Another week has come and gone!
I was interested to read Leila’s take on having nothing to write but having to write something.
I think the best tip I can give is, don’t think and then type, just type and then hopefully you will begin to think!
To be fair though, not thinking is my comfort zone!!
With the amount of these that I’ve done, I’m probably starting to repeat myself, well, it’s either that I’m running out of material or I’m going senile. The sensible money is on a bit of both!
This week, something happened that I’d never noticed before. I found myself flicking through the TV and I became aware of the film, ‘The Lost World’ by Conan Doyle. I realised that I was watching a film from a hundred years back. It was made not long after he wrote it.
I didn’t watch much of it as I am no connoisseur of film and it was a tad dated!! With what I read on it, Doyle did a Hitchcock, well it should have been the other way around as Mr Doyle was there at the beginning of the film.
I wonder if in the years 2084 and 2094 folks will think the same of ‘Once Upon A Time In America’ and ‘Pulp Fiction’??
I wonder how the line ‘If any of you pricks move, I’ll execute every last motherfucking one of you’ will be perceived? If the snowflakes get their way, it will translate to, ‘Una the Unicorn is upset’
…And that will come with a trigger warning!
You may judge me on this, but no offence, I don’t give a fuck. I hate children. I hate their mothers and fathers more. I hate the pictures that are forced on me and the shit stories of all the ‘cute’ things that they have done. It’s all shite. If you like any of that, please keep it to yourself!! A shite in the bath isn’t funny or cute, it’s a shite in the bath!!!!
But life can be a bastard and even though I hate all of that, I have an eighty-five year old mother who has now become a toddler. Now, don’t judge me and think, ‘The poor old soul is losing it.’ She isn’t. But she can’t do anything without one of us ‘Having to be there’.
This posting will be finished tomorrow due to the above!!!!!!!
I am now fifty-eight and just about to get my shotgun licence. If I ever start to phone up relatives with the phrase, ‘Could you be here…’ I’m going to use that licence to blow my head off!!!!! Not the licence, the gun that it allows me to have!!!
And while I’m on a rant (Sorry Leila!) my cats are stupid. Wee Fiend spotted a fly on the wall. Fair play to her. Harry Fiend then joined in the fly staring. I hate flies so I moved their pedestal (A four foot high, emm, well, pedestal against the wall where the insect was. Did they jump up on-top of it to reach the fly, did they fuck. They attacked the rubber mat that the pedestal was sitting on. My cats have made me sad on where the world of cats is going. To be honest, it may be only mine that are a pair of cabbages!!!!
At the time of writing, Harry Fiend is under the rubber mat and Wee Fiend is jumping on his head. The fly is on my sandwich!!!*
*Just an update – Fly was doing the breaststroke in my beer. I’ve now drunk my beer. Chewed the fly and called my cats a pair of numpties. They stared at me and began cleaning their arses…I judge myself for being a cat owner, I think we simply love the misery and being on edge!!!!!!
Okay, onto the week’s stories.
We had two new folks and another three who have forty seven stories between them.
As always, our initial comments follow.
First up was Christopher Ananias. Christopher has reached double figures, there are not many writers who have managed that. I’m not sure how I could check that without having to go through every single writer. No offence guys, that ain’t going to happen!!
‘Our Lunatic Uniform’ got us up and running on Monday.
‘I found this rather enthralling.’
‘The narrator is a fascinating character.’
‘Christopher’s stories are always interesting.’
On Tuesday we had Mick Bloor with story number twenty four. It was entitled ‘Keeper Of The Snowy Owls.’
‘A circular story.’
‘Some very clever word play.’
‘I loved the witty tone to this.’
We had something a bit unusual to break the back of the week. We had two writers, Itto and Mekiya Outini, who gave us their first story, ‘Johnny, From Another World.’
‘A strange piece, but strange in a good way.’
‘ Very entertaining.’
‘A philosophical hybrid of Science Fiction and world events.’
David Louden was next up with his sixteenth story for us entitled, ‘2016’
‘Brilliant.’
‘This is particularly relevant in these days of AI.’
‘This has a wonderful comeuppance!’
And we finished off with another new writer. We send them all a warm welcome and hope to see more of their work.
‘Epilogue’ was Jeremy Bader’s offering.
‘Interesting and well done.’
‘This really does have a great tone to it.’
‘An odd little story.’
That’s us for another week. Everything is looking healthy, comments are rolling in and we have plenty of stories to take us well into next year. For that we want to thank each and every one of you!
Just keep on doing what you are all doing.
Earlier on I mentioned the silent film, ‘The Lost World.’ That reminded me of a very strange film called ‘Babylon’ with the stunning Margot Robbie and the getting better with age, Mr Brad Pitt. There are some really weird scenes in it. But what I found so interesting was how the ‘actors’ didn’t really cope when the talkies came into being. The silents were very noisy and the talkies were very quiet!! It’s actually pretty obvious when you think on it! It’s worth a watch.
A cracking piece of music to finish with. To be honest, I’m not a great fan but I think this version is as good as I’ve heard.
