David G. Cookson's Blog, page 13

My Baltimore Rant, part 2 of 3.

Many outsiders take shots at Baltimore City. I usually defend it. But I'm not blind to our issues.
For the record, here are things I can’t stand about Baltimore city:
1. Crime and murder. Yeah, it’s out of control. With the new police commissioner, much like with the Orioles, I hope the rebuild is successful, as we are still an outlier in the overall crime trend that is down in this country.

2. Jury Duty. Combination of high crime and low population, plus the fact that the city is an island unto itself, and not connected to any county that would offer up its population to form a jury pool, we as city residents are called upon like clockwork every year or two for this odious task.

3. There is no good way to get anywhere. Our roads are crap and not equipped to handle the level of traffic we get. Public transit is primitive…my foray into trying to ride the light rail to my job in the county was instructive. Basically, no person who could afford to own and drive a vehicle would give it up for a system that goes down as easily as it does around here.

4. People look down on us and we fight with people and often don’t have good arguments to refute them. I like to quote my favorite Baltimore slogan (which never caught on) Baltimore: either you get it, or you don’t. Yeah.

5. I really wish people here would vote. This could be a solid block of Democratic votes and could wield real power, if only, if only…

6. Meter maids and parking enforcement in general is a predator/prey dynamic that makes life miserable.

And another thing…why the hell are people who don’t live here so damn comfortable in condemning it? I don’t come out with broadsides against Peoria Illinois or Topeka Kansas or Knoxville. I mean, I’ve never been to any of those places. Hell, even places I’ve been to don’t get the ire that other people direct to the place where I live. Live and let live, to each his own, whatever, ya know?

Anyway, that’s what I got.

Next: In conclusion, and…what I love about this stupid place.

My Baltimore Rant. Part one.

Recently my city has been under attack by the president and the people who like to pile on and dump on the city that I have made home for the last 25 years. It has been an informative discussion of things I surely have never heard before. I was never aware of our many shootings, our corrupt police force or even our rat problem.

But…all sarcasm aside, A couple thoughts…

• Read an editorial by a suburban visitor that listed the cities many woes and offered distorted takes on how we as residents feel about it. What caught my eye was the free admission that this person is not a city resident.

To which my not at all sarcastic self responds with “Then shut up.”

• Elijah Cummings by the way, is not the only representative who represents Baltimore. As it happens, John Sarbanes is the rep on my side of town. John Sarbanes is white. Elijah Cummings is black and investigating Trump. This whole thing has nothing to do with Baltimore. Trump doesn’t give a fuck about Baltimore. He never did.

• I do not live in a hellhole. My neighborhood is nice. There are many such neighborhoods in Baltimore. There are also many shitty ones. A unique feature of this town is that often the good and the bad are right next to each other. They alternate. I call it “good block/bad block.”

• I understand privilege factors in. I can’t help that. I will never completely understand others’ lives or problems. But I make the attempt to empathize, (which is more than I can say for some people.) I just don’t lose my mind over it.

Look…we know this place is fucked up. Many of us accept the challenge of living here and trying to make it work.

The difference between me and the suburbanite casually tossing “shithole” bombs at us is that I don’t use those things as a reason to hate on this city.

Next: What I hate about living in the city.

Cliff C. Cookson, RIP (2007-2019)

(Reposing this here for my non-Facebook followers.)

