Thank You Letter

Note to readers: I wrote a thank you letter to Mira Grant, author of the Newflesh trilogy. We always yell at the people who describe our lives incorrectly. I say it's time to praise the people who got it right! So here's to the awesome, stereotype smashing Mira Grant. Buy her books!

Dear Ms. Grant,

I’m a writer, too, and would like to congratulate you on the amazing Newsflesh Trilogy. First off, please be aware that I don’t normally read zombie tales. I am lucky enough to have found Feed during a search of my library’s audiobook section. I must admit I only picked it up because it was the only thing that looked interesting.

Five minutes after listening to the spunky Georgia, however, I was hooked. I listened to the entire 15 hour, 10 minute book over the course of 3 days. I think I plowed through Deadline just as quickly. I read Countdown, in its entirety, the same day I downloaded it from Audible.com. I will buy Blackout the day it hits bookstores.

I found the story line original and well-written (not typical of either zombie novels or post-apocalyptic fiction I’ve found). That is not why I’ve chosen to write you today. Being a bisexual, woman of color in a wheelchair, I must complement you on your characterizations of people of color (POC), women, people with disabilities (PWD), and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.

In modern fiction, POC are frequently cast as terrorists or lazy deadbeats. Not journalists like Mahir, Alaric, and Maggie. Not successful business people like the Gracias. Certainly not heroes like Dr. Kiran Patel.

In today’s books, women are too frequently damsels in distress or simply vapid. Not independent, self-sufficient, or strong. Not like Georgia, Maggie, or Rebecca. Not that your characters make no mistakes. Indeed they do, but they apologize and try to correct them. Look at Buffy and Kelly. They made huge errors and died because they tried to fix them. But your women are also not unfeeling, which is another stereotype. Georgia loves people. Not a lot of people, but definitely Sean and Buffy. Rebecca obviously loves Sean, even if he doesn’t get it for the longest time. Maggie loves tons of people.

When PWD appear at all in reading material today, which is infrequent at best, they are all too often portrayed as pathetic and helpless. Georgia, who uses the Americans with Disabilities Act to get accommodations for her visual impairment, is as far from pitiful as one can get. Dr. Kiran Patel is a full on hero who uses the devices designed to handle his impairment to literally save the human race from annihilation.

In current literature, LGBT people are perverts, pedophiles, or liars. In the world of Newsflesh, however, they are just like everyone else. I suspect that Buffy and Maggie had a love affair at some point because Maggie says, “You know, it seems like every time I wind up with a real tragic love story to tell, I can’t post it. It wouldn’t have been fair to Buffy, and now it wouldn’t be fair to Dave.” John and Alexander Kellis were so cute and normal it was touching. They acted like every other married couple I know. Their sexual orientation is simply an aside.

In closing, I would like to thank you for writing a series of books that attack so many stereotypes. I would especially like to think you for doing it while still managing to tell a good story. In the future, I hope many other authors will follow suit.

Martina and the terrible, horrible, very bad day

Everybody has those horrible Murphy's Law days. Today was just such a day for me. First, PayPal didn't come through. It'll probably be here tomorrow but what good would that have done me? My doctor's appointment and the last writing group before Naugatuck River Review submissions was tonight. In desperation I called someone I loaned money to a while ago. They, of course, were nowhere to be found. Then I called my friend from The Florence Poets’ Society. She came and bought me $10. She gave me $20 even though I asked for $10.

I really needed $20 so I could eat, but like a lot of people with disabilities and without I have trouble sometimes accepting help just for myself. Marianne is a good friend and knows I have this tendency. So she gave me $20.

After that, the agency that pays my assistants called me to say that something was wrong with someone's timesheet. As I waited on hold for an hour and a half and I have phone records to prove this. We finally got it all figured out. This was after I had talked to them 5 times and my assistant talked to them twice, because they didn't understand me. I'm sorry, but don't they work with people with speech impairments daily? They are an independent living center after all.

