J.J. Goodman: Writings, Musings and More

Time for more random things. Because it's Friday. And because applesauce. 1.          Monday the 31 st of August is a bank holiday in the UK. Except for Scotland. Because f*ck Scotland, apparently. 2.          The big toe on your dominant foot is longer that the big toe on your non-dominant foot. 4.          Chewing gum is not sold at the Orlando airport because of Disney World. 5.          Your smart phone contains more computing power than all of the technology used to land a man on the moon, yet the primary uses of smart phones are sending text messages and checking social media. 6.          I always skip number 3. Have you people not figured that out yet? 7.          No one really knows who put the bomp in the bop shebop shebop. 8.          Those of you not wearing shoes are still measuring your big toes and just realizing that I made that up. 9.          Few things in life are more disconcerting than having to "number two"

Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens in one hundred and seventeen days. 117. One hundred and seventeen days to nergasmic, geektastic bliss. There are many of those that will poke fun at the many of us squeeeeeeeing with excitement over this, and to you I say this: PLBBBBBBTTTTTTTTTT For those of us that were born in the early seventies, boys and girls alike, Star Wars was our childhood. From the boyish innocence of Luke Skywalker, to the cynicism and sarcasm of Han Solo, to the feminine strength of Princess Leia, to the downright uber-coolness that is Darth Vader, the Star Wars saga enthralled us for a great portion of our formative years. We each remember the spectacle of A New Hope , our shock and horror at the big reveal in The Empire Strikes Back , and our anticipation of what fate would befall Han Solo and the rest of our favorite, ragtag rebellion in Return of the Jedi .   We had the toys and, later in life, the laser discs, DVDs and Blu Rays. Posters adorn our wa

There's a clip from the TV program The Newsroom in which the character that actor Jeff Daniels portrays goes to town after being asked "why is America the greatest country in the world?" He explains, vehemently, I might add, that America isn't even close to being the greatest country in the world anymore. In citing many reasons for that assessment, and in lamenting the things that made this nation great, once upon a time, the monologue rings quite poignantly. Taking it for what it is, a part of a piece of sensationalized fiction, I still can't help but watch it and think to myself that he's absolutely right. And then I wake up, turn on the television, and am convinced he's right. This morning I woke up to news that, in my city, there was a drive-by shooting at a basketball game at the Boys and Girls Club. Three killed, four injured. In a shooting. At the Boys and Girls Club. AT THE F*CKING BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB.   It's not that our nation isn

I feel like being unabashedly honest today.   (Oh boy… alright, hit me.)   I am an elitist.   (I…ok that was so not where I thought you were gonna go with this.)   I figured. But you know what? It's true. I am. I am elitist. I don't deny it, and I don't apologize for it. I'm an elitist, and you should be one, too.   (I think you're going to need to explain this one….)   Yeah, I figured that, too. I'm not elitist in the traditional, stereotypical sense; I couldn't give two bits about the car you drive, how much money you make, or how many degrees you have hanging on your wall. What I care about is how you think . So I guess I'm an intellectual elitist.   (But you said you don't care about degrees….)   I don't. Intellect has nothing to do with education. Believe me, I know some pretty dumb smart people. People can be well educated, but that doesn't mean that they possess both kn

So... yeah. I am still working on Book Four of The Deep Space Chronicles. I'm also crankin' along on Sabin'es story (nearly 25,000 words at last count).... But as you regular readers know, when the words come, I have to get them out of my head. This snippet came to me after completing Season Two of HBO's True Detective last night. Let me know what you think. Perhaps I'll have to tuck this one away for a proverbially rainy day....   __________________________________     It had been a few weeks since he'd smoked a cigarette, yet the acrid burning in his throat felt just as comforting as the last drag he remembered having taken. He'd long ago tried to give up the crutch on which he'd lean during times of stress, but in moments of weakness the vice returned tenfold. Given what had just happened, he was proud that he'd only reached for a cigarette at seven o'clock in the morning and not for the bourbon, or both.   With each inhal