From the Desk of…
This one snuck up on me, so I’ll get to it. All eyes are on the Ohio Statehouse today as House Republicans cut short their vacation to override the governor’s veto on HB68. Speaker Stephens claims they have the votes, but we’ll find out today if their dedication to cruelty and harming trans kids holds fast. Rick Neal wrote a nice little piece on the nightmare of it all.
Of course, one can’t think of the odious Republicans in the Statehouse without thinking of one of the primary funders of their work, Ohio’s richest man Les Wexner, whose largesse has gotten his family name on buildings all over town and—hold the fort. I’m just now hearing that he has been directly named as engaged in sex trafficking and abuse through his old friend Jeffrey Epstein to whom he’d given many sweetheart deals and a little spot in Wexnerville New Albany. I think I can safely say that very few of us saw her accusation coming.
Fans of CD101 CD102.5 CD92.9 got another round of crushing news to start the year, as the beloved independent radio station is yet again shutting down. Or is it? At the very least, there’s some sort of dispute about the branding going on, and it may continue in a zombie form under new ownership. I’ll keep you posted as things develop here, but it ain’t good for the local music scene.
Meanwhile in Wales, a mouse has been caught in the act! Rodney Holbrook, who swore he left that there last night, set up some cameras and found out that a helpful critter was reorganizing his shed. The story’s cute, but it does carry a tinge of sadness for me. Welsh Tidy Mouse is great, but not all that long ago we would’ve ascribed such activity to hobs or other helpful household spirits. Perhaps the world is too much with us.
In other news and more great research out of the Meow Institute, taurine, one of the ingredients that they shove into energy drinks that you’ve otherwise never heard of, has been shown to slow aging in animals and, in theory, in humans. This proves yet again the old maxim: I will never die.
The Brain Dump
honoring the indomitable spirit of my grandmother by staring at FreeCell while lighting a cig
wondering what life would be like if there were a university that made things possible
guy who loves arnold schwarzenegger but can't remember movie quotes to save his life: i'll come back
audited the Plex to see who needed Directors collections made
hearty welcome to Ari Aster, William Friedkin, Stuart Gordon, Todd Haynes, John Huston, Robert Rodriguez, Steven Soderbergh, James Wan, Robert Wise, and Andrzej Żuławski
it's gonna rule when Jeni gets bored of her world travels and goes Wonkamode in her big ice cream factory
Serenity now, the contractors just showed up. Again with this construction.
At the Movies
Oh, this reminds me to check for tickets.
The Empty Man (2020), dir. David Prior ⭐⭐⭐⭐
would've loved to see Benson and Moorhead take this on
I admire what it swings for, something like Ligotti by way of Pizzolatto.
Stephen Root!
Suitable Flesh (2023), dir. Joe Lynch ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Good enough, but it really needed to be, like, a harder R. Like really go for it R. Like, it's playing the same game as other Paoli-Yuzna joints, but this is not in their league. Maybe that was the Gordon touch. Good Crampton and Graham though.
Casablanca (1942), dir. E. Elias Merhige ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ❤️
about once a year I come up with an idea for a story and I start sketching it out and I realize it's just Shadow of the Vampire again
the conceit is brilliant, but the execution is perfect
I will be shipping out Christmas Challenge trinkets in short order. I promise.
One Picture
it is time
In closing,
If you’re already stumbling with a resolution, don’t beat yourself up over it. Very few things—cobbler elves, oats—happen overnight. What’s important is getting back up and trying again the next day.
Until next time, try to keep trying.