monster is spelled m-y-s-t-e-r-y

I kid you not.
ConnectSavannah misunderstood the PFS listing.
The scheduled movie was a mid-1990's horror spoof about giant insects. Somehow, the folks at the weekly entertainment magazine thought the monster film was to be one of Jim's "to be named later" films ... and that's how they wrote it up.
I very much enjoy the "mystery" movies! Going to one is like digging into a box of chocolates, as Mr. Gump would say.
(smile)
So, when the write-up promised that an inductee into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame was starring in this "mystery" monster movie, I was all in!
Jim met me as I was buying my ticket.
"Oh, you're going to like this one," he said. "But you should know that it isn't the movie that I was going to show tonight. This is a different mystery monster movie, though not the one advertised."
"How do you know?" I asked. "If it's a mystery, how would anyone know it's not the intended mystery?"
Indeed!
And that's when I found out that several people already knew the title for the scheduled film, especially as Jim had shown promos for it at earlier PFS screenings.
The scheduled film's title was not a mystery.
The newspaper got that wrong.
But, that's okay!
It all worked out just fine!
I was still lured there for this 59-year-old film, "The Giant Claw"!
What a hoot!
A giant, zombie-looking, aerial predator with an antimatter shield?
Oh, do tell!
My favorite character had to be Mitch McAfee. An electronics-whiz rebel who billed himself as the "chief cook and bottle washer in a one-man bird watching society"? How could I resist a line like that? Especially coming from a man who resembled James Garner in appearance, voice, and mannerisms?
He was definitely batting them over the wall!
(The baseball metaphors were fabulous!)
Truly, it was quite funny and charming...
and also scientifically interesting, as it would turn out.
In the movie, it was proposed that they create a ray of "mesonic atoms" to pierce the antimatter shield that protected the beast from all weapons.
"Mesonic atoms"???
Hahahaha haha!
We all laughed about that one!
And we were all quite mistaken.
Apparently, the 1957 script writers were more up-to-date on the research in physics than were any of us in the screening room.
Mesonic atoms were the focus of several researchers in the 1950's, including a CalTech group in 1954, and a New York physicist in 1956. But that wasn't where the science exploration ended. It continued into the 1970's and beyond, including a 2012 textbook.
So... this movie was actually pushing some cutting-edge physics in our direction, in the guise of an extraterrestrial science fiction flick.
Wow...

ain't she a peach?

Let me start off with this: Today has been an excellent day.

Sure, it began (for me) as 57 degrees Fahrenheit at 10 AM, which is definitely not a preferred temperature in my book.
Top that off with a nearly empty refrigerator, as I have yet to go to the grocery store. No milk, no English muffins or bread, no Sweet Thing.
So, I called up my middle brother.
'Want to go to breakfast at IHOP with me?'
He replies, "Sure, but give me fifteen minutes. I was just taking a beer over to my girlfriend. She's all down about having lost her job."
'Okay, that'll work for me.'
Then he says, "Well, if I do that, I won't have time to get any trim this morning."
'You know what? We don't have to do this today, Ronnie. We'll get together for brunch some other time.'
He gratefully agreed and was gone.

Brunch still sounded like a good idea to me.
I checked the Galley menu: Garlic Orange Chili Shrimp Stir Fry. omG! One of my favorites! And Sloppy Joes, too! Yum!
So, off I went to the southside to dine!
And it was soooo good!
I even ran into one of my favorite former students (Hi, Janet!) and a couple others that I like, too. (Shout out to Jonathan and Jasmine and Jacob!)
I even stopped by the Fine Arts building to obtain a ticket for the next Masquers' production, "The Pillowman". A scary tale for a Tuesday evening, but I think I'll be up for it. Plus, with my Faculty ID, it's free!

I paused for a moment to smell the warm roses in the sunlight.

Afterward, I decided to go give blood. It's been 56 days, plus a couple.
Amazingly, the donor center was busy! Very good!
That meant the whole process took a little longer than I had planned, but that's okay. As I told Natasha, after her third apology to me for the wait, 'Hey, I have no problem waiting a little while when y'all have so many willing donors here. That's a very good problem to have!'
After about 90 minutes total, I was completely done and out the door.
Good!
I'll be able to give again just before Christmas.

