tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55072412012-01-17T00:44:08.475-05:00Will McKinley lives in New York City. He thinks you might be interested in what he has to say.Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.comBlogger10671100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-51878118914732699272009-09-11T12:55:00.000-04:002009-09-11T13:15:48.070-04:00

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-86853308217583326572009-06-17T20:12:00.005-04:002009-06-17T20:17:48.154-04:00

Dracula Has Risen From the Grave (1968) starring Christopher Lee.

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-66924239571354091652009-05-17T16:41:00.002-04:002009-05-17T16:43:27.434-04:00

On the field at Citi Field on Wednesday, May 13, 2009.

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-13935920650152724252009-05-14T16:28:00.004-04:002009-05-14T16:38:15.219-04:00

On Wednesday, following a 12-inning loss to the Atlanta Braves, the New York Mets allowed fans 60 and older on the field. I borrowed my 60+ friend Steve and joined him on the basepaths for the Senior Stroll.click here to watch the exciting video!

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-22434087064568326402009-05-10T14:16:00.003-04:002009-05-10T14:18:43.127-04:00

My mother, circa 1950, ready for trouble.

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-53345205923144790462009-04-28T21:01:00.003-04:002009-04-29T01:56:44.514-04:00

Every now and then I'll forget that I almost died once -- or twice, depending on your perspective. Then something will happen and I'll be reminded. Like I was yesterday. I had persistent, flu-like symptoms for almost a month and, although the sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy-head, fever blah blah blah have dissipated, the headaches have remained.It's those sinus headaches, the ones

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-81898410536981520162009-04-23T16:25:00.004-04:002009-04-23T19:16:03.081-04:00

When you walk into a sci-fi or horror convention, the first thing you notice are the people dressed in costume. And the Chiller Theatre Expo was no different.I'm not sure what sort of brain wiring makes you want to walk around in public dressed as a fictional character. That is a level of oddness that I have never achieved, surprisingly enough. But it is a lot of fun to watch the costumed crazies

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-17330989884696402852009-04-20T14:22:00.014-04:002009-04-22T14:47:25.368-04:00

There I was, standing outside the Hilton in Parsippany, New Jersey, explaining to Dobie Gillis why I had come all the way from New York City to meet him.Admittedly, I didn't make the ninety-minute train trip from Manhattan just to meet Dwayne Hickman, the 74 year-old star of the popular 1960s sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. There were also plenty of other TV and movie "stars" of various

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-18360546176039656812009-04-17T20:50:00.002-04:002009-04-20T19:59:09.330-04:00

I like my mother much better, now that she's dead.I said that to a co-worker recently and she was shocked, as you may be. But it's true. My friend asked me why, and I had to think about it for a minute before I answered.As a point of clarification, I am not happy that my mother is dead. I would much rather that she were alive right now, enjoying the company of the three granddaughters that made

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-19941556808293839892009-04-10T17:22:00.004-04:002009-04-10T17:50:54.963-04:00

Today is Good Friday, the day that Christians around the world commemorate the suffering and death of Jesus Christ on the cross more than 2,000 years ago.I don't know who came up with the name Good Friday, but I'm relatively sure it wasn't Jesus.I wonder how he felt about it when he rose from the dead three days later.JOHN THE APOSTLE: Jesus Christ! Wow, it's really great to see you again, man.

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-51788985191052184702009-04-06T12:37:00.002-04:002009-04-06T12:42:13.957-04:00

Tons of video of me, Maggie and the Mets' brand new stadium on my You Tube page. Watch it all here.

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-77018614164755872562009-03-30T19:26:00.007-04:002009-03-30T20:52:16.214-04:00

On my last day in London I got a chance to do a bit of sightseeing in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. Although it was an early morning in mid-March, the temperature was a balmy 60 degrees and Hyde park was beautiful (if you like that sort of thing).There were tons of joggers all over the park, which totally disproves my theory that all Brits eat sausage, drink Guinness and smoke.There were also

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-55328717955967539892009-03-25T16:52:00.003-04:002009-03-25T20:14:41.737-04:00

After only six days back in the good ole U.S. of A., I was off again to London on Saturday March 14.March 14 would have been my mother's 74th birthday, which is an interesting coincidence. I will always associate my mother with travel. And I have very distinct memories of my parents' first trip to London, back in 1978.The preparations lasted for what seemed like weeks. The refrigerator and

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-71590222515758981162009-03-14T18:46:00.003-04:002009-03-14T18:54:40.130-04:00

My mother was born on this day in 1935. She would have been 74 today.Here's a post I wrote on her 71st birthday, three years ago.Mommy and me, 1970

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-58634117231494899222009-03-10T20:10:00.011-04:002009-03-12T01:53:14.173-04:00

My trip to England last week was a whirlwind, sleepless, 72-hour tour that took me from London to Manchester and back again. My flight was scheduled to leave last Tuesday night at 10:30pm, so I called a car for 7:45. The ride to JFK took only about 20 minutes, which resulted in me arriving more than two hours early. There is no reason to be two hours early for a flight, unless the flight is on

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-71005448416292039762009-03-05T07:51:00.002-05:002009-03-05T07:58:22.116-05:00

This picture was taken right outside the gate to Hyde Park in London, around the corner from my hotel (Hilton London Green). Notice it's a "No Right Turn" sign. Appropriate.

