MY DAUGHTER, X-MEN FAN

May 18, 2012 in Family and life in general with 0 Comments

Kennedy has recently announced that she is “obsessed with X-Men.” As a geek/nerd, I’m familiar with obsessions, tracking and analyzing them in the wild. I know the tug of sci-fi stories, the allure of fantasy, the power of a good narrative. Kennedy’s interests have moved from Blue’s Clues to Dora the Explorer to Disney princesses to Shake It Up to Wild Kratts to X-Men. I may have missed a few properties, but that’s more or less the trajectory.

Her interest came when she started watching X-MEN EVOLUTION on Netflix. She devoured the four seasons and is now watching the series a second time. She’s read a few of the X-Men comics I have available. Her favorite character is Kitty Pryde aka Shadowcat.

This is the first time that one of her obsessions is one of my obsessions. I love comic books and super heroes, but I’d like to think my tastes are more varied and nuanced. I used to just read X-books. Now, I dabble in a little bit of everything. Continue Reading…

A FIRST TOAST TO LAKEWOOD BREWING COMPANY

May 16, 2012 in Events with 1 Comment

Lakewood Brewing Company is close, so close. (Click here to read their latest update.) A few months ago, I wrote a story for D Magazine about the three Dallas-area breweries. And now, Lakewood has its equipment. All the paperwork has been filed. They have TABC approval. The plumbers and electricians are doing what they do. So close, you can almost taste it. Literally. It’s beer.

I don’t know where you’ll be when you have your first Lakewood beer. However, in honor of this new start, I’d like to give a toast to my friends Wim and Trevor. Raise your glass. I’ll raise mine. Continue Reading…

DALLAS COMIC CON

May 7, 2012 in Events with 0 Comments

May 19th and 20th, Dallas Comic Con returns with a ridiculously impressive line-up of comics and media guests. I’m also on the guest list. Visit the official site and scroll down, way down. I’ll still be here when you return. Continue Reading…

AND NOW, WITH A FLIER

May 7, 2012 in News with 0 Comments

Paul Milligan has been very supportive of my Kickstarter project: SHORT STORY OF THE MONTH CLUB. Not only is he one of the top pledges, but he’s been spreading the word on a weekly basis, and even created this lovely flier to promote the cause.

We have 51 backers, and we’re 26% funded with 24 days to go. It’ll be close. I’ve reached out to almost all my contacts, and now I need to get creative in order to reach those extra subscribers. I appreciate everyone’s support. If we reach our goal amount, it will help tremendously during my first year as a full-time freelancer. I’m excited to start sending some short stories your way.

U-G-L-Y. YOU DON’T HAVE NO ALIBI.

May 1, 2012 in Internet oddities with 3 Comments

The Dallas Mavericks have a problem. I’m not talking about Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder. I’m not talking about the playoffs or our hopes in the off season to make good use of our cap space. I’m talking about the team’s website. I made an offhand comment about it on Twitter last year, but it should be repeated. The Dallas Mavericks website is ugly, ugly, ugly.

I took a screen capture of it last night. Look at that mess. At first glance, does it even look like a basketball website? Even worse, when you first visit Mavs.com, you get a pop-up window for MavsGear. Close the window and there’s a “Playoff Central” website before you arrive at the actual website. If it were possible, “Playoff Central” is even uglier than the main site. I have no clue what to click or how to escape (hint: look up top). No focal point with a random mess of text, images, videos, ads, and half-attempts at social networking– the user experience is almost abusive. Continue Reading…

MY REVIEW OF A MOVIE I HAVEN’T SEEN

April 30, 2012 in Commentary with 2 Comments

I’ll admit I give Rotten Tomatoes too much credit. Movie reviewers have probably come to loathe the site’s existence. I may read a reviewer’s overwrought and tedious evaluation of how “overwrought” and “tedious” the film is. But ultimately, I skip over to Rotten Tomatoes, see the 25% rating and avoid the film like the plague. I’ve replaced your wordy work with a number. Sorry.

