Ominous Strawberry
August 23rd was my birthday. After opening my present from my partner Paul (it was very exciting), he took the strawberries out to slice them up for the Strawberry Margarita cake he made. They were red and plump and looked inviting. I love strawberries. So, I said “Those look amazing. I have to have one.” I took the plumpest, reddest one dotted with neatly ordered seeds. The reverse side was absolutely destroyed and covered by mold. This seemed ominous. If I were in a fairy story, I’d be especially worried.
I have always thought of my birthday as a “fall” birthday. That’s because it usually felt (when I was in school) very near to the start of the new school year. The thing is, when Paul asked me what sort of cake I might want, I said something with berries or strawberries partly out of acknowledgement, after all these years, that my birthday is really a summer birthday. Especially now, it stays hot all of September and into October most years. We’re lucky to get a month and a half of actual, glorious fall. And, of course, fall doesn’t begin (by the calendar) until September 22. Still, I may have been born to the summer, but my heart will always belong to the fall.
Days after I wrote this, this cartoon was in my friend’s Instagram stories, from artist Krystan Saint Cat. It was too perfect.
Things I’ve Greatly Enjoyed
Wild and Crazy Guys by Nick de Semlyen
I was recommended this book by a couple friends. I’ve been an SNL watcher most of my life, and while I tended to be drawn more toward the work of Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, and Bill Murray of everyone featured here, the truth is I didn’t really know much about their careers or how they developed. The book expertly traces the careers of a lot of people here, and some of the insights into how some of my favorite movies were made are fascinating. As was the look behind why some utter flops and disappointments turned out the way they did. And, then, there’s the case of the movie Nothing But Trouble. A movie I’d never heard of, somehow, at the time. Hearing about it now, I’m morbidly fascinated although I found it difficult to make it through the trailer.
372 Pages We’ll Never Get Back
I’ve been listening to this podcast for a long time. But it’s pretty much a constant source of entertainment for me. I recently just joined their Patreon. The podcast is built around Rifftrax writers Mike Nelson (also of MST3K fame) and Conor Lawstowka reading novels they think they’ll probably dislike. Then, they—basically—riff on book. It’s regularly hilarious, but I’d also say it’s great for writers as a teaching tool. It’s basically learning by learning what not to do. The most recent book is Tyra Bank’s Modelland. I took the rare step of actually reading the book along with the podcast. Usually, I just let Mike and Conor suffer through the book and relay the funny stuff to me. But this book sounded so wild I thought it’d be fun to read along. It’s been a trip. I’d say Modelland is one of the most horrifying books I’ve read in a long time. Some truly terrible body horror is related. Which is weird since the YA novel seems to be going for a whimsical tone? Anyway, it’s been great.
Candyman (2021)
I watched the first Candyman for the first time within the last five years. I really enjoyed it, and thought it was an intriguing story with a great central figure in the form of Tony Todd’s Candyman. Nia DaCosta’s Candyman comments on and interacts with the original in really fascinating ways that left me wishing I’d broke out my Blu Ray of the original for a re-watch before I saw this new one. I’m certainly going to watch it after. You can see my full review on Letterboxd.
The Night House
I actually watched this with Candyman in a double feature. I love going to the theater, and I’ve sorely missed it during the pandemic. So I thought I’d take advantage of my ability to see movies in the theater while I can, vaccinated, masked up, and avoiding busy showtimes. It paid off with a solo viewing of The Night House. I had watched part of the director’s previous effort, The Ritual, on Netflix. I didn’t finish it. Not out of disinterest but because my attention was pulled elsewhere. I should go back to it. I really enjoyed The Night House. It’s a slow-burn gothic horror that manages to sustain a feeling of dread for most of its run-time. You can read my full review of that, as well, on Letterboxd.
The Woman in the Purple Skirt by Natsuko Imamura
This was a random pick-up from a book sale. I was intrigued by the cover, the synopsis, and I’ve been enjoying picking up these smaller books as quick reads. I was delightfully surprised by the book. The narrator’s style of relaying events is straightforward and deadpan, even when describing details that are chilling. The narrator invites us in to her obsessed world, only giving hints as to how her own life is breaking down as she does so. Check it out.
