No time for blogging…

Shouldn’t he be reviewing another STAR WARS film right about now?  Where is a new poem, of sorts?  Why hasn’t he obsessively blogged about Andy Milligan lately? 

I hope these are the prevalent questions in your mind, but don’t freak out!  They will all happen, sooner or later.  I’ve just been busy lately.  I mean, STURGEONS (the complete serials) won’t plug itself.  Well, maybe it can with a few fantastic reader photos! 📗 😍

Feline Approved!

Then I have a book signing event approaching like a noose slowly tightening around my throat.  It’s more of a meet & greet situation where readers will approach me, grab a cookie and (hopefully) pick up an autographed copy of STURGEONS.  I’m not sure if anyone will turn up, but I hope so.  I mean, the article in the Custer County Chief should draw out a few curious folk or at least Ms. Minch! 

Kim, a groovy librarian, designed this awesome flyer!

Yes, I was interviewed for the local paper.   Managing Editor Mona Weatherly wrote a great article about STURGEONS, my vision loss and my writing in general.  The headline, Author fights to get back to writing ‘fun, quirky’ stories is newspaper perfection!  Here are the photos which appeared on a different page than the article.  The purple one is my Amazon Author Page pic and the orange one was taken by Mona.  She said I looked like a proud author, but I said I looked positively goofy, as usual.  

Courtesy Custer County Chief 

To top it all off, I no longer deliver bad news 🗞️ around town.  It was time for that part of my life to end and I definitely won’t miss it this winter. ❄️  My predicted post-Covid 19 career of peddling my wares at a truck stop never manifested, but I am getting wet at a local diner instead.  Yes, I am now a visually impaired dishwasher 🍽️ by day and a queer indie author ✏️ by night!  

I saw the sign!  Well, my sister saw it and told me about it.

Plus, thanks to Vinegar Syndrome and AGFA, I just started digging into the films of Jon Moritsugu.  From what I’ve experienced so far, his very DIY/experimental films are like Gregg Araki and David Lynch had an allegedly nihilistic, pseudo-intellectual punk rock baby.  In other words, this box set is going to take a bit and challenge me along the way. 

Well, until I blog about whether my book event is a pop 👍 or a flop 👎, thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words. 

Freak Out, 
JLH 

P.S.  Here is the first review of STURGEONS on Goodreads…

Tricky Treat Thoughts (October 2020 in Hindsight)

 I know October still has another day, but the library is closed on Saturdays because of the pandemic. 

 

I am pleased with my blogging this month.  Some spooky posts mixed with some personal stuff filled these digital pages.  I was excited to continue my supernatural short story series.  Click INTO THE FOLD if you want to jump in.

I actually released a video for The FreakOptic Files in October.  While it is not a Halloween video, it is all about a Halloween color.  Watch FREAK ORANGE A GO-GO below...⤵️

In book news, the year of Dinkel continues!  A reader from the UK sent me a photo of his copies of my two paperback books.  It always amazes me when someone takes a chance on my words.  I secretly hope he is enjoying DARK EXCURSIONS and VISION BENT while having tea.   

On a personal note, the mother of one of my best friends passed away this month.  I've known this friend (she inspired Dark Excursions) and her mom since 1996, the year I moved to Omaha.  My half-blind eyes prevent me from driving, but I was able to attend the funeral online.  It was initially weird to watch a live streaming funeral.  It felt like  I was intruding on something private.  However, I was ultimately thankful this option was available. 

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words this month.  As for November...all I can promise is I'll keep blogging as long as the library remains open during these turbulent times. 

Be well...

Stay safe...

Freak Out, 

JLH 

P.S.  It was 5 years ago this month when I released DARKENING STURGEONS as an e-book....

Ben Straker is dealing with abandonment issues, a potential romance and a town on the verge of chaos after a series of mysterious disappearances...

getBook.at/DSturgeons 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Collective Eye will open late in November, but here is one more look at October...

https://thejlhcollective.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-collective-eye-october-2020.html  

Front Seat Writer

 We now take you to a surprisingly good day...

My sister and I day-tripped to a nearby city to visit our oldest sister.  We had some time to kill, so we browsed around a few stores.  My sister purchased a sturdy and rather cool ice-scraper/snow brush.  I purchased a book for a friend and then became ridiculously excited by an apple-scented deodorant I've been wanting to try!  Don't even ask because I can't explain my unbridled joy over finally finding this personal hygiene product. 

