Monthly Archives: October 2003

Green Grass Grace

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Books don’t make me cry. It just doesn’t happen. Until now. I didn’t even see it coming. “Green Grass Grace”, by Shawn McBride has to be one of the greatest novels I have ever read. A rollercoaster of emotion, plenty of laughs, characters I relate to, and places I’ve actually been.

People let themselves get frozen in a bad place, lost in space, until they get used to it and can’t change. They bury the best of their love beneath a pile of stubborn bullshit, losing chances, wasting time, missing life. But no more, not me, not the people I love. That shit stops today. Tonight I want to show them all that you tell the people you love that you love them now. You can’t wait another fucking second. And if they don’t get it after tonight, I’ll rain pain on their cupcake asses. I’m down in a karate crouch just thinking about it, ready to inflict the Toohey Chop Suey on the hard-hearted.

That’s 13 year old Henry “Hank” Toohey, during the end of the summer of 1984. After much, much has transpired. Hank is an Irish-Catholic living in an Irish-Catholic block in Northeast Philadelphia. His family, his neighborhood, and his friends are as genuine and as real as day. McBride brings it all to life while you follow Hank’s plan to propose to his 14 year old (and much more mature…err… worldly…err.) girlfriend, thinking this will fix the broken hearts around him – especially those in his family.

I’m sure some probably don’t like the characterizations he gives (Fishtowners anyone?) – but man does he nail it. I love this book!

After Yesterday – I’m Surprised

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Limbaugh quits ESPN. That was a surprise really. Don’t take from my previous posts I have issue with someone being controversial. For example – I think Howard Stern is great. No, I simply believe that it works both ways. Not only does Rush have a right to speak – even filled with ignorance and race baiting as it was – but everyone else has a right to tell him to stuff it up his ass. Which they did. It was universal. A beautiful thing. Even on Fox News this morning (yep I tuned in just to catch what they would say about it).

Read all about it in today’s Inquirer.

ESPN Defends Rush

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That’s what Sports Illustrated asks. ESPN says:

An ESPN spokesman said Tuesday that Limbaugh doesn’t do interviews and added that he didn’t think the comments were racially biased.

“He was comparing McNabb’s performance on the field to his reputation in the media,” spokesman Dave Nagle said.

Nagle said that with Limbaugh on the show this season, ratings for Sunday NFL Countdown are up 10 percent overall, and 26 percent among the 18-to-34 male demographic. Sunday’s show drew its biggest audience in the regular season since November 1996.

“ESPN hired Limbaugh for his passion and his ability to express opinion and spark debate as a football fan,” Nagle said. “In just one month, he has certainly delivered.”

Wow. Twists your stomach doesn’t it?

Note: I updated the title of this post. I can’t stoop the same level as Limbaugh

More at slacktivist.