The 300th Post

After close to four years of blogging here on Blogger, I have reached my 300th post here on Caponomics. This is quite incredible given the many stops that this column has made before making its way onto Blogger on March 9, 2011. Almost four years and 300 posts later, we are averaging over 1,000 page views per month and I have since expanded on my projects that include a short story that has been published in an anthology and Literary Gladiators, a web show that made its premiere last February and is slowly but surely making its way into the community of viewers that enjoy comedic literary enthusiasm. My original intent was to conduct a Q&A for this post as I did for the 200th post, but since I did not garner questions, I will be discussing goals that I have for the upcoming year and for the next 100 posts and beyond. There is so much in store and I have no intent of stopping anytime soon.

Last year, I decided to make it so that the majority of my posts were about books, literature, and writing, since these are areas I plan to see myself as the years go by. That does not mean that occasional reviews and commentary is other areas will be found, but that the realm of written work is where I plan to concentrate. Posts that may go off this beaten path include the annual NFL predictions. I may also throw in some film reviews that will serve as both a review and analysis, which most of my reviews seem to do. I enjoy evaluating Presidential debates, but they do not garner so much attention. I also enjoy the nostalgic areas, such as the "Let's Be Brutally Honest" segment and a Big Cheese post all in one, that will include ten types of cheese you should definitely eat.

I am also trying to connect with the BookTube community and get to know different people from across the globe that share my passion for books, literature, reading, writing, and the written work. I have become very well acquainted with these individuals and hope to some day collaborate with them in either a blog post or have them on as a guest in an episode of Literary Gladiators. The former may be able to work, while the latter will mean they are interested in coming to visit the Tri-State area in the United States. I hold a great admiration for all of those who conduct channels and entertain me with their intelligent, entertaining, and witty vlogs. It is just fantastic that many of them are so approachable and eager to meet like-minded individuals on Goodreads, in addition to keep in touch with YouTube viewers. It would be quite an honor to have at least one BookTuber, book vlogger, or book blogger as a guest blogger, where we will discuss and debate (which does not mean we disagree on what we think) a written work just as I had John Freda on this blog to discuss and debate the NFL Playoffs.

Speaking of those NFL Playoff predictions, the Patriots beat the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. After all was said and done, I beat John by one point in our predictions (Hooray!). On a system that rewards one point for wildcard, two for divisional, four for championship, and eight for Super Bowl, the final score would be Josh: 12, John 11, with the best possible score being 20. John is quite an intelligent mind when it comes to collecting informed data for the National Football League and it is an accomplishment that both of us got more than half of our predictions correct. The competition will continue and I will perhaps have him (and maybe a few others) onto my blog for a Great Debate when March Madness begins sometime in March. For the record, I am not a great expert when it comes to this area, but I will do my best when it comes to making predictions and I will garner individuals that should definitely bring some expertise to this kind of post.

I could not thank everyone that has paid a visit to Caponomics enough for what they have done to keep this blog rolling. I especially appreciate those that follow this blog and have been active in keeping the discussion alive and comment when they are able. You motivate me to keep writing and continue working toward the great goals that writing has to offer: the cheese at the end of the maze. I plan to have a lot more material within the upcoming months and beyond, including new episodes of Literary Gladiators and definitely some more fiction works that I will be looking to publish. If anything gets published (which will always be wait and see), I will definitely keep you informed. As I say at the end of each Literary Gladiators episode: Keep reading!

Short Story Review: "Thank You, Ma'am" by Langston Hughes

I want to start off by saying that as I am closing in to my fourth year here on Blogger, I have surpassed 40,000 page views, am approaching my 300th post, and for the last twelve months, I have had at least 1,000 page views (the last month under 1,000 was January 2014 and barely so). I want to thank everyone that has come here to Caponomics and has read what I had to say. Since posting more about literature, I have seen a strength in viewership for some select reviews of mine, especially for the short stories and poems. To celebrate the fact that some of my more popular posts are for the reviews/analysis' of short stories and poems, I will be reviewing a short story by a poet.

