New Bloggy Update! 4/22/24

Draft Two is finished!

I wrapped it up yesterday, completing all fifteen short horror-ish tales for Volume 3. Now, it will be tucked away for about a month until I go back sometime in late May. Draft 3 will focus on tightening up each story and cleaning up any awkward wording, misspellings, and blatant issues. Then, Charlie (who is the first ‘editor’), will get a crack at reading it. I’m excited about the stories – I really think they’re quality tales that people are going to dig.

Early May is a mini event-a-palooza. I have Route 66 Red Carpet festival in Braidwood on Saturday, May 4 (from 8am to 5pm) at the Polka Dot Drive In. Five days later, on Thursday, May 9, I’ll be one of many authors at the Flossmoor Public Library from 5pm to 8pm. This is kind of a homecoming as I went to Homewood-Flossmoor High School waaaaaaay back in the day (graduating class of ’82!) and this library was down the street. So, that’ll be really cool. The last one will be TAiLS Bookworm Fair on Saturday, May 11 from 10am to “5”pm (could end slightly earlier is what I’m sensing). This is in Pekin, Illinois at an indie bookstore. Table fee proceeds will go to help animals – so, you know I’m in! Obviously, if you are in the area for any of these, please stop by and say HEY!

If you’ve been keeping up on the back issues (my back pain that started in late January ’24 that mysteriously came out of nowhere), I’m cautiously glad to report that it’s doing better. I cannot BELIEVE the excruciating pain that it caused and how it basically left me incapacitated for the most part. Seriously. But, I was FINALLY able to get into a pain clinic here in Bloomington. I’m on a couple of drugs (one prescription and one supplement) and they’ve made a definite difference. Last Wednesday, we added a steroid shot in my back (that was quite a trip – there I was, pants down, laying on the table like a beached seal, with about four other people in the room doing various things ‘behind me’ – it was kind of funny). Anyhow, if I had to quantify how things are at this very moment, I’d say I’m hovering around 60%. I go back in two days.

There was also another opossum sighting last night! We couldn’t get a picture, but it was screamingly adorable. We saw it slub! (rubbing its face and body over some shrubbery – very cute!) Apparently, slubbing is a real word that means ‘marking its territory’. A true delight 🙂

Okay, so what the heck have we been watching?

Born on the 4th of July (1989) – In the mid 1960s, suburban New York teenager Ron Kovic (Tom Cruise) enlists in the Marines, fulfilling what he sees as his patriotic duty. During his second tour in Vietnam, he accidentally kills a fellow soldier during a retreat and later becomes permanently paralyzed in battle. Returning home to an uncaring Veterans Administration bureaucracy and to people on both sides of the political divide who don’t understand what he went through, Kovic becomes an impassioned critic of the war. (Google) Wow. I know – I am way late to the game on this one. What a statement this movie makes. Being born in ’64 made me a little late and out of touch with the whole Vietnam situation/war, but this movie gave me a pretty clear perspective. True story based on Ron Kovic’s life/book. Extreme recommend, especially for those who weren’t around during the war years.

The Zone of Interest (2023) – In 1943, the commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife, Hedwig, strive to build a dream life for their family in a house right next to the concentration and extermination camp he helped create. (Google) This one has its audience split and to be honest, I can see why. The Zone of Interest could be used in a film class or shown as an art house movie because there’s a LOT going on here. The Holocaust is front and center WITHOUT being front and center (if that makes sense). I’m not necessarily going to do a total review of all the details that I personally spotted because I don’t think a bloggy update is the time and place for serious movie critiques, BUT, if you watch it, pay attention to background characters, minor details, and offhanded comments. Did I like it? Eh…I gave it a 6.5 because I could see what they were aiming for, but all it did is make me feel uncomfortable and disgusted by the portrayed family and their circle of ‘friends’. It didn’t add much to my understanding of the Holocaust – it only served to confirm how grotesque these “people” were.

Hardcore (1979) – When Michigan businessman Jake Van Dorn (George C. Scott) lets his teenage daughter go on a church trip to California, she never returns. Jake hires Los Angeles investigator Andy Mast (Peter Boyle) to look for her, and Mast turns up a pornographic film she’s recently appeared in. Both stunned and increasingly disappointed with the police, Jake travels to California where he poses as an adult-film producer in hopes of finding someone who’s seen his little girl. (Google) I remember seeing this a LONG time ago and how it made a huge impression on me. I re-watched it recently, and while it’s a great movie, I have to admit that it doesn’t quite hold up. Because there are so many movies and documentaries that have come after it (in much more realistic terms and brutal, true-to-life visuals), this feels almost tame in comparison. But, given the time/year it was made, it’s still solid and worth a viewing. I gave it a 7.1 and Charlie came in at a 6.2.

Baby Reindeer (2024) – Dealing with a female stalker, a man is forced to face a dark, buried trauma. (Google) Just when you think you know what this is about, trust me, it’ll take a sharp left turn and leave you with your mouth hanging open. I don’t want to say too much as this limited series is currently trending, but it’s well worth watching (not for kids in any way). I gave it an 8.2 and Charlie gave it an 8.5. Adult themes throughout.

---

Okay, that’s a wrap, peeps! Please allow me to remind those of you who have read my books – leave a review! One sentence will do! (Amazon, Goodreads, or any other place). Thank you!! It means a LOT.