Next on my checklist: go early vote!
I was a little dismayed when I pulled into the parking lot and saw how many cars were there. Prepared for a wait, I proceeded ahead anyway... and was pleasantly surprised at how few people were actually in line!
Alrighty then!
I performed my civic duty, graciously received my "Georgia peach" sticker, and went off to accomplish the next item on my checklist.
Downtown I headed!
It's time for the 17th Savannah Film Festival! Time to purchase my Savannah Pass, for magical admittance to all of the daytime films, documentaries, and shorts. Oh, yeah!
True, they did raise the price 50% this year. FIFTY PERCENT.
Ouch.
But, I had been gifted the money, so I paid.
I've even already marked some collections to be sure to hit!
And I'll even have a little money to pay for parking on those weekdays downtown.
Good!

Then back to home! Throw the mail in the house! Turn on the porch light!
Zip back downtown to meet the bfe for dinner!
And I surprised him by being a little early - good!
We dined on ceviche (both) and steak tacos (him) and chorizo fajitas on rice - very good!
We ate at a leisurely pace, taking our time, chatting and laughing and soaking up each other's company for the next two hours - best of all!
Then, time came to jet over to the Muse Arts Warehouse for an offering from the Psychotronic Film Society. The Found Footage Festival was celebrating its tenth anniversary of dredging through VHS dreck for highlights and we were there to enjoy the frivolities!
After all, for Christmas of 2012, I had given the bfe two volumes of their work, after seeing the show in 2012. (I had also given two other works of theirs to my nephew, Michael.)
We bought tickets for the raffle and guess what? I won! It's a DVD of the stop-motion animation works of Bruce Bickford, a collaborator with Frank Zappa. I look forward to watching it with the bfe some future evening!

Nick and Joe were quite entertaining tonight as they presented their most recently garnered video clips in Volume 7. Some bad music from a preacher, some crazy facial exercises, Swedish sex instruction for the blind, "how to" do cybersex ... you get the picture? Pretty crazy stuff, captured by viewing hours and hours of bad video.
Then they bounced back to two guys from their first year of the Found Footage Festival. John and Johnny were two salesguys hawking everything from sunglasses and jewelry to ladies' clothing on cable television. Entertaining? You bet!
Then Nick and Joe decided it would be really cool to track these two guys down and reunite them for a trip back through time. Major coolness, right?
So, that's what they did. And John and Johnny, now middle-aged gents, agreed to reprise some of those old sales pitches they'd done for the shopping network. And to allow Nick and Joe to tape the scenes for this latest video. Cool! What good sports they were!
Then Joe told us how the evening progressed from there.
They all went out to hoist a few brews to celebrate the completion of the mission. Then the four guys had a few more beers, as the night wore on.
Then Johnny, being the most ribald of the group, grabbed the ketchup bottle and said, "Hey! Want to see me turn this into some fruit?" At which point he turns his back, then whips back around with the bottle at his crotch and says, "Ain't she a peach?"

I laughed!
I was the only one who did.
Joe said I was the only one who had ever laughed at that story.
Honestly?
I have a middle brother who does stuff like that all the time - and he has done so for almost twenty years.
I guess other folks must lead pretty sheltered lives.

The bfe didn't get up and move, so that's a good thing.
The librarian, sitting to the other side of me, stayed put, too.
Friends.
Today was definitely an excellent day.

it's MORE than okay to be Takei!

That's the message in "To Be Takei", the last of three films screened as part of the mini Human Rights Watch Film Festival. Many thanks to Jim Reed, of the Psychotronic Film Society of Savannah, and to Muse Arts Warehouse, for sharing this with me - and others! - on this sweltering August day and evening!!!
Oh, and thanks for not making me feel like a fool for pronouncing the man's name wrong all these years.
That would be George Tah-KAY, not Tah-KIGH.
That's okay, the man has a great sense of humor and I'm sure he, himself, would be the first to forgive me. He would probably pronounce my name correctly.
(smile)
I was definitely in the right place tonight!
If you get the opportunity, please do see this documentary.
This one'll give you a new attitude.
In fact, I'll write this on the list of "life-changing" films the bfe wanted.