Today we say goodbye to our little buddy, Cliff, the cat who didn’t like us and didn’t really like anything but still hung around when he wanted. Oh, he was a tricky one. One minute he was aloof and staying just out of reach, the next he was rolling over and asking for pets…then biting your hand when you gave them up.
He mellowed out over the years as he came to realize we were only doing our best to give him the best life.
He became diabetic in his later years, which meant a lot of personal sacrifices for my wife and me. We each had to learn how to give him insulin after first poking him in the ear to check his blood sugar. This was twice a day, every day. (Michele got up at 4 am for almost 2 years to do this for him.) At first we were scared that he wouldn’t tolerate such close contact, but in time he came to a grudging acceptance of the whole routine.
By far Cliff’s best moments came as a companion to our other cat, Stella, when she got sick (partly why he earned the nickname “Buddy”). He stayed with her on her final night and day, not leaving her side until she passed. After this, he softened a little, even consenting to voluntarily hang out with us on the couch, letting us rub his belly while we were watching TV.
Oh, he was a pain in the ass. But he was also a good cat. He was a true friend, who kept watch over us and never once tried to escape the house. He was a favorite at the vet’s office, a place where he unfortunately spent lots of time…all the ladies there always complimented him on being so handsome.
He was a weirdo, preferring hard floors to beds, and old wallets to regular cat toys. Sometimes we wanted him to just be a normal cat who enjoyed normal cat things, but that was Cliff in a nutshell.
As I write this I can’t help but be sad that I will never see him again. But I will never forget him. Our little Buddy.
Love you, Cliff. Rest in peace.
Cliff C. Cookson, 2007-2019.

Recursion

Recursion by Blake Crouch

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


One time about 15 years ago a car crashed into me. The car had run a blinking red light, smashed into the driver’s side of my little ‘92 Honda Civic, spinning it 90 degrees. The car missed the vital spots, somehow hitting between my gas tank and my door.

At the time, I was so pissed about the person running the light, clearly at fault for damaging my car that it wasn’t until hours later that I realized how lucky I was that my car was still functional and that I hadn’t died. (I drove it for 5 more years after that and never did fix that body damage.)

But what if I had been hit? WHAT if my car had been totaled?

What if I had died?

In another memory, I probably did die, and this reality that skewed from that point means that I am not even writing this right now….

These were the thoughts that ran through my head as I read this terrific novel.
Blake Crouch hasn’t written so much an alternate universe novel, but an alternate memory novel…where neuroscientist Helena Smith has invented a device that allows people to revisit old memories which somehow causes reality to change for everyone. Whole lifetimes are impacted by changes made, and the whole world is aware of trace memories that come and go and in many cases, drives them mad.

What if the weight of the world was on you? And you had to relive parts of your life over and over again, knowing that failure would only lead to another retry?

It’s a big head scratcher to think about the possibilities. And even more of one to consider if you could actually change those things, even while the world holds lingering memories of the things that were changed…

Blake Crouch hits it out of the park again. I loved Dark Matter, and I get the feeling that every new book from him will become an event. I welcome that possibility into my timeline.





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The Ashes of Eden

The Ashes of Eden by William Shatner

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This is the third book in my quest to dive in to the Star Trek fiction universe this summer. This is a 300 page paperback published in 1995 that takes place after the events of Star Trek 6 but before the events in Star Trek: Generations.

Captain Kirk has retired from Starfleet, but has grown restless in his retirement. He is old and feeling it. Then one day, a beautiful and mysterious Klingon/Romulan hybrid woman comes into his life. They begin a passionate affair (which immediately creeps me out, as she is described as being a good 40 years younger than him) which leads him to one last mission on a restricted and near abandoned colony which harbors a secret of youth that the aged Captain Kirk desires.

Meanwhile, people from Kirk’s past have their own agenda, as well as his former crew who are unsure that the good Captain has not lost all sensibility in a mid/late-life crisis that could lead to war between the Federation and the Klingon empire (which, as we know, has been nearly brought to its knees after the explosion of one of the Klingon moons, as shown in Star Trek 6…)

I don’t know. As entertainment, it works. But for me, the best parts were the ones that involved the former Enterprise crew. It was great seeing Sulu coming into his own as a starship Captain, and the tension between old friends is palpable and believable. But the Captain Kirk parts are hard to deal with. Thankfully, the book eventually overcomes it.

