Wearing Watches

Wearing watches

“…time won’t give me time, but time makes lovers feel, like they’ve got something real. But you and me we know we got nothin’ but time. But time won’t give me time...”

Boy George

Don’t ask me why that song jumped into my head. That was how many ions ago? Perhaps it is because my high school reunion is coming up, and I guess too because Boy George was in the news recently.
At any rate, I realize I haven’t worn a watch since high school either. I have several sitting in my jewelry box, too, that have probably lost their tick by now. Every once in a great while when I find myself in the jewelry section of some department store I’m tempted to buy one. I try to tell myself that designer watches are the way to go, that if I pay enough for a watch I’ll feel compelled to wear it. Then, I think about all of the other pieces of jewelry I’d love to have for half the price and walk right on by the watch section.
Wearing a watch normally has the effect of making me feel nervous and just a little uptight. I’m always looking at it, and if I’m sitting in a boring meeting or a class it just seems to make the time go slower. It’s unbelievable how long five minutes can take to pass if you watch the second had make those five rotations around the little clock on your arm.
I must admit though that a beautiful, well-crafted watch can make a person look like a million bucks. Also, when you need to cut a meeting short or make yourself look ultra-important, there’s no better way of conveying both than a dramatic look at your watch as you make your exit. Everyone looks at their cell phone to figure the time these days, but a watch is still a most useful accessory.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
www.AdrolitePress.com
www.ChandraAdams.com

Television Doctor

Television Doctor

‘House’ on Fox I absolutely love, I started watching it after American Idol and just started watching it again. I mean, the show just seems to get better and better every time I watch it. Gregory House is the main character and doctor who cares for patients with unusual diseases. He’s so interesting because he is addicted to prescription painkillers, walks with a limp and a cane, is rude, obnoxious and unbelievably insensitive to everyone around him. Did I mention that he lies to get what he wants much of the time on the show?
Now let’s take a walk on reality’s side. Imagine you’re in the emergency room, nobody can figure out what’s wrong with you, nurses wheel you off while you’re bleeding, gasping for air, blind, giving birth, all of the above, or whatever. In the midst of your pain and general state of confusion, in walks some little sour man who says he’s your doctor. “Do you smoke crack?” He might ask with laser directness. You say no. He smirks, pokes you in the side. “Somebody in here’s a liar.” He shares that declaration with the other doctors and attendants in your intensive care unit room. While you’re getting all huffy about the obvious lack of respect, he goes in for the kill and continues to treat you like the corner store wino. You go into cardiac arrest, or seizure, or something equally as uncomfortable and life threatening. Hours, or days later, after a few more demoralizing visits from the kooky doctor, he determines the cause of your illness, you’re treated, and free to go.
How likely is it that the hospital would receive a visit from one of several malpractice lawyers in your area? I’d say highly likely. On House, though, the doctor manages to slip, slide, and dodge the malpractice bullet every time with a healthy side order of sarcasm. Unfortunately, there may be a few of you out there who are thinking, “Man, all of that happened to me last week.” If so, my heart goes out to you.
Hugh Laurie, who plays Dr. House, does a superb job playing the part. Not only is he deeply conflicted, anti-social and constantly on the edge of being consumed by his addiction, he knows it and just doesn’t care. He’s so convincing with it that when he attacks his subordinates for being caring, sensitive and compassionate toward their patients, I almost start to agree with his criticism.
Overall, I like this show because it is different from most of the other dramas staged in a hospital. Good story lines and exceptional acting can take the implausible and unlikely and make good entertainment, something we need more of these days.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
www.AdrolitePress.com
www.ChandraAdams.com

Are We In The Last Days?

Are We In The Last Days?

All these hurricanes, landslides, and earthquakes. The growing pockets of poor and homeless here and abroad. I don’t really know if it is because I’m paying more attention to the evening news – you know, Hurricane Katrina re-ignited my repulsion yet undying curiosity with the doom and destruction served up at five, six and eleven PM. That could very well be the problem.
I remember simpler days, when having to face Debt Consolidation appeared to be the marker for imminent disaster, even if it was just my own personal one. Falling behind in bills after college and before landing the big job is truly no joke.
But back to the gloom and doom of the present day. These relentless hurricanes. Looks like Wilma is getting ready to come in and do her thing. Add to that two children run over and killed by a high speed motorist outside their elementary school, the war still going on, gas prices, the president getting ready to snatch away some of the homeowner tax breaks in the blue states, and well, I think I better call my doctor for some of that anti-depressant medication Americans seem so fond of.
Seriously, though, I attribute my pre-last-days-paranoia to the amount of television I have been consuming. Have you ever turned away from the news and just listened to the way the newscasters talk? Everything, every story starts out in a very serious, hushed tone. As the story builds, more emphasis is placed on certain words, like murder, homicide, theft, home-break-ins, fugitives. Just when you’ve started shaking your head and wondering if the world has gone to hell in a handbasket, they start in on something else equally as dismal. And there’s no break between the stories, it’s just a constant stream of bad news, a mental beat down, there to greet you after a long day at the office, a long commute, and a long evening of trying to get dinner for yourself or your loved ones. Add a truly grisly, frightening story about a serial killer on the loose, and well, you know the rest.
After I watch Lost and Invasion tonight, the television goes off. If we are indeed in the last days, I don’t really want to hear about it from the local news.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
www.AdrolitePress.com
www.ChandraAdams.com

Recent Book Events

Recent Book Events

I’m finally getting back into the swing of things when it comes to promoting my book. The nice thing about attending events is that I’m learning more and more about the bay area and even Sacramento. I’m going places that I’ve never been before and that actually gives me a greater appreciation of California and its beauty and variety. Now, I’m not going to lie, having a gps system would have really helped me find the freeway entrance near Arden Mall in Sacramento as I traveled along. Driving along unfamiliar territory in the middle of the day is one thing, but at 11:00 pm sixty miles away from home, it was certainly another, especially when I knew I had just enough gas to make it home.
Friday evening kicked off my book-promotion weekend. Two other authors and I taped a segment on Playervision, (hopefully I spelled that correctly) where we took turns talking about our books for the hip-hop show. I just watched the playback of the show last night, it’s not easy watching yourself on television I have to say. The show was in Mountain View, which is a 70 mile, Carquinez Bridge, Bay Bridge crossing two hour commute from where I stay.
The next day, I drove to Sacramento to meet my fellow authors at Master Barber. There we signed a few books, then ate ourselves into oblivion next door at the Cobbler Inn Soul Food Restaurant. Wish we had more restaurants like that around here in Vallejo, but that’s another story. From there we moved on to The Plantation Restaurant, which is a very nice restaurant, bar and club set up on two floors. With catered chicken wings and cornbread, us authors sat at the signing table reminiscing on Prince, The Time, and Michael Jackson between talking to customers and telling them about our books.
I went solo yesterday to the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association’s 2005 Trade Show. I talked to some interesting people and handed out information about my book. Overall a great and busy weekend, and can’t wait for the next one.

Chandra Adams
Author
Shades of Retribution
www.AdrolitePress.com
www.ChandraAdams.com