Weekly Dose of Mark

Saturday, April 15, 2023• 04/15/23

I sent out a Comic Critic email for the first time in months. I’ve realized I’ve fallen out of the habit of drawing comics daily, and I think I should get back into it. Before, I got more done. Well, at least I got a couple of comics drawn at the end of the week. The movie review was on “Zardoz.” Jane H. wrote about how that film temporarily stopped her lusting for Sean Connery. I’m paraphrasing.

I spent Monday morning and later evening in Downtown Tacoma. In the morning, I went to Freelance Fandango, where I met with Corey, Stan, Nori, and Haley. Corey brought prints for the binder, and Stan brought a Warlock compilation for show and tell. He also got a How to Think When You Draw book for Haley to check out. I brought in Shannon Wheeler’s Too Much Coffee Man compilation. Nori showed us bird photos he’s been taking with his telescopic lens. He would have been out on his kayak or taking more pictures, but it was raining today. This week, the KitKat flavor was Gato Chocolate, a chocolate mouse cake with a hint of strawberry flavor. We compared them to the American flavored Strawberry and Dark Chocolate. The Japanese flavor was once again superior. The Sisters of Pythias held a Ham dinner as a fundraiser in the evening. It was much better than the last Ham dinner they did. I think they took the feedback they overheard and applied it. Krista doesn’t like ham, so it was a treat for me. I went back for seconds. Oddly, small KitKats left over from someone’s Easter celebration were desert.

 

On Tuesday, I left the house at 6:40 am to drive to Seattle Central College to give a presentation titled “Cartooning as Labor.” I’d been invited by Leonard, who knew me from the Graphic Artists Guild. He teaches cartooning. I drove by five car accidents but did manage to arrive at 8am, in time for Leonard to take me to breakfast, where I had Bacon and Egg Tortillas with hashbrowns. I think the students got something out of it; some of them were interested in making cartoons. Others were taking the class for credit. A walkout was scheduled at 10 o’clock, so I left as the building emptied. When I got home, I made sure that Krista and I went for a walk before lunch. I ate a very light lunch.

My Uncle Bill, the twin to my father Jake, will be moving from New Mexico to Washington State next month. He’s moving to be closer to his family. Two of his daughters live in the Puget Sound area. I look forward to seeing more of him.

Speaking of my father, Jake, he and my mother are visiting my brother Stan and his wife, Nancy, in Hawaii. From the photos, he is texting the siblings; they are having fun at the beach.

I got an exciting email from the city of Tacoma. It reads:

Greetings and congratulations, Mark!

You have been selected to create a Traffic Box Wrap design for the City of Tacoma! We received 126 applications, and you are one of 17 artists selected, as a cohort representing a diversity of styles and perspectives, based on the quality exemplified in your past work. Rebecca Solverson will be reaching out to you soon to set up an orientation focused on the technical requirements and assistance in understanding the project and specifications for wrap designs. 

We greatly appreciate the time and effort you put into this submission. In addition to this opportunity, we may reach out to you to create one-off, site-specific wrap designs based on the information you provided about parts of Tacoma you feel especially connected with.

Thank you and let us know if you have any questions!

BK LeMay

I’m very stoked by this news. I’ve wanted to do a Traffic Box Wrap since the city started the program. I’ve applied before but didn’t make the cut. Then there was the pandemic, and then funding was an issue. I had my fingers crossed when I applied. I have an idea of what I’m going to do. It will be something that will be whimsical as people drive by, admired when they are stopped, and enthralled when they find hidden elements on close inspection. It’s going to be groovy!

Alley News

Every trip to Costco has included buying a couple of bags of dirt for the garden. We also picked up some Chicken Manure, which works very well but stinks to high heaven until you get it in the ground. And some would argue even then, there’s a smell. But the vegetables love it. Krista is worried she’s not getting the peas in early enough.

Pat Smith and I spent three hours at Wapato Park on Saturday because there was a Pokemon special event he wanted to take advantage of. I was all for this. The whole goal was to catch as many of one type of Pokemon as possible. So the last week, we’ve been gathering game elements to assist this goal. We plugged in lure modules, lure incense, and lucky eggs for extra points and enjoyed the outdoors. There was less walking than planned. We sat under the protection of roof-covered picnic areas because it was raining part of the time. Why would I do this? Besides my neighbor’s company, I’ve been stuck at level 40 for nearly two years because one of the tasks to get to level 41 was to catch 200 Pokemon in one day. And it never seemed like I had a good enough excuse to blow an afternoon in the park catching Pokemon, at least not on my own. It is with a happy heart that I can announce that I’m finally at Level 41, whatever non-accomplishment that is. It was a fun way to pass the time. But it might be a while before I do that again. If it wasn’t raining, I’m sure Krista would have preferred I mowed the yard and garden. She’s started to drop hints in that direction.

