April 16, 2004

Poor Mollie Wilson! She gave up all "Law & Order" shows for Lent.

Her cravings for the hour-long legal dramas became so fierce that she actually dreamed Ice-T was encouraging her to "remain strong and avoid the near occasion of sin."

I grew up eating Fannie May candies and nuts. My grandmother on my father's side always kept a box of Mint Meltaways at her house, and of course, I always indulged myself. So when I heard the company had closed all its stores in Chicago, I was a bit bummed.

Then I received an e-mail that cheered me right back up. It announced the debut of the Fannie May online catalog. Once all the bugs are out of the shopping cart process (and I can actually create my own assortment), I'll definitely order up a box of chocolate nostalgia.

April 15, 2004

Bob Sassone, the editor of Professor Barnhardt's Journal, gave me the impossible task of selecting my 10 favorite novels of all time. I did a bit of stewing over this assignment, but I think I pretty much captured my eclectic (some say schizophrenic) fictional tastes within the confines of my list.

Some of the other people who shared their Top 10s with the Journal include Roger Ebert, Steve Almond and Jessa Crispin.

Robin Robertson, a Scottish poet and editor who solicited authors' reminiscences about their most humiliating moments, has published a bloody brilliant book that every writer must read.

"Mortification: Writers' Stories of Their Public Shame" features tales of unattended book signings, fights at readings and moments that explain why writers spend most of their time alone in front of a computer rather than out, socializing, with the public.

April 14, 2004

If you're a tax procrastinator, the type of person who heads to the post office on April 15th to mail your taxes or file for an extension, you may see a crowd of protesters demonstrating nearby.

These people won't be complaining about how much they owe Uncle Sam, though. Instead, gay rights activists will gather in front of post offices across the country to protest the discrimination in the tax code against same sex couples who cannot get married.

"Our families are treated differently under the law, when in reality we have many of the same responsibilities, but without any of the legal obligations or benefits. According to the U.S. Census data, 33 percent of gay male couples and 42 percent of lesbian couples are raising children compared with 51 percent of straight couples raising children. We all love our children and want to protect them just the same as any family would -- yet the government refuses our children and our families the same legal protections and tax advantages provided children of straight couples and that is wrong. Older same-sex couples are denied Social Security survivor's benefits if one partner dies. The surviving partner is also denied automatic inheritance rights, potentially leaving him or her penniless. We demand nothing less than full and equal marriage rights," said Robin Tyler, executive director of the Don't Amend campaign.

"Several centuries ago, one could marry a child or own a woman as property, and in the last 50 years, marriage to a person of a different race could result in imprisonment. Tradition as a rationale for discrimination is not persuasive."
--Massachusetts Senator Brian A. Joyce

April 13, 2004

Everyone is acting all surprised that "The Passion of the Christ" hit number one at the box office again -- during Easter weekend. I can't say I'm shocked, but I did get a grin out of the news that "Hellboy" came in second place.

"To you I'm an atheist; to God, I'm the loyal opposition."
--Woody Allen

April 12, 2004

A new Jaded Writings column has been posted. This week, I discuss the dark side of sororities.

"Before anything else, we must be writers. We may be known as reporters, or critics, or columnists, or reviewers, or editorialists. We may specialize in news of business or labor or politics or sports. No matter. First of all, we are writers. This is how we make our living: We write. We put words together. In the end, the test of how well we do our jobs is not in how well we cover the news, or review the movies, or chide a president, or criticize an actor, but in how well we write."
--James J. Kilpatrick

Richard Loeffler - 4/14/48
Jeff Ellis - 4/15/81
Susan Heyboer O'Keefe - 4/17/53

Past Afterthoughts