Themeless in Nebraska

No, that is not the title of my autobiography, though it has potential, unlike me.

Also no, this isn't some sort of parody or commentary on Sleepless in Seattle. 

This post is about November's blog theme, or non-theme, as the case may be.  I labeled it Anything Goes, which translated into blogging about whatever I wanted.  For the most part I'm pleased with my output, though I wish I could have kept up the pace I set in the first week.  Honestly, my country's election drained the life out of me on multiple levels, in addition to a general negative feeling I've been fighting since October.

The last three months of the year have been a struggle for quite a few years.  Part of the funk is possibly due to summer ending, making room for the oncoming deep freeze of snow and ice.  Another reason is these months are reminders of loss and failure.  I miss loved ones who are no longer with me that much more, especially as the holidays seem to accentuate their absence.  Then my birthday tends to make me look back upon my failures, some very real, some possibly imagined, and all of this adds up to a whirlpool of emptiness threatening to drag me into its unspeakable depths.

I believe this is why I chose not to focus on one particular theme.  I just wanted to let go of any pressure I put myself under and do whatever.  In some ways, this was a good decision.  I formed my immediate thoughts and feelings into words.  In other ways, not so much.  Without focus, I felt like I was creatively drifting, pointless, which echoed my feelings about life in general.

A recent post helped me figure out what December's theme will be, which will give me something positive, and hopefully fun, to focus on.  Though, I may break theme for an end of the year post, but that's not an official decision, it's just something I'm considering in an abstract way.

Thank you for reading this and other posts.  I truly appreciate the time you take out of your life for my nonsense.

Freak Out,

JLH

P.S. Click VISITING for an old piece of my nonsense.

My Own Little World

If I lived in my own little world...

There would be plenty of popcorn, potatoes, bacon, tacos, waffles, chicken fingers, pizza, doughnuts, and chocolate chip cookies. 

Visitors would have to call in advance.

Politics and religion would be off-limits in conversation.

There would always be a feline or canine available for lap and nap time.

The weather would always be not too cold and not too hot.

The lost classic Doctor Who stories would be found and the whole series (classic and new, plus spin-off series) would continually air on the Whovian Network, which would be free for the benefit of humankind.

IFC would air actual independent films like they did in the 1990's, with no commercial interruptions.

A dance floor would be accessible at any time, with an eclectic collection of music.

DARK EXCURSIONS would rarely be on the library shelf because of its high demand.

Ira Levin would be celebrated as a literary genius.

Julie Brown would be celebrated as a comedic genius.

John Waters would be celebrated as a cinematic genius.

Plus many other good things, small and large, that may not be listed, but are very important.

Freak Out, 

JLH

P.S. A link to a different twisted, little world I created...

http://freakboyzone.blogspot.com/2016/03/dark-excursions-e-book-series.html

Just tired...

Maybe I'm apathetic 

Maybe I'm indifferent

Maybe I'm just tired

Tired of the finger-pointing

Tired of the fear-mongering

Tired of the generalizing

Tired of the labeling

Tired of the intolerance 

Tired of the prejudice 

Tired of the hate

Emanating from both sides

Freak Out,

JLH

The Now

    He walks over the rocky terrain, his backpack is as heavy as his thoughts.  How long has he been walking?  Days?  Weeks?  Years?  Time has become meaningless now that he is alone.  There is just walking over this endlessly desolate landscape, trying to forget fragments of what was.

    He is beginning to believe that none of it matters.  There is just now, walking alone, directionless, staring down at his aimlessly moving boots.  So preoccupied with this burgeoning despair, he does not notice the massive wall of fog until he is mere feet from it.  The shock at such a sight overwhelms any dangerous, self-destructive thoughts forming in his mind.

    The fog stretches as far as he can see in either direction and appears to reach miles into the sky.  He attempts to peer into the murky depth but can see nothing, or something.  He is not certain.  What he sees, or does not see, seems to fluctuate, shift, distort or not exist.

    "Disconcerting, is it not?"

    The mellow voice causes him to flinch and turn around to his right.  He can barely believe the sight of the stranger not far from him, sitting on an ancient volcanic rock, facing the fog.  He knows that he has never met this stranger before, yet there is something familiar in the features, as if from a long-ago dream.  For this reason, he does not feel the need to introduce himself.

    "What is it?" he asks, turning back to the enigmatic fog.

    "It is what we all must face."

    The familiar stranger's gentle answer causes him to face the volcanic rock again.  "I do not want to go onward into what I cannot see."

    "I do not either," the familiar stranger slips off the rock and walks over to him, "and this is why I have been waiting for you." 

    "Why me?"

    "Because the future is easier to face with someone next to you."  The familiar stranger offers out a hand.

    He stares into the eyes of the familiar stranger, weighing what he can see with what he cannot, what he knows with what he does not.  Silently, he makes a decision and removes his backpack.  Accepting the offered hand, they walk together, allowing the fog to envelop them until all that was is a distant memory.

Freak Out,

JLH

P.S. Click HERE to read another short story.

The Day Before 43

Freak Out,
JLH

P.S. Click WRITER for more info on my 1 page a day story.

The TV Freak

My name is John and I watch a lot of television.