One of the things that makes reading these books rewarding is that as a fan of Star Trek, a lot of these books have something for you. References to favorite episodes, expansion of minor characters, fleshing out of backstories…in this way, Ashes of Eden does what it is supposed to. I enjoyed much of it. But here and there are little Shatner clunkers that stick out and bring it down a notch.
My favorite:
“Who the hell are you?” Kirk asked.
“What a fitting choice of words” the woman said. “I’m Ariadne Drake. And that’s where you’re headed.” (page 270).

Sigh. Hate to nitpick, it’s just awkward as hell, had to read it over 3 times just to take it in.
But we’ve all had our fun. Shatner delivers a decent book with only a few small flaws. And isn’t that what genre fiction is all about?




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The Eugenics Wars

The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh by Greg Cox

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Yes, that title is a mouthful…

In the Original Series episode “Space Seed,” Star Trek introduced us to Khan, a ruthless genetically advanced conqueror of over a quarter of the earth back in the 1990s (Funny…I don’t remember that, and I lived through the 90’s…). He was later brought back in the strongest of the Star Trek films, Star Trek 2: the Wrath of Khan, to wreak havoc and avenge himself on Captain Kirk.
This book is about the rise of that villain…well, sort of.

First we have to be reintroduced to another pair of original series characters, Gary Seven and Roberta Lincoln and their mysterious cat/woman Isis, who all appeared in the “Assignment: Earth” episode which was meant to be a pilot for a spinoff series (it was never picked up). We pick up with Seven and Roberta about 6 years after that episode and we follow them through their search for missing biochemists and genetic scientists who have disappeared without explanation. Their search leads them though East Berlin to New York and then eventually to India, where they come across a secret lab and the child version of the future villain, Khan.

It’s a clever fusing of fiction and reality and canon and for the most part entertains and informs on the back end of the story that fans know. I for one would have liked to have seen the Assignment Earth series come to reality, but a book like this is the next best thing.

I suppose the title is not a misnomer since there is a part two. This is not the rise and fall but the beginning of the rise and the break from student (Khan) and mentor (seven). This is only half the story, kind of like the Star Wars Prequels and the rise of Darth Vader. Knowing where Khan is headed and how dangerous he will become is certainly fruitful territory for Star Trek writers. The story will continue and I’m game for reading the sequel.

One complaint I have about this book might seem churlish, but…I really don’t see why it had to have Captain Kirk or the crew of the Enterprise at all. It can stand on its own as Star Trek history and background of what is always hinted at as terrible period in future World History. The fact that this story is framed around an Enterprise mission feels obligatory and kind of clunky. I’m no purist, but it could have lost about 50 pages of Captain Kirk and company and been just fine. Maybe that’s just me.

All in all, a terrific read in my 2 month quest to go through some of the better Star Trek novels.






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A week of Light Rail, summed up in tweets June 14, June 17, June 20-22

Taking the much-derided (by me) Light Rail to work today for the 1st time ever for this job. Don’t let me down. Might be needing you awhile.

Just recently my car has been declared “borderline dangerous” by a mechanic who quoted a price that finally exceeded what I was willing to spend on my 19 year old 200 thousand mile Subaru Legacy. Circumstances have led my wife and me to adopt a car sharing/walking/public transportation stopgap solution to our now one-car household.

To that end…
I have been taking the light rail to my job, over 10 miles away at BWI Airport. The light rail, for those who may not know, is a half-hearted but well-meaning attempt at offering a mid-sized city a way for suburbanites to get downtown for the baseball game. At least, that’s what it feels like. But since I don’t have a car and the damn thing is a 7 minute walk from my house, I feel obligated to give it a try. And since sitting for 45 minutes to an hour lends itself to idle tweeting and observation, I present many of them here.

Back to the light rail. Today is a good job for transit: work then back downtown for the O's game. Ticket kiosk took 3 swipes to work. That is a real problem. I have allowed a whole 8 to 10 minutes for this, but God help anyone who doesn't carry multiple credit cards.