This week’s dreams:

April 8

#IDreamt I was flying to a reunion, but the plane was forced to land due to snow storms. All flights to the destination or out of the airport were then canceled. Discovered Arthur Ross Jr. was stranded with me at Cincinnati Airport.

April 9

#IDreamt Tacoma became an area of study as our dimension would partially phase with a similar dimension. In the other dimension, my friends had a toddler. So they would find ‘their’ kid popping in and out of their lives at odd times.

April 10

 #IDreamt my sister was in charge of a cruise liner’s entertainment. One of her performers for a dinner mystery was AWOL, so she asked me to fill in as an aging, poorly skilled drag queen.

April 11

#IDreamt I was working at a summer camp. The washers and dryers were caked with years of dirt and grime, so I was giving them a scrub.

April 12

#IDreamt Lani Lawrence was helping me buy property in the afterlife. Turns out that burning things like money did arrive for you. She had lots. Newcomer got a discount on land, so we were working on a deal.

April 13

#IDreamt I drew a t-shirt design for a band back in the ’80s that became famous and a pop culture icon. More than half of my income came from its licensing. It’s a shame that I woke up without fame or fortune.

April 14

#IDreamt I lived on the road. I was placing my aged orange cat on a sofa in a strange house to sleep while I rearranged the contents of the back seat of our vehicle.

April 15

#IDreamt four dreams last night. Each is in a different county with different people. All of them were jailbreaks.

I watched some movies this week:

35. April 8

The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot (2018) Rating: 8

When it comes to movies that have both Hitler and Bigfoot in them, this one is at the top . You might expect a film with such a cheezy title to be poorly produced, lacking in talent, and have poorly constructed dialog. But this film dismisses all those expectations. It’s played straight and honestly, just like the main character. The entire movie is all about a person’s character. Plus, if you are a Sam Elliott fan, as I am, you will find it a delightful film to watch. Plus, I give it an extra point for having a dog with a name in it. I watched this movie on Tubi.

36. April 9

Apollo 18 (2011) Rating: 6

I’m not a big fan of found-footage horror films. But I found myself drawn into this festival of shake-shots because it’s set on the moon. After viewing the movie, I found myself thinking of the cold war hysteria science fiction films of the ’50s. I love those old films. I believe that the undercurrent of nostalgia, along with my interest in space exploration, is what drew me to this movie. I watched this movie on Tubi.

37. April 15

Demolition (2015) Rating: 8

This drama involves a unique perspective of how a person has to excavate out of their numbness induced by denial, loss, and grief. What makes this well-sculpted film from a seven to an eight is the songs that are carefully selected for the soundtrack. The songs which aren’t familiar, you are left craving to explore. That sense of desire for exploration reflects the similar personal struggles of the characters in the film in a way that is genius in its subtlety. I watched this movie on a Netflix DVD.

38. April 15

Cocaine Bear (2023) Rating: 7

I’m giving this move an extra point on a title that became a pop-culture hit overnight. It also gets an extra point for having a dog with a name. I don’t think anyone expected this to be Ray Liotta’s final film. Mr. Liotta died in his sleep from a heart attack filming Dangerous Waters in the Dominican Republic. His death scene in this movie was gut-wrenching, and I would give an extra point for it, but it might be considered in bad taste. I watched this with Krista on Peacock. Well, I watched it. Krista gave up on it and busied herself with a game on her iPad.

More next week,

Mark

Unboxing: Stickermule Magnets of Killer Klowns from Outer Space

Weekly Dose of Mark

Friday, April 7th 2023 • 04/07/23

My friend John Markuson grew concerned when he did not see the Weekly Dose of Mark grace his inbox last week. I reassured him that all was well. I missed posting last week because I was too busy with the WA State Toy Show to type anything.

Many years ago, a guy named Steve decided to do a toy show. It was going to be held in Puyallup, so he called it something like the Puyallup Toy and Geek Show. There were not a lot of vendors, but he did fill up half a building. Steven was a natural when it came to organizing a show. He did everything right, and the one-day show was a huge success. The next year he expanded- really expanded. He went from half a small building to a huge building, from one day to three days. He added jump castles, tents, food trucks, military vehicles, and a dozen celebrities for autographs. I thought he over-expanded. But I was there for the first show, and I hopped on board for the second show. And it, too, was a huge success. The show went through a few name changes as it continued to grow. It finally became the WA State Summer Con. A couple of years ago, the toy vendors from at the first show asked him, “Hey! How about a show like the first one? Where it was mainly toys?” So Steve brought back the toy show as a separate thing. It’s smaller, gets a different crowd, and he does it a couple of times a year in other towns. I table at the one held in Puyallup because it’s just over the hill from where I live. And while it’s not as busy as Summer Con, it’s nearly impossible for me not to make a profit.