It's okay to be Takei because...
... a positive attitude through hard times will keep the bitter edge from taking over your mental outlook.
... you can still love and respect your parents, foibles and all, even long after they've died.
... true love should not be hidden from the world and deserves your best efforts.
... getting older doesn't mean you're dead yet and should just fade away.
... a sense of humor will help soften criticisms, loosen others' attitudes, and open minds to new ideas.
... it's never too late to start standing up for better treatment of yourself and other people, no matter how old the injustice.
... it's especially never too late to stand up for the rights of children and youth, here and now.
... it isn't a "lifestyle", it's an orientation. (Spoken by a Japanese-American with a definite tone in his voice, there seems to be an implied pun, doesn't there?)

My little sister Sue is so fortunate. She lives in San Diego, home of the production of his musical play, "Allegiance". So, she would have been able to attend its World Premiere in 2012. Maybe she would like to accompany me to see it on Broadway when it opens??

jim isn't saying

It's a mystery!
Well, it may be a mystery, or it may be a comedy, or it may be a romance. It may even be a drama or animated or musical or historic -

Oh my dear God! Whatever are you going on about?

Tonight is Wednesday night, the night of the Psychotronics Film at the Bean! I even get to go!!! Yeah for Spring Break!!!

Oh, I see... one of the odd or lost or rare or forgotten or not-in-this-country films.

Yes! Yes, indeed! Jim isn't saying which one he has for us on this special occasion, but I'm sure it'll be a good one!

Hold up, there, girlie. What's special about March 19th?

Well, it's close enough to her birthday, which will be tomorrow, for Jim Reed to bring a little extra attention to her and her career. Especially as the Academy Awards haven't yet bestowed an Oscar upon her. There's still plenty of opportunity for them to rectify that oversight.

Who's birthday??? Who are you talking about???

Holly Hunter, of course! You know, she is only a little over two months older than me. Yep, that's right - I keep saying 1958 was a very good year!

(Smile.)

So, Jim is doing his part by not revealing the name of the film until actual showtime. A surprise birthday party, if you will! I'll let you know later which film was shown!
Bye!

