Thank you so much to @PrincessMa99ie on Twitter for this wonderful drawing of my cosmic-self I used all throughout October. I really love it, especially the goopy slimy smile.
In ways I can't explain, I feel like this Halloween has been less spooky than usual. At least that's how I've felt about it. I don't want to say my Halloween this year was a bad one, it was just a non-eventful one when compared to Halloweens of the past (especially 2019 which was the most triumphant Halloween of my life). It really has been a bit lackluster tho, which is a shame because it was such a strong start.
This month I saw screenings of the original Universal movies "Dracula" and "Frankenstein", which was amazing. Of course, I also went to New York Comic Con. I didn't get to go do any apple picking, or check out the pumpkin patch like I normally do, but I did drink a ton of seasonal drinks like pumpkin spice coffee. But I don't know, I guess the year the spirit really isn't in me.
I rediscovered this old picture of when I was a little boy celebrating my first Halloween with friends. My mom says she wasn't sure how to celebrate since she wasn't born in America and Halloween was never really part of her personal culture, so she took some advice from friends and bought me a simple Mickey Mouse costume by the famed Ben Cooper company. I loved it, honestly. I think all the kids I was hanging out with that day wore their own Ben Cooper costumes but I can't remember what they wore, it's been too long, I must have been in kindergarten or something.
It's a beautiful memory of my youth. This photo comes from my late grandfather's collection and when I found it I was in total shock because I didn't think any evidence of this costume existed. This year I don't have a costume, or anything to do for that matter, which stinks, but it's hardly the end of the world. I might even have to work on Halloween. There's always next year so hopefully I'll be better prepared for it.
Lastly, this is a fun thing. Someone made a pumpkin-themed picrew image maker. Enjoy!
So we took a trip down to Virginia back on August 14th to explore the small one day convention event, The Oddities & Curiosities Expo. These take place all over the country and we've always wanted to go and finally we had our chance. I'm not used to such small conventions; normally comic book conventions (which are the kind I normally attend) are huge events, or at the very least crowded. This expo was pretty small but it was filled with such energy and personality I found myself bouncing off the wall with excitement.
Also, going anywhere these days is such a varied adventure. Covid and Delta are still pretty rampant around the world and doing anything that involves crowds feels pretty weird, but everyone at the expo seemed to be taking precaution and being mindful of one another. It was pretty stress-free.
At the expo I ran into the wonderful Artetak, who I follow on Twitter. I had no idea she was going to be there so this was such a delight. I purchased a print, a pin, and a key-chain from her table. In hindsight I should have probably purchased more stuff from her because she had so much cool stuff and just getting to meet her was something special. Probably should have asked her to sign my print too.
I also saw this amazing crafts table filled with all manner of sculpted creatures, props, and other creepy things. I had their business card but I can't seem to find it. It may have been lost on my way home. Either way, everything they had for sale was breathtakingly beautiful and gross and I wish I had left with one of their "specimen jars" but I forgot to go back for it before leaving. I'm sure I'll see them again someday at a future expo. At least I hope so.
After the convention I decided to go exploring. I found some cool stuff around the area where we were staying. Like the Secret Sandwich Society and Wong Gonzalez. I had drinks and dessert from the Secret Sandwich Society and dinner at Wong Gonzalez and both were wonderful treats. The aesthetic at Secret Sandwich Society is of course totally my jam; it's all meant to invoke secret societies of course and they sell shirts that have tarot card images on them.
I was trying to find a comic shop to go to while I was walking around and I was headed towards one when a storm hit and as the rain began to come down I spotted this bookstore by total chance. I somehow knew I had to go in. I was drawn to it by some unseen magnetic force. Obvious higher powers were telling me this place was something special.
The Richmond Book Shop was the oasis I was looking for, not just during this trip but for months; maybe years! Stores like this used to be everywhere when I was growing up but they've all gone the way of the dodo and it has left a hole in my heart. This beautiful place carries old comics, pulp books, humor magazines, newspapers, fetish pictures and adult magazines, comic prints, toys, and just about everything I need to live happily for the rest of my life.