Today is what would have been Langston Hughes' 113th birthday, as he was born on February 1, 1902. Hughes is one of my favorite American poets who has written in the 20th century, because his poetry is so honest to the point that he knows what is going on in the world around him and wishes that everyone should just be viewed the same. Being a black poet that was active in the Harlem Renaissance, Hughes' material was reflective of the black struggle. His short poem, "Harlem," is one of his most notable works, which takes a gustatory approach to dreams being deferred. My personal favorite is "Theme From English B," where he tells a story in the poetic format about when he had to write a paper for his white professor. The work that sticks out to me the most, however, is his short story "Thank You, Ma'am." I was introduced to this work when I was in seventh grade (where I got a taste of several fantastic writers and their short stories) and its message has stuck with me ever since.

There are spoilers in this review. If you would like to read the story first, go ahead and do so before coming back to this review.

Luella Bates Washington Jones is a bigger woman walking home when a teenage boy named Roger makes an attempt to snatch her purse and run. His attempt fails and he topples over. Mrs. Jones gets a hold of him (after hitting him around) and confronts him immediately. She makes the decision to take him to her house and do something to him that he will never forget.

When they arrive at her house, one would get the impression that she would whack him a little more until she decided to call the police and take him away. Instead, she insists that he wash his face and then convince him to stay and eat. Roger comes off as being uneasy throughout the story and his nerves convince him to race to the door and run as far away from the situation as possible, but he continues to do as he is told. He also learns that Mrs. Jones (though there is no mention of her husband, we can only assume that one of these names was a maiden name) was not the greatest person with how she admits that there are things she would not even say to God. Of course, this should be viewed metaphorically. After they finish eating, Mrs. Jones gives Roger ten dollars to "buy those blue suede shoes he wanted" and warns him not to steal her or anyone else's purses. As she sees Roger out of the house, he wants to say more than just "thank you, ma'am," but cannot even bring himself to say that.

The reason that this story is so powerful is that it drives home the idea of "killing someone with kindness." When Luella Bates Washington Jones said that Roger would not forget who she was, she meant it. If she were to immediately call the police on him, it is assumed that he would have entered a cycle to which he would continue to do more harm to himself and those around him than good. By giving him what he needed to wash up and food to fill him up, she made him realize that is an element of life behind the strangers you come across, and it could create a feeling of guilt to the fact that stealing your way to what you need is not the right decision. By the end of the story, while Roger did not have to courage to tell her how her actions made him feel, they did stick with him and create a sense of appreciation.

An assumption can be made that the central characters in this piece, Mrs. Jones and Roger, are black by their environment and by the way they talk. This is, however, only an assumption. There is no mention in this novel regarding the race of either Mrs. Jones or Roger, so while it is likely that this is a novel about struggles among black people, this could not be confirmed. In fact, the ideas that come about in this story can be attributed to any individual, regardless of their background. The idea against stealing in order to get what you want or need is never the ideal solution at any point in time and while you may not get caught the first, second, or during the several attempts at doing so, getting caught is inevitable and once one gets caught stealing, the consequences are brutal. For Roger, theft came with a wakeup call from someone who showed him what a victim of attempted theft looked and acted like. These people are just as human as the people that one knows personally.

The idea of "killing one with kindness" is also a moral that could be attributed to everybody, because Langston Hughes did not see issues being directly confined to one race. This is an example to which performing a kind deed to someone who did something scornful is far more powerful than finding a way to punish that person. By doing something kind, there is a good chance that one may second guess what they did, which will develop feelings of guilt, regret, and from there, feelings of empathy. Of course, this is not always the case, but in more cases than not, acts of kindness outweigh acts of justification or seeking revenge. When you feel it is in your interest to seek the latter, it just takes a thought of realizing that in that particular occasion, circumstances will do that instead. The former will often prove effective and create what could be the best possible wakeup call.

Langston Hughes is a writer than has been successful at developing emotions that anyone could relate to. While he is often identified as a poet of black struggles, I see him as a writer and poet that evoked an emotion in a way that very few could. I would highly encourage the reading of one or more of his poems or short stories. "Thank You, Ma'am" is a great place to start, for it is a light read that is not too complicated whatsoever. Nevertheless, it is a very powerful read that will linger through your mind and your soul each time you read it.

