When I was in college I took a migraine-inducing class called "Being and God." It most certainly wasn't boring and I definitely didn't hate it, but at the age of eighteen I felt I wasn't ready for paradoxes and existentialism and figuring out how God came into existence...I just couldn't accept (without at least trying to think it all through thoroughly) that He Always Was and Is...

Our teacher stood at the podium, small and gentle, a lot like "Sophia" from "Golden Girls," but without the wisecracks. She spoke quietly and wisely and everyone pretty much hung on her every word because she was so fascinating...and old. (I've always been a sucker for the wisdom of elderly people.)

As I turned the pages of The Philosophy Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained some of what we learned came rushing back at me, most of all my least favorite philosophical theory, Pascal's Wager.

The Philosophy Book is actually a pretty good review for people looking to refresh their memory and a great introduction for those new to philosophy.Anyone who is well-versed in this area would probably be just a little bit bored:)

One of my favorite movies ever is the 2004 remake of "Dawn of the Dead" and there is one scene in that flick that is made all the better precisely because of Richard Cheese and his delightful lounge act take on "Down With The Sickness."

The heavy metal band Disturbed also recorded "Down With The Sickness" (in a much more seemingly appropriate ferocious manner), yet (somehow) Cheese's is the one that taps on the absurd cruelity of passing time while being stuck in a mall, surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of zombies.

Once I tracked down Cheese's "Down With The Sickness," I thought I wouldn't care about the other songs, but this guy does things to classic 80s songs like "Relax" and "Hot For Teacher" you wouldn't believe without listening to yourself.

Now, some of the album is possibly offensive to a delicate sense of humor and definitely explicit, but some of this Cheese-y charm actually works on me. Yikes!!

I love this quote...

“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, or who had ever been alive.”
— James Baldwin

Long before it was used as a song for The Walking Dead last year, "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine No More" by The Scott Walker Brothers was a big favorite of mine. When I saw the commercial for the then new show on AMC chills ran up my spine, the way they always do when I hear a beloved song I haven't heard in ages. And the chills also ran because I couldn't think of a song more perfect for providing a sneak peek at what would definitely live up to its promising preview.

Before I became a zombie fanatic I never really thought about how the genre could be a set-up (plot-wise) for something far more beautiful: survival.  Whether it's the amazingly good Walking Dead (I especially like the character the very much underrated Laurie Holden plays with such compassion and sadness) or the fabulous short story collection The New Dead, I often find some of the best writing is in the zombie 'cannon.'

Last night I was listening to "Invincible" by Pat Benatar and I realized how appropriate it would be for a scene from a zombie apocalypse survival movie (originally the song was used in the early 80s film The Legend of Billie Jean.) And that it turn made me think of an idea for a short story and I've begun writing my very first piece of zombie fiction, which I'm not sure will be any good, but is screaming to be released from my head and onto paper...guess I'm going to give a try!:)

What's a girl to do if she likes to occasionally read GLBT literature, especially fiction dealing with lesbian issues? Apparently, not much, if what is currently not out is anything to go by...lesbian fiction has always been kind of crappy, especially the kind geared for adults, but at least it was being published and even sometimes actually placed in bookstores and libraries (though the latter not so much.)

When I say "crappy" I'm not just talking about plot and dialogue and character development (or rather, the lack of it) I'm also referring to extremely bad editing and grammar mistakes. I used to wonder (when I'd read anything if it had a lesbian in it) if there was some genetic disposition in lesbians that was responsible for bad writing skills.

Older presses like Naiad were notoriously known for either being unbearably sappy or disgustingly explicit.  There was very little mention of actually dealing with what it's like being gay (not acting on the feelings necessarily, but the feelings themselves) in a society that still has problems with homosexuality, with the romantic yearning and emotional aspects that go with it.

In a short story collection by Natalie Nessus I regretfully just finished reading (sadly, the regret was not because I hated it to end) every character in each story referred to her girlfriend as "lover." I have never been a fan of that word (for straights or gays) unless it's directly connected to book, music or art....as in "I'm a book lover, I'm a music lover. I'm an art lover."

Referring to your significant other as "lover" sounds kind of demeaning and in the gay and lesbian community sounds as it's all about the sex...a stereotype people in committed, loving relationships are constantly having to fight in a world that often doesn't take their love seriously.

Thankfully I have discovered that young adult books are doing a much better job. Teen literature actually seems to grasp the concept that not everyone accepts being gay right away and that liking someone else of the same gender is about far more than physical and sexual attraction. YA understands the pain, the struggle, the need for someone else (even if it's only one person) to comprehend what a gay or lesbian youth is going through.

Some of the sweetest, most heart-breaking novels with lesbian themes (to name a few) are: Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden, Crush by Jane Futcher and Ash by Malinda Lo. I just started a fun and spunky book called Sister Mischief by Laura Goode that isn't exclusive to GLBT themes, but deals with the issue in a sensitive subplot.

Maybe there are people who might have problems with young adult novels addressing such issues, but all I can say is this: if there had been books like this when I was a teen, I would have felt a lot less lonely and scared. With suicide rates double that of straight teens, gays and lesbians need all the help they can get...and I'm pretty sure it's no exaggeration to write that if ever there is a case when a book can save a life, this may be it...

Just some thoughts on a quiet night...I'm going to get back to the book I'm currently reading (Raising Stony Mayhall) which is just terrific (there are zombies!!!!) and has nary a lesbian in sight :)