I spent about $60 at the book store. I could not believe the stuff they sold at such reasonable prices. I got copies of CRACKED, CRAZY, UFO Magazine, PSYCHOTRONIC, a preserved R. Crumb cover from an old comic, various other comic prints, fetish photos, and a few other miscellaneous things. It was like I was making up for lost time.
I spoke with one of the owners and she told me the store has a history dating back to at least the 1920's or 1930's, and that the store itself switched owners and locations a few times in the previous decades before finding it's current spot where it's been since the 1960's. She also mentioned that she herself worked across the street from the shop at a diner and would swing by during her lunch break to pick up a newspaper or something. To think she would end up working and owning the place is so wild.
They weren't even fully open when I was there, they had closed off more than 70% of the shop to ensure that not too many people would be in the store at any given time because of Covid. So while operating at 30% they managed to send me into the maximum levels of happiness! I wish I could be there again when they fully open.
I genuinely cannot put into words the exact feeling I got while looking through the collection of STUFF that surrounded me. The best I can say is I felt ULTRA JOY. I felt young again. This place is my fountain of youth and it pains me that I live so very far away from it. I hope to go back someday. The 8 - 12 hour drive is absolutely worth it for this place, at least to a guy like me with the interests I have.
So yeah, it was a wonderful trip. I'm not sure how I've managed to travel so much over the years. I'm usually pretty broke. I think I'm just a lucky guy with some great friends. I hope you guys get to travel a bit too, even with things as they are.
And get a move on, who knows how much time we've got left!
As X-day crawls closer and closer, so does The Conspiracy. Every second of every waking moment is overshadowed by this all intrusive force that prevents us from enjoying our existence as we want to. They, The Con, are nigh-invincible, but even they cannot withstand the power and onslaught of JHVH-1 and an armada of Xists.
This year might very well be 1998! And next month, on the 5th of July, THE WORLD MIGHT FINALLY BE RUPTURED.
The Con knows this, and because they're a bunch of shitheads, they want to prevent all ordained members of The Church of the SubGenius from being saved by the Pleasure Saucers. The traps of The Con are everywhere, and they take on many disguises.
The other day I received a suspicious phone call from The United Nations. I did not answer of course, I mean, why would I. I'm sure the voice on the other side was indeed some nefarious agent of The Con, possibly the Men in Black, trying to entrap me via my own smartphones WiFi! These cannibals would do away with all of us before X-Day, so be wary.
Join The Church of the SubGenius! Save yourself!
But I am not unarmed. In my life I have been many things, but I have never been unloved. I was recently sent items that will help fight the conspiracy. These are artifacts of ultimate Slack and I am eternally grateful to the persons who sent them my way. These items I will treasure always.
My dear friend Stephanie sent me these amazing items, handcrafted by way of her amazing talent:
First, this ceramic/glass portrait of what I believe is her true likeness, harnessing the power of J. R. "Bob" Dobbs very own frop pipe! The first thing I noticed about this item was how hefty it was; it's very heavy and the detail is amazing. I mean that, the pictures don't do it justice at all. I'm sure having this will act as the perfect shield against any enemy transmissions or laser beams transmitted by secret Conspiracy satellites.
Stephanie also sent over this portable alien-hybrid power stone! A talisman for love, fortune, and wisdom. Also good at chucking at the faces of the Men in Black.
A homemade Drump voodoo doll! I'm not sure if I'll end up using this at any point, but, It will look good on my shelf next to my Rudy Giuliani voodoo doll!
... Maybe I will try out these dolls when given the right moment.
A handful of amazing stickers. Some of these are already on my computer.
Some VERY tasty candy.
Another amazing package was sent to me by none other than Rev. Dr. Onan Canobite, mayor of Dobbs.Town. The good doctor prescribed to me these amazing books.
The first, "Outbursts of Everett True", is a long lost character of amazing fortitude and strength. Everett is a normal man, but he reacts to normal annoyances in dramatic and near superhuman ways. A true her in every respect, Everett True is the bully who bullies bullies. You kick a dog; he'll kick you through a wall! You scare a kid with a knife; he'll slice off your ear! I mean, c'mon, that's just amazing. Everett True is the ideal man of justice in someways, coming from an era where punching a guy was considered swift justice. None of that high ground bullshit, the "Outbursts of Everett True" is a training manual on how to react to injustice in all it's forms.