i was in the right place

Tonight, I watched the 1978 Science Fiction Film Awards, hosted by William Shatner and Karen Black.
No, that's not a typographical error.
1978.
The Psychotronic Film Society brought that in, copied to dvd from a scratchy VHS cassette, from some guy in England, for the lucky few at the Sentient Bean for the weekly Wednesday night offering.
I am so glad I was there, instead of fleeing from the cold after school to my nice warm house.
I have to thank my friend the librarian for that.
You see, her birthday will be tomorrow, but she has had birthday celebrations all week. I had attended the brunch on Monday, at The Original Pancake House, a favorite of hers. The good folks there had marked her table with a Hello Kitty birthday balloon - very nice! She decided Jim Reed, master film wrangler for the PFS of Savannah, should receive the balloon, as he is known for being a fan of the Japanese feline. As she knew she would not be attending the Wednesday screening, she had tasked me with taking the balloon to him.
But today was brutally cold. If I could have canceled class, I would have. I had almost left the balloon at home, as I was thinking I would not be going to the Bean, but I finally relented and put it into the trunk, "just in case I went downtown."
Good thing I did.
As luck would have it, Jim was in the parking lot at the same time I was, so I immediately transferred possession of the balloon to his hands.
Mission accomplished!
And I was already downtown, so I might as well stay, right?
Good thing I did!
Not only was I treated to William Shatner's amazing spoken-word performance of "Rocket Man" - performed with himself as three characters, but I saw him receive the applause he wanted, from an audience of science and fantasy nerds who totally "got" his performance. In the middle is the reflective older man, smoking a cigarette as he sits and ponders at the start of the song. Then enter the rightmost character, a younger man, looking toward the future as he stands. The guy on the left, though, is a goofy party guy who dances and emphasizes that he is the "rock it, man". Very cool!
Like I said, good thing I was there for that - right place at the rght time!
Being at the coffeehouse for this night's PFS offering was the right place at the right time, too. Sure the "Eat Your Grrens" soup was fabulous - tasty and colorful with its wide array of vegetables. Sure, I saw some friends there that I don't see very often (except on fb these days).
But I realized what a fortunate life I have had, being born when I was.
In 1977, when the films honored in this awards show were first screened, I was 19 years old.
19.
A very impressionable age, when the world is wide open, change is in the wind, and life is an adventure.
The films which hit the big screen in that enchanted year are, of course, some of my very favorites, curiosity-driven science and fantasy girl-fan that I was (and pretty much still am). I'm talking about "Star Wars", which I saw that summer, sitting in the front row at the cinema, at the end of its first week, with a guy who had already seen it seven times. The tale of good versus evil, with Han Solo falling somewhere in that gray area, caught my imagination and was imprinted on my psyche.
Then there was "Wizards", Ralph Bakshi's animated tale of fairy folk tyring to quell the evil propanganda machines driven by war. Good versus evil, fantasy style. Being an avid reader of all things Tolkien at the time, of course this film became an instant favorite, singing my song as it did.
While we're talking fantasy, 1977 also brought to life "Pete's Dragon", a film that blended live action with animation for a tale that appealed to the kid in me and the woman I was becoming. Sure, it was a Disney movie, but I loved those, and still do! Plus, it starred Helen Reddy, the woman whose song "I Am Woman" came out the same year I turned 14. Oh, yes, hear me RAWWRRRR!!! That song, and my strong mother, helped me become who I am. So, of course I saw the movie!
Then there was Richard Dreyfuss. Nerdy guy with great sense of humor - of course I had a crush on him. I had seen him a few years earlier in "American Graffiti", with Wolfman Jack and Ron Howard. Now, here he was again, in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", emphasizing that we are not alone. That type of science fiction is, to me, hopeful about what lies beyond Earth's atmosphere. Hopeful always works for me.
That ties right in with "Oh, God!" Featuring George Burns, a wizened little guy with a fabulous sense of humor, in the title role, what's not to like? Having John Denver, too, another singer who soundtracked my middle and high school years, was just icing on the cake.
And let's not forget about "Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger"! I had already seen the first two films, so this end of the trilogy brought the fantasy tale to a fitting close. Growing up in a seaport, as I did in this lovely hostess city, I naturally followed the adventures of sea-faring men. Fantasy sailors are even better, starring in tales in which evil creatures are conquered and right restored!
So, thank you, Jim Reed, for reminding me tonight of the blessed youth I had, living in the right time, at the right time.
And thanks for the fabulous memories brought to mind tonight!

