Journeys to Macondo, Baltimore, and Rome

I have finished reading “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” the magnum opus of Nobel Prize winning Columbian Author Gabriel García Márquez. The novel follows the history of Macondo, a fictional town, through seven generations of one family. It incorporates many elements of magical realism, a style which Márquez is quite famous for, that allows ghosts to appear and magic carpets to fly in an otherwise “normal” world. It is written ― as Márquez himself discusses in an interview at the back of the book ― in a style that sounds like family members sitting around the dinner table reminiscing about old tales. The makes it a fairly fun and interesting read, though I found that at times it did seem to drag on a bit and I wasn’t sure where the story was leading. But all in all, a very worthwhile read, as well as an interesting way to expose oneself to Columbian culture.

I have been watching two HBO series on DVD the past few days, both of which are highly entertaining and extremely addictive. (I may have to check myself into a clinic once the DVDs run out). The first is The Wire, which was recommended to me by my friend Chandler (who is returning the favor since I got him hooked on LOST). The show is set in Baltimore, and follows the dark world of narcotics from many different points of view, similar to the movie Traffic. It is very interesting to see a plethora of characters, each with very interesting and unique stories, that range from high ranking police chiefs and judges all the way down to drug addicted bums and street thugs. I started watching the show yesterday, and have already watched six episodes (and most likely will watch a few more before the day is up).

Secondly, I have been re-watching the mini-series Rome. I watched both seasons when they first came out a few years ago and highly enjoyed it. The second time around, I have got my roommate, Steph, into it as well. The first season takes place from Caesar’s conquest of Gaul to his assassination. There is a whole range of characters, and each of them is interconnected in unusual and fantastic ways which keeps the viewer on their toes the whole time. Also, seeing as it is HBO, there are numerous scenes of heavy violence or erotic sex, many of which do not seem to have much relevance besides pure entertainment. Nevertheless, the show is a fantastic representation of Rome as it was during the birth of the empire, and remains fairly accurate on a historical end (though, as with any historical show, a lot of people complain about some of the inaccuracies: but my love of Roman history runs very deep, and I find it quite enjoyable).

Finally, I have been working on a few short stories, and I am hoping to put one up here within the next few days, since it has been a while since I put a story on my blog. I also hope to submit a story or two to magazines in hopes of publication.

- Liam