I give you Janis Joplin – ‘Me And Bobby McGee’
Image by Broxs from Pixabay – close up of a big, black fly on an apple
literally stories 
Ahhhh – such a great song (courtesy of Kris K) and such a wonderful, much missed singer. Belter, as the kids say.
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Hi Steven,
It’s a sign of a great song when all versions are superb. I think this is one of them. ‘Mac The Knife’, ‘Tainted Love’ and ‘Jealous Guy’ also spring to mind!
Thanks as always my fine friend. Hope life is being kind to you.
Hugh
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Hugh
Ah, the Cats have you thinking they are “numpties.” I imaine there is a sinister plan in the works.
My Black Cat Dudley chased and ate bugs (mostly Moths) in his callow youth. Arthritic and fifteen he remains as still as death and snags them when they pass by.
Twice I have wasted money on Cat towers. Neither would climb either.
No children here. “Cute” is never an adjective for shit. I recall the line spoken about WC Fields “Any man who hates small children can’t be all bad.” Something like that.
I bet Quinten’s films will be well remembered if there still is a world by the end of the century. Sergio Leone is about forty years dead and his westerns and Once Upon a Time in America still win.
Thank you for Janis too!
Leila
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Hi Leila,
You may have a point regarding the fiends. Maybe it’s a case of Stewie from ‘Family Guy’!!
I know it is a stretch but I enjoyed ‘The Rose’. I reckon Bette Midler is a very under-rated singer.
And two older films in the same vein are ‘That’ll Be The Day’ and ‘Stardust’ both staring David Essex.
Thanks as always.
Hope you’ve received your new chair for the Fur Hats to lie on or scratch!!!
Hugh
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The Rose was a good movie, outshone by the song though.
Yes, Stewie knows people!
Leila
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Intriguing thought: what of our time will be lauded in 2099? Read somewhere that Vermeer’s paintings were utterly forgotten for a couple of hundred years, til some C19 french critic rediscovered them. I sort-of-fancy the idea that a swathe of long-dead, long-forgotten artists, writers, musicians, etc will belatedly get the praise they earned but never got in their lifetimes.
Good to listen to Janis again.
bw mick
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Hi Mick,
I just hope it’s not ‘Bros’, ‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’ and a collection of Tom Hanks films!!!
Thanks as always.
Hope you and yours are happy and healthy!!
Hugh
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Hi Hugh
I missed last week’s take on writing by Leila. I’ll have to check that out.
I think you’re right. The writing starts with writing even if there’s nothing in the brainwaves. The clacking of typing can get it going. It’s a kind of magic that fills itself in like coloring.
I watched the oldest movie (silent movie) I ever saw called “Birth of a Nation,” 1915. It was a strange experience, watching something so old. Just seeing people living and breathing from over a hundred years ago is pretty amazing. Not like watching some historical piece–it was a historical piece,
It did make me cringe as it celebrated the KKK. Burning crosses, victimizing the poor southerners that enslaved people, demonizing black folks as power hungry. Total Fascism.
It brought a terrible resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan that spread like wildfire wherever the blacks resettled migrating from the South to the North and West. I’m surprised it hasn’t been erased from existence. I don’t think history should be cancelled or censored in any way. Too much to learn from.
I guess I got on that writing thing and jumped on a tangent.
The snowflakes of the world might indeed try to censor “Pulp Fiction,” years from now. Things will look strange to them–I’m sure–riding in their automated bubbles to and fro, amazed that people used to be able to drive a car…
Christopher
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Hi Christopher,
I agree with you regarding the KKK, how in this day and age they haven’t evolved is beyond me. Sadly, bigotry in all it’s forms will outlive all of us and be the cause of us not being here!!
Thanks so much my fine friend.
Be happy and healthy!!!
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Yes, totally agree – start typing and opens the hatches. As it did indeed with Leila last week. I like Janis but I’m afraid this version didn’t work for me. I like quite a number of version but my favourite has to be by Kris. It’s odd how some songs tha are obviously written with gender in mind work well with all the varied mixes but I think Bobby will always be a girl to me. Great post – oh except for the bit about chewing flies, that gave me the ick? dd
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Hi Diane,
Please see my response to Steven regarding the song.
I think the best example of writing when you don’t know what, is when we are undecided with a story. The best thing is to start writing and as we know, we normally come to a decision.
Ah flies, surely all those freshwater fish can’t be wrong???
Thanks as always. Say ‘Hello’ to Ian for me!
Hugh
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Hi Hugh!
Not knowing what to write can be a truly torturous feeling and just sitting down to do it seems like as good a solution as any. Reminds me of the old saying, “I don’t know what I think until I see what I say.” And, the beauty of writing is that you can always hit the delete key or tear it up afterward if necessary. Other things that can work include taking a long, vigorous walk to get the mind pumping or maybe even certain “pharmaceuticals” when necessary (but only up to a certain point).
