impromptu / veer

A call from a great friend lent a much-needed comfort to my present consternations; thanks JL.

Following a rousing moment of creative inspiration / result of perspiration at the conclusion of the workday with MainFictionThing, I was greeted this morning with a brick wall. Veered off into AnotherFictionThing for awhile. Benefit of having multiple things going at once.

(Question remains with Another: where do I start? (At the beginning, wherever that is...))

Also considering a new little weekend challenge for myself on non-newsletter weekends like this one though it won't start for two weeks. Recording here so I don't forget which I probably will do anyhow.

DD + Cousin Larry

Chilly though yet to be cold enough for the heat to kick on with any consistency in The Paintshop (I've taken to calling The Sanctum The Paintshop; it is thus rechristened) but I remain most appreciative that it's there (and looks good) and certain that it will help when come the days in which today's lows are the day's highs.

SHE-HULK finale fantastic (though I did hope for one last WongerSynn appearance) – especially Daredevil interacting with Cousin Larry (those who grew up with late 80s/early 90s, +/-, TGIF will know what I'm talking about) at a family BBQ.

Took a bit of getting used to (and it’s not without some weird iPadOS behavior), but I'm digging Obsidian 1.0: my brain is happy and tactile.

Cat Toren – SEA/SKY

paintshop shambles

Waiting on the heat people to come and extend ductwork so I have heat from the furnace back there for the first time in the howeverlong I’ve been working in this space. Anticipating manic dogchildren.

ComicsThing scene being is a total shit and I can't figure out why. Don't know characters? Not needed? Usually it's one of those two but this feels like something else: a hybrid? (Responsible for my writing this instead of hammering it out? Or is this indicative of the utility of these writings? Yes, no, maybe.)

Today I will vanquish you, Waterblight Ganon, you and your accursed ice blocks. That I can't use my runes on my little Link-iPad while swimming is a source of much consternation.

shake / rattle

Efforts to "shake things up," as my therapist once advised, continue: little variations to the daily routine (Kirby off the leash instead of on in our morning trek into the out of doors for waking pissnshit, for example); bigger changes in the mindmapping pro/con etc etc stage (script drafted). Weary of feeling like a perpetual aspirant in this, my own little GROUNDHOG DAY loop minus Andie MacDowell or any other even moderately defined exit (most likely to another loop).

ruminative plate juggling, ctd

Yes I know it's plate spinning. I prefer juggling.

Asking myself: if I weren't doing this what would I be doing?

Far from cut and dry because I know that even if I weren't doing "this" I'd still be writing: it's such a part of me at this point - as one friend somewhat dismissively said of me, I always have something creative going on - whether I'm any good or not, that it would be akin to stopping breathing – or at least holding my breath.

But maybe the "this" is the caring about the gaining ideas, about the things outside of my control, a perpetual, plaguing "this," wrangling the cats, etc etc. Weary weary.

(Common theme over course of life, of career.)

All of that, of the "this," however, has too become like breathing – more of an asthma, a chronic condition. Definitely want to retire from that part – but it'll take some doing. Any / all effort(s) – whatever form it/they may take: right now, considering moving second workchunk into the afternoon so I don't have such a long period of not actively doing The Work but my internal clock / habit seems to resist any shifting of worktime – towards "fuck it, write" will be worthwhile.

Oh, speaking of: Juggling continues. Think it will work - in spite of a morning spent staring (and ruminating).

narrative plate juggling, in theory

Decided that the only way I'm going to get everything done that I want to get done is to work both MainFictionThing and ComicsThing daily, creating a chain across the daily workblocks. Hopefully the variety and interplay will help with both; that one is in my glitchy prose and the other a communicative script for someone else SHOULD, in theory at least, prevent too many unwelcome narrative similarities. In theory.

WEREWOLF OF LONDON (1935) test make-up

At left, the first, unused test of Jack Pierce's werewolf makeup for WEREWOLF OF LONDON; at right, the final version (teeth definitely appear to be the same). According to the excellent UNIVERSAL HORRORS: THE STUDIO'S CLASSIC FILMS, 1931-1946, by Tom Weaver (no relation, at least that I’m aware of) and Michael and John Brunas:

(The book then goes on to describe some rather delicious drama between Hull and Pierce involving pulling rank and werewolf life-casts. Do check out the book - fantastic stuff.)

Controversial opinion: while WEREWOLF OF LONDON is a lesser film than THE WOLF MAN and Glendon less endearing (to a fault) than Chaney's Larry Talbot, I far prefer Pierce's (well and truly resisted) Hull-werewolf makeup to his classic Chaney-werewolf 'do. There's something about it that I find far more haunting: perhaps it's how recognizable Glendon is inside the wolf. Makes the story that much more tragic?