While I was still floating in an apple-scented afterglow, we lunched with our oldest sister and her husband at Angus Burgers and Shakes. I told my sister she had to use the restroom before we left the restaurant because it's really cool.  Our oldest sister seemed to laugh at the idea but later agreed with me.  The sink's faucet is designed to resemble an old-time pump from a well.  The basin looks like it's lined with copper for that rustic ambiance.  I swear I need to start writing a coffee table book about cool and interesting public restrooms. 

Anyhoo, we picked up desserts and lunch for her youngest daughter and went back to our oldest sister's home.  My niece joined us at the dining room table and I asked about her online classes.  She is home from university thanks to COVID-19.  Even with this change of scene, she is studying many things, but we talked about two subjects near and dear to my freak heart...writing and filmmaking.

She told me all about a short film she wrote and directed. THE DOORWAY is about a door that randomly appears and one person is compelled to step through it.  There's humor, a sort-of love triangle and a dinosaur, so what else can you want?   I really enjoyed THE DOORWAY and there were creative elements that reminded me of me, just a little.  I will never tell my niece the latter because no 20 year-old wants to hear that from someone old.  However, she could actually be reading these words right now. 

Yes, I officially came out as a writer/blogger/indie author.  There wasn't a big , dramatic scene.  I just casually mentioned my books and this blog.  It felt right, but, of course, I downplayed my creative doings.  I didn't go to university to become a writer and I'm sure it shows. So, I have no idea what my niece will think of my work, if she explores my catalogue.  Hopefully she won't look upon my books & blogs with utter disdain.  Yet, a couple of previous posts here may be offensive/shocking and don't get me started on my books, especially DARK EXCURSIONS.

Oh well, at least my creative side isn't a dirty little secret anymore.  It feels good to free that side of myself and probably nothing will overly change because of it.  I'll continue to write and blog, always striving to capture my authentic freaky self and the rest of my family will continue to do what they do.

In conclusion, it is a remarkable sensation to discover a kindred creative spirit within my immediate family.  I believe my niece was surprised to learn that her generally quiet uncle has worlds within him.  I'm not even sure how much time passed but our conversation was more enjoyable than apple-scented deodorant.

I sincerely wish my niece success in her creative endeavors, while hopefully staying true to her voice and vision.  If you have 14 minutes to spare, please step through THE DOORWAY...

Click to enter

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words.

SIDE NOTE: I didn't write this post while riding in the front seat, but it started to take shape as my sister and I traveled home.

Freak Out,

JLH

P.S.  When I was a backseat writer....

http://freakboyzone.blogspot.com/2019/03/backseat-writer.html 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My books & blogs...

http://thejlhcollective.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-collective.html  

Backwards Blogging Tricks (September 2020 in Hindsight)

Well, I thought I was going to end this blog again.  Not directly because of my vision loss this time but because the crappy new Google Blogger interface finally took permanent hold. This update caused me intense frustration.

I literally can no longer blog on my iPad 2.  In fact, I can't even check stats or my reading list anymore.  When I go to Blogger, I am directed to a page shaming me for having such antiquated technology.  It tells me i need to download a new browser, which is hilarious because when I tried, none of the big browsers were compatible with my iPad 2.  The sketchy, unfamiliar names were downloadable but wouldn't let me blog either. 

What's a freakboy to do?

Well, wallow in self-pity for a bit and then use my wits.  I strapped on the mask, kept the hand sanitizer handy (which I hate using) and sat down at one of the library computers.  The good news is I could blog.  The bad news was that the preview of my post looked like crap.  I typed the post on my tablet and emailed everything to myself.  Then I copied and pasted my words onto my blog and there were suddenly no lines between paragraphs and no spaces between sentences. 