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-87337073564422510622009-03-03T22:09:00.003-05:002009-03-03T22:14:19.896-05:00

I'm off to London for the third time -- all for work trips.The first time I went, back in 1994, I interviewed Sylvester Stallone at the opening of the European flagship Warner Bros. Studio Store. Sound bytes from my interview aired on TV in England, Scotland, Germany and France.This time I'm going to interview workers at a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant.Sound bytes from those interviews will

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-55128839942463725092009-03-02T09:01:00.004-05:002009-03-02T09:24:24.303-05:00

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-10877166605940308712009-02-27T21:48:00.012-05:002009-02-28T11:30:52.518-05:00

I've become obsessed recently with Spanish soap operas.More accurately, they're Spanish-language soaps, not soaps produced in Spain. These continuing dramas are known as telenovelas (or just novelas) and they've been in existence as long as American soap operas.I've been watching novelas at the gym every night, switching back and forth between two Spanish language channels that broadcast from New

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-19395961119449142392009-02-24T19:12:00.005-05:002009-02-24T20:37:21.563-05:00

Okay, I'm going to tell you guys this because I know you're my friends and you wont judge me.I bought a 50" plasma TV. That's right I bought a gi-fucking-gantic flat screen TV in the middle of a Recession -- nay, perhaps even a Depression. And not just that. I also got a Playstation 3 and an HD TiVo. This is the most exciting news I've had in years and yet I can't tell anybody.Everybody at work

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-2542057753560157462009-02-22T17:34:00.011-05:002009-02-23T01:20:10.351-05:00

I've been to a number of social events recently where the topic of my unusual taste in movies has come up.I wrote about this previously, but I feel the need to clarify my position, once and for all (hopefully). While I do prefer old movies, I do not dislike current movies. I dislike going to see current movies in movie theaters. This seems to me to be a somewhat logical position. But when people

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-67977968251213482752009-02-20T23:07:00.002-05:002009-02-20T23:08:18.644-05:00

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-56707475679997468902009-02-19T14:31:00.002-05:002009-02-19T14:37:27.493-05:00

My interview with film preservationist Ron Hutchinson is in the current editions of The Villager, Chelsea Now and Downtown Express here in New York.Hutchinson is the founder of the Vitaphone Project, an organization that is restoring some of the earliest "talking pictures" in movie history. And I'm going to see a screening of the restored shorts at Film Forum this afternoon.You can read the story

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-91774389152124160152009-02-18T19:47:00.003-05:002009-02-18T19:58:17.219-05:00

That's me, interviewing Eric Harvey, youngest son of Harvey Comics founder Alfred Harvey, last month at the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art in SoHo. I'm the one with the notebook and tape recorder.You can read my story here. Thanks to Mark Arnold for this picture.

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-31367719361429678262009-02-17T21:05:00.001-05:002009-02-17T21:23:10.977-05:00

The entire world is in financial free fall. Except me.I'm not bragging. But it's true. I'm doing better now than ever. So how is it that I have skated unscathed through the financial shrapnel, while once-wealthy bankers dive head-first into the Wall Street pavement like Michael Phelps after a dorm-room bong hit?Wouldn't you like to know? Of course you would! And now, you can.For years, the

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-52646052787503474382009-02-16T19:33:00.003-05:002009-02-16T19:40:09.088-05:00

Saturday night Maggie and I celebrated Valentine's Day at my favorite movie theater with a double feature of classic screwball comedies from the 1930s.Actually, I was the only one who attended both ends of the double feature. Maggie joined me for the second half, which meant that I went to the movies at 8 PM on Valentine's Night by myself. I imagined that couples were whispering to each other

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-22008564640621207122009-02-13T20:57:00.008-05:002009-02-14T11:12:58.468-05:00

I keep track of all the movies I watch on an Excel spreadsheet.Wherever I see a film - in a theater, on TV, on a plane, on my iPhone, whatever - I add it to my list, along with the year it was released and the top 3 or 4 stars in the picture. Kinda OCD-ish, I readily admit. But, on the plus side, I can tell you every movie I've watched since March 20, 2007, who's in it and when it came out.You

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-77226637255400731002009-02-10T19:56:00.003-05:002009-02-10T20:00:23.863-05:00

Me, in the middle. Mesmerized by the Power of KFC.

