The Holiday Movie/Book Push

I am so excited to see I am Legend even though I know it has to deviate somewhat from the original work. Although I haven't read any reviews it wouldn't surprise me if as usual, the critics get it all wrong. I'm fascinated by the idea of vampirism and how writers use vampirism to discuss the transmittal of contagions via bodily fluid, specifically blood. Check out the Vertigo Comic storyboards for the film, they're quite intriguing.

I finished Max Brooks' World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War and loved it. I had nightmares for a couple weeks after but loved it. The interviews were a compelling twist in zombie lore and made the story feel horrifically real.


I also finished Richard Morgan's Thirteen. He is one of the few writers I've read in scifi that deals with race and class with some subtlety and sophistication. Thank you Mr. Morgan. I could give some examples of writers who attempt to deal with these issues in their writing in the most simplistic offensive manner but I don't think they're aware of this.

Can moving be hazardous to your health?

It has been just over a year since I moved to Chicago and the adjustment to the city will take some time...a long time. I know its the third largest city in the country, I know it has clubs and museums and shopping and universities and a centrally located airport but its not the same. I guess the best word to describe my emotional state for the first six months in the city is traumatized. This city has much to offer, places I haven't even begun to explore but it feels, to me mind you, like its all sharp edges forcing its way into my consciousness on a daily grinding basis...There is none of the soft rolling curves of the bay area that I miss so much.

I haven't been doing any writing really but lots of reading. My yoga practice has gone from doing nothing to doing three to four hours a week and I'm finally able to run at least two miles on the treadmill somewhat comfortably. My social life has been nonexistent but its taken year for that realization to hit me over the head. The first six months I was so busy trying to get my bearings, looking for a job, getting a job, learning the job, moving out of a sublet into an apartment and thinking, "No, I don't need a social life, I'm totally fine." Then it hit me, I needed a social life, I needed friends that were in the same city instead of halfway across the country that I couldn't drive to when a crisis hit or I couldn't call because they were still sleeping. So, I'm working on the social life issue. I'm working on finding a cure for my scaly winter skin and cold/heater induced sinus issues. I'm going to try to find a reading group that appeals to me, start writing again and check out some sort of dance class I think. I need find someplace in Chicago where I can go and just dance to house/techno/trip hop - something, but someplace where people are more into the music and sweating through their clothes rather than scoping out the next one night stand and being a pick-up artist....until next time. Happy thawing...

Happy Naked Day

To my little sister, T, who turned a corner yesterday. She is now 3-0! I hope she enjoys her thirties as much as I'm enjoying mine.

When my mother came to visit several weeks ago we drove by the apartment where my parents lived when I was first born in Evanston, just above a dry cleaners facility that has been there apparently thirty-three years. Then we drove by the park that had an old hollowed out fire truck set in the middle of the field as a jungle gym. My mother sounded gleeful as she told me how I used to crawl over and under the brick red vehicle and I tried to conjure memories of those moments. We drove by the old Methodist church and parsonage we lived in after the apartment and I do remember being terrified in that house; it was huge and old with a heavy gothic air about it. I remember arranging my toys in a circle around me as protection before going to sleep. I'm glad I saw my birthplace, it gives me a sense of coming full circle.

Chicago....I like It...I Think....

The move is complete...we are subletting a house in the Edgewater area and are doing well. We made it through our first winter, albeit a "mild" one. I achieved my goal of finding and starting a job by February 1st and although its not downtown and the commute isn't always fun, I do enjoy it and the people I work with. I am asked quite often if I like it here and the answer in short is that my gradual thaw towards Chicago is a work in progress. I miss California, I miss its cleanliness and the salty smell of the ocean. I miss the fog rolling in over the city in the afternoons and the silhouette of the Bay Bridge as the sun set. But I'll get over it. I think.

More soon...

Cross Country Moves and Gas Guzzlers

I feel like a vagabond. I'm staying with friends, my adopted mamas who are wonderful and I will miss greatly but living out of a suitcase for two weeks and a couple weeks more is beginning to take a toll.

I moved out of my apartment with the help of my wonderful beloved who then flew back to Ithaca to finish teaching the semester. Today he started the drive to Milwaukee where we'll be staying until January 2nd until our house that we're renting is ready. He flies here on Friday to pack up my car and then Saturday we head out. Our first stop Flagstaff, second will be Chickasha, OK for two days, then St. Louis and then on to Milwaukee so good thoughts would be appreciated.

Although I've started job hunting for Exec. AA positions in the Chicago area its difficult to do so long distance. I have several appointments with head hunters once I get in and a meeting to set with a non-profit director. My goal is to be hired by February 1st. Cross your fingers.

I just can't wait to see my love. I've received several posts from my brother in Macedonia which I'll post later. His blog is up and running although he won't be able to post as much given where he's now living; he's in an ethnic Albanian village and is hopefully staying safe, warm and healthy.

And on another note, I've seen more new Hummers on the road lately than I'd care to. So, while soldiers and civilians are dying overseas, there is a whole new line of vehicles, and I use that term loosely, showing up on the road and eating up an energy source that does not have an infinite supply, in spite of what car manufacturers would like to believe....click on the link to take a look at my site of the day.

A Qick Post on What I'm Reading...

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Two Girls, Fat And Thin & Bad Behavior by Mary Gaitskill
The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi

All of them wonderfully written in their own ways. Hosseini's language and storytelling is masterful, his imagery wondefully vivid and there's a completeness to the novel that reminds me of John Irving. The story is tragic, beautiful and brutal all at once.

Mary Gaitskill is taking some time to get into. The short stories, while dealing with issues of intimacy, have a tone that is detached and that creates an interesting tension. Her writing is lovely in its straightforwardness and simplicity.

Helen Oyeyemi's novel is frightening, in its story and the talent of the writer. Just barely over twenty, I am excited to see what comes next from this author. If it's anything like this novel, she is going to have a long and successful career.

Photo from Macedonia

I've been thinking of my brother quite a bit lately. He is building up his portfolio while overseas and has sent quite a few beautiful pictures in the short time he's been in Macedonia. Here's just one of the many pictures he's passed on to me via email.