Thanks for playing Janice singing Kris, it reminded me of the song “Chelsea Hotel” by Leonard Cohen about her. Also hilarious to remember that she once punched Jerry Lee Lewis (or tried to) backstage. I was listening to the song “The River” by Springsteen the other day. Yet another example of why the Boss is just as much a poet as Cohen or Dylan.
It’s good of you to help take care of your mother and karma always pays us back for things like that.
I agree with you about hating all parents. But as far as kids go, in my own experience I’ve found that they are universally smarter, cooler, better, more advanced, more real, more authentic, truer, and cooler (already said that one) than almost all (but not all) adults. And the adults who are equally as cool as kids usually (or always) have a large amount of youthful childhood still alive inside them no matter what physical age they are. Generally, if I have to sit around and talk to someone who isn’t a dog, I’d rather it be a kid, instead of an adult, with exceptions, who are the adults with kid spirits. Once we humans have been trained to follow all the rules too much, we can become so deadly boring that it’s downright horrifying. For me, that is the definition of most adults. And so I do agree with you that all the nonsense that comes from mothers (and sometimes fathers) about their kids can be truly nauseating. But the kids I’ve known still have their original spirits intact (or most of them) and that, for me, makes them better than their parents. Another thing is that too many adults are too set in their ways. They’ve already made up their minds about everything, despite the evidence, and that, again, equals Boring with a capital B.
Thanks for your tell-it-like-it-is honesty, Hugh! It’s always refreshing, and thought-provoking, and your prose style has the stamp of a personality on it, which is invaluable, especially these days.
Dale
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Hi Dale,
Thanks as always – Your comments humble me!!
‘The River’ was the first album I listened to and thought I was becoming an adult!
I agree with you about speaking to dogs, cats, in fact any animal apart from those that would eat you! (But that’s only sense)
My brother-in-law can’t understand me when I say I hate where I stay. I explained to him that some days I simply don’t want to talk to anyone but where I am, everyone knows everyone. Sometimes you just want to put your rubbish out without having an inane conversation!
In one of Leila’s earlier works (I can’t remember which) she had a character who adhered to the idea of ‘Say nothing Thursdays) I like that idea!!
Thanks for your kind comments in your last paragraph. When I look around I am saddened to think that personality and individuality have no chance when ‘Likes’ are being striven!!
Hope you and all that mean something to you are happy and well!!!!
Hugh
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Entertaining post. Never had a cat. I would but am highly sneezy around them. I read an article where Janis Joplin said she wasn’t afraid of ODing because she was from Texas and Texans were tough. At least she left us with a lot of great music.
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Hi Dave,
I always appreciate you my fine friend!!!
Anyone who wants a cat needs to realise four things.
It makes you question why any sane person would want one.
That quote makes me think on a few folks who, to me, were invincible. (For many a reason) When these folks died, that taught me my greatest lesson on life!
Thanks as always.
I wish you and yours all the very best.
Hugh
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Hello Hugh,
Thanks for the post (rant?).
True Confession: I love Amanda Plummer even before Pulp Fiction, but after that I was a goner for her.
Forget thinking. Only write. The words will take care and/or torture you with no need for conscious thought.
At least, that’s how it works for me.
Cheers,
Marco
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Hi Marco,
I enjoyed her in ‘Ratched’ That was a weird wee series!
I think the writing thing is one of those shit-circles as in because we have nothing to say we don’t type and if we don’t type, we have nothing to say!!
Your word ‘torture’ does apply to a helluva lot of this discipline!!
Hope you are happy, healthy and inspired my fine friend.
Thanks as always!!
Hugh
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Hugh,
My trans-sexual cat, Lola, has no teeth that I know of and can only eat ‘wet’ cat pate: fish and entrails. But can swallow flies whole if she wants. Why would I care? Let the ‘Fiends’ enjoy. It sounds like they’re just playing around with you.
As for unicorns, the brewery I frequent has loads, especially around closing time. If Una the Uni shows up, I’ll send my regards.
Thanks for Janice! — gerry
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Hi Jerry,
It wasn’t that long ago that I found out that the Unicorn is the national animal of Scotland. Only the Scots could think a mythical creature was an animal!
It could have been worse, it could have been a pink elephant!!
Yep, the fiends like to challenge me and they always win!!
Thanks so much for the comments – Much appreciated!
All the very best my fine friend.
Hugh
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When we lived in Marin County California USA we found that many of the rockers had lived there. I mentioned Grace Slick earlier. Van Morrison spent time there, so many more. Janis Joplin had lived close to a friend before Joplin died.
Our favorite long term cat Batface (he looked like a vampire) hunted moths when we lived in Denver. It was called the 9 O’clock moth or something like that. He’ catch a moth in his mouth which gave the apprearance that he had an electric tie. He’s ask in. We’d put him in the bathroom where he’d beat up the moth until the month perished.
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Hi Doug,
That’s a cracking list of folks.
All we have in Ayr was Sydney Devine and ‘The Big Wow’ Don’t be tempted to look them up, they are / were terrible.
I always wondered about the hatred cats have for moths!!!
Thanks so much for the comments.
All my very best to Sharon and your good self my interesting friend!
Hugh
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