Quill & Claw/Pen & Paw

This is the gift of a great writer. His words hit the note about this tragedy. Christopher Nolan Statement -- Speaks About Tragic Shooting I wish I could say more. I will say this, people, and that is…don’t watch the news right now. Really. Don’t. I accidentally left the news on after Judge Judy. I was vacuuming, getting ready for some visitors and, well, there you have it. I had the captions on. So I couldn’t escape the headlines of this awful event. Then I thought, what the heck? This is the lead on the five pm news? That makes no sense. So I watched a bit more and realized they had no new information. So, basically, they were riding on the fact that no one knew that this had happened? That’s malarkey.  Unless they were weird. Now I took my older brother to the premiere of Batman in 1989, yes, at midnight. The first man I ever kissed was after Batman Returns in 1992! I could have been at that midnight showing.  So its hitting me harder than some. Now it is easy f...

Now, this is what I’m talking about… Just remember, these things can get a bit violent. I wrote a zombie novel myself, so this show holds a special place in my heart. The fact is, horror is a terrific way to explore allegory. With or without the emphasis on the “gory.” It’s an opportunity to see the world and to try to symbolize it into more direct terms. Science fiction and fantasy also have that option. One thing I have noticed (gee, I’m learning a lot lately. What’s the cliché? Something about an old dog turning new tricks???), between the husOtter and myself, my fiction preferences tends towards the realistic. I love to read highly dramatic literature, weather its true crime, thrillers, horror or nonfiction.  My Better Half? He goes for the World Building stuff, Orson Scott Card; Mission to Mars, Lord of the Rings. In the end, it is the story that counts and we switch sometimes, but says something about our character, I believe. Lastly, it should be duly noted, I hate...

Living the Writer’s Life      Since coming to Florida, I’ve found a new flowering of life I never knew I could experience. For the first time ever, I found that the escape to the virtual worlds of Disney, once a fleeting, every other year thing, and it has put much in my life in perspective. Basically, that if my problems are so big that I can ride though (fake) space in a mountain, how, truly, big are my problems? If I can pretend, for just a moment that I really am in a Krustyland Carnival, then, why, oh why, am I dwelling on the aggravations of the week?      My problems still exist, but I can put them into a much smaller box than ever before. I can’t talk for my husOtter, but for myself, this has been a boon. A true boon. Because, for the first time, ever, I feel like I’m living the kinda of life I’m meant to lead. My problems are greatly reduced for the first time ever.         Oh. Wait. Lemme rephrase th...

Here ya go…its even mentioned in the WSJ… More Retailers Are Courting Gay Customers - WSJ.com Peace, Roo

You should use your money at! http://i.imgur.com/1E7bB.jpg

I was torn where to post this….but then I realized, well, it should go where I have the most traffic… You Would Never Believe Which Anti Gay Corporations You've Been Supporting With Your Money What’s humorous is that I have refused to go to many of these companies, regardless. 1.  Chikfila? I’ve hated their food and now, moreso. 2.  Exxon? Easy to avoid. 3.  Avoid those bell ringers at Salvation Army. I knew, back in the early nineties when they would refuse to help people suffering from AIDS, regardless of orientation. Boom. Off my list. 4.  Urban Outfitters only has clothes for thin people anyways. 5.  I’ve hated WalMart for other reasons. They’re the reason so many are on welfare and the need for insurance reform. They refuse to pay decent wages. They refuse unions, to the point where they’ll close a store where there is one and open another up the street and not hire those people. We went there once in 2011, due to the fact it was 2am and the d...

  Keep the captions on…this is pretty cool. I am fully aware I’ve not gone ahead and written a review yet for Magic Mike, but I stumbled across this tasty morsel of filmdom. Between theater and film, there’s very little crossover. You can improv on stage. In fact, it’s a skill that you might wish to have set away. Movies, in contrast, are massively scripted, to make sure every dollar appears on the screen. So these little snippets are moments outside the lines, a glimpse of the professionalism and ability of the assorted performers-and the filmmakers who left these items in the finished product. Enjoy. Peace, Roo

Oh, where do I begin… Louisiana Republican: When I Voted for State Funds to go to Religious Schools, I Didn’t Mean Muslim Ones For those who know me, you know that education is one of my passions and how I detest the school voucher system. Seemingly for forever, Christians have wanted the funds from public schools to follow them into their private schools, using the money to pay for their churches. Churches that don’t pay taxes. Basically, getting the funding they want for free, under the guise of “vouchers.” SInce the schools can’t be monitored, those schools can pick and choose who they hire (you’re black? Too bad. Asian Buddhist? Sorry, no) and which students they allow in the doors (we’re not wheelchair accessible! Sorry!).  And now we have proof. Since schools are all or nothing situations, meaning everyone in America gets a free education, even Islamic children have the right to go to a school of their faith and family’s choosing. And, well, we have our evidence with ...

  Wildfire Tests Police Force in Colorado Anti-Tax Movement’s Home - Bloomberg Having lived in this hellhole of a town (I keep thinking it is time to blog why I left, so that its out there and people know what they did…) this makes sense. I remember that historic vote. How, sponsored by churches and GOP stalwarts, they cut the budgets of police forces and, well, firefighters. And when I saw the news and heard the phone calls, I knew this would come up. Would things be different with more firefighters available? You bet your ass it would have been different. So now? The Naked City that doesn’t want to spend money or depend on the government will have to turn around and ask for Federal assistance. They already have to call out the National Guard. Get a fucking clue, people. Sorry. Bitter. They hurt me. Peace, Roo

  Anderson Cooper: "The Fact Is, I'm Gay." - The Dish | By Andrew Sullivan - The Daily Beast Here I was, writing about Tom Cruise, and this happens. I’m am very, very glad that Mr. Cooper has come out, frankly, but I understand and can respect his hesitancy. I just finished the EW article they talked about and how the whole process of coming out has changed. But, at the same time, is it truly necessary? It shouldn’t be. Where I’m torn is that kids need role models. They really do. And people in the public eye can do a world of good, if, in some way, let teens today know, well, basically, “it gets better.”  I can respect Anderson. He kept quiet because he could be hanged in Saudi Arabia. The mere fact that he continues to talk to Kathy Griffin is evidence of his queer-ness besides. I am working on a novel and, one day, would love to have a bestseller. And I think about my partner of 12 years and what that kind attention would do to him. He is a massively p...