Victor D. Infante's Blog, page 211

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

INFANTE VICTOR O.
Age 89, of Bloomfield, on Saturday, December 26, 2009; loving father of Rosemarie, Victor and Nancy; also survived by numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Victor dedicated his life to serving his country & community. Visitation Tuesday from 10am-1pm. Service following will be private at WINTER FUNERAL HOME PC, 4730 Friendship Ave., Bloomfield.
 

Processing

I just received word that my paternal grandfather, with whom I share a name, passed away the day after Christmas. He was 89 years old.

I didn't know him at all. Still, it's a lot to take in right now.

I hope he's at peace.

"Doctor Who"

There's an interesting "sub-question" that's emerging in After Elton's Who is the Gay/Bisexual Man of the Decade poll, which has boiled down to a turf war between entrenched sci-fi fandoms: notably, the "Dr. Who"/"Torchwood" crowd supporting John Barrowman, and the Joss Whedon/"Dr. Horrible" crowd supporting Neil Patrick Harris.

And don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of both actors. I find it odd, though, that gay public figures who've fought fairly public battle toward legitimizing homosexual ...

Thursdays are for music pimping ...

The Telegram's big "Year in Music" roundup is in today's "Go" section. First off, a great year in review by Craig Semon, followed by Craig's Top 10 CDs of 2009.

Then, for my "What You're Listening To" column, I talked to local musicians and performing artists about their favorite CDs of the year.

It all works out to a fun collection. And if that's not enough, TWSN has recommendations for shows by Glenn Stewart, Barbara Kessler, Matt Fox and Paulie Lipman!

Chiron Review, the Dirty Gerund, and my impending midlife crisis ...

Many of my earliest publication credits -- back in the late '80s and early '90s -- were in little punk rock 'zines in Southern California. The sort of thing you'd find lying around free in coffeehouse and record stores. Some of them were truly atrocious -- barely legible, the ink was so cheap. Others were marvelous little gems. All of them had a certain magic to them. You never knew if you were going to find a treasure lying inconspicuously on the floor while getting a cup of java.

So now I ha...

Nov3rd Down

"The November 3rd Club" site is down at the moment. Hopefully, we'll be able to get it back up soon.

Thanks for the notes, and rest assured, we're in the process of contacting our Web superheroes as we speak.

Pop-Culture A-Go-Go!!!

One imagines the readers of this blog are beginning to doubt my commitment to popular culture. Let's dispense with that, shall we?

Everything behind the cuts is spoilery all over the place. You've been warned.

Alan Moore -- a bit of a literary mad scientist, in his way -- leads off the first issue of his underground 'zine (remember 'zines?) "Dodgem Logic" with a long and fascinating history of underground publishing, detailing the medium's import in the growth and dissemination of unorthodox ...

Sad news

I was saddened to receive word this morning that South African poet Dennis Brutus has passed away. Mr. Brutus was a valiant opponent of apartheid and a champion of human rights.

More personally, he was also supportive of "The November 3rd Club" when we were just starting out, including graciously giving us a poem to publish.

He was an inspiration for this journal and to me personally, and he'll be terribly missed.

Peace on Earth, Goodwill Toward Men, Etc., Etc. ...

Even though Lea and I have mostly sat out this holiday season, it seems a certain amount of hectic inevitably has inevitably worked its way into our lives. Dinner with her family tonight, and then a small number of house guests tomorrow ... it's all good, and maybe -- just maybe -- I'm starting to feel some holiday spirit.

The apathy toward the holiday this year should in no way be seen as either a sign of distress nor a signal that our affection toward the people in our lives has somehow less...

Lea reads in Plymouth, NH ...

We'll be headed up to the Wilds of New Hampshire Monday:

D Acres Writing Group
Featured reading by Lea C. Deschenes
5:30 p.m. Monday, December 21, 2009
Betty Ann's House on D Acres

Pre-registration is required for the writing group. Please contact D Acres: (603)786-2366 or info@dacres.org

About D Acres Writing Group: This monthly writing group meets in the enchanting northern forest of New Hampshire! Regular participants work to discover or improve creative writing talents in a supportive, encoura...