The WA State Toy Show is a two-day affair. Last Friday, I prepped all of my merchandise, loaded up the car, and then unloaded at the Puyallup Fairgrounds.

My neighbor Pat Smith was going to assist, but he forgot to clear it on his calendar. I called my friend Allen Gladfelter and asked him how he felt about helping me out at a toy show. He laughed, “A Toy Show? Sure! Why not? I’m not doing anything else on Saturday.” Krista was happy. Since the table was all set up, that meant Allen and I could take his car, and Krista would have a car to do some shopping. As a reward for helping me, I bought Allen breakfast at The Meridian Café, which replaced Aunt B’s. The Meridian Café is one of the few restaurants in downtown Puyallup that open before 8 am. Which is a good thing as the Toy Show starts at 9. They do a good breakfast there. I just don’t like the wood bench seats in the booths.

I’m very glad Allen came with me. While I did some final tweaks to the signage on the table, Allen walked around the two buildings, one of which had a second floor. He reported that there was a booth of Star Wars, Hot Wheels, Legos, and action figures. He laughed and announced, “There is a sea of Funko Pops.” I tried to squelch his rants on Funko Pops as Anthony, the guy selling right next to us, had his tables covered with Funko Pops. Things got very busy for me on Saturday. Allen was running most of the transactions, and I pulled merchandise from boxes. This was the first show while I was selling my new set of Atomic Age Alien pins. A couple of my die-hard fans came by and bought the full set. I sold a dozen more over the weekend. I “made table” in the first hours. I offered to buy Allen lunch, but we ate a big breakfast. I’d brought some snakes, and we nibbled on those. Allen and I were placing bets with each other. Who would return to the table? Who would buy something? Allen came out ahead. I thought for sure those emo teenagers would come back. A couple of my other friends were also at the show. Corey Macourek had a table featuring Star Wars backgrounds he made for folks who want to show off their figurines. Mark Brill was there doing Caricatures and selling some of his prints.

I was by myself on Sunday, which wasn’t a problem. Sunday wasn’t as busy as Saturday. But it was busy enough that I could sit and do some drawing. Every time I tried to draw on my tablet, I found myself talking to a friend stopping by or selling an item off the table. I took my time breaking down at the end of the day. Since the show started at 9am, it ended at 4, a little earlier than other shows. It wasn’t raining as I made two easy trips to the car. I could sit down and tally my earnings, which were better than last year. Woo Hoo!

Because it is spring break, Freelance Fandango was filled with teachers this week. I was so happy to hang out with my friends. While there was a lot of chatter and show and tell, I got a little drawing done as well. Mark Brill, Stan Brown, and James Stowe were there. We were all exchanging Weird Elephant prints. They dropped off extras for me to put into the archive I use to refill our binders. There was a discussion about who would want to create posters for some of the movies coming out. There wasn’t too much talk about art events happening in Tacoma. We’ve all had to rely on our solo activities in recent years; discussing or even being active with others is a slow habit to get back into. Sharing those activities can be a lot of fun. I gave a report on the Toy Show. Nori received a lot of compliments on his recent nature photographs. Stan has been regularly drawing monsters on Monster Monday and doing a podcast on his YouTube channel called The Sumo Show, where he and his friend Owen talk about sumo. I’ve been learning many behind-the-scenes facts about the players, the stables in which they live, and the political intrigue within the sumo association. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/@StannexStan

Alley News

My neighbor Pat is new to playing Pokemon Go. I think he and I have gone on more walks together in the last few months than in the many years we’ve been neighbors. He asks me questions about the game I’ve never figured out. Ever since the special Pokemon event that Pat and I attended at Wapato Park he’s been itching to be a part of the next one. I’m helping him locate Pokemon Go friends online, which is part of the playing process. But he has yet to actively meet any other players in person. Once he comes out of his shell a little, he’ll be more open to doing so. Most people I played with in the Fern Hill area use an app called Reddit to keep in touch and organize. I don’t use that app, so I never caught on. I relied on someone in that group to call me when something happened. That worked fine until she moved out of state.

The recycling service had to return on Thursday because they should have picked up the containers set out in the alley on Wednesday. Our neighbor Cathy Smith called the city. She is usually very quick about such things.