Pink Noise by Laura Mvula
I’d heard of Laura Mvula for a long time, but I hadn’t had occasion to listen to any of her albums until the recently released Pink Noise. The album begins with the shimmery burst of “Safe Passage.” Mvula’s voice is razor sharp and the song is catchy as hell. It then shifts to the funky “Conditional” with its staccato vocals and then to the blast of 80s synth on “Church Girl.” It’s emblematic of the variety found on the album, although it’s all united by a sense of energy and drive. I’ve listened to it from start to end many times, and I haven’t found a weak song in the bunch. My favorite might be “Remedy,” which cloaks a serious message in a glorious disco-synth groove. I’m getting the vinyl my next paycheck!
Scenes from Gay Domesticity
True snippets of my life with my partner.
Fish Patties / August 18, 2021:
Paul: I’m all out of dinner options. Although we do have those frozen fish patties.
Me: UGH!
Paul: I know, I know!
Me: Why did you have to call them fish patties?
Paul: I couldn’t think of their name! Okay, we have the crunchy, breaded, Alaskan cod!
Me: Too late. You already called them fish patties.
Note: We did not have the “fish patties.”
Villainous & Queer
I submitted a story to this anthology that is now on Kickstarter. It still has about a week (as I send this) to raise funds. I have no idea whether I’ll make it in or not, but I really like the concept behind it:
The Book of Queer Saints was inspired by an unfortunate situation I’ve recently witnessed replaying over and over again: The bullying of queer writers, specifically queer horror writers, over portraying LGBTQ+ folks as antagonists and villains.
While it’s true that villains have often been queer coded by straight people, and while it is important that we fight against tropes that paint queer people as wholly immoral, oppressed, and destined to endure persecution, suffering, and even death, it becomes problematic when these criticisms become a way to tear down writers in our own community.
You can read more on the Kickstarter page, but the idea behind this anthology is to counter this trend.
Rather than be relegated to one kind of queer, good or bad, we should be able to embrace every kind of queer person in the stories we tell.
The Book of Queer Saints is an answer to this discourse. It is an anthology dripping with the dastardly deeds of queer villains, anti-heroes, and outlaws.
I’m excited to dive into the stories that end up being represented here. Even if mine isn’t one of them.
My New Internet Diet
No, I’m not eating a diet of just potatoes or exclusively foraging for nuts as my main means of sustenance. I’m talking about what I consume on the Internet, and how. I wrote a journal post about this recently in more detail. I thought I’d just provide a little update on how that’s going:
I started using Feedly. I feel like you really need the paid version to utilize it to its fullest extent. I’m not there yet. But it has been nice to funnel some news sources I’m interested in into one spot.
I paid for a New York Times subscription. I like the level of journalism here, and it feels fairly unbiased? We’ll see how it goes long term. I also started “training” Apple News by using the thumbs up and thumbs down feature to get rid of the crappier stuff that can float in through it. I’ve also engaged more with NPR.
I completely reorganized my iPhone screens to push these sources, along with Substack and the newsletters I follow, to the front screen. I’ve pushed social media like Facebook and Twitter to a second screen. And I turned of all my notifications except for Messages.
So far, I’ve really liked the results. I still go to Facebook and Twitter, but it’s more on my terms. The distractions are lowered, and I feel like I’ve absorbed a lot more good, quality news. Interesting facts. Interesting looks into people’s lives than what gets churned up by social media. I’m still going to be tweaking it. But I’ve been happy so far.
Recent Journal Entries:
My journal is for stuff I want to tackle in more depth. I want to keep my focus on Substack on this newsletter, it’s various thoughts, and fiction I’m publishing digitally, like Bartleby’s Miracle Tonic. Here are a few highlights from the last month:
The Quiet Horror of The White Lotus : I talked a little bit about The White Lotus in the last newsletter, but I took a deeper dive into the show that became something of a surprise summer hit.
Masters of the Universe: Revelation Journals : This was a series of journals, one for each episode, about the new MOTU show. I’ve been a lifelong MOTU fan. So it was really exciting for me to see it come back.
Your Monthly Memorable Internet Image
A not-by-me image I stumbled upon.
Final Thoughts
I have really been enjoying the videos from YouTube channel Hello Korea. Specifically, the ones of rain falling on various landscapes. They’ve made a nice change from my usual music listening. Just for something quieter.
All the short fiction featured on Psychochronograph will now be available as a podcast on tons of the popular platforms like Apple Music, Spotify, Stitcher, and more! So if you find it easier to listen to podcasts on those, that’s now an option.
There’s a fascinating story from the San Francisco Chronicle about Christina Lalanne, who found a 119-year-old diary in her house and then spent years transcribing it and finding out more about the person who wrote it.
Until next time, keep safe.