Book Review for Reality Magazine

[twin posting appears on Featured Writer]

My latest work is a book review in the September issue of Reality Magazine, the local LGBT magazine.

Click here to download the PDF. Click here to visit Reality Magazine online.

Art Crawl

I've been invited to the Art Crawl tomorrow night by a coworker. I think this sounds really fun.

The interesting thing is to see how many people actually get into the downtown fort wayne experience. I think that this city is great, but I am not so sure about paying a quarter million dollars for a condo overlooking a minor league baseball stadium.

Let's hope it's not lame.

UPDATE:
Friday after work brought horrible thunderstorms and rain. I didn't feel like braving the weather for the event, so I stayed home. I did eat a great meal at casa d'angelo. I highly recommend their rigatoni special.

Allen County Democrats Think Too Small

There was no room for me at the proverbial table.

I got to the Grand Wayne Center at 5:30 and was waiting in the drizzle/mist for 25 minutes, but I was cutoff with five people in front of me.

What irks me is that the "volunteers" for Hillary were stopping people and making them sign a clipboard before letting people into the convention center. This practice delayed me from getting in because I let other people sign in before me. They of course got in.

This may be a sign from the universe that I should go for Obama. It reminds me that we don't really need a third term for Bill. Voting for Hill is kind of like perpetuating the dynasty of the Baby Boom generation.

The GWCenter did provide an overflow room of "audio only" access. I left and went to JK O'Donnell's with a couple friends who were also excluded.

I found a video of Obama's race speech, well Obama's campaigned e-mailed it to me. I'm going to post it next. It's very good. It talks about the straw man of "reverse racism." This man is amazingly astute.

A Friendly Review

The Friendly Fox is the yum.

The relatively new eatery on South Wayne is a true gem. I went Saturday for a late lunch after doing some holiday shopping. I had the turkey wrap and a coffee. It was the most refreshing meal I'd had in weeks.

The food tasted unbelievable, and while the brewed coffee doesn't quite measure up to my high "firefly or die" standards, it's still quite good.

At South Wayne Avenue and West Foster Parkway, it's only a few blocks from my house. It will be nice to take a quick ride down there on my bike when the weather permits. The cafe is located in an historic edifice with a nice angle-cut front door that evokes days gone by.

The warm wood furnishings and carpet make one feel at home, and there are sofas and tables, with the unique chance to sit on sofa-like cushions in the window sill. Unfortunately, the window faces north and it was overcast, but just imagining basking in the sun on a brighter day gave me something to look forward to.

There was a gentleman taking advantage of free wi-fi and there was a TV graciously stowed above the door and out of everyones way. The unfortunate part was the basketball game on the screen was much too loud for a quiet Saturday afternoon.

In an adjacent room, a half dozen or so armchairs waited patiently for patrons craving the quiet. The location would make an ideal spot for pondering the workings of the universe with a group of philosophers or catching up on the Harry Potter novels.

The staff was helpful but a little slow for people who work in a coffee shop, but it may have been the fact it was late in the day. Another drawback is a single unisex restroom, though it was large enough to divide later, if the extra facility is demanded.


In what has become a very competitive premium coffee society, the Friendly Fox has come armed with tons of tchotchkies for loyal customers to purchase as souvenirs. If you want to flaunt your coffee independence by wearing a Friendly Fox sweatshirt into Starbucks, you may want to bring some extra cash, as they are a little on the pricey side.

Overall, the Friendly Fox's respectable brews and resplendent foods make it absolutely worth a visit. Four out of five stars.

Address:
4001 South Wayne Ave., Fort Wayne, Indiana

For more, visit Cindy Larson's article at The News-Sentinel.

(This review also available on my pro blog, Featured Writer)

Winter in the City

It's official. Winter has come to the Summit City. I took these last week amid the chaotic ice storms. I was on my way into the paper and thought I'd stop at Freimann Square for some pictures of some of the greatest views of downtown.