I had a quick visit with my parents this week. My father had a morning session at a chiropractor, and my mother went to the gym. I got to their house just as my dad returned from Kingston, and a minute later, Mom returned home. We ate a speedy, light lunch of clam chowder before I got Dad in the car to get some cortisone injections into his back. He’s been getting them about every six to nine months, and they have been helping a great deal. Dad asked the other patients in the waiting rooms questions about their upright walkers. He has one but desires a version with armrests. The people we encountered were very proud of their walkers and more than happy to show the unique features to be found on their model. I took photos to show my siblings in case his new interest continued. We made a couple stops back on the way home.

Dad lavished a sushi lunch on me the last time we were out. This time I got him some razor blades, a tank of gas, and a bottle of Makers Mark. I told him it was an early birthday gift. His 93rd birthday is next week. My brother Stan is taking Dad and Mom to Hawaii. While in Hawaii, Stan will take Dad fishing. I hope he catches a whopper. The sibling pitched in on that. I left my folks with some carrot cake Krista made, some Brazil nuts for mom, and some Japanese chocolate-filled cookie treats made for little kids with pictures of pandas playing sports. Then it was home for dinner.

Some of the meals Krista made for me in the last few weeks:

Chicken and Squash Sauce with Pine Nuts.

Katsu Squid Flanks with rice and brocolli.

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce.

A new variation on her Chicken, Carrots, and Noodles dish done with a Sheppard’s pie crust. This one is spicier than the other with a creamier coating.

Pulled Pork, this batch was spicier and sweeter than the last batch.

Salt and Pepper Panko covered cod.

Crispy Spicy Korean Chicken with rice and broccoli.

Songs I’ve woken up with in my head:

“George of the Jungle” by Sheldon Allman and Stan Worth

“Tonight You Belong to Me” by Patience and Prudence

Some of my dreams:

March 27

#IDreamt spirits would stay close to the people that killed them. I found myself following my murderer to prison. The ghosts there debated their purpose as there were no instructions.

March 28

#IDreamt, a large corporation, went to the moon to claim it as its own. They discovered the moon was already inhabited and had more advanced technology. The Lunites kicked the invaders back to Earth.

March 29

#IDreamt I was working as a graphic recorder at an impromptu conference. A hurricane had everyone in the hotel holed up in a conference room. Someone suggested we should pass the time constructively.

March 30

#IDreamt I found a terrific ‘50,s era looking suit at a thrift store. I bought it and, while wearing it, discovered it was a computer capable of time-dimension travel. From there, things got a bit hectic.

March 31

#IDreamt I met a band on tour to talk about storyboards. They were so bombed on pot that I used my phone to video them playing and interacting with fans who were more stoned than them. Made it into a music video.

April 1

#IDreamt that four agencies deal with supernatural events. They are so heavily warded that people who work for them often need to be remembered. Only people who are cursed can perceive them.

April 2

#IDreamt that I was paired with another dreamscape agent to infiltrate a roughy supercomputer. One access point was a hidden door on an elevator. The dream was looping, the computer’s defense system in action.

April 3

#IDreamt I was back in an alternative version of the old West where women were required to pass a literacy test to work in a brothel.

April 4

#IDreamt I was cleaning a river next to a metropolis. This was part of my duty looking for bad guys. I was talking to a raccoon and her pup for ecological advice, but they were city dwellers.

April 5

#IDreamt I was overweight with a beard and spent all my time at a dirt racetrack with a bad crowd. After a racing accident, I turned over a new leaf, left that scene, and changed my appearance.

April 6

#IDreamt, the secret cure to the secret alien virus invasion, had a 73% success rate being distributed in food at Denny’s. Taco Bell was selected as the next distribution site because of its user demographics.

April 7

#IDream I was walking into a lighthouse expo.

I watched some movies in the last couple of weeks:

32. March 29

Penny Serenade (1941) Rating: 6

I rewatched this film to confirm that I saw it before, maybe before I was a teenager, on our old black-and-white television set before cable was even a thing. It’s a soft-touch melodrama tear-jerker with bits of soft-touch humor. Perhaps its soft touch is why I had difficulty remembering if I’d seen it before. I watched it on a Netflix DVD.

33. April 4

Unhuman (2022) Rating: 5

This movie teases the audience with the zombie and young teen drama genres. It does land in the horror genre. When you finish watching it, you will have to decide where in your Venn diagram it falls. I watched it on Amazon Prime.