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-4151111544401134962009-02-09T20:04:00.009-05:002009-02-16T15:55:22.634-05:00

I switched my gym membership to New York Sports Club last summer, after many years as a member of a fancy "fitness club" called Equinox.The change saves me about $100 per month, which is a good thing in these troubled economic times. Plus I don't have to deal with all those annoying celebrities. Yes, I'm talking to you Keifer Sutherland. And Julianne Moore, Keri Russell, Matthew Broderick, Bebe

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-28868277156611833522009-02-06T15:08:00.004-05:002009-02-06T15:42:23.786-05:00

From 1976 until 1982 I collected Richie Rich comic books.Correction: from 1976 until 2009, because I still have all of them - more than 1,200, wrapped up in acid-free plastic bags, sealed away in archival boxes. By the time I was 10 I had developed a number of passionate interests that remain with me today. I don't know what that says about the 10-year-old (or the 40-year-old) me, but it's

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-8544529874120713622009-02-04T13:46:00.006-05:002009-02-04T16:44:38.087-05:00

Last night I went to see The Panic in Needle Park, the 1971 classic about junkie love, at Film Forum here in New York.I had never seen the film before, which is surprising, considering that:a) I love old movies;b) I particularly love old movies that take place in New York City;c) I particularly love old movies that take place in New York City in the 1970s;d) I particularly love old movies that

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-83482926898328533382009-02-03T16:03:00.008-05:002009-02-03T17:15:26.139-05:00

Friday night Maggie and I went to see the Tim and Eric Awesome Show live tour at the Nokia Theater in Times Square. It was fun, but not nearly as awesome as I hoped. Tim (Heidecker) and Eric (Wareheim) are famous(?) for their bizarre, 15-minute sketch show on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, which begins its fourth season on February 8. It's a baffling mix of meta comedy, quirky personalities and

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-63663587231006819552009-02-02T17:09:00.010-05:002009-02-02T17:49:12.279-05:00

I had another piece in both the Villager and Downtown Express a few weeks back, but I never posted a link to it. So here it is. I love the way my stories look in the paper and I still get excited to see my name in print -- even after 2 years and nearly 100 bylines . But I hate the way they look on-line. They're just so blah. I've started to look into setting up a new website where I will write

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-73924828390117637972009-01-20T16:29:00.000-05:002009-02-02T17:09:04.717-05:00

I watched the inauguration of the first African American president of the United States from the steps of Federal Hall -- the site of George Washington's first inauguration in 1789.I got there long before the swearing in ceremony, but the crowd had already begun to build. As you might guess, there were plenty of cops around.There were also lots of kids. It looked to me like a neighborhood grammar

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-58652295730496035712009-01-05T01:12:00.005-05:002009-01-05T01:41:17.093-05:00

Happy new year, everybody.On New Year's Day, Maggie and I went to Film Forum in Lower Manhattan to see Mr. Bug Goes To Town, the 1941 animated classic from Fleischer Studios. There was a good crowd there, lots of little kids and their film buff parents enjoying a largely forgottenThe film was great, but the highpoint for me was seeing my Villager story on Fleischer Studios composer Sammy Timberg

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-39158132839299169632008-12-25T20:48:00.003-05:002008-12-25T20:49:44.042-05:00

And a fond farewell to the inimitable Eartha Kitt.

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-80649044986367237442008-12-21T19:08:00.005-05:002008-12-21T19:17:39.253-05:00

I wrote an appreciation of the life and work of cartoon composer Sammy Timberg for this week's edition of Chelsea Now. The story will also appear in The Villager and Downtown Express this coming week.If you've ever watched the classic Betty Boop, Popeye or Superman cartoons, you've enjoyed the music of this under-appreciated genius. I interviewed multiple members of the Timberg family for the

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-83480898365664727902008-12-08T07:33:00.007-05:002008-12-09T15:34:13.594-05:00

Actually it's about a stage adaptation of Dracula here in New York. But it was an opportunity to write extensively about the Hammer series of Dracula movies starring Christopher Lee.I grew up on those movies and still love them today. And now I got to write about them. Yay me.You can read my essay in this week's editions of The Villager and Downtown Express. Or you can click here.p.s. The

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-66579064150827111712008-11-27T11:11:00.004-05:002008-11-27T11:28:30.264-05:00

Join me in celebrating Turkey Day by listening to some Thanksgiving-themed episodes of oldtime radio shows from the 1940s on otrcat.com.There's an episode of The Burns and Allen Show from 1942, The Jack Benny Program from 1943 and Command Performance (1944), a variety show produced and recorded here for American servicemen overseas.

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-12443902951903449462008-11-23T18:51:00.013-05:002008-11-23T20:44:54.781-05:00

I was in Boston from Tuesday through Friday for work, but I decided to stay an extra night.This is a rare thing for me. Usually I jump on the first plane, train or automobile out of town after a job ends. But this particular shoot had brought me to the Sheraton Framingham where, by cosmic coincidence, an autograph show was taking place over the weekend.Maggie took the train up on Saturday morning

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-3403229135945060542008-11-17T22:14:00.001-05:002008-11-19T18:01:57.497-05:00

"You ready to go?" I said to my sister, as I stood on the beach in my underwear, a few minutes after midnight on the first day of 1998.I didn't know it then, but the end of the worst year of my life was the beginning of what would become the best year of my life."I'm ready," she said, wide-eyed. "Are you?"I quickly dried my legs with my Polartec and slid on my rough, sand-covered Levis. "Yup."