if not for a nail

To think I almost missed it tonight.
If not for the folks at the Congress Street Social Club, there might not have been a coupon.
If not for the Sand Gnats, I might not have had the coupon for the free appetizer.
If not for the coupon's looming expiration date, I might not have decided to use it.
If not for the SCAD Cinema Circle bringing one of my favorite films last night to the Trustees Theatre, I might not have been downtown.
If not for my long-time infatuation with Harrison Ford, I might not have gone to the film at the Trustees Theatre.
If not for my general ennui yesterday, I might have been downtown earlier to redeem the coupon prior to the film.
If I had been downtown earlier, I might have missed running into an ex-Chili Pepper and current PFS fan.
If not for him having a gig that evening at the Social Club, he might not have been there.
If not for him eating dinner there near the door as I walked in, I might not have seen him.
If not for our mutual friendship with the peace Guy, he might not have spoken to me.
If not for our mutual friendship with the PFS guy, he might not have mentioned the special screening scheduled for tonight at the Sentient Bean.
If not for my long-time infatuation with Paul Newman, I might not have been interested enough to go there tonight.
If not for Wash Plus closing early tonight, I might have been washing clothes too late for me to go to the PFS film.
If not for the PFS guy not being the best at getting the word out, the site might have been too crowded for me to find a seat.
If not for the special blue PFS passes given to me by the other Joe, I might not have had the cash needed for the ticket tonight.
If not for me giving a giant movie poster to the other Joe, he might not have given me the special blue PFS passes.
If not for the fundraiser at the Lucas Theatre, I might not have had the giant movie poster.
If not for my love of the title song of "Singin' in the Rain", I might not have been at the Lucas Theatre and run into the other Joe.
If not for my love of the indomitable JinHi, I might not have been such a generous supporter of the fundraiser.
If I had not lost all of my bids at the silent auctions of the fundriaser, the theatre might not have decided to reward me by giving me the giant movie poster of that night's film.
If the other Joe had not been a kind soul and new to town and a fan of that film and of movie art, he might not have agreed to take the giant movie poster (for which I have no available wall).
Whew!
If not for that string of events occuring in just the right order, I would not have been where I needed to be tonight.
And I would have missed the 1972 film, produced and directed by Paul Newman, adapted from a play titled, "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds".
The film I had never seen, but I had read the book, oh so many years ago.
The story is even referenced by Leonard to Penny on the award-winning television show about physicists, "The Big Bang Theory".
A film about nuclear radiation and Cobalt-60 and gamma rays.
On a night when I've been writing a test for my students to take tomorrow night, a test about those very things.

Life is strange and beautiful, just like those mutated flowers.

but they marry brunettes

The Lucas is celebrating a blonde's birthday this weekend! Not, not mine! Silly! The film for tonight was "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", released in the early 1950's. Although it was featuring Marilyn Monroe, her side-kick, Jane Russell, acted and sang circles around her. Understandable, I would guess, as it was made during the early years of Marilyn's career, where mostly all she had to do was model tight clothing and pout a bit.
Apparently, though, men don't mind, as long as the "dumb blonde" golddigger is on their arm and not someone else's. Really? Perhaps, especially if the odds are stacked in her favor.
Earlier today, I cleaned out my office. I had been asked to return the key, as I was no longer full-time, and had responded that I was on holiday and would not return until Monday. They said that would be fine, but they did have a new hire that needed that space.
Today, I took my time and packed out. I had the forethought to bring five of those large, cloth, grocery bags to hold all of my files of student papers and papers that had not yet been filed and desk contents.
That was not nearly enough.
Fortunately, I had a couple of boxes there for my books. I also had a few plastic bags and some smaller cloth bags from school events.
That just barely took care of all of it.
I spent almost four hours packing up all of my work materials. Emptying the filing cabinet, emptying the cupboards. Removing my pictures and periodic tables and photographs of lecture notes written on whiteboards. Taking down all of the wonderful, supportive messages from my students of these past three years.
Cleaning the disk drive of all the files I had created.
ALL of them.
My trunk was packed to the top. The back seat was full, on the seat itself as well as on the floorboard. The passenger seat had one of the boxes of books.
Amazing.
All of it is now on my living room floor, waiting to be sorted.
That I can do at my leisure.
On Monday, I'll make one last visit to my office, to throw out what couldn't be recycled, to take "Light The Night" fundraising materials to the dean's office. Then I'll turn in my keys to that door and the lockable cupboard and the filing cabinet.
This evening, though, was mine to enjoy. It had begun at a place that serves candied bacon to its drinking patrons. That's right, dearies, I said CANDIED BACON. Long, crispy, sugary, strips of pork yumminess. Yes, indeed, the NK! group convened at Andaz for "school's out!" social hour. Although we only had a small group on this outing, we were in high spirits and chatty! Such a lovely way to transition from my afternoon's activities to an evening with Marilyn!

