I’ve shared a couple of times before that I’m not much of a TV watcher. One of the few exceptions has been The Walking Dead. I don’t know why, but I’ve always had a penchant for apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic movies and shows. I used to be an avid fan of The Walking Dead, and a little less of a fan of it’s spinoff, Fear the Walking Dead. Some things changed on the show so I abandoned it somewhere around season 6 or 7, I believe.

I need to relax in the evenings other than sitting at my computer surfing which is the same place I sit all day. Getting back to this show may be just the ticket. I have a few years to get caught up, but that shouldn’t take long if I binge a bit.

***Spoiler Alert***

One thing that disappointed me was they killed off Carl, though I understand it was necessary because time in The Walking Dead universe moves at a much slower pace than real time. That made Carl’s growth from a little boy to a teen ager miraculous. I think most of us understood and were willing to suspend our disbelief. In hindsight, it would have been best for the producers to make each season a new year in their universe. Carl’s death became even more necessary when the show’s time jumped a few years into the future. What would they have done to the kid? Stick a phony mustache on him? I hated it, but it was time for him to go.

It was around that time they did some other things I didn’t like so I stopped watching the show. Rick’s disappearance was a part of that. Let’s face it, Rick was a terrible leader. A lot of people died due to his bad decisions, but he remained confident and held the stragglers together. With him gone, Daryl earned a more prominent role. I think Daryl was a great secondary character, but unlike many, I’m not all ga-ga over him and don’t think he’s the best character TV ever created. I didn’t hate him, though, so I could overlook it, but I abandoned the show anyway.

The spinoff, Fear The Walking Dead. It was dreadful, but I hung on waiting for it to get better despite its terrible cast. Around the time I stopped watching either show, they killed off almost the entire original cast of Fear. I heard it became a much better show. Some say it has surpassed the quality of the original show, but I wouldn’t know. I’ve been gone awhile.

Now there’s a third spinoff titled The Walking Dead: World Beyond. This one is about a group of teenagers surviving in the apocalypse in Nebraska. Hearing they were all teenagers was a turnoff to me until it was brought up that this show was about the first generation who were born after the apocalypse began. The world with Zombies, or “Walkers” as they’re referred to on the show, is all they’ve ever known. That does make it a bit more interesting to me so I’ll probably check it out too.

Apparently this next season, which is season 11, will be the end of The Walking Dead, which may seem an odd time to start watching again, but it’s really not the end. Two of the main characters, Daryl and Carol are apparently getting their own spinoff show after that. Considering they’re two of the primary characters I have no clue how it’s going to be different, but the network has something up their sleeve.

With all of that going on, there is also a Walking Dead movie coming out. Apparently it will include where Rick disappeared to.

In other words, The Walking Dead universe is still around and is all over the place. Clearly it’s very profitable, and I guess I’m going back to find out why.

Shouldn’t I be Doing Something Else?

Something other than watch TV shows than zombies? Of course, and the answer to that is I need to start reading more…again. It’s critical for a writer to read. Not to copy other writers, but to learn from them and hone their craft.

Hosting a show where I interview gay authors of mysteries should, and does, provide me plenty of material to read. Justene is also on the show and she gives a weekly book recommendation. I have no excuse!

I was doing a good job of reading some of the classics. When it comes to gay crime novels, classics don’t go back very far. Sure, there is a short story written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that features gay characters with no judgement, but the reality is gay crime novels began their run in the early 70s.

With so many classics to get caught up in and so many good ones coming out now, its a tough decision to decide what to read next. The additional challenge of having a rapid mind that makes it difficult to focus on reading a novel doesn’t help matters.

The answer is I should begin reading more again, and I should allow myself to relax in front of the tube as well. It shouldn’t be hard to do. Well, it is.

Yesterday: Better or Not?

The answer is not. In fact, it was worse than the day before. While I’m dealing with hypomania, which is less severe than full blown mania, it’s still making it hard to focus on one thing. Some would argue with this, but my personal definition of hypomania is having mania and depression at equal levels at once. That’s how it feels to me, at least.

So, today I’ll be back at it. We’ll see how it goes.

The New Series

One of the challenges I’m having with my latest in the Mitch O’Reilly series is that I’m so damn distracted by the new series I want to begin. I have so much exciting research that I’ve done, and already love the protagonist despite having nothing more than a few notes on him.

I made a plan that I think will work. I won’t be jumping on the new series right away, but I’m taking some action on the Mitch O’Reilly series that I think will be the perfect balance.