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-57544005898965410582008-11-17T00:40:00.001-05:002008-11-17T00:42:34.105-05:00

By 10 PM or so...

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-15394775296018273912008-11-16T14:48:00.003-05:002008-11-16T14:53:51.903-05:00

My interview with Peter Mac, author and star of the off-Broadway show Judy and Me, is in the current edition of The Gay City News. You can read it here. The piece has also appeared in The Villager and Chelsea Now. I also took the picture that accompanies the story.

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-57240332049538296842008-11-09T23:03:00.004-05:002008-11-16T14:48:00.882-05:00

I've always dreaded New Year's Eve, but never more than the year I almost died.All through my relationship with Mary, I wondered why I never felt that same celebratory ecstasy other people experienced on the final day of the year. It always felt artificial to me, and a bit regressive: the copious consumption of intoxicants, the ritualistic dancing, the forced woo-hooing'ing -- it was like some

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-43221406840882096682008-11-04T23:01:00.000-05:002008-11-04T23:06:39.781-05:00

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-87680969978738250342008-10-31T00:05:00.001-04:002008-11-03T19:37:48.263-05:00

One of my favorite movies of all time is Rosemary's Baby.Beginning today, Film Forum, my favorite movie theater in New York City, is running the film for one week, in a special 40th anniversary engagement. And I got to write about it.Click here to read my essay in The Villager, which was truly a labor of love.And click here to see me quoted on the Film Forum website like a real movie critic!This

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-66947145607039828592008-10-29T23:07:00.006-04:002008-10-30T15:29:04.634-04:00

I'm in Philadelphia right now, working on the production of a corporate meeting.By strange coincidence the Phillies won the World Series tonight. All the employees at the hotel were screaming and high-fiving.In other baseball-related news, my feature story on the original Mr. Met appears in the current edition of The Villager. Read it here.It's one of my favorites so far.Original Mr. Met Dan

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-38776288007888247182008-10-27T23:45:00.003-04:002008-11-09T14:38:55.841-05:00

On Christmas Eve my extended family gathered for dinner at my Aunt Margaret and Uncle George's house on Long Island. It felt odd, celebrating Christmas without my grandmother, particularly in that house. That was where she had her first stroke, where re-learned how to walk and talk with my aunt's help, where she cooked dozens of Thanksgiving turkeys and where she held court with her grandchildren

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-19372478108680602142008-10-26T23:35:00.002-04:002008-10-26T23:42:10.444-04:00

In the meantime, read my profile of bassoonist Rebekah Heller, featured in the current editions of The Villager, Chelsea Now and Downtown Express.Two more published stories coming later this week, as I celebrate my second anniversary as an arts reporter!

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-7490131665482266152008-10-22T22:03:00.000-04:002008-10-22T22:04:19.220-04:00

The guy who was with Mary at King Kullen that night would end up becoming her husband ten months later. I think they got married on Ian's 17th birthday. I didn't receive an invitation. It was crushing for me to see her doing late night shopping in our supermarket, with some other guy. There was something so intimate about it, Mary and her boyfriend shopping for eggs, milk, juice and cereal at 11:

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-74012448680853480132008-10-21T20:42:00.001-04:002008-10-21T20:44:32.415-04:00

"You're going to go to mass with us tomorrow morning, right son?" my father asked on Saturday night.How could I say no? Every parishioner at St. Joseph's Church had prayed their Yahweh-loving hearts out for me when I was sick, whether they knew me or not. At every mass -- 8, 9, 10:15 AM and 12:45 PM on Sunday, Saturday nights at 5:30, weekday mornings at 7 and 8 AM -- the entire congregation had

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-53328459844056080322008-10-20T20:44:00.006-04:002008-10-21T16:00:15.218-04:00

"So I'm going to have to do this every week, for my entire life?" I asked the cardiologist, as the nurse extracted a vial of my thin-but-hopefully-not-too-thin blood. "Initially, yes," Dr. Sisfein said. "But once you're stable you won't need to test as often."Stable. That is something I most definitely was not in the days following my release from the hospital. I was scared, constantly, of what

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-74028370514122336672008-10-19T23:52:00.000-04:002008-10-20T03:37:31.761-04:00

I promise!