Tuesday with the Gnats

Nothing like a ball game to set things wrong a-right. Or perhaps it was the company, too. Yesterday had been a bit hard on me, so I needed a distraction, preferably with folks who didn't know I was job-hunting. Why? So no one would ask me and remind me that my days doing what I love were drawing to a close in another few weeks.
Willie and Arthur would welcome me with open arms, I knew. And they did, both being present on that spring evening. And we sat and talked baseball and gardening and the past winter. Neither of them said a word about this coming year and the possibility of me not teaching. Not one word about that. Life was good again.
The mother and daughter duo showed up for the last few innings, just in time to do their thing with Gnat. Cool! I bopped on down and caught up with them, admiring some of the players' fine tushes, too. Oh, yeah! We even made plans to see a play on Friday together, down at the beach, directed by a friend of mine I haven't seen for a while. Very nice!
Then the game was over, my boys of summer winning this game for me. Woohoo! That was especially nice as it was the first home game I'd been able to attend. The other three games passed by without me, as I had too many other events drawing me away.
I wasn't able to attend tonight's game, either, though I could have caught the last hour after class. Instead, I sped downtown for the French super-hero film, "Judex". Totally worth the trip! Not only was the protagonist a fighter of evil, he was also a magician, able to free white doves from any scarves or pockets at hand. Very nice - I do so enjoy magic! Thanks, Jim!

wonderful Wednesday, y'all!

One of the best things about being full-time on campus is being able to attend special pomp-and-circumstance events like the convocation. The event is akin to a Presidential State of the Union address, meant to not only address any weak aspects, but to compliment our good points and inform us on improvements to be made.
And, afterward, there's always a nice lunch. Bonus!
I had arranged to attend, as I'm always up for these events, as I said.
The crux of this meeting concerned the upcoming inspections this spring. The inspectors will be checking to see how the new QEP is working. But also, and of more concern to those in charge, the inspectors will be checking to see how well-known the QEP is on campus. Are the students aware that there is a Quality Enhancement Plan? What about the staff, do they know of it? And, perhaps most importantly, are the faculty well-versed in the basic tenets of First Class? These are questions which keep administrators up at night.
Seriously.
Well, I consider the head administrator a friend of mine. She and I have been chatting over coffee and at events (from tree-planting to art show receptions to wherever we happen to be together), for the past three years and we have found we have several things in common. Nice! We are always sure to give each other a warm hug, too!
So, there we were, chatting post-convocation, and the concern over spreading the word about the QEP arose. Out of nowhere, the words spring out of my mouth: Why not have practice runs on campus before the investigators arrive? Why not have folks get randomly stopped and asked about the QEP? If they don't know, then would be the time to educate them. If they DO know, and can briefly describe First Class, why not reward them with a pin or something that they can show off? You know, give them bragging rights!
Let me tell you, she LOVED the idea! Much excitement! She called over others to have them note the idea and made sure they wrote my name, too. Wow! And soon it was being determined what type of reward... pins would be good, pins that maybe said "First Class"... and what a boon it would be to surprise the investigators with an informed and active community before their very eyes!
Sometimes, I have no idea what my mind is coming up with next. Like that time I was talking about the chairs in my dining room being in an aromatic configuration...
Bit I digress.
I can say that those words to the administrator friend were derived from my marriage for fifteen years to a man in advertising, all the while listening to his ideas and concerns and analyses of current ad campaigns.
See, I did listen. Thankfully.
I'll be very interested to see how this works out!
After the luncheon, I resumed my regularly scheduled activities.
And after THAT, I was off to the latest Wednesday night offering by the PFS. Woohoo! Film noir with my bfe! The film was from 1952, "Kansas City Confidential", and was one I had been eagerly anticipating. I'm a fan of noir and the whole good-guy-triumphing-over-evil thing, especially, and although I can't ever seem to match the man's face with his name, I like John Payne, too. He fits right in with old time favorites like Montgomery CLift and Gregory Peck, you know? But in a more rugged, yet more sensitive, style.
So, there I was having a marvelous day, spending the tail end of that day sitting with my bfe watching a good, old, movie, on the couch he had snagged for us at the coffee house. Usually, we were the only ones on the couch; tonight, there was a third, a fellow I had spoken with before about the house tomato soup. I was in the middle.
I like to give my bfe plenty of room. In the past, I've gotten the impression he preferred it that way. Not tonight. When I settled back to watch the movie, I became aware that my arm was touching his... and he was keeping it that way. Then, my arm was allowed to slip down a little farther, and I could feel his chest rising as he breathed. And we stayed that way, amazingly.
I was being nestled.
So very nice.
You know how I am about touch.
And I just settled into his touch there, enjoying his company, breathing the air together, watching an old black and white film made before either of us were born.
How very soothing... and what a marvelous end to my golden day...

decade-anniversary of horror

My dearest cousin sent me a PowerPoint file today, titled "World Trade Center." The following is my reply to her.