Literary Gladiators: Episode 19- The Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson

Brianna was one of our most notable among our rotating guests that appeared on the panel with Jim, Charlie, and I during the season two filming sessions we held last summer. She participated in four episodes and this is the second one to be released. This is also Brianna in her prime hour, because her area is Transcendentalism and her favorite writer is Ralph Waldo Emerson. Some of the segments in the episode are a bit choppy, I will admit, but it has to do with the honesty of how it is to film an episode of the show. Why I refer to "Nature" as a poem and not an essay not once, but twice is beyond me. Perhaps in many of these miscellaneous episodes that require us to make a selection of a favorite something, most of our choices are poems. However, as Jim mentions, we have every right to make mistakes, because we are human (of course, I am paraphrasing this).

I hope you enjoy the Emerson episode of our show. It was notable for quite a few reasons and we get the answer to the question of how long Charlie is able to part with his cookie.

If you like what we are releasing, please subscribe to our channel and you will receive consistent updates as often as we release new videos. Enjoy our 19th episode!

Episode 19- The Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson

Book Review: "Microscripts" by Robert Walser

If you have read my posts about what I have had to say about Robert Walser throughout the past year, you could tell that I praise him as being an underrated genius that falls under the same class as Franz Kafka, who became far more notable after his death. Jakob von Gunten made it to #2 on my list of my five favorite reads from last year and I beseech that if you have not read his work, then I highly suggest it. For now, I would say to pick up and read Jakob von Gunten, because Microscripts will test your patience with regard to asking a question regarding whether or not this really tells a story. Microscripts bears a brilliance in its own right, in the way that it is the ant-sized, cryptic writings that Walser wrote from the late 20s and into his days in a sanatorium that he entered by the turn of the decade. He was placed in this environment, for his sister deemed him to be schizophrenic, and he would live this way for the remainder of his life. Walser was institutionalized in 1933, none of his writings from this period of time are in existence, if any existed in the first place. This was, perhaps, the time that Walser declared that his purpose of being in an institution was "not to write, but to be crazy."

Microscripts is what we could deem as being the gateway to Walser's existential, purposeless, but brilliant mind. We do not really get a sense of his personal struggles in these pieces, as if he was submitting to a diary, but we instead explore random moments that pop up here and there. Walser wrote these submissions on scraps of paper, on the backs of book pages, and in so many other bizarre places. Just about every one of these submissions is shown in its original format, coming off as if it was in some kind of code. At the same time, what he has to say is so genuine that it would be impossible for me to confirm what ever I say on here today. On my first impression, I got his wit with what he had to say, but it did not strike home the way Jakob von Gunten did. On the other hand, there is a lot that can be said about what he has to express through his writing.

The pieces that stuck out to me the most were the ones he wrote about the radio and the train station. Both of these were relatively current for his period of time, especially that of the radio since the submission was written in the 1920s, where the radio was relatively new. Walser saw the radio as being something out of the ordinary, but he found bits of ridicule that came about with its presence. He finds it peculiar that radios interrupt the interaction that one may have with one another and how more attention is paid to a subject likely to be a distance away when there is a necessary subject right within your view that can be seen, heard, and felt. If what Walser is saying here is extraordinary, then what he would have to say about today and its technology would be light years beyond the realm of brilliance. His commentary on the train station views a different kind of fascination. While trains were around decades before radios, the fascination of what they look like, the "whisking" of people, the endless destinations, and what makes up a station brought immense curiosity to Walser regarding the world around him.

Of course, Walser wrote his pieces as unedited thoughts, thus a lot of information that did not relate to the designated subject was bound to pop up. In fact, many of these submissions did not even have titles. The solution to this: go the "Emily Dickinson route" and use the first line to create the title. Aside from those I mentioned, Walser wrote about marriage, autumn, schnapps, new years, as well as details about how he transitioned from writing in pen to writing in pencil that provided some insight to his cryptic sketches.