In the end, I am so grateful that I had elected to take Marianne's extra money when offered. It meant I got to eat lunch between my writing group and my doctor's appointment. I could have done without eating but it's really bad for me to do so because my sugar levels get out of whack and then I tend to fall down. Such is life when you have cerebral palsy, wonky blood sugar levels, and occasionally no money.

After having my ears cleaned, I went to a local pizzeria near where my writing group meets. I ordered a burger and onion rings and headed to the library. Unbeknownst to me, someone had waxed the floor. My PA (personal assistant) was having trouble not slipping on it. Let alone me with my poor balance issues. All I could think about was falling on my knee again, spending another six weeks in bed and missing the next ADAPT action. After three attempts, I was finally seated well enough to do my business.

But alas, my troubles didn't end there. Somehow, and I'm not even sure how, my backpack got stuck on the toilet and my entire purse fell out of my backpack and into the water, which, thankfully, had been flushed. All my cards, my phone, my wallet, and my bag were now soaked. Could this day get any worse?

It did. When I got home I called my mom because my phone was still not working right. Instead of being sympathetic towards my really sucky day she got mad at me for being irresponsible. I thought that in order to be irresponsible you had to know something was going to happen and not prepare for it. For example, it would've been very irresponsible of me to not charge my backup chair knowing that we were going to have a hurricane but my backpack had never gotten caught on a toilet before. How was I to know that was even possible?

Now, unless my phone starts working, I have to pay a $50 deductible. My mother says it will teach me to be more responsible. I may be a bit behind other thirtysomethings but I am not 11. I would fully accept my part if this had happened before, but it never did. I really can't afford to give her $50 and I'm not going to. I will find a phone on freecycle and I will tell my activist friends that if they are looking to give away their phones to upgrade I’ll take them. Where there's a will there's a way and $50 just ain't the way this week.

Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon

I treated my personal care assistant and myself to this movie. As much as I am a big pacifist in life I have a weakness for action, shoot-'em-up , Hollywood style mega movies. It's my dirty little secret. We saw the 3-D version because otherwise what's the point of going to the big theater?

I forked over the rather ridiculous ticket price of $8.75 each and we went in. The first thing I noticed was that Sam Witwicky's (played by Shia LaBeouf) taste in women had gone down considerably. No longer was he attached to the irrepressible, and actually interesting, Mikaela Banes (played by Megan Fox). When she had ditched him, apparently Sam had decided that independent women just weren't his thing, because the next girl he dated, Carly Spencer (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley), reminded me more of Malibu Barbie than Lois Lane.

I know the story is fictional, but I ask you, how is that whiny, superficial woman ever going to be the permanent love interest of someone who periodically gets called to go save the world with his robot friends?

The first time he did, she nearly had a heart attack. Boy, did she ever throw a tantrum! She even took back the bunny she'd won for Sam. Sorry, girl, but your man isn't going to be home for dinner every night. He's too busy saving the world. Suck it up and deal!

While we're still on thesubject of Carly, am I the only person who finds it disturbing that Sam's new love interest looks a lot like the Desepticon who impersonated a cute girl in order to get Sam to reveal secrets. I'm sorry, but if I were a superhero the last thing I would want to do is sleep next to a woman who resembled the robot who had tried to sexually assault me!

As you can tell, I was one pissed off feminist during the movie. I realize that Michael Bay and Megan Fox might have had significant creative differences, but that doesn't excuse the replacing a strong woman with a Barbie doll. If they had to find Sam a new girlfriend couldn't she at least have been a little less codependent?

Aside from the Carly issue, this movie didn't make a lot of sense. I had trouble following the plot. Although I did enjoy the action scenes, especially the 3-D parts. But then again perhaps it's my fault for expecting good writing in action movies, which never seems to happen.

The Internet Movie Database rates the film a six. I find even that a bit high. I would go more towards 5.5. If you want plot, this is not your movie. Even with that caveat, I know I'll probably go back and see the next installment of Transformers. Once a fan, always a fan, whatever Hollywood might do to a beloved franchise!