"I couldn't bear to watch it. I am surrounded by invitations to 10-year anniversary events for the horror of Sept 11, 2001. I despise hearing it trivialized as 9/11, some catchphrase coined by the media. I remember well where I was when I heard the news: I was at work, having a normal morning, when one of the guys called to tell me the news. The next thing I knew, the word was all over the radio, the airwaves, all around. The tv kept showing the horror over and over that evening, so I left it off. I simply could not keep those images from my mind and crying, yet I was surrounded by media cashing in on the bad news.

I tried to concentrate on the outpouring of love from THE WORLD during that time. So much heartbreak being soothed by those who did not live in the USA, so many words of concern and hope for a better tomorrow, so much reassurance that we were not alone in this distress and terrible loss of life.

THAT is what I would dwell upon, NOT the evil wreaked by twisted minds."

That said, I may attend one of the events tomorrow. The film is titled "Rebirth" and features five stories of lives forever changed. Brought here by the Psychotronic Film Society, for a one-day-only showing at a favorite venue run by folks I love and trust, and attending with friends I consider family, I tentatively intend to attend the early showing. Should the film prove to be too much for me, I'll leave and flee to the beach, to allow the sound of the waves and the embrace of the sun and the kiss of the sea breeze to comfort and restore my soul.
Actually, I shall PLAN to go to the beach afterward. As a favorite quote by Isak Dinesen reminds me, "The cure for anything is saltwater - sweat, tears, or the sea."

William Shatner shouted my name!!

True, he wasn't shouting for ME, specifically, but it was still a rather nice experience to hear a well-known star of film and television saying MY NAME, loudly, over and over. Oh, yeah!
I attended the Shatnerfest today, an eight-hour celebration of William Shatner's eight decades on this planet. Woohoo!!! Compiled and hosted by the inimitable Jim Reed, who has to be Shatner's biggest fan, the event showcased four films which have been largely ignored, but which featured the pre-Captain Kirk era man.
The film in which William shouted my name was a 1974 thriller titled "Impulse". And, no, before you get all excited that someone was shouting "Faustina", let me clarify: he was shouting the diminutive form of the name. Namely, "Tina". But, still, I'll take what I can get! The character was a bratty teen who didn't like him dating her widowed mom and she made sure he, and all others, knew it. She had a valid point, though. His character was a nervous time bomb, killing off any who touched him wrong. Yes, indeed, this was a side of Shatner I think very few have ever seen! Definitely a treat, though the film was straight 70's schlock, including the music and clothes.
The best film, even according to standards of the Cannes Film Festival, was "Incubus". Filmed in 1966 in the Big Sur of California, it featured the language of the world, Esperanto. Oddly, the art-house film was inadvertently destroyed and thought to be gone forever, until a copy was found in France about 35 years after its debut. To me, one of the best parts of this black and white battle between good and evil was actually getting to HEAR the language being used. When I was in high school, I remember learning some Esperanto, finding some similarities between it and Spanish, but I never was fluent in it. These characters all spoke it as if the words were native to them. Nice!
The above films were bracketed by a 1968 tv pilot ("Alexander the Great", which also featured the pre-Batman Adam West) and the 1977 "Kingdom of the Spiders", a cautionary tale of man's inhumanity toward other life on this planet. While both were quite good, with the first being a movie I most likely DID see when I was a kid and the latter one I almost missed tonight, I think I enjoyed the other two more so. Maybe camp and arthaus are simply so different from much of today's cinematic fare, lending them a freshness beyond their shelf life.
The Shatner Fest is over and I have the T-shirt and collectible pins as proof of my attendance. Now, time for bed!