Yeah, this was my first problem on the first bright and sunny day I had to take the train to work at 557 am to make my 730 start time. But I persisted.

I think @mtamaryland needs to work on getting the payment method up to speed for people who aren't technologically savvy or who don't have multiple cards to try at defective machines. #mytwocents

I made it that first day and I felt pretty good. I learned that it was a long walk from the light rail stop at the airport to my work area, but that in what I call a “motivated walk,” can do it in 6 minutes.

More light rail thoughts...I think public transportation in general has gotten better for wheelchair users at least in that most buses "kneel" and let the little ramp down so the person can wheel right on. Used to be this awful lift that always broke down. @mtamaryland

The next week, this happened:

Welp. Train broke down in front of my train. Train stuck. I bailed out. Taking Lyft for maybe my 2nd time by myself. #LightRailFail

Yeah, so that happened. It was kind of shitty, but I had to get to work. I went through the progression of options. I chose to use Lyft.

This is basically the equivalent of the "oh shit I'm late have to park in the expensive garage." Back up plans have to be part of any transit plans here.

And…

Anyway, Lyft driver Loretta got me to work, no bs, I thanked her, said "You're awesome!" and gave her a good tip and top rating. But damn...can't do that every day.

I had to take the light rail the next day and became aware of a situation that would impact my Saturday commute. So...stations being closed thru the weekend....does that mean we have to get off the train and take a shuttle? I'm going up to Cold Spring. @mtamaryland

Riding home on the light rail on my last Saturday for a while. There is a service change where we need to get off at Patapsco and ride a shuttle, then reboard the train at Convention Center. If it is as easy as the operator says, no problem. It'll factor into my report.

First Spoiler: this did not go well.

All right, well...I'm at Convention Center and...This whole "step back on the train" thing is not going well...will @mtamaryland reimburse me for having to use Lyft twice in one week?

And….

This one guy said he's been waiting "for a minute." He got on the southbound train which is supposed to turn back and be my northbound train...in another minute. MTA is turning out to be what I always thought it was. Where's that Denny Green gif? @mtamaryland

I'm not in a huge hurry...but my cat is gonna be a dick and I just want to get home.

Car just drove down the tracks like...for 3 blocks. People are so stupid.

And finally…

All right. Back on that train. On a normal day of this, woulda been home 10 minutes ago.

In summary:

It is nice to not have to deal with rush hour traffic. I like just sitting and listening to music and not having to do anything. I feel like I am being a responsible global citizen by doing public transportation like this. I mentioned the wheelchair accessibility. But… I have to give the whole experience at best a C minus. I had to use Lyft. The ticket machines are SOOOOOO shitty. The system is so small time that it only takes a small issue to mess up the whole route. If I had a working vehicle, I would not even think about taking light rail to work.

There is no way in Hell anyone in Baltimore should ever voluntarily give up a vehicle and trust the MTA. Stuff like what is happening now happens way too much for me just being a casual rider. And that is my week on light rail.

Commander in Cheat

Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump by Rick Reilly

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Our current Commander in Chief, Donald Trump has a well-known passion for golf. He has gone golfing 183 times since his inauguration (according to trumpgolfcount.com/). Rick Reilly, award winning sports writer, is not particularly political. (I used to read his column in Sports Illustrated. The angriest I ever got with him was when he wrote about how much better football is than baseball.) But he is also a huge golf fan. And this is where he takes issue with Trump, and what has inspired the writing of this book.

For you see, Donald Trump has a terrible reputation for cheating at golf. Little things like taking “gimmes” on putts that are well over 3 feet , moving balls from unplayable lies to a more playable spot near the green, and the famous “Trump Bump” where he inflates (actually, deflates) his score to make himself look better and thus feel better are all tools in a massive cheating arsenal. I’m no golfer, but the methods that he reportedly uses to make him a winner every time are numerous and shocking.

