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p.s. Hey. ** _Black_Acrylic, Hi. Well, ultimately, his films are more wacky and comedic than horrifying, but still. And there is enough fake blood in most of them to paint Manhattan. So you’re probably right. ** David Ehrenstein, The premise that ghosts are either lonely and desperate to communicate their loneliness to those still sentient or angry to be dead and driven to punish the non-dead for their privilege is the paranormal’s blueprint. France is strangely, to me, traditionally not very interested in the paranormal. You can go back through their literature and films for years and years and barely find a single ghost. I wonder why. Some smarty-pants should write a book about that. ** Dominik, Hi, D!!! I’m okay, had shitty sleep last night for no good reason, so I’m kind of mentally boinked this morning, but I’m fine. Wow, your recent week beats my recent year or years by a landslide! That’s amazing! Congratulations for chasing your dreams into reality. That’s super incredible and heartening to hear! Was the second session good/even better? Amazing! Your Jarrod Wiggley tribute is beautiful. The blurry blown-up look of the photos is dreamy. I love him (them?). Yes, one week from yesterday we are told we can venture outside and very, very cautiously act like free human beings to some degree. All the shopkeepers in my vicinity were out vacuuming their premises yesterday in anticipation. I think it’ll still be kind of spooky out, but we’ll see. And I just discovered that the Chipotle sort of near me has reopened for take-out, which probably sounds like nothing, but when you’ve been eating microwaved vegan stuff for two months, even a mediocre burrito attains a holy water-like status. So I’m strolling over there today, bright eyed and bushy tailed. Are those cookies delicious? Love exactly like Pannu Kakku (Finnish pancakes, very yum), Dennis. ** Bill, They are nuts. That they are. For better and sometimes worse. Yeah, I’m where you are, I think, trying stuff out early on, feeling the promise, motivated to inch that promise in the right direction. Could be worse, right? Can the Roxie’s stuff be streamed over here? I’m sort of asking myself that, I guess, and I’ll go find the answer. ** Jeff J, They’re fun. Most of them. Pretty fun. The guy knows his way around a gory effect. Congrats on the novel loosening. Loosening is one of the hardest tasks. I love ‘La Guerre Est Finie’. People don’t like it? In God’s name why? Huh. Been a while, but I kind of adored it when I saw it. Yes, great news about Anne Boyer’s Pulitzer, for her and for Jeremy. I don’t suppose that could reverse his situation there? I just checked, and, huh, no, I haven’t done a post about Daniel Schmid. I thought I had too. Well, I’ll go search around and see if I can make such a post today. What brings his name to your mind? ** Steve Erickson, The UK has had a shitload of paranormal shows and documentaries. I feel almost certain just on gut instinct that they must have invented the form. My all-time favorite paranormal investigation show is a UK one, ‘Most Haunted’. It was very stylised and very over the top with old-school MTV editing and a wonderfully scary/overacting host. Miss it. Warner Bros. used to do lots of very imaginative promo stuff for their artists back in the peak days with their Reprise label. There are five or six amazing compilation albums from that period with otherwise unavailable tracks by everyone from Beefheart to Van Dyke Parks to Neil Young to … whoever. That was quite a incredible, daring label back in those days, especially for a major. Luck with your air-conditoner replacing. ** Misanthrope, Right? The comedy, the pathos, the hotness … it’s meta. I’ve never heard of Cornhole, or, you know, that game. I suppose it has nothing with you-know-what. Saturday sounded fun. Ace. ** Okay. The non-essential post I’ve restored today comes from the period when I was first writing my new novel, and, were you to remember this post when/if you finally read my novel, which is most unlikely, you would then understand why I built this particular post into existence in the first place. Otherwise, … have fun? See you tomorrow.
Now available in North America 
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I will remember this post, dutifully, when I Wished comes out.
J
You forgot “Death May Be Your Santa Claus”
This morning on the Fox Movie Channel they’re running “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir “(1947) This is one of Joe Mankiewicz’s very greatest fils with marvelous performances by Rex Harrison, Gene Tierney and little Natalie Wood, with my very favorite Bernard Herrmann score. The plot involves exactly what your tlki g about but in a very original way. Harrison’s sea Captain longs for his memoirs to be published and therefore haunts Tierney’s youg widow to get her to get that done for him. This rescues her financially while at the same time the two fall in love. The last scene in which they go off into the great Beyond together and Bennie Herrmann’s score rises in triumph is breathtaking.
I did check, but does Paul McCarthy feature in this Santafest? I always enjoy his renditions of the character.
Today I created a short story for the writing group. Suburban Yin-Yang is about a bored housewife browsing Grindr for swinging hookups after her husband has prepared Sunday dinner. It begins and ends with the sound of a neighbour’s hedge-cutter, hence the title.
Hey Dennis, I would guess you could stream the Roxie’s offerings, if there were no regional licensing restrictions. They’re here: https://www.roxie.com
The new movies they’re offering should be streamable elsewhere as well. I’m making an effort to support the Roxie, and tend to focus on their offerings. Will probably watch Deerskin soon; have you seen it?
I’ve never understood the Santa porn thing, heh.
Bill
Hi!!
I’m sorry sleep was fucking with you last night (last last night by the time you read this, I guess). Do you ever remember your dreams?
Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m really, really happy I finally made this decision! Today’s session was really heavy, I didn’t expect it to be so (why not, though? I mean, it’s a psychology practice.) but I enjoyed it a lot and I feel like I’ve actually made some tiny progress even compared to yesterday so I’m filled with energy and determination.
Ah, that’s so hopeful-sounding! Everybody preparing to come back to life. How was the burrito?
Love dressed as Joulupukki (the Finnish Santa Claus – this love is the lovechild of today’s post and Pannu Kakku love, haha)!
Hey Dennis – This is a gonzo Santa post. Love so many of these, the GIFs especially. Quite a range of Santa representation and I’m especially curious how this related to the new novel. Any hint? And is there a release date yet?
Sadly I don’t think that Pulitzer will change JD’s situation. Hope I’m wrong but Macmillan is so corporate. Tho I imagine it’ll be very helpful in landing him a position elsewhere.
Daniel Schmid came to mind b/c of rarefilmm, which I’ve been haunting pretty steadily. They had a few of his movies up there, some of which I knew zero about.
Hi Dennis!
So, first of all, I don’t know if this comment will show up. I’ve made a few attempts to say hello and say some random shit throughout the past year or so and they don’t actually show up. So, I’m still here, reading.
I hope you’re as well as one can reasonably be given our universally shitty circumstances.
The human to whom I’m married (I’m married now, by the way – to a wonderful human – primarily she paints, also isn’t straight like myself, a fine partnership) read God Jr recently and loved it. She’s a huge gamer so she was coming at that from that perspective as well. She says hello.
Also I have a collection of poems out now, a first full length (i wanna put the word LP after that). … it lives here now:
https://empbooks.bigcartel.com/product/parade-of-malfeasance
Silly time to be putting out a book, I know, but it was awhile in the making. I wasn’t sure I’d stick around and get my ass together enough for something like that but, there it is – thank you for all the encouragement throughout the years (AND INSPIRATION, not to forget, majorily, infinitely).
147 Santas is a welcome respite from the Washington Post.
Stay well if you’re well.