RIP Chadwick Boseman

To say that cancer is cruel is an understatement. It steals lives when one is otherwise perfectly healthy, taking away what should be years, if not decades of life, love, and experiences.

Actor Chadwick Boseman died from colon cancer earlier today. He was 43.

He was best known for playing real life heroes (Jackie Robinson in 42 (2013) and James Brown in Get on Up (2014)) and fictional superheroes (T’Challa/Black Panther in the Marvel Avengers franchise).

My heart hurts. Tears are welling up in my eyes. He was one of the actors who could jump from genre to genre, from character to character. The transition was seamless. His future as an performer was full of possibilities.

But cancer had other plans.

May his memory be a blessing and may he live forever on the silver screen.

Z”L

P.S. The fact that he was constantly working throughout the four years of his battle with cancer tells me at least everything I need to know about who the man was.

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Mr. Malcolm’s List Book Review

The world of dating and romance can sometimes be cutthroat.

Mr. Malcolm’s List, written by Suzanne Allain was originally published in 2009 and re-published this year. Jeremy Malcolm is the younger son of an Earl in Regency Era England. Handsome and wealthy, he is considered to be the ideal husband. Though he is ready to marry, he will not marry just anyone.

To throw off any woman who would marry him for less than honest reasons, Jeremy compiles a list which contains the qualities that his future wife must have. Rumors of this list and it’s contents have spread. Julia Thistlewaite is one of the many women who has tried and failed to become Mrs. Malcolm.

Angry at being rejected, she invites her old school friend, Selina Dalton to spend some time with her in London. Selina reluctantly agrees to join Julia on her plan of revenge. When Jeremy starts to judge Selina based on this list, she decide to judge him back based on her own version of the perfect husband.

I loved this book and I think my fellow Jane Austen fans will as well. Mr. Malcolm was created in the image of Mr. Darcy (Pride and Prejudice), creating a love/hate relationship with the reader. I appreciated the satire, the humor, the charm, and the reverence for the era.

I recommend it.

P.S. I recommend that you watch the short film that came out last year based on the book. It is the perfect companion to it’s literary predecessor.

Do You Want a President Who Embraces Conspiracy Theories? I Don’t

One of the things that I have observed as I have voted over the last twenty years, is that the closer a Presidential election gets, the more intense it becomes.

In any other election year with any other Republican Presidential candidate, the fringe group QAnon would be dismissed for their completely out there conspiracies. But, because you know who has openly embraced this group, they have gained a new following and their theories are considered to be legit by some Americans.

His reasons for this welcome are purely egotistical.

“I don’t know much about the movement other than I understand they like me very much, which I appreciate,”

What is worse is that some Republicans running for Congress have not only not run on these ideas, but they have made inroads to winning their election.

I hate giving this group oxygen and attention. But this is the only way to stop them. We cannot let them win. We cannot give them an air of political respectability and a foothold in Washington D.C.

We MUST vote in November. We MUST vote for the Democrat ticket and ensure that these people go back to the dark fringes of the internet they belong. If we don’t, then the United States as we know it to be may cease to exist.

#BidenHarris2020

Flashback Friday: My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding (2012-2016)

There has been a fascination by those in the majority about those who are in the minority. This fascination has, for better or worse, become a gold mine for reality television producers.

My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding aired on TLC from 2012-2016. This reality show told the story of the marriage ceremonies of Romani Americans (otherwise known as Gypsies).

This program is trash, there is no other way to put it. I will freely admit that I am completely uneducated on this segment of American society. However, regardless of how much knowledge the viewer has of Romani-Americans, it comes off as the typical brain drain over-dramatic reality program.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely not.