ONCE UPON A TIME

I'll admit that I may be sticking with this show out of some sort of loyalty because this season has been a mixed bag.  I'm beginning to think it's time for this series to have its happily ever after.

WESTWORLD

It's dark, weird, and I'm a sucker for characters searching for their humanity when they are not human in the traditional sense.  I just hope the ending, when it arrives, isn't a letdown like the reboot of Battlestar Galactica. 

GOTHAM

After the very comic-bookish second season, I was very close to giving up this series, but I'm so glad I didn't.  Just when I thought I couldn't adore Penguin more, it's revealed he is in love with Ed Nygma (the future Riddler)!  Oh, and Crazy Barbara is ALWAYS worth my time! 

SCREAM QUEENS

I'll admit that the second season has not been quite as consistently entertaining as the first season, but I'm still enjoying the insanity, the humor, and the brilliance of Jamie Lee Curtis and Emma Roberts!  The recent Halloween episode was superb, which will hopefully be a sign of things to come.

THIS IS US

I wasn't planning on watching this new series, but I wanted to see what the big reveal was at the end of the first episode, and then , DANG IT, I wanted to know more about these emotionally layered and relatable characters!  No flash, glitz, or caricatures here.  Just good old-fashioned, modern storytelling that dares viewers to feel and take a real look around at all of us. 

CHANNEL ZERO: CANDLE COVE

I don't know why the hell I'm watching this seriously disturbing series!  A weird, freaky commercial caught my attention and now I can't stop watching!  When the TV is tuned to an episode, I am nearly in a trance, just like the haunted kids in the show.

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: ROANOKE

I skipped AHS: HOTEL after one episode, but this current season drew me back into the fold, and it is a blast!  Disturbing, funny, and less theatrical, it feels like AHS has gone back to basics with an interesting story and characters.

THE GOOD PLACE

My love of Veronica Mars and Parks and Recreation caused me to watch this new series and I'm very happy I did.  Funny, and full of surprises, this comedy has, in its handful of episodes, more momentum and plot than most series have in three seasons!

THE EXORCIST

I started watching to see what the they were going to do.  I found it interesting and a little slow, but the recent revelation literally caused my jaw to drop.  Geena Davis isn't playing some random mother with a possessed daughter, she's little Reagan (from the film/novel) all grown up!  I truly did not see that twist coming and it shocked the hell out of me! 

My name is John and I watch a lot of television, but I'm never going to apologize for it.

Freak Out, 

JLH

P.S.  Of course, new episodes of iZombie, Bates Motel, Angie Tribeca, and Doctor Who are on the horizon, but thankfully some of the series I'm currently watching will be over by then.

P.P.S.  I also enjoy a good soap opera, which is probably why I write such things as this...

http://freakboyzone.blogspot.com/2014/03/dark-excursions-chapter-12.html

Dear Freak,

    I sincerely hope your month of I know what scares me… has helped you in a therapeutically cathartic way.  More importantly, I hope the posts entertained your readers, even though I noticed one did not perform at the usual level.  Perhaps, in the future, if a particular topic is being vilified in the news, you should consider scrapping the post and find something else to carry on about.

    I have yet to receive a memo on what November’s blog theme is.  This is of grave concern.  Please inform me, so I can decide whether or not to approve the theme or strike it down like a communicable disease.

Sincerely,

John

****

Dear John,

    Thank you for your concern.  I noticed the third post in I know what scares me… didn’t fare as well as the others, but I wasn’t going to change my plans just because the news and social media frowned upon that particular subject at the moment.  It’s the readers’ loss if they didn’t read that post, because out of everything I have blogged about over the past three years, MCP truly deserved to be under the title tales from the freakboy zone…! 

    As for November’s theme, I decided to free myself up a bit with a month of Anything Goes!  I figure I’ll blog as frequently or infrequently as I desire and about whatever subject I care to write about.  Maybe I’ll post some of my so-called poetry, or more film reviews, or videos, or ramblings about whatever is on my mind.  If you don’t approve, you can stuff it.  This is my blog and I’ll do whatever I bloody hell want with it!

Freak Out,

JLH

****

Dear Freak,

    I don’t approve of your tone or your lazy theme for November!  I suspect you conjured up the theme of Anything Goes just so you can get out of a weekly blogpost!  Such a lackadaisical attitude will not win you new readers or keep your few longtime readers interested.  They will see that you don’t take writing seriously, which would explain many of your failures these past few years.

    In fact, I am beginning to believe you are nothing but a fraud!  An abject failure in life who finally decided to put himself out there as a writer because he had nothing else to offer the world, and now you barely have that to give.  I suggest you stop writing so your few readers can be free to read more serious writers who actually have plans and are not just winging it.

Sincerely,

John

****

Dear John,

    As if I give a monkey-flung crap what you think!  I may never publish another book and/or e-book, but I will not stop writing!  These last several months have produced, in my completely biased opinion, some of my best writings ever!  Additionally, you pompous jerkface, the monthly themes have challenged me and kept me focused, but now I want to wing it for a month.  Throw my blog into the air and see what lands, and that's exactly what I'm going to do!

    In conclusion, you may take your suggestion and kindly go screw!

Freak Out,
JLH

P.S. Click IT to read a post from earlier this year.