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-44173804139173043162008-10-15T19:37:00.008-04:002008-10-16T10:34:22.748-04:00

Supposedly, a lot of ex-cons end up back in lock-up because they miss prison life; they miss the structure, the camaraderie, the sociologically unique ecosystem that exists behind bars.And they miss the hot gay shower sex. At least I assume, they do. Having never been in the big house -- at least, not yet, at this point in our story -- I can't say with certainty. But I can say that a part of me

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-44063371941086723992008-10-13T22:21:00.001-04:002008-10-13T22:23:15.420-04:00

When last we left our dashing young hero, he was about to ride off into the Manhattan sunset in the backseat of a 1988 Chevrolet Celebrity station wagon.I suspect that some readers thought that might be the end of our story. They were right in one sense. It was the end of the easy part.It's easy to be depressed, pessimistic, hopeless, scared and passively suicidal. It doesn't take any particular

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-61855210506926496432008-10-10T15:59:00.003-04:002008-10-10T16:05:23.993-04:00

I'm back home after a long, successful and lucrative week at the Boca Raton Resort and Club in Florida. I have to work on a newspaper story this weekend, but the chapters will resume on Monday!

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-50548986264891907842008-10-07T01:34:00.004-04:002008-10-07T01:44:03.624-04:00

I'm in Florida, working on the production of a corporate meeting at a resort hotel. Guess who else was at the hotel today? Sarah Palin.No kidding. There was a rally here with both Palin and traitorous senator Joe Lieberman. And no, I didn't get a chance to see her in person. But a few of us went out for dinner and noticed that protesters were lined up along the road -- McCain's supporters on on

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-80733392203263426802008-10-06T08:31:00.003-04:002008-10-06T08:40:18.475-04:00

This is the second picture of me taken the night I got home from the hospital. Note my mother's beloved Christmas tablecloth, dishes and placemats.I had intended to send this picture out as a thank you card to all the people who came to visit me, prayed for me or otherwise supported me during my hospitalization.That plan changed when my mother pointed out that the hungry face I was making could

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-71894355657971573072008-10-03T21:40:00.004-04:002008-10-03T21:45:47.688-04:00

12/15/97 at 8 PM -- Back at home, eating Chinese takeout

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-84459505677304693652008-10-02T21:32:00.003-04:002008-10-13T14:59:11.814-04:00

"Really? I can go?" I said to the doctor. "Are you sure there's not something else wrong with me? Have you checked my appendix recently? Maybe it's going to rupture."My body was like a car that you take to a disreputable garage in a bad neighborhood. It doesn't matter how much the mechanics fix, there's inevitably still something wrong. "You can't drive outta here with that broken tail light!""

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-35499018345024173802008-10-01T22:53:00.003-04:002008-10-02T02:08:31.920-04:00

I returned to my room about an hour later. The bathroom door was still shut, and the shower was still running. Wink wink. Nudge nudge. I half expected Danny and Marissa to put a sock on the door handle, or whatever the dorm room code is for "Do Not Disturb." I wouldn't know, because I've never been in a dorm room, with or without sexual activity occurring therein. Of course I had no proof of what

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-80737643814492828832008-09-30T22:44:00.004-04:002008-10-01T02:00:00.164-04:00

I should have been allowed to go home on the third day after my brain surgery. That's what the brochure said, but that's not what happened. Okay, here comes some medical stuff. If you get bored, just skip down a couple paragraphs.My body was acclimating slowly to the introduction of the oral blood thinner Warfarin, which is marketed under the brand name Coumadin. The problem was, I couldn't leave

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-41788906451556645372008-09-29T22:53:00.004-04:002008-09-30T19:18:16.559-04:00

You can't eat a tuna sandwich while lying flat on your back.That is something you only come to realize after you've tried it. Some people might even call it a learning experience."Here, let me help you," my sister said, as I awkwardly dangled the hoagie perpendicular to my mouth. I was now in my own little Neurosurgery ICU room, where I had been instructed to remain in a fully reclined position,

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-60360132590612295222008-09-28T23:04:00.010-04:002008-09-29T01:25:41.573-04:00

And then I woke up.I was lying on a gurney just outside the surgery room. People were coming in and out, wrapping things up, like roadies at a rock concert. Load it on to the truck, boys. Tomorrow night we're at the Civic Center in Akron!I was parked off to the side, by myself, like a car left idling when the driver runs in to 7-11 for a pack of smokes. Honestly, I was a bit disappointed that

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-60706189057782217502008-09-26T16:59:00.003-04:002008-09-26T17:10:07.211-04:00

Due to the current economic turmoil, I have decided to temporarily suspend my chapters and head to Washington D.C in an effort to broker a bi-partisan solution to the crisis.

