It’s one of those things I can’t help but praise no matter how dirty it makes me feel. Tampa is the debut novel of Ohio author Alissa Nutting, and her prose shines through the dark clouds that hover over the theme of the book. So well written that there where moments where I had to set the book down to breathe and comprehend what I had just read, in addition a multitude of others that caused sudden guilty laughter. 

Following the misadventures of protagonist Celeste Price, Tampa focuses on a first year eighth grade English teacher who sought out the job in education for the sole purpose of having sex with her meticulously selected male students. Her obsession with flawless youth drives her to not only seek out fourteen year old boys, but to pamper herself in such an extreme manner to offset the effects of aging in any way possible. Price is brought to you in first person and is my favorite type of character in that she has no rehabilitating qualities. There is literally zero effort to create empathy for the character as Price is an unapologetic and blatant sociopath. Her willingness to lie and manipulate every person she encounters for the purposes of satisfying her sexual appetite is so utterly disturbing that I felt a gravity pull me in as I binged through this book.

Unconventional and illegal sexual preferences aside, Celeste Price possesses an evil that I haven’t found in a character since Stephen Stelfox.

 

 

 

Controversy was bound to appear as a misguided attempt to push magazines with the current issue of Rolling Stone featuring Jahar Tsarnaev on the cover. Following the backlash, the magazine stands by their decision to put the most appealing photograph of the surviving Boston Marathon bomber on their cover instead of a music artist, actor, or hell I’d settle for a Kardashian. When one is concerned with only the moving of units, I understand completely why they opted not to have Jay-Z or Willie Nelson (both artists had articles dedicated to them within the issue) gracing the cover. At this point, the top people at Rolling Stone are most likely euphoric in that they’re at least being talked about.

I have a subscription to Rolling Stone and was excited that the controversy had taken to the internet before my copy had arrived in the mail. Since then I’ve heard a number of friends express outright disgust to apathy and I can hardly blame them in holding such opinions. I even had a guest overlook the issue, figuring the shaggy hair covering those pixilated eyes had simply belonged to another singer/songwriter/John Mayer type until I brought it up for the sake of conversation. Seeing as how I’m not one to take the moral high ground, I’ll leave it to Marilyn Manson.

“A lot of people forget or never realize that I started my band as a criticism of these very issues of despair and hypocrisy. The name Marilyn Manson has never celebrated the sad fact that America puts killers on the cover of Time magazine, giving them as much notoriety as our favorite movie stars. From Jesse James to Charles Manson, the media, since their inception, have turned criminals into folk heroes. They just created two new ones when they plastered those dip-shits Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris’ pictures on the front of every newspaper. Don’t be surprised if every kid who gets pushed around has two new idols.”

As an angry kid who got pushed around when Columbine happened, I’ll be the first to admit that I in fact, had two new idols for a short period of time. Maturity would change that, but middle school was a trying time.

I’m reminded of the Columbine shooters getting their pictures on the cover of Time Magazine. I’m reminded of the intimidating images of an armed to the teeth Seung-Hui Cho being plastered everywhere following the massacre at Virgina Tech (from pictures and videos that he shot and personally mailed to NBC with the intent of obtaining such notoriety). I was surprised and relieved to find that the Sandy Hook shooter was only on the cover of tabloids. Marilyn Manson was (and is still) right in that the media glorifies those with the most blood on their hands. The definition of irony rests within the article they published in 1999, and the cover of the current issue. The greatest concern of this particular incident of homicidal glorification is that instead of an otherwise pointless school shooting, the motives behind Jahar’s crimes were that of religious extremism. I personally fear that his sort of behavior coupled with the embrace of the media frenzy will again influence and enable disenfranchised youth with a more extensive list of excuses.

Here’s a link to Manson’s article in case you were wanting to read further.

http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/columbine-whose-fault-is-it-19990624

Just got back from Albany, New York in time to catch the 4th of July fireworks in my home town. Besides learning of my welt inducing allergic reaction to mosquito bites and the occasional airline delay, I must say that the entire trip was a fantastic overflow of comedic warmth, good food, and vodka.

My lady-friend of nearly five years has family residing in upstate New York (Ithaca and Albany). This was the third year in a row that they’ve invited me into their home where I was given better treatment than most boyfriends deserve. While the rain put our outdoor activities on hold, it offered the chance to simply relax and catch up on some historical reading.

It should come as no surprise that I enjoy murder stories with the backdrop of a hotel, and while I did read up on H. H. Holmes and watch a couple of documentaries on his twisted endeavors before writing my novel, I hadn’t yet taken the time to read The Devil in the White City. While I typically enjoy fiction, this historical piece is quite telling of the setting and scenario in which Holmes committed his crimes in his ‘castle’ of a hotel during the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. The historical context did slow down the reading during the scenes of architectural complications, yet it shed light on numerous pieces of noteworthy cultural relevance. The depth was unlike any visual documentary I’ve stumbled upon and is well worth the read.

 

The day that the new single Came Back Haunted is released is the same day that guitarist Adrian Belew announced his departure from the lineup. I found it difficult to comprehend a NIN tour with two live guitarists as Robin Finck returned to the band after the departure of Jane’s Addiction’s bassist, Eric Avery.

I’m curious to see if Trent and company will seek out a replacement of sorts, as this is the first time out that the lineup consisted of six people instead of five (or four during the Wave Goodbye tour).

