fat,' as if this some how justifies risking skin cancer, but I believe it's more potent then that. I've noticed over the years a huge jump in body modifications. Piercings and tattoos galore. And forgive me for this gross generalization, but I can't help thinking that the world at large hates their bodies and that's why we see so many tatts out there. It's not a question of if a body is too fat or too thin. It's people hate their physical forms of themselves and tatts, piercing and tans are ways of controlling the uncontrolable. Outside of genetics, we are all suffering. And I like to tan, I really do. Maybe this is the reason? Yes I have tattoos and piercings as well. And yes...