In all honesty, this book was a challenge to grasp. The group of people that will enjoy and get the most out of this batch of writings is the group that is familiar with Walser and/or is familiar with a writer who was deemed to have a mental condition. I would say 98% would fall under the former category, which would be why I highly suggest reading one of his novels or other works of fiction (for me, Jakob von Gunten was my only other read from Walser) before reading Microscripts. In fact, it may serve you well to read multiple works before arriving at this one. The writing is not necessarily entertaining, but it is sure to fascinate on the contingency that he mentions something that sparks your interest. As written prose, I would say it is decent. While it would be easy to be biased, I feel there is no need to do so, and at $25, I would highly suggest not starting your experience with Walser at Microscripts. It explores miniscule details that include painted pictures of key images, such as him lying dead face up in the snow, since he died on Christmas Day in 1955 while taking a walk.

The most important thing about becoming an enthusiast for a particular author is to read their fiction to determine whether or not you enjoy them. Then read some intense works that fill you with their background information. If you want background information quickly, look them up online. In Walser's case, read his fiction and then buy Microscripts. Even at $25, it will be a call that should be made before a purchase. Of course, there were things I could appreciate about it, so I was enlightened a bit more. I am sure that there will also be areas to which people will be enlightened or intrigued that are different from mine, greater, fewer, throughout, or nowhere at all.

Simply put, the enthusiast in me recommends this, but I logically felt that it was one step above being okay.

Verdict: 7/10

Book Review: "Seize The Day" by Saul Bellow

Saul Bellow is an author that intrigued me with his portrayal of the everyman. Most of these men are Jewish, just as he was, which causes he to be very reminiscent of film director Woody Allen. Bellow won multiple literary prizes, including a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1976. Drawn in by his intriguing background, I decided to purchase Seize the Day off of Amazon, since buying a copy at full price was just too costly. At just 114 pages long when published by Penguin Classics, this is meant to be a light read... by size it is meant to be a light read. This novel can also be deemed as being enlightening... by the fact that it stresses the heck out of you by things that are meant to be. When a novel is this short and this costly (like Dr. Spencer Johnson's self-help book Who Moved My Cheese), it becomes a struggle when asked whether or not this is a work that should be recommended. Perhaps it will be up to you to be the judge.

Tommy Wilhelm had everything within his grasp and yet he let everything go through his fingers as if it was sand. Born with the last name of Adler, the name held by his pompous, psychiatrist father, he drops out of college and gets a job in Hollywood. This job fails, as does his marriage at his own discretion. He is separated from his wife Margaret, two sons, and even his dog, Scissors. The only time his wife wants anything to do with him is when it is time for him to pay alimony. Margaret is cold, like Judith Harper is from Two & A Half Men. The only difference is that Margaret is put up against a man (Tommy) who has a great deal of pity and longs to better himself while not taking the opportunities he is granted. Margaret speaks sense, while Judith's "go-to" remark is threatening to contact her lawyer. He does come across a girl named Olive, but because Margaret refuses to grant him a divorce, the marriage cannot go off.

Tommy is not surrounded by the greatest of individuals. His psychiatrist father, Dr. Adler, does not help him, but instead remind him time and time again how he failed to be the ideal son. Margaret is very manipulative, because the guilt she uses to lure money out of Tommy is just so practical, but yet she does not want to take the extra mile in doing so. Her excuse has to do with the fear that her sons will end up being members of or the victims of gangs. Tommy turns to a sketchy Dr. Tamkin for relief, because Tamkin seems to tell him the most of what he wants to hear. Hooking him up with an older man named Rappaport brings into the greatest amount of easy feelings. Rappaport delivers the most enlightening lines about those that don't need have, while those that need don't have. This seems to stand more parallel to not asking for more than what you need, but Tommy's character is enigmatic, that it would take real psychological analysis to sort out the issue.

Tommy is meant to be the center of sympathy in this novel, but Bellow creates a world that is cynical toward these ideas. The question at hand is: do we live in a cynical world or does Tommy possess the strongest feelings of self-pity? Both answers are reasonable. Tommy is placed in an environment to which those around him are also making an attempt to seek the relief that they need, but yet not to the great extent that Tommy is begging. Tommy put himself into a lot of his issues, though many of them fell to issues of luck or fortune. With this novel, Bellow plays on the idea that perhaps we the reader need to second guess what we should think about Tommy.

