Your Tauntuan will freeze.
I don’t understand people that say they don’t like snow. To me, it sounds like they killed their inner child. I am not talking about a bit of snow, although I will always enjoy seeing snow falling from the sky. I am just as irritated if we get a light dusting of snow that doesn’t shut down everything. It quickly turns to slush, and it simply isn’t fun.
I am talking about snow storms that paralyze society, forcing you to slow down and drink some hot cocoa. Throughout my life, snow days have created some of the best memories. In 1980, after the release of The Empire Strikes Back, I couldn’t wait for a snowstorm to take my Kenner action figures along with the Tauntaun, and Snow Speeder outside to reenact the Battle of Hoth. My youth was filled with snowmen, sledding, and epic snowball fights. Even in my early twenties, I cherished the rare snow event. The Blizzard of 1993—A few friends and I met up and found a hill to race down on whatever makeshift sleds we found. I remember the joy we shared afterward when we all went inside to warm up and watch a movie.
The Blizzard of 1996—I lived in my first apartment, a small studio apartment that cost me just over $300 a month. I recall trekking out on foot in the dark to get food (probably coffee and cigarettes, too) at the Wawa near my apartment complex. It was silent. Dead silent. The cold wind bit at my face, and I became that 10-year-old kid again, imagining I was on Hoth looking for my friend, Luke Skywalker. Even in the 2000s, I have great memories of storms that shut down my small town, allowing me to form great memories with my children. We created memories similar to the ones I have from my childhood: snowball fights, we built igloos, and made snowmen and snow angels. This past week, we had a small storm on Tuesday. Today, we are supposed to have another winter storm. The more snow, the better, I say. On my deathbed, I am not going to wish it hadn’t snowed so I could go to work. I will be smiling, remembering the snow days that brought me together with friends and family and slowed down the world around me.
IT’S (ALMOST) ALIVE!
I fixed my vintage sewing machine. It had a jam that turned out to be an easy fix. Sewing machines are complicated machines. The fact that the one I own was built between 1960 and 1965 is a testament to the craftsmanship of the past. Any modern sewing machine is made of plastic and has computer chips that will most likely fail. I wonder if any modern sewing machine could last as long as my Singer 328k. I have been practicing sewing patterns on the machine, and I am improving my hand-sewing skills as well. I am very close to assembling all the parts and then getting down to the nitty-gritty details (eyes, nose, ears, hair). I love making things by hand and adore anything handmade, whether a painting, sculpture, fashion, or a zine (hint hint—buy your Book Worms Horror Zine). I can’t get enough handmade things. I read somewhere that when things are handmade, the positive energy from the maker is put into the thing they are making. As someone who doesn’t believe in woo-woo, I have difficulty admitting this is true. I think I will do an article on Medium about how I, the atheist, believe in magic. How can I explain that? I will think about it.
Robert Heinlein’s Controversial 3rd Rule
Regina and I will discuss Heinlein’s 3rd rule on a new episode of Writing Fiction this Saturday. You must refrain from rewriting (except to editorial demand). This rule has created some debate on the interwebs, and I look forward to digging deep into it with Regina. Listen on your favorite podcast app this Saturday and follow us so you never miss an episode.
Writing
I am currently working on a few projects. The short film is coming along nicely. The story evolves daily, and it is a joy to watch it realize itself. I am working on a story to submit for an upcoming anthology titled Fear of Clowns: A Horror Anthology. I have a great idea for this. I am very excited to start writing it. Speaking of clowns, have you bought your copy of Carni yet?
What I have been doing this first week is brainstorming. I am writing down everything that comes to mind and researching the topic. I will start writing next week. The deadline is April 1st, 2024. As Regina and I discussed on last week’s Writing Fiction podcast about finishing what you start, writing for submission is a great exercise for completing your stories. Again, I am submitting, but my main focus is on writing and finishing; whether or not it gets picked is out of my control. I am still tweaking my other stories (Judas Black and The Ghouls of Dr. Forbes) and hope to share them soon.
Thrift Store Finds
I have to be honest, I have been so busy that I haven’t been to the thrift store as much as I would like to. I am struggling to recall if I found anything this past week. The only thing that comes to mind is picking up the novel Along Came a Spider by James Patterson for 25 cents. I brought that up last week, but I finished the book today. After finishing the book, I watched the 2001 movie with Morgan Freeman. The movie strayed so far from the book, which was an improvement. I did not enjoy the book and probably won’t read another Patterson book unless strongly recommended. What did I learn from the book? Not much. If I had to pick something unique that I learned, it is that his books have very short chapters, sometimes only two pages. Is that his secret of success? Is it easier to read and tear through because of that? Maybe. I do have a subscription to Masterclass, and I think I will take him to see what he talks about so I can share it with you.
George the Cat #10
Stay Gold,
James DeFeo