On thinking of moving

Amherst/Noho
Pro
1. No change of PCA services required
2. Still keep the same people
3. Already know bus schedules and systems

Boston
1. Already in service system
2. Can keep Robyn & Beth (or at least Beth, as I don't know Robyn's plans)
3. Already have paratransit
4. Have gimp community
5. can go to Worchester for poetry

In all cases easier to get new chair if change states

Chicago
1. Chicago ADAPT
2. Columbia College/UIC
3. Tons of cool crip stuff happens there
4. Dancing is possible
5. Close enough to Cairo to see what's happening if anything

Denver/Bolder
1. Volunteer at Atlantis and Bolder
2. Naropa Institute
3. ADAPT chapters
4. Friends
5. No more having to feel isolated
6. Chill time with Shannon, Tatum, and Brody
7. Ian knows the Medicaid pca program guy

Yonkers
1. They have an an apartment
2. Can keep Robyn & Beth (or at least Beth, as I don't know Robyn's plans)
3. Friends
4. Dancing with Kitty Lund!!!!
5. Helping Julie with Big Apple ADAPT
6. Seeing lots of Lainey
7. Writing opportunities

Maryland
1. Close to DC
2. I like their waiver system
3. Help MD ADAPT
4. Cool folks
5. Access to DC


CONS- Western Mass
1. Feel like I need somewhere to stretch my wings
Boston
1. Chair issues

Chicago
1. Must fly to DC
2. Illinois Gov is corrupt
3. Far for holidays

Denver
1. Far for holidays

Yonkers
1. No real cons

Maryland
1. No real cons

Reminders of Luminescence

"My name is Malcolm. I'm 7 years old. I'm sending you this money because I don't think it's fair that gay people are not treated equally." According to an e-mail from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) in this morning the note we received recently with a donation from Malcolm after his grandmother gave him $20 for each year of his life to donate to charity. If a 7 year old can help other people, why can't we all put aside a little money for that purpose. I don't know who you have Malcom, but you made me smile and made my day, You made me believe in our humanity as a civilization; something that recent governmental actions (such as President Obama's not signing onto MiCASSA after he promised the disability community that he would do so- and we voted for him due to said promises).

I say into you, Sir Malcom, who is wise far beyond his seven years, thank you more than you can know. Too often, we are convinced that the world is awful (even those of us who are naturally optimistic).

Book Review: The Paris Option (book 20 of 150)

Dr. Martin 'Marty' Joseph Zellerbach again returns as a main character in this book. He is the victim of an explosion that also targets fellow computer genius Emile Chambord. Like before, he is very functional accept for the coma he begins the book in, despite his severe autism.

We also see Peter Howl and Randi Russell again. This is a thankful change of pace from the bioterrorism angle and for that I'm grateful. But I'm not much of a computer person (and certainly don't understand what on Earth a DNA computer is) and the book doesn't really do that good of a job of explaining actually what it was. I hate when technology novels do that. I'm a writer and know that such exposition takes up precious pages, but it is necessary to make one's readers happy.

This book has lots of twists and turns and I liked it in a somewhat confused way. It's a 6.5!

Book Review: The Cassandra Coompact (book 19 of 150)

The second book in the Covert One Series is called The Cassandra Compact. It featured John Smith, Peter Howell, and Randi Russell (although Randi and Peter have tiny parts). The plot was a little too similar to The Hades Factor for me, but in this case the bio-terrorist nut is an American patriot in the military. He wants to reengineer small pox as a bio-weapon for use against American enemies. And we thought Bush II was crazy?! I really hope that all this novels in the series are not about bio terrorism; you can only read so many novels about that without getting bored, no matter how neat the characters are.

I rate this book a 7. Mostly because the characters were neat. I like like Megan, the astronaut, and Sasha, the teenage hacker. I hope that both will have other appearances in the series. It's worth a read, although you might find it a bit boring after you read The Hades Factor, as I was, but it was fun to revisit those characters that I'd met and enjoyed.