I wanted to give up because there was no way I would go back through and add lines and spaces  without losing what's left of my mind.  Yet, I didn't give up.  I fought my way back to this blog in 2017 and I couldn't just let it go.  After much crying and cursing, I finally located the compose button that set my post up just like I originally typed it.  So, I blogged about a book about the film VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, which seemed appropriate since I nearly ended up on my knees in an alleyway shouting into the air,  "Freakboy!  Freakboy!"

https://freakboyzone.blogspot.com/2020/09/booking-freakboy-dolls-dolls-dolls-by.html  

Still, I hate being tethered to the library computers again, especially after the last several months.  I fully blogged via my tablet from mid-March until earlier in September.  It feels like I've taken a huge step backwards.  Then I worry about an increase of COVID-19 cases causeing a second lockdown, thus closing the library again.  Yes, I'm being selfish, but blogging really helped me from falling into complete despair this year.  However, I know I'll deal with that eventuality when it comes and sparkle, freakboy sparkle.  I could try blogging on my phone but that thought scares me more than a second wave. 

That's been my September.  I didn't create a video for The FreakOptic Files, but that's ok.  Quality over quantity, right?*

Be well.  

Stay safe.

Catch you in October, thankfully.

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words.  

Freak Out, 

JLH 

P.S. *I'll let you decide...

http://freakoptics.blogspot.com/ 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There will be a Collective Eye in October, thanks to the library computers.  It may be late in opening, or maybe not.  We shall see.  Until then, here is one more glance at September.....

https://thejlhcollective.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-collective-eye-september-2020.html 

Sweltering Blurry Summer (August 2020 in Hindsight)

It's been a hot month.

Creatively, I can't complain.  I've spent the month writing something, anything, each day.  Some words may become part of this blog but most will be relegated to the digital paper archive.  This is my soul.

I've blogged a few times this month, but I expect each post will be my last.  So far Ive been able to use the old "Legacy" Blogger interface but irreversible change is looming.  I stopped practicing on the new interface when I inadvertently reverted a number of posts to drafts.  I managed to fix this potentially devastating mishap, but that was it.  I will wait and see if I can still blog when the new interface permanently takes its crappy, confusing hold.  This is my worry.

I also managed to release a video for The FreakOptic Files after a dry spell in July.  It's another installment in my riveting, never-ending Laundry Day series.  Creatively, I love my LD series.  Statistically, they are some of my least viewed videos.  Clearly, I don't give a crap what the mainstream public wants. This is my truth. 

Personally, I'm trying to remain calm as my country heads toward oblivion, no matter who wins the November U.S. Election.  The losing side, whichever side it is, will cry foul and unprecedented chaos will erupt.  This is my fear.

Throw in the continuing pandemic for added good-time fun.  The number of COVID-19 cases have been minimal in my county in Nebraska and are technically still low in comparison.  However those numbers have grown more rapidly in August.  From March to July there were only 43 cases.  This month has, as of this writing, added 30 more.  This is my paranoia. 

Thankfully, my cats convinced me to start a band (John and the Pussycats) to escape my worry, fear and paranoia for awhile.  This is my heart. 

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words. 

See you in September. 

Hopefully.

Freak Out, 

JLH 

P.S. Another reader ordered a copy of DARK EXCURSIONS.  Maybe my 2020 will go down as the year of Dinkel. ❤️

http://thejlhcollective.blogspot.com/2018/03/dark-excursions.html 

Inside Library John (July 2020 in Hindsight)

I'll blame the oppressive heat ofJuly for my lack of creative output.  That way I won't have to dig too deep into my own mind and its shortcomings.  Truthfully, I keep hearing a very logical voice advising me to give up.  I haven't yet, but I wasn't inspired to do a video for The FreakOptic Files this month.  Hope that's just coinky-dink.

On a positive note, the library has reopened.  It was initially strange to once again be among the books I can no longer read, but it's beginning to feel natural again.  It's almost like the last 4 months never happened, with the exception of rearranged furniture and the front desk fish tank.  At any rate, downloading series & films from Netflix & Amazon to watch offline is so much more comfortable indoors.  Never mind there are now over 40 cases of COVID-19 in my county. 😬

In other good news, a copy of DARK EXCURSIONS exists in the Northwest!  I don't know if this copy is now a coffee addict on a search for Bigfoot, but I hope its readers find something to enjoy.  They tweeted me a very nice pic of my difficult-to-photo book.  Seriously, the glossy cover has given me hours of photographic frustration

Oh, and Laszlo is getting bigger and bigger. 

In conclusion, July has been a bit of a teeter-totter month.  I'll be fine as long as the person on the other end doesn't jump off while I'm up in the air. 

Catch me in August! 

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words. 

Freak Out, 

JLH

P.S. I wrote what might be one of the more important posts for this blog in July...

https://freakboyzone.blogspot.com/2020/07/walking-after-sundown.html  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My books & blogs...

http://thejlhcollective.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-collective.html  

freakboy on film: FOOTLOOSE (1984)

                               (written by Dean Pitchford / directed by Herbert Ross)

As a 1980's kid, who watched plenty of teen flicks, how did I miss FOOTLOOSE? 

Was I too busy playing with my Kenner STAR WARS action figures?  Did some of the R-rated movies I  probably should not have seen make FOOTLOOSE look juvenile?  Was I against really bad dancing?  The answer to this rad filmic mystery is simple.  The idea of a bunch of late-teens not being allowed to dance seemed, like, totally lame to my 10-year-old brain.  So, the years rolled on and I missed FOOTLOOSE on VHS, Laser Disc, DVD and even streaming. 

Now, 36 years later, I decided to cross FOOTLOOSE off my list of unseen 80's films.  Thanks to COVID-19 shutting down Hollywood, I was able to experience this tale of teen rebellion on the big screen for only $2.

The plot is right out of a song.  A rebellious big city boy moves to an oppressive farming community.  He meets a small town girl with a death wish, who is also the preacher's daughter.  This boy and girl fall in love and just want to go to prom. The problem is that this small town banned dancing when a drunken car crash, after a dance, killed a bunch of teens.  Will the boy and girl fight against school bullies and Bible-thumping adults for their right to party-hardy?  Will the preacher stop being such a buzzkill?  Will somebody call an ambulance out of fear that the big city boy's dancing is actually an undiagnosed medical condition? 

Seriously, how the hell did Kevin Bacon become famous?  His acting is a standard teen flick performance.  (Did he learn nothing about the thespian art from FRIDAY THE 13TH?)  His dancing is embarrassing.  (Was it improvised on the spot?)  His smile is consistently a lecherous leer.  (He obviously wants to do the Horizontal Bop.)  Plus, his character's name is Ren, as if the audience needs more of a reason to hate him.  

Lori Singer, as the preacher's daughter, is forgettable.  I can't even recall the character's name.  Christopher Penn, as Willard, Ren's new small town friend, is stupidly likable and made me think of Joshua Jackson in DAWSON'S CREEK.  Sarah Jessica Parker, as Rusty, the preacher's daughter's best friend, livens up any scene.  John Lithgow and Dianne Wiest, as the fire & brimstone preacher and his quietly powerful wife, give this film credibility that it doesn't deserve. 

Strangely, I may have missed the film back in the day, but I owned a cassette tape of the FOOTLOOSE soundtrack.  So, sitting in the theater in 2020, I was eagerly waiting to see how certain songs would be used in the film.  A few musical interludes surprised, confused and impressed me.

"Footloose" by Kenny Loggins 

I give props to any film confident enough to open with the title song over a montage of dancing footwear.  I wonder how many people left the theater early back in 1984 because they got what they wanted from the beginning credits. 

"Holding out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler 

I was experiencing such fits of hysterics watching a game of chicken played with tractors that I'm surprised someone didn't accuse me of dancing like Kevin Bacon.  I seriously can't decide if this scene is the dumbest thing ever filmed or if it is satirical brilliance because holding out for a tractor chicken hero is ridiculous to the extreme.

"Let's Hear it for the Boy" by Deniece Williams 

I legitimately enjoyed the use of this crazy-catchy song.  Willard confesses that he can't dance, so Ren teaches him how to dance, or whatever Kevin Bacon is doing.  This joyous scene surprised and impressed me from start to finish.  Showing two men dancing together in a 1984 film, without obvious, hateful  jokes, is the cinematic equivalent of giving the finger to that generally repressive, homophobic decade.  

While Ren and Willard are just friends, my mind envisioned a modern day remake.  A rebellious big city boy moves to an oppressive farming community.  He meets a big sack of duh boy who can't dance because the town has banned dancing.  Will the rebel teach the big sack of duh how to dance while fighting school bullies, Bible-thumpers and their growing attraction to one another?  The answer is yes and they embrace their feelings through a kiss and a dance  at the underground prom, while a cover of "Let's Hear it for the Boy" by Beyoncé plays on!  Somehow I suspect this is not the plot to the 2011 remake, but it should be. 

