Musings of a Wandering Writer

A few years back, I had the great joy and privilege of reading Richard Matheson's I Am Legend and immediately found myself wanting more. Matheson's ability to convey a sense of isolation while also presenting the absurd idea of a vampire plague upon mankind felt fresh and engaging despite the countless tropes of both epidemics and vampires that 21st Century pop culture is now plagued with (yes, I am aware that I Am Legend came out well before most of the current garbage was even conceived). Unlike the popular film (starring Will Smith), the book ended on a much more interesting note by having its protagonist, Robert Neville, discover that he was actually the monster. In my opinion, any author that can get his/her readers to continue to dwell on a book after they're done reading it deserves a standing ovation. So with that being said, I wanted to check out some of Matheson's other works, but wanted to avoid short stories (of which Matheson is well-known for). After some...

Dear America, Things are going pretty well considering we're still in the middle of an international pandemic. I am fortunate enough to find myself at a crossroads where I have options on where I want to take my life. I've spoken before about starting a new chapter, but I don't know what to figuratively write about. Do I take the safe bet that continues my story where I am now with the possibility of building something great on a foundation I am familiar with? The other path leads me down a newer path full of unfelt experiences and a new locale with unknown pitfalls and possibilities. This quandary has made me revisit my personal philosophy that everything has a price, and - if you're willing to pay it - it can be yours. Being an American, the most common wish I hear from colleagues, strangers, and friends is that they'd like to be rich. I suppose that some people have a bit of a head-start in such aspirations, like the children of entertainment figures, busines...

*Quality Entertainment Reviews is a new segment dedicated to discussing and reviewing everything from movies and television to video games and books. I intend to keep spoilers to a minimum. Anyone that knows me had to know that if I was going to review something from television, Miami Vice would certainly make the list. No, I don't mean the crappy 2006 film either. Before I begin my review, I want to provide some full-disclosure: I absolutely love this show and always have. Despite that, I am going to remove as much bias as possible when I go over the details of the show. 1 Miami Vice was a police procedural television show that stretched from 1984 to 1990. It was helmed by none other than Michael Mann (the director of movies like Heat and Collateral ), while it starred Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas, and Edward James Olmos. The show's music was composed by Jan Hammer, who deserves a special mention as he won two Grammy awards in 1985 for his composition of Miami Vice...

Dear America, It's been a little while since I last wrote. I want to point out that I'm only going to write to you when I feel that I have something worthwhile to write about. I hope you don't hold it against me, but I'd rather say what I mean to say and leave it at that. I tend to open my mouth a bit too much in the real world anyways. I've been pretty busy this past week. A major undertaking of mine (aka going back to school) is finally done and I find myself crossing the finish line wondering where to run to next. I'm eager to get back into writing. Not this blog shit either. Real, genuine, story-telling. I'd like to write a book that is so good that people want to read it, as opposed to require convincing to even buy it. I think it's a fair request, but pretty damn difficult to execute. I don't resent any of my previous scribblings by any means either though, as they helped me reach where I'm at now and where I will eventually go. Beyon...

Dear America, I feel as though we've both been in a bit of a rut lately. For the past week, I've been in this sort of mental state where work has gotten painfully dull. Things on the outside don't seem much better either apparently. Rapists are on the TV; toilet paper is so valuable it has become a form of currency in some communities; and the way the media talks about COVID-19, I half-expect it to jump me from behind a dumpster and have its way with me. Despite all of that, I'm a bit optimistic. Since the closing of my building's gym, I have taken to aimlessly wandering the streets of my neighborhood in search of some semblance of exercise. With the turn of April to May, the faintest crack of summer is peaking in already, and you know what that means: sun-washed streets and listening to Mr. Mister while wearing sunglasses at night! Well... technically , I suppose you can do the latter during the winter too, but it's like listening to Christmas music in June...