New Poetry Video

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 6:15 A.M.

Yesterday I made a video of my poem "Four Weeks Before the Wedding":



Four Weeks Before the Wedding
by Gerald So

Your fiancé’s name
shows on Caller ID;
I imagine
my RSVP
upset you
more than I know,

and he's calling
to say
it would mean
the world
if I attended.

I pick up,
say hello twice,
and hear you
far enough
away to tell
you butt-dialed me.


The text was originally published in the February 2011 issue of Mat Black Online Magazine, and it's included in my ebook of twenty-four poems on love and chance, We Might Have.

DOCTOR WHO Series 8

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 3:00 A.M.

Having seen last Thursday's Christmas special, I can now take stock of Series 8. Everyone has favorite Doctors and others with whom they are less taken. While I enjoyed Matt Smith's youthfulness, it led me to better appreciate Peter Capaldi's contrasting, cantankerous Doctor, who I thought well set up to clash with experienced Companion and schoolteacher Clara Oswald.

I liked the range of emotions Clara showed, staying through The Doctor's regeneration, showing him the ropes, getting frustrated enough to leave him. Then, in the Christmas special, The Doctor's return showed how much Clara meant to him. It was, again, a nice contrast to the easier chemistry between other Doctors and Companions.

Looking Back and Forward

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 2:15 A.M.

With age, I find I look back less often. Hence this reflection post just as one year is ending and another is about to begin:

Novel I Most Enjoyed Reading: Willful Child by Steven Erikson

Short Story I Most Enjoyed Reading: "Class Reunion" by Robb White

Short Story I Most Enjoyed Writing: "King of the Sea", published in Pulp Modern #7

Poem I Most Enjoyed Writing: "A Definition of Noir", published in Noir Riot: Volume 1

TV Series I Most Enjoyed Watching: Doctor Who: Series 8, NCIS: New Orleans, Bones: Season 10

Film I Most Enjoyed Watching: Guardians of the Galaxy


In 2015, I'm looking forward to Syfy's The Expanse, based on the books of James S.A. Corey, Marvel's Daredevil on Netflix, and the Peanuts movie.

At The Five-Two: Catherine Wald

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 7:17 A.M.

Catherine Wald returns with a poem chosen by guest editor Erica Guo, "Villanelle at McDonald's":

Christmas Wishes

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 5:00 A.M.

This year, much of my extended family in the tri-state area has migrated to warmer climes. There will be only two children at tomorrow's Christmas party, a new experience for me.

I've never had the money to keep up with trendy gifts, but I've tried each day to show my family and friends how much they mean to me and that they can count on me. The same goes for readers of all my sites. Peace and good will to all today and every day.

WILLFUL CHILD by Steven Erikson

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 8:15 A.M.

In pursuit of smugglers, the starship Willful Child is commandeered by a powerful A.I. to search out its maker. Raised on Star Trek reruns by his grandfather, who made first contact with extraterrestrials, Captain Hadrian Alan Sawback is irreverent, impetuous, and inappropriate. He's also adventurous, open-minded, and clever enough to take on the moody A.I.

I heard about Willful Child on Twitter last month the day it was published. I hadn't read Erikson's other books, but his background as an archaeologist, anthropologist, and Star Trek fan was enough for me to jump aboard. Like Sawback, I was eager to explore the space and time Erikson thought up as the novel unfolded episodically.

Willful Child is a rollicking parody that provokes thought along the way. I hope it catches on with readers and leads to a series.

At The Five-Two: Roger Netzer

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 3:19 A.M.

This week, lawyer poet Roger Netzer with "You Didn't Mean to Kill Anyone":

At The Five-Two: "The Late Show" by Bill Baber

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 12:10 A.M.

This week, Tucson poet Bill Baber:



Submit your work for our upcoming themes.

NBC's Chuck

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 8:45 A.M.

A nerd meets a beautiful, out-of-his-league woman and they fall in love. That simply put, Chuck had the same premise as The Big Bang Theory. Without a DVR, I flipped between the two series when they premiered in the same timeslot in 2007. Big Bang won the bid for my attention in the long run, but I held onto the notion of buying the complete set of Chuck on Blu-ray if the price were right. This past Black Friday, it was.

I've been binge-watching the show this week and have pinned down why I wasn't more into it when it aired. I bought the premise that the contents of the massive intelligence-gathering Intersect computer were subliminally uploaded into Chuck's brain, giving him flashes of information that put him at risk, warranting a protective detail of the CIA's beautiful Sarah Walker and the NSA's brawny John Casey.

Through Season 2, the show did a good job showing why Sarah was attracted to Chuck in spite of her trying to stay professional. Chuck was only reluctantly involved in spy work, and his reluctance showed Sarah the appeal of civilian life. In late Season 2, the government wanted to put Chuck in lockdown, but Sarah went rogue to save him and offered to go into hiding with him. At the very end of Season 2, a second exposure to the Intersect gave Chuck acrobatic ability and fighting skills.

Season 3, six months later in story time, found Chuck in field training, having declined Sarah's offer. Half the season was spent repairing their relationship, after which Chuck explained that he chose to become a spy to be with Sarah. I couldn't buy that. Sarah had fallen in love with Chuck as he was in Season 2. His uncharacteristic choice to be a spy, more than anything else, drove them apart.

The series went on to prove the Intersect a plot device of the worst kind. It granted knowledge and abilities that disappeared in a flash. It altered personalities and wiped memories, getting in the way of what I'd enjoyed most: the characters' natural growth and the core story of a spy falling for a regular guy.

That said, as many elements as the show juggled—spy thriller, workplace comedy, family drama—each episode hooked me into the next. Speaking in book terms, it's the "One more chapter" effect. I didn't intend to blow through five seasons in four days, but here we are.

Chuck was narrowly renewed a couple times over five seasons, and only Seasons 2 and 4 were standard length. I wonder what impact this had on stories. Was Chuck's physical upgrade and sudden desire to be a spy a blatant play for ratings?

At The Five-Two: "Reprieve" by Robert Cooperman

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com |12:27 A.M.

This week a Cooperman poem chosen and performed by guest editor Charles Rammelkamp:

At The Five-Two: "Robbed" by Brenton Booth

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 4:50 A.M.

This week's poem is by Aussie author Brenton Booth:



I've begun booking next year's 30 Days of The Five-Two blog tour. Join in.