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-8526720892048670732008-09-25T21:56:00.007-04:002008-09-28T12:29:20.542-04:00

This was only my second night in the brain surgery ward, but one thing had become abundantly clear: my fellow patients were -- how can I put this? -- colorful. Remember the Nazi I shared a room with back in the early days of my stay at South Nassau Hospital? Perhaps you've noticed that I haven't mentioned any other roommates since. That's because I can't remember any of them. Outside of the

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-74548539369191234722008-09-24T22:11:00.003-04:002008-09-25T16:23:30.504-04:00

Now I was in a pickle.I had been officially discharged from St. Francis. The EMTs had arrived to transport me to North Shore. But I wanted to go to Columbia Presbyterian. It was a bizarre hospital love triangle."Guys, can you give me a minute?" I said to the EMTs from North Shore. "I just need to wrap up a few things here." They stood in my doorway, leaned on the gurney and just sort of looked at

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-22668100863290423152008-09-23T21:29:00.003-04:002008-09-24T01:21:44.218-04:00

Three weeks and one open heart surgery later, Monday night was going to be my last night at St. Francis Hospital.One way or another.My parents got back to my room around 7 PM with a handful of brochures from Dr. Pyle-Spellberg at Columbia Presbyterian. One was called Cerebral Aneurysms, another Diagnostic Studies prior to Therapeutic interventions and the third, Therapeutic Embolization."So what

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-30684030152159849352008-09-22T22:05:00.003-04:002008-09-23T02:01:11.088-04:00

Every year I look forward to the long Thanksgiving weekend.Except in 1997. That year, I couldn't wait for it to come to an end. I've never been a particularly patient person, but being forced to spend four days in a hospital room, waiting for answers - with the knowledge that I could potentially die at any moment? That's the kind of thing that can make for a stressful weekend. When I was a kid

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-45490924084148980802008-09-19T22:24:00.002-04:002008-09-19T22:26:20.419-04:00

It seemed like time was moving at half speed. When 2:30 finally came around I started staring at the clock, then the phone, then back to the clock. They say a watched pot never boils, but I think you can extend that theory to clocks.I wanted to be with my parents, talking to that doctor. It was my brain that was being discussed. I kind of felt like I should be part of the conversation. But, as

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-27852193547876718482008-09-18T22:18:00.015-04:002008-09-19T02:18:45.309-04:00

Nothing made my mother happier than a mission. She was constantly doing something -- more than one thing, usually. Nowadays they call it multitasking.She would watch hours of soap operas each day, but she would always be quilting while she watched. That was her excuse, when people would question why someone so brilliant would waste her time on Another World."It's like background music while I

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-12487006972915429462008-09-17T23:11:00.003-04:002008-09-18T16:30:59.480-04:00

I had been in the hospital for 35 days, and never once had I been scared. But now, I was scared.You know how you can tell when I'm really scared? I stop cracking jokes. No smart ass comments. No gallows humor. Nothing. Just poker-faced silence. It all goes inward. When I first was forced into the hospital by Dr. Hirschberg, I honestly didn't care if I lived or died. I was perfectly comfortable

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-17495044935377473132008-09-16T22:03:00.010-04:002008-09-17T19:10:45.304-04:00

"The angiogram machine is still broken," Maria told me, first thing in the morning.And you thought you hated Mondays.I didn't understand why I was being punished for the hospital's inability to keep their equipment working properly. This was now the fifth day that I was waiting for this test. I could have been home by now.At least that's what I though, until we received a visit from a social

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-8314290116963969002008-09-15T22:34:00.003-04:002008-09-16T18:03:31.939-04:00

Ian answered the phone.We talked for a few minutes and I thanked him for coming to visit me in the hospital. Then I asked to speak with Mary. "She's not here right now," Ian said. "Do you want me to leave her a message?"I left a message for Mary to call me, said goodbye to Ian and hung up. What I did not do was ask Ian when he expected her to be home, or if he knew where his mother was at 10:30

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-28004635860040695102008-09-14T14:12:00.004-04:002008-09-14T14:34:54.557-04:00

I have a review of the new off Broadway show The Invitation in the current issue of The Villager. You can read it by clicking here. The Villager is also running my Antonia Quirke interview this week, which makes it the third New York City weekly to run that piece.Also, I am supposedly going to be on Nickelodeon tonight at 9 p.m. (ET). And no, I am not joining the cast of Hannah Montana.Nick News

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-69310485441093842712008-09-12T23:09:00.010-04:002008-09-13T03:45:57.033-04:00

So much for keeping all of this a secret.Once Mary found out, she must have spread the word to everyone I knew. Because the phone started ringing on Monday morning, and it didn't stop. I thought about hiring a temp to come in for a few days, but then I remembered that I was flat broke. I hadn't worked in more than two months and my bank account was almost as thin as I was. Thankfully, one of the

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-44110036271019579982008-09-11T22:06:00.001-04:002008-09-12T00:34:48.176-04:00

It took me a minute to realize who was on the phone. Mary never called me Will, at least not when it was just the two of us talking. The only time I had ever heard her call me Will was when she was referring to me in the presence of others. For example, on a Saturday morning she might say to Ian, "Tell Will to get up. It's almost 12 o'clock in the afternoon!" But when we were alone, she never

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-1843684989539743432008-09-10T21:50:00.013-04:002008-09-11T15:08:24.478-04:00

