Back on the Beam

You may have noticed that the Yawp has been maintaining radio silence for a while, with just a couple of posts since the beginning of the year. The truth is, I've been dealing with a personal issue for the past few months. I debated over writing a post to vent about it, but I've decided against it, mostly because it involves something stupid on my part and it's a little embarrassing. I finally put it all behind me this week, and after getting a massage today to help me come down from the stress that accumulated from it, it's time to leave it all in the past.

So! That being said, here are a few things that are actually worth commenting on:

* Baseball season. Glad it's back. Opening Day looked a little rough for a while but turned into an exhilarating win for the Reds. It looks, very early on, like they're going to be just as exciting this year as they were last year. I picked up an authentic Joey Votto jersey for myself last weekend, and I'll be rocking it throughout the season. I can't wait until the weather warms up so we can get down to a game.

* I'm really glad to see Butler and VCU in the Final Four; I just wish it had worked out so they didn't have to play each other at this point. I mean, on one hand it's great that one of them will definitely be in the championship game, but it would be great if they were split up and had a chance of meeting in the championship game. Either way, it's going to be great basketball. I'm pulling for Butler tonight (visit Hinkle Fieldhouse for a game if you ever have a chance; it's a basketball mecca), but whichever team wins, I'll be cheering for them to win the championship over either Kentucky or UConn on Monday night.

* Speaking of "the Beam," I was ecstatic to learn that another Stephen King Dark Tower project is becoming a reality, with The Wind Through the Keyhole coming in 2012. I've been reading the graphic novels from Marvel for my Tower fix lately, and while I enjoy them (particularly the artwork), they just don't have the depth of the novels. So it's good to know that there's at least one more in the offing.

Of course, I'm also looking forward to 11/22/63, which will be the next novel published by King. I have only a little taste for an occasional alternate history novel, but I am interested in the '60s and the Kennedy era, and King has already showed a deft touch for the '60s with Hearts in Atlantis.

* And speaking of graphic novels, let me take a moment to recommend Joe Hill's outstanding Locke & Key series. Even if graphic novels (or "comics," if you prefer) aren't your thing (they generally aren't mine, with some exceptions), these are worth reading. The storyline is fascinating, the characters are interesting, and the illustrations are great--in some places, they're breathtaking. Check 'em out.

* Right now I'm reading Catch-22, which I somehow missed in my high school and college lit classes. It's taking me kind of a long time to get through, for some reason, but I'm enjoying it. Coming up after I finish that I'm looking forward to a couple of Douglas Coupland novels I haven't read before (Generation A and Player One), and then a Truman Capote classic (Breakfast at Tiffany's, recommended to me by a couple of friends). I've not read Capote before; I'm looking forward to it.

* At some point in the near future I'll probably also pick up a brief overview of the American Revolution. I've recently started doing some freelance proofreading for a publication called Patriots of the American Revolution; I'm really enjoying the work, but all those history classes were a long time ago, and it's time for a refresher, just to give myself a stronger foundation. As for the magazine, it's extremely well done. If you're interested in American history and the Revolution in particular (it focuses on the American side, of course, but doesn't neglect the British side), give it a look.