The author who had sparked my love of reading in the second grade has finally gotten around to producing a novel for adults. R. L. Stine’s Red Rain seems like a nostalgic tour of a place forgotten, as his writing is so familiar, and yet something is different as the idea of horror has changed with maturity. Graphic violence, sexual situations, and the occasional cluster of curse words define the main difference as Stine’s style does not seem to have changed much since the last time I picked up one of his books fifteen+ years ago. Even while approaching close to 400 pages, Red Rain is a quick, easy, and fun read. 

It’s quite fitting to note that the author who has made his career writing horror novels for children would have evil children headline as the topic of his first horror novel for adults. On the Acknowledgements page, Stine expresses that he was influenced by the film adaptation of Stephen King’s Children of the Corn, which becomes somewhat obvious over the course of the story.

In the aftermath of a deadly hurricane, travel blogger Lea Sutter adopts twin boys on a whim. Seems a a bit of a stretch, but that does get cleared up as things progress. Lea’s husband, Mark and two biological children aren’t quite as enthused by the new additions to their family, but they try to make the best of it until the twins bring out the worst in them.

Murders are committed and evidence suggests Mark is the culprit. Things spiral out of control even further as the town’s children go missing overnight.

I’ll spoil no more than that. Enjoy.

 

 

 

The other night I caught a Blue Jackets game with a bud. We watched them destroy the St. Louis Blues 4-1 and continue their quest to make it into the playoffs. They won the following three games straight and have a fighting chance tonight against a team they beat in their previous matchup, the Anaheim Ducks. 

Last season was a tragedy. It was also the season that I started following the Jackets as closely as I do. Based on statistics of the previous decade, I got used to the idea that being a fan meant self-inducing depression on purpose. 

Then we traded our captain away to the New York Rangers. I have no bad blood over Nash switching teams, as that’s become the norm in professional sports. In all honesty, Nash needed to surround himself with better players. He’s thriving with the Rangers, and I wish him well. 

This isn’t to say Blue Jackets veterans like Prospal aren’t good players, but I’ll be honest, last season was a mess. With the Nationwide Arena not paying for itself, many fans were  offering only words of discouragement and negativity, often suggesting that the Jackets move to a different city. 

Then the NHL shot themselves in the foot. Union battles took priority over pleasing the fans, and a lockout prevented professional hockey from taking place in North America. This lockout dragged on and on as they canceled the season one month at a time. No city was hit harder by the lockout than Columbus, as the Arena District had lost not only the regular season business, but also the business expected to be brought to the city by the 2013 All Star Game. Once the All Star Game was canceled in November, many Columbus hockey fans considered the season to be done. It would be another two months still before  a compromise would allow the puck to drop. 

“Forget hockey, I’m not even sure I’ll be interested when/if they do finally bring themselves out of the lockout.”

Then the season started. It was a bumpy start and only reaffirmed the negativity that had been the norm. Jack Johnson seemed to take a leadership position even though no captain had been officially declared. The Jackets were experimenting with some young blood on the ice, but one position stood out above the rest. 

Bobrovsky stepped up and took over the goaltending duties for the Jackets. Things haven’t been the same since then, as Bobrovsky has blocked shots with the quality of a finely tuned machine. His excellent goaltending created a surge in confidence and the Blue Jackets are actually doing well. 

Then the Jackets seem to win the trade as they acquired Marian Gaborik from the New York Rangers. The Jackets are still less than perfect, but as their numbers shift from the worst in the league to a possible appearance in the playoffs, one has to wonder if this wasn’t some sort of apology to a block of fans that have all but given up. 

Regardless of whether or not the Jackets make it to the playoffs, they’ve improved dramatically and will carry that momentum into next season, pending further union battles. As a fan, I am excited. 

While watching the game against St. Louis with my friend, we discussed the season and came to wonder if the NHL is purposely propelling the Jackets to success to make up for the All Star Game, and an overall lack of quality over the past decade. Will a winning team bring the market back to Columbus? Based on the number of empty seats compared to last year, I’d go with ‘yes.’ 

With the damage of the lockout still in recent memory, a winning team with real quality will draw crowds and will quickly repair the losses our city forfeited. This will and has already ignited a new wave of fan appreciation. 

Do I believe that the NHL set up the Jackets for success? No, it was really a joke between friends. But it’s damn fun to speculate. 

 

Spring is here. Time to break out the allergy medication and dust off the tools associated with our outdoor passions. Live concerts, football, and public intoxication make up just a fraction of the activities in which I hope to engage as the weather warms up.

The season of the motorcycle is also upon us. Millions of Americans in the northern part of the country will be getting their bikes out for the first time since last fall to take part in a lifestyle that is a defining trait for many. As the weather warms up, more people take to the road in general.

It will be ten years this fall that I lost a best friend from my childhood. Curtis Klingbeil was only a month into the age of sixteen when he was killed while riding his motorcycle. It was only a couple of days ago that I actually read the reports online as I searched for a picture to share. Alas, the only version of the picture I can find is a small pocket photo I’ve kept in my wallet for years.

Curtis’ story is one of many. I miss him and the potential he had shown as he approached adulthood. He took an interest in mechanics and electronics, none of which I understood when I was his age.

The point of this is to remind you to drive safely as you get out and about. Your attention could spare a life.