By Saturday, my second day in the Step Down Unit, I was beginning to feel like myself again.Or should I say, the Cyborg version of myself. I had survived the break-up of a 10-year relationship, suicidal depression, an attack of killer bacteria, endocarditis, a stroke, penis surgery, an ass scope, open heart surgery and the abject pathos of The Black & White Malted Incident - perhaps the most

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-67144055781268724792008-09-09T22:07:00.001-04:002008-09-10T18:09:43.075-04:00

Sometime, in the middle of the afternoon, I woke up. I didn't really wake up. It was more like regaining consciousness, or falling in and out of consciousness, at least at the beginning. I was in the Cardiac Critical Care Unit, where the doctors and nurses carefully monitor patients in the immediate aftermath of surgery. Members of my family -- my mother, father, sister, two aunts, uncles, my

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-31215358858616957762008-09-08T23:59:00.007-04:002008-09-09T14:23:07.255-04:00

Wednesday midnight, approximately eight hours to lift-off 'Twas the night before open heart surgery, and all through my room, not a creature was stirring, except Dr. Raggone. Yes, it was time for another late night visit from America's favorite insomniac neurologist."Don't you ever sleep?" I asked, as his roused me from my pre-surgical slumber."Not really," he said. "I have little kids. What's

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-21359692664181667692008-09-08T00:56:00.003-04:002008-09-08T01:12:12.544-04:00

The Gay City News picked up my interview with British film critic and memoirist Antonia Quirke, author of Choking on Marlon Brando. Why would GCN run an interview by a non-gay writer with a non-gay subject? Well, we did talk about Barbra Streisand. Oh, and GCN is owned by the same company that owns Chelsea Now, the paper that ran the piece last week.Here's one big difference between the two: you

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-36620638912364466182008-09-05T22:00:00.010-04:002008-09-06T09:17:48.952-04:00

Wednesday afternoon, approximately 18 hours to heart surgery...My mother showed up in my hospital room, after spending the entire morning on the phone with my insurance company. She had finally got all of the approvals and pre-authorizations we needed before proceeding with the heart surgery.After more than three weeks in two hospitals, dealing with insurance company red tape had become daily

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-79230983595890088742008-09-04T22:36:00.006-04:002008-09-05T11:16:17.549-04:00

Twenty-four hours to open heart surgery, and counting...On Wednesday morning I had an appointment with the ophthalmologist at St. Francis. He tested my sight in both eyes, and confirmed what Dr. Sisfein had said the day before: the white spots and blurriness I was experiencing in my right eye were the result of tiny retinal hemorrhages caused by the endocarditis."They're called Roth Spots," he

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-55619352659331991102008-09-03T21:18:00.001-04:002008-09-03T21:19:25.555-04:00

St. Francis Hospital was different from South Nassau in many ways. But in one way, it was exactly the same. Somebody woke me up when I was trying to sleep -- on my very first night. But this time it wasn't a nurse with a pill for me to take, or someone changing my pee bag or trying to take my blood.This time it was a doctor, doing his rounds, well after midnight.I've always been a night person.

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-5141723247906403502008-09-02T22:06:00.007-04:002008-09-03T18:27:35.347-04:00

It's funny, the things you remember and the things you don't.My last week and a half at South Nassau Hospital was almost a complete blur. But I remember the day I left that place very clearly. It was November 11, 1997. It was my 29th birthday. It was also my parent's 41st wedding anniversary. But perhaps most importantly, it was the day that I was transported to St. Francis Hospital to begin the

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-74631506951541575482008-09-01T19:32:00.003-04:002008-09-02T01:49:34.992-04:00

Honestly, I was relieved.I wasn't relieved to learn that killer bacteria was eating me up from the inside. Nor was I relieved to hear that I might need open heart surgery to fix the damage the bacteria had done.But I was relieved to finally know what was wrong with me.The previous few months of medical mystery had been slowly driving me crazy. Knowing that there is something wrong with you, but

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-61666637082400952822008-09-01T13:58:00.004-04:002008-09-01T14:06:11.151-04:00

My interview with Antonia Quirke, film critic and author of the memoir Choking on Marlon Brando, in this week's edition of Chelsea Now.You can read it here.