Oh, I know where some of you are thinking. Some of you are saying “so what?” and some are saying “fake news.” Well. So be it. At this point you believe what you believe and nothing is going to change that.

The book is well sourced and lots of caddies and important people go on the record to paint the picture and support the argument that Donald Trump is a huge golf cheat. But Reilly digs deeper and examines the impact that golf has on his presidency. As Trump has refused to completely divest from his business interests during his term, there are numerous ways that are detailed in the book in how Trump is using the office to continue to rake in money at his resorts. And the game that he plays and the scores that he boasts (and he does love to boast!) are often fraudulent due to the massive cheating which Reilly details.

It’s a breezy book which I enjoyed bigly and tremendously. I read most of this between innings over the course of a week of watching baseball. The impassioned last chapter gets to the depth of how much Reilly loves the sport and how he believes Trump has been ruining it through class warfare. I can see why he found it necessary to tell this story. Great read.




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The Autobiography of James T. Kirk: the Story of Starfleet’s Greatest Captain.

The Autobiography of James T. Kirk by David A. Goodman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Hero. Diplomat. Lover. Survivor.

James T. Kirk is without question the greatest captain in the history of Starfleet. But don’t take my word for it: take his.

The conceit of this book is that fictional “Star Trek” Captain James T. Kirk sat down with “Memory Alpha Historian” David A. Goodman and recorded his life story, from his boyhood in Iowa through his early days at Starfleet Academy and his five year mission on the Enterprise and beyond. And if you are a Star Trek fan and have seen all the movies and a good portion of the episodes, this narrative fills in the gaps. All the movies are referenced in clever way (my favorite is how they acknowledged Star Trek 5, generally considered to be one of the worst, as a bad movie done by citizens on a parallel earth-type planet). The book carries the reader up to just slightly before the events in the “Generations” movie.

For fans, this is a hoot. There’s just enough of a “nudge, nudge” quality to it, humor in the right places, all the while capturing the voice and the spirit of a great captain, to make it an extremely enjoyable reading experience. It’s clever and doesn’t drag and it makes me want to re-watch the first 7 movies.

I’m giving it 5 stars but as a fan, I am probably a little biased. There is certainly a lot of bad Trek fiction out there, but as it is my 2 month mission to take in 10 Star Trek books, this was a great place to start.




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Imposter Zine Issue Number one: a review

By Ashley A.F./aka AshleyStar Galactica in the 25th Century/aka @godwhatamess

Another zine series from my friend from the Twitterverse, Imposter number one contains the long-awaited analysis of a phenomenon in which I have found myself participating over the last year and half: the live tweeting of the Super Sci-Fi Saturday Night lineup on METV.

METV is a station out of Chicago that has been operating since 2005 which brings viewers a large collection of beloved classic TV shows (MASH, Leave it To Beaver, Gunsmoke, to name a few). On Saturday nights, it runs a lineup of science fiction shows, anchored by Svengoolie (who hosts a different movie every week). A small but dedicated crew of us live-tweet jokes, observations, pictures, gifs, and for many of us, it is appointment television. (And for me, it has supplied the inspiration for a novel that I am in the process of finishing up.)

This is how I know “Ashleystar Galactica.” And she offers a perspective of it that provides context for what it means to find a place for yourself online. While there are all kinds of reasons to get off the internet, for some, it provides much needed community. If you’re ever on Twitter and feel like saying hi, feel free.

The second part of Imposter is longer and forces me to re-examine past prejudices. I’m talking about the “Cathy” comic strip, which ran from 1976 to 2010 and was much derided by, well…people like me, based on my cursory examination skipping past it in the comics.

Ashley turns this all on its head by making a spirited case of her identification with a character who in her own way represents a feminist icon. And it is a damn good case. There is truly no other character like her in the comics or even on TV. It’s a lot to get through, but it’s well worth it.


(Anyone interested in reading Imposter can get in touch with @godwhatamess on the Twitter and she’ll tell you what to do.)


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