This was a "Baby Swiss cheese work." With that, I say that I felt there were some minor holes within the novel, but not too big that these holes brought it down. There was a lot more that I wanted to know about Tommy that the novel could have been at least another forty pages and it would have not hurt the novel. The details we are given provide some character development, but we could have been given a lot more detail in order to establish an efficient connection. We don't hear so much about his sons or Scissors the dog. Speaking of Scissors, the only reason he should have been denied the opportunity to take the dog is that he had an intense connection to the kids. This and other points within the novel develop a frustration that in some ways superseded my ability to enjoy the message that was brought forth by this novel.

This kind of brutal enlightenment gave me enough of a reason to explore more of Saul Bellow's novels, but I would have to say that this particular work should either be rented or purchased at a price no more than $10. If you don't want the feeling that you want to pull your hair out of your head, then perhaps a better read will work. While it would be for (somewhat) the right reasons, a lot of understanding is needed to swallow this one.

Verdict: 6/10

Literary Gladiators: Episode 18- "Dracula" by Bram Stoker (PLUS Updates On Season Three Tapings)

After a few months of editing issues, this episode has finally arrived. Dracula is one of the episodes that I felt depicted our chemistry the best. Jim, Charlie, and I have exchanged barbs for eight episodes as we speak, so the ninth episode captured the essence of a vibrant Jim, goofball Charlie, myself, who keeps the flow going at the table, and the rotating guest. In this case, the rotating guest was Dan, who is a good friend of mine from college. Dan is just a casual reader, but he loves vampires and vampire fiction, so he fit perfectly well with us and in the discussion. One of the best scenes in the episode is how he explains to Charlie what a "stake" is in vampire folklore. You can be the judge as to whether or not Charlie did not know what a "stake" was or if he really likes to tell puns. Either way, Charlie does love steak.

On the topic of filming, we filmed a major portion of the third season of our show during the last two weeks. As we speak, we have twelve episodes and an extra that will make up the major portion of this season. I MAY (not promising just yet) have four additional episodes added on, but it will all depend on whether or not this is able to pan out. What I know for sure is that we have eleven episodes left of season two that I hope to upload on a consistent basis. I will not be moving forward with uploading season three until season two's episodes and edited and uploaded. I can promise you that we have a lot of exciting episodes in store. A fourth season will be in the works for the summer, while I plan to work on an extra for early 2016.

As for our YouTube performance, as of today, we have 21 subscribers and 1,684 views. We are hoping to improve our audience retention, which we are attempting to do by releasing shorter episodes (one of the season three episodes without editing is just a little over six minutes). I am hoping that those of you that enjoy reading entries from Caponomics are also enjoying Literary Gladiators. I hope to submit more here as well, which may only be presented by the slight challenge of my final semester at college. Regardless, I feel I can juggle what I feel holds a priority.

Here is a link to the 18th episode of Literary Gladiators. To partially borrow from Dan, this is a "bloodsucking good video!"

Episode 18- "Dracula" by Bram Stoker

Literary Gladiators: Episode 17- "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare

It has been a few weeks since we released any new episodes, but we are up and plan to release the second season on a bit more of a consistent basis. If everything goes according to plan, we intend to have a new episode up once a week on a designated date (possibly Tuesday, but I ask that I am not held up to this just yet). The episode where we go over Hamlet by William Shakespeare was probably one of our top episodes, for we had a great panel that participated. Charlie and I served as the regulars, while Larry was filling in for the entire session due to Jim's absence. Jackie, who sat in the guest's spot, holds an area of specific interest in Shakespeare's plays and Gothic literature, so this episode was somewhat of a heyday. The result: a twenty-six minute episode that made for an intense discussion.

This is the longest episode we have released thus far. This does, however, show a testament of how passionate people can get on feelings that are definitely developed. Jackie has also proved to be very fitting as one of the guests and will certainly be invited back if plans work out.

Here is a link to the new episode and I hope you enjoy!

Episode 17- "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare