Finding Gratitude For Christmas

I hate to admit this in a public forum....but my Christmas spirit died years ago.

To put it bluntly, there were too many traumatic life events that color my perception of Christmas. Maybe it started with the Eugene-OR-to-St-Louis move that was prompted by a failed relationship...or losing an unrequited love to a fiance...or one aunt visiting the emergency room, leading to her death by ovarian cancer six months later...or losing another aunt in a car accident two years ago...

Let's just say that the period between December 15th and January 2nd is not one of my favorite periods during the year. During this time, I have a greater sense of melancholy and loss, feeling like I have lost out on much throughout the year.

Yes, I blame my dour Eastern European disposition, don't you?

This year has been especially hard - for many, 2017 has been a combination dumpster fire, train wreck, and Rob Schneider movie. Even with my recent move and job search issues, it has been especially tough. It meant...well, I had decided that I was giving up on being "part of the group". Yes, as I head for a milestone birthday, I decided that I really was going to become one of those old men who shakes his fists and yells at those damn kids to get off my lawn...

But something else happened this year....I actually found that I have these strange people in my life called friends.

(Now here's where this post becomes one of those "St. Louis-via-Chicago" posts that Roger likes to read).

Back in St. Louis, I had a pretty cool life: my own apartment, a semi-regular social schedule, and a plethora of relationships and friendships. I wasn't exactly King of the World, but it felt like I was being a fully functioning adult. When I had to move back to Chicago, I felt like I was stepping backwards. Yes, I had old friends from high school and past jobs, but it felt like I hadn't really grown up at all.

But this past year, I've been able to connect (and reconnect) with friends in a way that I had not allowed myself in the past. I managed to make amends with several people. Other friendships revealed themselves to be much closer and more intimate than I had perceived. Many people stepped out of my past and back into my life, even if only on Facebook...

Ironically, I had developed a similar life to the one I had in St. Louis...it just looked much different. I still had the same opportunities, but here in Chicago, I have to travel a little longer. Despite the fact that my life's been...very complicated (not just by caring for Mom, but also in matters too delicate to disclose), it's been a revelation that I have most everything I'm looking for...and that I'm working through the issues that keep me from going full out.

Don't get me wrong - I'm still very "Bah, humbug" about Christmas. But this year, I'm feeling more grateful that melancholy.

Maybe one day, I'll feel the "joy of the season"...but for now, I'll settle for "it's less crappy than in the past"

DOCTOR WHO - The Return of Doctor Mysterio (Review)

This may sound like hyperbole, but this year's Doctor Who Christmas Special was just what I needed after a tough year - entertaining, funny, and willing to take some chances.

I always get a kick when Doctor Who stretches itself and attempts to integrate more modern tropes - when it works (like Season Eight's Time Heist), it works beautifully; when it doesn't (like Season Three's 42 or Season Nine's Sleep No More), it's either still watchable (like 42) or a complete abomination (Sleep No More).

The Return of Doctor Mysterio is more like Time Heist in how it encompasses the tropes of comics, but in terms of story (thanks, Steven Moffatt, for a not so plotty-wotty plot) and direction (for which you can thank Ed Bazalgette, who you probably know better as the lead guitarist for the Vapors - see the video below for details)


Anyway, back to Doctor Who:The Return of Doctor Mysterio....yes, there is a very tangential Christmas theme, as it begins with the Doctor encountering a young boy in New York....and serves as an origin story, of sorts, for a superhero who shouldn't exist, but does. And yes, Moffatt does go through all of the comic-based tropes (and thanks to Bazalgette's direction, several moments are presented in split-screen, like comic panels), and the tone is appropriate light, clever, and humorous - enough to make this one of Moffatt's better Christmas specials.

And yes, it does follow on from The Husbands of River Song. And there's the appropriate sense of melancholy as well.

The only real bum note is Matt Lucas....Yes, he tries hard, but I still scratch my head and wonder why he was brought back. Much of it is a personal bias after watching Little Britain and finding it very mean-spirited and smug (much like South Park after its fourth season). I'm hoping that he only makes occasional appearances in Series 10, and is not a full-on regular....because quite honestly, I find him annoying.

But that's a minor quibble amongst a total gem of a program. Yes, there will be those who complain about Moffatt's writing, but this is one where it feels like Moffatt actually had fun writing a Doctor Who script.

It's showing theatrically in theaters around the country, and I managed to catch it last night. Seeing the Doctor Who Christmas special on the big screen is going to become my new holiday tradition.

Highly recommended.

Your Serling/Bogie Day Presents

You know the drill - for years, I've been suggesting that we celebrate Serling Day and Bogie Day on December 25th, especially for those who are tired of the usual holiday hype.

Because both men were born on December 25th.

Plus, it's a great way to celebrate two people whose contribution to popular culture cannot be measured.

Plus, the great thing about celebrating Serling Day or Bogie Day - they don't compete with each other. You don't have to worry about shopping. And celebrating is as easy as watching videos on YouTube.

These videos may have appeared on this blog previously, but they're always worth resharing (and for Serling Day and Bogie Day, sharing the same gifts isn't a bad thing - it's welcome!)

Enjoy, and Happy Serling Day, Bogie Day, or whatever holiday you celebrate today.

Some Holiday Thoughts & Videos

As you can probably gather from my absence, things have been rather busy...but Mom's health issues will do that to me.

Things since October have been...a blur. A whirlwind of experiences which have helped me realized many key lessons...not unlike those learned by Ebenezer Scrooge, except without any supernatural influence.

First and foremost - I've learned that I can't do it all, and that pushing myself to the extreme can be very dangerous. The old adage is true...if I don't take care of myself, then I can't take care of anyone else.

(Another thing - some people will avoid accepting that I am not qualified to perform medicine despite my lack of training. Or in other words, why I don't tell my mother what she should do and/or spend 24 hours monitoring her every move).

A third thing - I have some great friends. Asking for face time has been helpful, if for no other reason than it's allowed me to open up somewhat about all of this. It's also going to make purging my Facebook friend list a lot easier.

Finally, as we enter Christmas, this whole experience has been a reminder of the small, practical miracles that happen every day. Thanks to modern technology, my mom has a small device implanted that maintains her heart rate. She's survived longer with a transplanted liver than anyone could expect. I've learned that the greatest Christmas gifts are those I receive every day.

Like YouTube videos. Enjoy!

Review: Doctor Who - LAST CHRISTMAS

"There's a horror movie called Alien? That's really offensive - no wonder everyone keeps invading you"

New-era Doctor Who Christmas specials  are often a mixed bag. Whether announcing "big" events (Christmas Invasion, The End of Time, or last year's Time and the Doctor), serving as romps with moments of melancholy (Runaway Bride, A Christmas Carol), or even...well...(Voyage of the Damned, The Doctor, The Witch, and the Wardrobe), Christmas means an extra dose of Doctor Who. This past week's Last Christmas is unusual in that it's not just a seasonal celebration....it's also a thematic touchstone.

You wouldn't be too wrong in believing this is "Episode 13" of Series 8 - in fact, many of the previous season's themes are resolved in this single hour. It's a nice bullet point to a season driven by two dysfunctional characters - a woman with a need for control who may find TARDIS life increasing addictive, and a man finally coming to terms with "who he is". It helps that Nick Frost's Santa Claus serves as a nice counterpoint - a recasting of a traditionally "nice" role that provides some well-needed humor (as well as a counterpoint to Capaldi's Doctor). Once we get towards the end, there's a pleasing resolution - and recasting - of the Doctor & Clara's relationship. It may be a bit less contentious in Series 9, but it will definitely not be boring.

(Yes, we do get some resolution for the Clara/Danny relationship. It's one of the most poetic, hard-rending scenes I've seen. But then again, I'm an easy mark for stuff like that. It's the most emotionally honest expression about grief and mourning I've seen in awhile....and is much better than the "Love is a promise" manifesto from Death in Heaven)

And now, for the plot, which is....well, many other reviewers have made parallels to Inception, but Moffatt gives the idea of dreams-within-dreams a nice, Whovian twist. It's also one of the few Christmas specials that feels like it really does take place around Christmas, and feels the most seasonal. (The two wise-talking elves don't hurt). This easily could have been a "normal" Who episode - and yes, this episode wears its influences on its sleeve like crib notes. (Best quote from the episode is stated above).

That "dreamy-weamy"-ness (as hinted above) is what makes this episode a cut above the usual Doctor Who Christmas special. Some people may claim it confusing, or even possibly above the heads of a Christmas Day viewer, but Last Christmas' script doesn't feel loosely tossed together. Containing frights, delights, and "feels" in equal measure, it provides one of the most satisfying Christmas-themed Who episodes since The Unquiet Dead.

(Yes, I'm well aware that episode three of the 2005 series was never intended to be a Christmas-only episode. But that's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.)

And if all of Series 8 was the Doctor figuring out who he was (or whether he was "a good man"), Peter Capaldi's Doctor comes on full bore. Often abrasive, somewhat alien, but deep within, a man aware of who he is and what he has to do. At the end, when....well, let's just say that for one of the first times, we see the Twelfth Doctor with a manic glee unseen since early Tom Baker/Season 25 Sylvester McCoy.

It's hard to write about this episode without spoiling it - yes, I know people have watched it, but there's so much. It's an episode that plays with the very tropes of Doctor Who. (Think of it as a "base under siege" episode that takes place on multiple levels). It serves as a final chapter for a season that has felt....OK, but never quite crackled as it did under Russell T. Davies. (Or Phillip Hinchcliffe. Or Series 7. Or name-your-own-classic-era-here).

Last Christmas is the best gift that Who fans could have received - a story that not only serves to hit holiday themes, but also reminded us of the reasons why the show engages us so much. It's not just "a good Christmas Doctor Who" episode - it's a good Doctor Who episode - period. 

Happy Bogie/Serling Day!

And now, your holiday treats....

Merry Christmas From Blog THIS, Pal!

Although technically, yes, it's Christmas Eve, I wanted to send a message wishing anyone and everyone who comes across this blog a warm, wonderful holiday season!

My Personal Holiday Wish

...is for all Daleks, Cybermen, and Tribbles to live together in peace & harmony.

You can tell I'm procrastinating, can't you?

This Christmas, Give the Gift of TALL PULP

With the holidays fast approaching, you're probably wondering what to give that hard-to-shop-for person in your life....especially at the last minute. In a totally self-serving effort, let me suggest the gift of Tall Pulp , Pro Se Productions' anthology of stories featuring colorful characters from American folklore in a variety of pulp fiction settings.

Your loved ones will thrill to Greg Daniels as he relates how Mike Fink - the famous riverboat captain - fights Nazis. They'll get a thrill as Nancy Hansen relates her tale of the Leatherman. They can dive deeply into D. Alan Lewis' tale of legendary female pirate Anne Bonny, or head straight into the future with David White's portrait of Paul Bunyan in the 23rd century. They'll even learn some hidden history as Phillip Drayer Duncan relates the untold legacy of the Bowie knife....

But the most relevant tale in Tall Pulp - and this is where the self-serving comes in - is Crossing McCausland, about a metal-skinned man fighting crime in 1950s St. Louis. It's got plenty of gratuitous references to Missouri politics....gangsters....and the Crown Candy Kitchen. It's my first professional sale,and your loved ones will enjoy this and other tales. (Plus, they - and you - can always leave your honest review on Amazon....but I think they'll get a kick out of Tall Pulp).

Available in both softcover and Kindle format, Tall Pulp is a really good read. (Trust me, I've read the stories other than my own....and they're really good). So yes, I am shamelessly promoting this, but think of it as giving the gift of reading....and you'll gain immediate cool points when your loved one receives their copy of Tall Pulp.

So please buy it - you'll insure a great, pulp-flavored holiday. And yes, I am biased in that regard.

Merry Christmas/Happy Bogie Day/Wonderful Serling Day!

Let the holiday celebrations commence!



(If this episode doesn't fill you with Christmas joy, you are a sad person indeed)

Random Thoughts on Christmas Eve

To be honest, it really doesn't quite feel like Christmas.

Much of it is the unusually short holiday season, and I have to admit I'm still feeling a bit burned out over November. (Taking on not one, but two large Doctor Who-themed events may have been a bit much for me). But as I sit here Christmas Eve morning, tapping out a post while drinking coffee, a few thoughts and reminisces come to mind.

First, this has been a year of massive, unprecedented change - although I've only seen some positive results in my job search recently (a part-time remote gig with a startup downstate), I've found myself moving through a variety of professional activities. Planning the charity auction at Chicago TARDIS was one; working online outreach for the Illinois Task Force and pursuing marketing classes at DePaul Kellstadt was another. (Editing pulp-related publications for both Radio Archives and Airship 27 also helped me feel a little bit more professional....and kept me awash in ebooks and audiobooks). All this activity has broadened the

scope of what I'm looking for - not just that I like the challenge of working within a wider variety of fields (including social enterprise), but quite frankly, there are too many non-profit marketing "consultants" in Chicago, and it's getting harder to find the signal through all of the noise. (Plus, having recently crafted a marketing plan as a class assignment, I'm considering starting a potential side business.) Have some irons in the fire, and, well....one of my to-dos in the next few days will be to update my Linked In profile. As well as the Chicago Now blog. And if you're interested, please like the Chicago Now and Zone 4 podcast Facebook pages, if you haven't done so already. You'll find more of my online shenanigans.

This has also been a period of great loss - first, my cat Dax back in May, and in October, a friend of mine who chose to take his life. Unlike Dax, I won't talk about my friend in this blog - it would be disrespectful to his memory, and quite honestly, towards the end I believe I did right by him. I will never know why he made such a fateful decision, and I admit that even if he had "reached out" to me, it still would have made no difference. But here are some of the lessons I've learned this year...

First, it takes no effort to be mean, cynical, or judgmental - from "you need to work harder to find work" to "Agents of SHIELD sucks on toast, there's a growing trend towards the hardening of the heart. With all the compassion that this holiday brings, I'm reminded of the constant need to remember that in the end, we're all human beings. And human beings have value - they're not simply cogs in a machine, or a means to an end. When I forget that, and forget to treat people with respect, dignity, and compassion throughout the rest of the year...I am doing something horribly wrong.

Secondly....well, I think the Replacements said it much better - and more articulately - than I ever could:

The ones who love us best/Are the ones we lay to rest/And visit their graves on holidays at best/The ones who love us least/Are the ones we'll die to please..../If it's any consolation, I don't begin to understand them

Soon, I'll be heading for a quick trip to the library (yes, they are open for a short period this morning), then finish packing and head up to Mom's for a few days. Sure, she's only 45 minutes away by bus, but with the cold temperatures and shortened bus schedule, it only felt right not to treat this like another holiday. Besides, it keeps me out of an apartment that feels way too empty already....and yes, Mom has a cat. She's also managed to outlive both Steve Jobs and Lou Reed after her liver transplant, so that's always worth celebrating.

I have a couple of posts scheduled to go live in the next few days, but don't worry if you don't see me online. After feeling relatively isolated, I'm getting back into the spirit and starting to feel sociable once again. My online life has been pretty active, so I need to take it offline. But I'll still be here.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Happy Serling & Bogie Day! (And Christmas As Well)

No matter what holiday you celebrate, I like to propose for those who may need an alternative to consider celebrating today as the anniversary of Humphrey Bogart's birth, or the anniversary of Rod Serling's birth.

As promised, here are some Bogie Day and  Serling Day holiday viewing treats for you to enjoy!

A Clarification About Doctor Who & Christmas

You may have heard that Doctor Who did a version of "A Christmas Carol" about two years ago.

This isn't it, but is worth checking out nonetheless.

And yes, I'll be blogging about the Who special after it's on.

Public Domain Drive-In: Jack Benny Goes Christmas Shopping

OK, this kind of lifted me out of my funk...because nothing says Christmas like Jack Benny. Enjoy!

Christmas Already?

It's a little less than a week before Christmas, and yes, I did remark on this via Facebook, but it's kind of worth repeating - and mulling over in the blog.

I'm just not feeling the Christmas spirit.

Now, it's not because of recent news out of Connecticut, or even the usual "over commercialization of our culture" argument. Maybe it's because of my own work situation (I've been busy applying, networking, and following up to no avail), the lack of seasonal weather (although snow is allegedly forecast for this week), or even just plain apathy, but when it comes to Christmas cheer....it ain't happening.

I have no interest in Christmas music (except maybe involving obnoxiously loud guitars), and really don't feel enthusiastic about the holiday (except for Roger supporting my Bogie/Serling Day efforts), but if I were to describe my overall mood about the holiday in one word, it would be Grinch.

Yes, it is needlessly negative, but quite honestly....I can take or leave this holiday. I'm finding it a little hard to engage in holiday cheer.

So excuse me while I keep my head down and plow through until December 26th.

A Piece of Christmas Spirit From My Youth

And now, a very special pre-holiday present for my readers: a piece of writing that may or may not have been published in a humor zine back in 1995.

(Just found it amongst other files - cannot trace to whether it was presented elsewhere).

Either way, here's a glimpse into my mid-20s mindset; all grammar and punctuation kept as is.

Enjoy!

========================================

SCROOGE WAS RIGHT!
                                     
Most people, when they celebrate Christmas, usually put on some
inspirational music like "Silent Night", or "Twelve Days of Christmas", or THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY CHRISTMAS album, I usually crank up "Don't Believe in Christmas" by the Sonics, or "Christmas in Prison" by Willie Nelson, or even Monty Python's "Christmas in Heaven". Call me cynical, but Christmas ain't
what it used to be.

Sure, I got a lot of loot Christmases past, and there are good things about Christmas (free stuff, the birth of our Savior, and that song where the dogs bark "Jingle Bells" all easily come to mind), but my attitude these days is more Ebenezer Scrooge than Bob Cratchitt.

First, Christmas comes earlier and earlier. Stores usually begin putting their Christmas stuff up in late July/early August, and then before their Halloween stuff. I say, let's just change Christmas to August and be done with it. Besides, it's a lot warmer, you don't have to worry about snow, and I personally would love to have a scantily clad Playboy Playmate in my
stocking. It's really hard to take Christmas seriously when, in September, Carson Pirie Scott & company does their window display, and all the people stand and stare like sheep. It makes it hard for a guy like me to visit all the naughty bookstores.

Another thing I don't like, quite frankly, is this whole "let's be nice to the world" attitude around Christmas. Sure, yeah, I'm all for being nice to the world, but it's out of a "if we do nice stuff, we'll get nice stuff." Parents, let me give you this advice--if your kid acts perfect from November through December, he wants something. Just make sure that they behave
January through October. Also, ladies and gentlemen, there are poor people and depressed and lonely people the other months of the year. Live the Christmas spirit all year, people.

Thirdly, everyone wants to get into the act. Do we really need more lame-o Christmas albums? (I'm looking forward to Pearl Jam's Christmas With Vedder. Eddie, get a life and a friend, pal). And if I see one more TV show rip off "It's a Wonderful Life" (which, as a movie, stinks) and/or "A Christmas Carol" (Charles Dickens should rise from the dead every time this really excellent book is butchered by some hack screenwriter), I'm going to go
Terry Rakola on someone's heinie. (If you can catch that reference you win....an actual autographed letter from me. Maybe even a two page letter).

Basically, I think Christmas has gotten way out of hand. I mean, I realize that a baby isn't as aesthetically pleasing as a fat guy in a red suit who, any other time of the year, would be charged with breaking and entering, but people have lost the point. Christmas isn't about one day, it's about a way of living every day. People who act like total inconsiderate fill-in-your-own-obscenities-here decide that, on one day a week, they are the most humane. It's kind of like adopting a child for one day, and dumping it back at Dr. Satan's House of Child Abuse for the rest of the year. It's got to stop.

Do I like Christmas, the holiday? Not really, since there's a lot of hullabaloo about it. But as a spirit, a way of being, I dig it. People, pretend every day is Christmas, and we'll all get along, and be nice to each other, and stop wars and stuff.

God bless us, every one, except for that Urkel dude. He annoys me.

=====================================================

NOTE: After reading this, I am honestly surprised I lived into 1996 and beyond.

Christmas Eve & Holiday Wishes

Obviously going to be away from the blog for the holidays - no matter what holidays you celebrate, hope they are happy, wonderful, and peaceful.

And tomorrow, I'll be giving you my online Serling & Bogey Day presents. What fun!

Pre-Holiday Craziness and ReGifting

It's Logan, Jedi Accountant
(I never tire of that joke)

First, yes, I know, I've been neglecting the blog - Mom had to enter the hospital a few days ago (hopefully, it should be just another basic checkup). After the trauma of last year (where I basically lived between Thanksgiving and Christmas in a blur), I'm hoping that things clear up.

(And to my Chicago pals - for those of you who've invited me to shindigs in the past year, thanks. Stuff like that helps me deal with things like this.)

But in the spirit of regifting, let me provide you a link to a mix from my now neglected podcast (especially since I'm part of the award-winning Zone 4 podcast through Comic Related.) If I can humbly submit, it is probably the best mix of tunes I have ever created.

My holiday plans will be to spend Christmas Eve and Day with Mom (either when she gets home or in the hospital); drive up to visit my father's side of the family on the 28th, and drive out to Indiana to visit Logan (my godson) on the 29th. Thankfully, I'll have time for blogging, finishing up some freelance projects, and do some planning for 2012. 

Have autoposts for the next few days, so talk to you after the 25th.

Pictorially, My Excuse for the Lack of Blogging Activity

Yes, this has been a thin week (and yes, I know I need to do my usual blog summary) - mostly, I've been busy with work (I'm going to be pretty much filling in all of next week with one assignment, and catching up on my other workload, meaning lots more blog posts in the immediate future.

However, there's been some other things on my mind - and my planning (including my New Year's Eve plans) - so you may see some posts in the next few days, but most importantly - this is my attempt to get all of you "in the mood" for the rest of the month. enjoy!

And of course, possibly the greatest holiday song ever:

Public Domain Drive-In: Santa & the Three Bears

Yes, things have been a little busy - mostly, recovering from Chicago TARDIS, making sure Mom is doing OK, and basically getting work done. (Can't really go into too much detail, but can do so privately). For your viewing pleasure (and to make sure I'm up to date on the blog), here's a little holiday cuteness entitled Santa and the Three Bears

Enjoy!