The second book is also interesting to me because it is The Enchiridion by Epictetus. I'm a philosophy major, so I am of course familiar with this book on basic human decency and moral thinking. Epictetus is one of my favorite thinkers of his time, but I don't think I've ever known The Enchiridion itself ( I do have other books by Epictetus though).
What makes this version particularly special is it has four different English translations of The Enchiridion. If you've never read this book in any of it's forms, here's a quick run down; simply put it is a series of guidelines on how to react and reflect on your actions when dealing with people or peoples in society. Like Everett True, Epictetus is trying to teach readers how to live a moral life. It is non-secular if I remember correctly; Epictetus does talk about God/gods in his other works but in this one I think he keeps his feet on terra firma and simply wants to relate to people on a one-to-one level.
A Man of Letters
Another important thing to note is that this copy of The Enchiridion has been published, I believe, under the imprint of A Man of Letters, which was a podcast series about literature that lasted about 5 years. If I'm not mistaken, Dr. Canobite himself was the host. Click the image above to hear a reading from The Enchiridion.
And yesterday, during a fishing expidition in my neighborhood, my partner and I found some amazing treasures. There were all these statues of Hindu deities scattered around the area. We had no idea what was going on, but thought since we didn't catch any fish, we could at least give these gods a new home.
Then later I found out that the reason these statues were cast away is because they were probably used in some sort of ceremony and were no longer needed. Apparantly fishing them out of the water is a bad omen.
Well, whoops. Oh well, I'm still going to keep them unless I hear from my Hindu friends. If I have to bring them back to the bay I will, but for now they will be a part of my window altar alongside Hotei and my Tiki.
Below are the pictures from this fishing trip.
"Maggots" (2017)
I found this movie called "Maggots" the other day, and it was lots of dumb fun. There's this whole backstory about a galactic war, a CIA cover-up, and mutant monsters that resemble maggots eating a huge portion of the Earth population, but most of that doesn't come into play. It's mostly about this one small town where the Maggots return after their meteor crash lands. They go around eating random citizens, talking in a strange Chipmunk-like voice, and generally just being real horrible creatures.
I was rooting for them the whole time.
Now normally, I'd post a trailer alongside all the stuff here, but I couldn't find any. I mean I did, and I found the poster (above) but they look like they're from a different Maggot movie. The YouTube trailer has a different director name listed than the one for the IMDB. One is for 2007, and the one I watched is for 2017
I dunno man, I was really stoned while watching this flick, all I can tell you is that I loved it. And I guess I have to find this OTHER movie called Maggots that has similar looking creatures, except in CGI rather than puppets.
Whatever movie I watched though, I have to emphasize, I really enjoyed it.
Battle Bots (also known as "Robo War") (2018)
This is a pretty generic post-apocalyptic movie, but, it's just so likeable because there was no budget involved. All the costumes, and I mean ALL the costumes, were purchased at a Halloween store. I can almost guarantee that. There is not one decent costume among the entire cast and I wouldn't have it any other way.
There ARE giant robots in this movie, at least two, and those costumes are pretty good I guess. I say that, but they still look ridiculous.
So the plot; after a nuclear apocalypse, a cult that worships robots fights against a group of rebels who are tired of their shit, and who also have access to a giant robot. The giant robots fight, and the movie ends. That's more or less the whole story, it was difficult to pay attention. I feel like this would have been a better novel or comic book. As a movie it's fine, but it's so dialogue heavy and there aren't enough action scenes, mutants, or monsters to keep my me too interested. I still watched the whole thing though, it was only 67 minutes long.
This movie was apparently directed and written by Mark Polonia, who is a pretty legendary z-grade movie director. I'm a little surprised actually; normally he has a lot of fun creatures or effects in his films. This movie isn't terrible by any means, but it's missing a bit of zest.
I couldn't find a trailer for Robo War/Battle Bots, so here's some footage from "Saurians" (1994)
