I'll pull down your underwear, anyway.

Happy Halloween. I'm going away. When I return, I'll have some audio tracks and treats. And as God as my witness, I will finish things around here.

Resistance is Futile

This is the counter across from the counter where I get a quart of "Fields of Greens" - kale, spinach, celery, cucumber, and carrot juice. Thanks.

Organize me in Uncategories

When an artist tries to make an album full of songs of different genres, it very rarely works for me. Only a few extremely talented musicians can pull off a crossover of any kind, much less 10 crossovers on one album. So why do I want writers to mix genres and blend styles? And why do I keep posting anything I feel like posting on here? Shouldn't they stick to what they do best? And shouldn't I be targeting a specific audience?

If I'm consigned to stay within the lines and only drive in one lane for the rest of my life, my boredom might blind me into snoring through the light.

"Some people like the flash. Some people like the hash. But I love art.And I make it out of trash."

"Some people like the money. Some people like the honey. But I love art. Some people like the flash. Some people like the hash. But I love art. And I make it out of trash. Some say it has no class." -Isaiah Zagar, Philadelphia's Magic Gardens

Mystery Science Masterpiece Theatre - Review of This Brilliant Darkness

This Brilliant Darkness by Red Tash

The way the author weaves fantasy, humor, science fiction, and mystery is, for lack of a better word, brilliant. I read the entire thing with admiration/envy, taking notes and thinking 'THIS is how you write a novel.' The religious themes and sexual undertones combine to make an intellectually stimulating joyride. It reminded me of Lorrie Moore (sarcastic, clever) meets Dan Brown (can't put it down, fast paced), but much more poetic. There were layers upon layers of symbols and ideas, but even if you only skimmed the surface, it was a highly entertaining read.

I particularly enjoyed the one-line poems/pop culture nods throughout the chapter titles, ranging from the Pixies, to Harry Potter, to the Hindenburg disaster. I also loved how realistically the characters were portrayed; the dialogue felt like I was hanging out with my friends, goofy, relaxed, and straight forward (My friends are smart and hilarious; YMMV). The best parts of TBD were the touches of modern life scattered throughout the story. Remember when Scream blew the horror world away by actually using technology in a realistic way? Well here's blogging and online forums and long distance cyber friendships, honestly depicting the way we live in the 21st century.

There's some heavy Biblical symbolism, but it never felt overtly Christian. There's also a lot of parallels to science fiction, but I wouldn't call it sci-fi, either. I'm an atheist, but I was a little touched by the subtle way in which the author plants these seeds of faith and doubt simultaneously. Science and Magic and Jesus, together? Absurd! But perfect, if you think about it.

My biggest criticism is that I don't think the cover does it justice (but does any cover, ever, really?). TBD is a modern, intelligent, thrilling masterpiece. I can't wait to see what else Tash does.