I won’t share details now because they’re still in the works. Let’s just say it will probably delay the next Mitch O’Reilly mystery, but in the end it will become a good thing that I think will please my readers.

Am I Sharing Too Much?

Unlike the past, my goal when I renewed this blog was not to get in depth into my bipolar disorder. Yes, it will always be with me, but I had no intention to bare my soul and share every detail, which now includes readers of my novels. There’s a large part of me that is concerned this makes it a risky venture. Do I want people who only know me through my books to know this much about my life? This was supposed to be a breezy log of my daily activities that I write primarily for myself and happen to share with others. Obviously, the current state that I’m in changed that plan. One option would be to abandon the blog again and no longer share this much of my personal life. But is that the right thing to do? For twelve years I wrote this blog to help overcome the stigma and shame of living with mental illness. It started back when writing here was almost all I could do. I could barely put two words together when I talked with a person one on one.

Looking at it now, it’s uncomfortable as hell, but crawling back in my shell would be hypocritical and dismiss all that I worked so hard to do. So here I am world. You get to see me in the good times and the bad. You’ll get to read about fabulous things that are going on in my life. You’ll get to read about mundane things in my life, like watching shows about zombies. In addition, you’ll get to read when my life feels like a living hell. Take me or leave me, this is who I am.

The Supreme Court

In a recent decision, the Supreme Court upheld a decision regarding marriage equality because its accepted as currently being the law of the land. When that decision was handed down, however, two of the justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, made it clear that the current laws need to be changed based on religious freedoms. With Amy Coney Barret likely to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and having Kavanaugh on the bench, we will have a very strong right-wing conservative court.

Will this mean the end to Roe .v Wade? Most likely. Will this end Obergefell v. Hodges? Most definitely. Obergefell v Hodges is the case where the decision led to the legalization of same sex marriage.

A lot of people are concerned that overturning Obergefell v. Hodges will dissolve their marriage. This is highly unlikely. Marriage equality was, and still is, legal across all states. Many restrictions for gay couples have recently been lifted, but they can’t change the past. You see, I don’t believe the Supreme Court can technically overturn Obergefell v. Hodges. It was a binding decision by the Court itself. What they can do, and will likely do, is hear new cases involving marriage equality and make decisions that will strike down the law in the future.

What I’m getting at is that those who got married during the time it was legal, will still be married. Don’t get me wrong, follow me here, darkness does loom ahead. Once the new decision is made, states will no longer be required to perform same sex marriages. For newer generations it’s gone. Sorry folks. Goodbye.

The interesting thing to come, and something people don’t seem to be giving much thought to, is what will happen to those states who no longer want to recognize same sex marriage? Will they still be required to provide equality for those couples married during this time period. Oh sure, they’ll have to recognize it, but will they be able to place further restrictions on them? I live in California. Regardless of what the Supreme Court decides, it’s highly unlikely my life will change much, but what if I take a trip to Nebraska, or Alabama, or any other bright red hellhole? Will they have to recognize my marriage?

Plus, even though I live in California, will the state be allowed to require companies to recognize and serve me equally as a gay man? That’s murky, but my guess is the Supreme Court will say they can’t based on religious liberties. To put it simply, California may want to require a bakery to make me a wedding cake, but the Supreme Court ‘s decision will overrule the state.

My final concern in all this is will there be different laws for those married while marriage equality is the law of the land than those who are married after the law is repealed? Probably not, but I can see how the laws could be different and what a fine mess that will be.

If I’m wrong about some of the things I’m saying, I will admit I’m no legal expert.

No matter what occurs, marriage equality will be going away and it’s going to get ugly. It’s absurd that rights can be given and then taken away depending on who sits on the bench. This is why marriage equality MUST be added to the constitution. It will be a tough battle. Many right wing religious groups and bright red states will fight hard against it, but it must happen. It will take years, and maybe decades to make it happen, but it’s the only way to stop this madness.

By the way, you know what country constitutionally guarantees equal rights for those who are LGBT? If you read my blog much you know the answer is Uruguay, of course. Not only that, their public health system is required to perform gender reassignment surgery at the cost of the state. If “gender reassignment” isn’t the correct term. I apologize. I mean no disrespect.

I’m All Over the Place

Zombies, changes in what I’m writing, and questions regarding marriage equality all in one post? Now you’re getting an example of how my brain works throughout the day. Err, throughout each minute.

Anyway, out of all the things I’ve covered today, the one most pressing at this exact moment is getting back to writing. Chat with ya’ll later!