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-1719539325198636712008-08-29T19:43:00.007-04:002008-08-30T19:00:42.342-04:00

What happened next was sort of a whirlwind.The bone marrow test was unceremoniously called to a halt. The oncologist disappeared into the hallway. Hirschberg and Acosta showed up. Nurses came in and out of the room. A salt-and-pepper-haired cardiologist named Dr. Horwitz came in to examine me. He listened to my chest, took my blood pressure and my pulse. He examined my ankles. Then he ordered a

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-71967134239256538422008-08-28T20:42:00.004-04:002008-08-29T13:33:04.073-04:00

"Whatever happens, we'll make the best of it," my mother said, as the two of us sat alone in my hospital room. The blue ribbon panel of specialists she had convened had finally disbursed: the internist, the urologist, the gastroenterologist, the hematologist and the oncologist, all gone back to their appointed rounds. But one of them had left me with a present, a virtual gift to contemplate for

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-62575488195932912502008-08-27T21:07:00.018-04:002008-08-28T02:05:34.220-04:00

Here's the thing about private hospital rooms: they're not particularly private.Each bed has a wrap-around curtain on a ceiling-mounted pulley system that, at full extension, obscures the patient and the health care provider treating him or her. But it's a curtain. That's it.Initially, the doctors and nurses would pull the curtain around me when they were doing just about anything: taking a blood

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-79193101755034057912008-08-26T21:12:00.001-04:002008-08-26T21:15:11.175-04:00

On Sunday morning my father stopped at Costco to pick me up some underwear, and a new pair of gray sweatpants. These were to replace the ones that now were now stained with my blood. Handing over the soiled undergarments to dad made me feel like Sissy Spacek, after she got pelted with tampons by her naked shower-mates in Carrie. But truth be told, this was not the first time I associated with

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-1822540745633552772008-08-25T19:00:00.003-04:002008-08-26T18:24:49.372-04:00

I grew up watching old movies on television.You see children, way back in the 1970's, we didn't have DVDs, DVRs, VCRs or any of the new-fangled contraptions that you have today. We didn't even have cable, at least not in the McKinley household. What we did have were seven channels of good, old, over-the-air, television (eight, if you count the snowy UHF station) and I made good use of all of them

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-85465840843394546252008-08-25T14:12:00.000-04:002008-08-25T15:17:05.107-04:00

will be posted at 7 PM (ET) because I have to go to the dentist.

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-55172562549995140942008-08-22T20:30:00.001-04:002008-08-22T20:32:28.955-04:00

Anesthesia is a great drug.Not only does it knock you out, it also makes you forget what happened when you were out. And, when people are inserting things into your penis, "prevention of memory formation" is a big plus.I woke up in the recovery room after my cyscoscopy and felt odd. There was something different about me, but I couldn't exactly tell what it was. Then I glanced at the side of the

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-12024361239840527562008-08-21T21:53:00.008-04:002008-08-22T16:20:22.196-04:00

A hospital is like the most expensive, least relaxing hotel room you've ever stayed in. And by you, I mean me. Or I. I hope you've never spent a night in a hospital, and that you never will. But if you do, I hope it's for something good -- like having a baby or getting a face life (not that you need one) or some lipo-suction (please see previous parenthetical aside) or anything that will result

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-56768618815190902202008-08-20T21:20:00.003-04:002008-08-21T03:38:51.866-04:00

"That guy has the bedside manner of a cold fish," my father said, as we exited Dr. Hirschberg's office.Maybe so. But Hirschberg was doing what no other medical professional had done so far: he admitted that he didn't know what was wrong with me. There was no posturing, no bravado, no God Complex. He was being honest with me, and I appreciated that. When you are young, fit and otherwise healthy,

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-23931197656463702092008-08-19T21:20:00.007-04:002008-08-20T14:54:02.126-04:00

When I was little my mother once told me that she loved being in the hospital."It's great," she said with a huge smile. "You get to spend the entire day in bed and everyone waits on you. It's like being on vacation!" My mother talked a lot of bullshit when I was a kid, but that's one of the most fucked up things that ever came out of her mouth. Of course, at that point in her existence, she had

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-34821359146792000012008-08-18T19:11:00.010-04:002008-08-22T00:55:02.702-04:00

I only called Mary "Mary" when other people were around. When we were alone I called her "Dumbhead."You can laugh, but I'm sure you're had your share of embarrassing pet names for significant others. And, like "Schmoopy" on Seinfeld, Dumbhead was a mutual nickname for both Mary and me. That's what we called each other in person, on answering machine messages, even in the many heartfelt letters

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-71891704238306116632008-08-15T19:00:00.004-04:002008-08-16T04:11:24.422-04:00

I had been operating on adrenaline for the better part of 48 hours, but now that my grandmother was gone I was a mess. I didn't cry, though. If you've ever endured a loved one's final hours in person, you know this. You don't cry right away. It feels too soon, too raw, too early to cry. Or maybe I should say, I don't cry right away. I guess everybody handles it their own way. As for me, I just

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5507241.post-72894020792924394082008-08-14T20:00:00.012-04:002008-08-14T20:23:36.487-04:00

"What happened?" I asked my father, as I pressed the phone close to my ear."Aunt Margaret went over to Nanny's apartment this morning and found her unconscious," he said. "She called an ambulance and they took her to South Nassau Hospital.""How is she doing?" I asked, fearing the answer. "I don't really know, son," he said. "Mommy's over there now, with Aunt Margaret and Aunt Pat." "Did you call

Will McKinleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09047622181150210123noreply@blogger.com5