In conclusion, I believe my 10-year-old self would have been bored by FOOTLOOSE because, with a few exceptions, my adult-self was bored during it.  However, I'm glad I can cross this off my unseen 80's films list.  Hopefully COVID-19 keeps the classics coming to a theater near me.  Maybe I'll finally see FLASHDANCE! 

Freak Out, 

JLH 

P.S.  A different film about dancing...

https://freakboyzone.blogspot.com/2020/06/freakboy-on-film-hairspray-2007-third.html 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Collective Eye for July is open with music & blogs...

https://thejlhcollective.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-collective-eye-july-2020.html 

Last Minute Ramblings (June 2020 in Hindsight)

It's the last day of June and I'm writing this on the fly.  Laundry is spinning but the words feel stagnant.

It has been a productive and satisfying month on my blogs.  From films to flowers, I celebrated outsiders.  My proudest moment arrived when someone was insulted by my poem ONE QUEER TOWN. 😎 

An interesting thing occurred with my words in June.  A friend read this entire blog, without being committed to an asylum, and compiled what he perceived as my best posts. It's a great little homemade book with some stuff I had forgotten about, which unearthed some buried emotions, good & bad.  Digging into my past was something I had planned to do back in 2018., but that plan fizzled out.  Maybe one day I will resurrect my revolution and put my own spin on a blog compilation. 🤔 

On the personal front, the kitten my sister and I found last month is now a part of our family.  Nobody wanted him, so Laszlo is making himself at home and driving Miss Kitty and Orange Baby crazy.  Laszlo is the most rambunctious kitten I've ever been around.  He likes to bite, making his vampire name perfect. 😁

I spent a day with my friend/Dark Excursions muse Jody and her sister.  I hadn't seen them since July 2019.   We had planned to get together in March but COVID-19 cancelled that event.  Businesses are opening up, so now was the right time for us.  Before you ask, social distancing be damned, we hugged each other and dined at the same table, without wearing masks.  It's not like we went to a crowded beach, pool, bar or stadium, so save your collective gasps of disapproval and tongue-clucking for others who commit far more egregious offenses. 

In conclusion, 2020 is half over, but I'm not done yet. 

Oh, the library is scheduled to open next month, but we shall see how that goes. 😏

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words.

Freak Out, 

JLH 

P.S. One of the funniest things I've ever created...

https://freakoptics.blogspot.com/2020/06/sniffing-peonies.html 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hopefully The Collective Eye for July won't be late, but the Archive is open for examination...👁 

https://thejlhcollective.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-collective-eye-archive.html 

May Day Daze (May 2020 in Hindsight)

It's been a strange month. 

I haven't felt very creative but I managed to blog a few times and uploaded a couple of videos.  I wrote a short supernatural tale connected to what I had hoped to be a series of stories in 2014.  Then I was inspired to continue my Laundry Day series, which I thought I was done with.  Guess laundry is never-ending.

While filming the above video in my dad's backyard, I heard a cat meow.  I went in and told my sister and she went out to investigate.  My sister came back in with a little kitten. 

No mother or siblings could be found, so we decided to find it a home.  We couldn't leave him at our dad's because his cat Snoopy was ready to pounce on the little guy.  So, we took him home. (We think he's a boy, but we've been wrong before)

Miss Kitty and Orange Baby were not amused, but we felt they could deal with what we assumed would be a  temporary situation.  I called a local radio station show made for such events and posted some adorable pics on Facebook.  No takers.  

I guess we'll keep searching but it's beginning to look like the little guy is already home.  Orange Baby is tolerating him, mostly.  Miss Kitty hates the new intruder, but she at least has stopped growling at me every time I touch her.  That's a start.

On a personal note, one of the two newspapers my sister and I deliver has switched to mail delivery in our area.  I don't think this has anything to do with COVID-19, but it has got me thinking about my post-pandemic career.  The truck stop is on the outskirts of town, but I could walk there, which may lead to pop-up business opportunities.  I'm joking, I think.

Anyhoo...my hopes for June include continuing blogging and maybe visit the library, if it opens to inside foot traffic.  I also hope the violent tragedies in May 2020 will go down in history as the catalyst for a future where people see each other...first, foremost and forever...as human.

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words.

Freak Out, 

JLH 

P.S.  My short supernatural tale...

https://freakboyzone.blogspot.com/2020/05/last-moments.html 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My books & blogs... http://thejlhcollective.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-collective.html