A review serves two purposes (1) to let me know if I should see the movie and (2) to give me further insight on the good and bad qualities of the work.

With the first purpose, Rotten Tomatoes wins hands down. I refuse to watch a bad movie. If it looks bad, why would I do that to myself? I have not seen Elektra (10%). I have not see Catwoman (10%). I did not see Frank Miller’s The Spirit (14%). Why? Because they looked terrible and they were terrible. Sometimes a movie will trick me, and in those instances, I find it hard to forgive. I’m looking at you Spider-Man 3 (63%). For the most part, the Rotten Tomato method is simple and brutal. Continue Reading…

SHORT STORY OF THE MONTH CLUB

April 23, 2012 in News with 0 Comments

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/davidhopkins/short-story-of-the-month-club

Yes, it’s Kickstarter. And yes, there is a certain hat-in-hand/pass-the-hat quality to this website. If you have a lot of creative friends, you’ve probably gotten a fair share of tweets and Facebook updates about this pesky website. However, I really do believe in Kickstarter’s mission to “fund and follow creativity.” Since 2009, I’ve backed 17 projects (12 successfully reached their goal). People have their own quirky dreams, and it’s exciting to support crazy people. Continue Reading…

I MIGHT MISS THEM

April 20, 2012 in Family and life in general with 1 Comment

In my classroom, we have a little basket. It was put there by the organization Friends of Rachel. My students are supposed to write on yellow strips of paper encouraging words about kind acts done at school. They then put the paper in the basket. At the end of the year, Friends of Rachel will create a massive paper chain from these strips. The chain should be able to encircle the school.

Sweet, huh? Here’s what my students wrote (unedited): Continue Reading…

CITYSQUARE’S LAW CENTER

April 19, 2012 in Previews with 0 Comments

The May issue of D Magazine is now available online. It includes my story about CitySquare’s LAW Center (click here, read, and enjoy).

Charles Johnson has a knack for finding students in need. During his 15 years as a security worker at North Dallas High School, he has taken in 39 teenagers who had nowhere else to go. He allows them to stay at his Oak Cliff home, where he lives with his mother. He’s a man of simple means who believes in helping others. One morning, he found one of his most recent tenants.

Ariel came to the United States from Honduras. He joined his sister and her 2-year-old daughter. His sister was deported after stealing food to feed them. Scared and alone, Ariel started looking for help. When Johnson saw him, he could tell he was hungry and in trouble. Ariel barely spoke English, but he tried his best to explain the situation. He had come here to escape a drug gang that had killed two family members. The gang shot up their house and was looking for him. Ariel was going to be sent back, which meant certain death.

Johnson doesn’t make much money. What little he earns goes to cover the cost of caring for his students. He didn’t know how he could afford an attorney. Johnson first went to a large law firm. They were sympathetic but couldn’t immediately take the case. To keep Ariel in the country, a family court first needed to award Johnson conservatorship, which required written permission from the parents in Honduras. But Johnson couldn’t find them, and the order needed to be issued before Ariel turned 18, only days away.

Continue Reading…

GOOD RECORDS, AMANDA, UKULELE, AND NEIL

April 18, 2012 in Events with 0 Comments

So yesterday really happened. I saw on Twitter that Good Records was hosting an “Amanda Palmer Ninja Gig.” I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but it’s Amanda Palmer–so I wanted to go. I like her solo work and her previous band Dresden Dolls. Years ago, I first heard “Sex Changes” on KTCU, and I immediately went to iTunes for more.

When April and I arrived at Good Records (forever the best music store in Dallas, if not all of Texas), the place was already packed. People crowded the aisles. One guy in front of me leaned his hand heavily on the LPs, and it drove me crazy. You’re hurting the vinyl! It was hard to see the stage. Amanda played the ukulele and talked about each song. Then, to my surprise, she called her husband Neil Gaiman to the stage.

Neil Gaiman is here? Continue Reading…

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