34. April 5

The Wave (2015) Rating: 6

You have the trope of a man’s marriage being a bit on the edge. But it’s done without a lot of exposition. The trope of an emo teenager, without it being in your face. His colleagues see him as tight, not paranoid about things, not really. These little bits of anxiety build to the moment when things obviously go, well, downhill. It's a fun enough disaster movie to watch.

There is so much I haven’t written about. I had a lot of phone calls with various family members and friends. Krista and I are trying to plan out our summer months for visitors and to visit. But, I must stop writing this missive at some point, fearing I will bore my readers or wear them out.

More next week,

Mark

Weekly Dose of Mark

Saturday, March 25, 2023 • 03/25/23

 

The gathering at Freelance Fandango was a lot of fun. Nori Kimura was the first to show up. His birthday was last week, but he is still celebrating. Happy birthday, Nori. Stan Brown and Corey Macourek texted me that they were running late. Haley Waddington showed up as well. Yichao Zhang texted me the night before that she couldn’t make it. Yichao was intimidated by a crazy bus rider last week. Yichao’s wife didn’t want her to take the bus. I wonder if I can get her and Richard to take the bus together, as I know they live in the same neighborhood. But making that suggestion would break my New Year’s Resolution. For show and tell, Stan brought in a collection of Al Hirschfeld’s caricatures. This was the second collection Al Hirschfeld, and his archivist was putting together when he died. In total, two books cover his fantastic work over decades of broadway performances. He would hide his daughter’s name, “Nina,” in his works. I did not know that he would write a number by his signature indicating how many times he hid her name in his work. Stan also told us the story of why he did it. When Hirschfeld’s daughter was born, he worked her name into that day’s drawing. He did that for the next few days. When he stopped, he got a slew of letters if something was wrong. So he kept up the habit of adding her name to prevent people from worrying.

 

 

After Fandango, we took Nori out to lunch at Pho Bak Café. It was Nori’s choice. He said he wanted to go where we wanted to go. But we insisted since it was his birthday, he should pick where we ate. We also told him not to worry about the cost; it was on us. I had the brisket Pho. I went with a large, but a small would have done me fine. It was a big bowl. Stan and the chicken, and I think nearly everybody else had the combination of beef, tripe, and tendon.

 

Krista and I drove to Seattle to get her teeth cleaned. We didn’t have time to schedule a visit with friends for our visit as she had a meeting in the afternoon. We did have a few minutes to stop off at Uwajimaya to pick up a couple of new KitKat flavors to share at Fandango, a variety of rice crackers whose selection changes every time we visit, and some other Japanese seaweed staples that have been in short supply in our local Asian markets. We had a very late lunch with some takeout items from Uwajimaya—dumplings for Krista and Nigiri sushi for me. We split a crab roll.

 

Later that same day, I hosted Epic Sketch Time online. I’d mangled the gathering last week and was very happy to see the regulars, Bill and Katie, attend. I actually got some drawing done. That is after I spent fifteen minutes figuring out why my microphone wasn’t working. I checked all the cables, the settings on the computer, and the settings on the app. It was a sign of my senility that I discovered I’d forgotten the "on" switch. There was some laughter at my expense, which is an excellent way to start any gathering. The hour flew by.

 

Wednesday marked the third month in a room where the Grand Cinema was kind enough to host my friends and me as we drew a live model. We’re promoting this even as The Grand Drawing Room. In attendance were RR Anderson, his wife Darcy, James Stowe, Allen Gladfelter, Yichau 

Zhang, her husband, three others besides myself, and model Sara Servin. Sara Cosplayed as Ayato from Genshin. I’m not familiar with either the video game or the character. But I could tell Sara spent some time putting together the highly detailed costume. She’s modeled like this for a drawing group that meets every Wednesday in Kent before the pandemic. Those drawing sessions have not started back up. Stan Brown would often be called upon to be the host. Stan could not make it on Wednesday, which was a slight bummer. Another minor bummer was my forgetting to take the Weird Cabal binders to the car. I’d set them to one side of the room to be out of the way of returning the tables and chairs to storage. I called the next day to confirm they were still there before I fetched them. 

 

Some of the meals Krista made this week were General Tsous Chicken, Mustard Glazed Salmon, Pork Chops, and some Shrimp sandwiches. Most of these were done in batches large enough so that leftovers could be used the next day. We’ve been shopping this week. The freezer and pantry are brimming. We even have frozen leftovers and deserts waiting. When the pandemic hit, we went a full month between shopping excursions, and our supplies were barely pressed. We could quickly go for two months with the provisions we have on hand. I might have to ask Krista for us to do something like the next couple of months so that we can empty the garage freezer. It requires defrosting this summer.

 

I spoke to my brother Randy this week. He told me about a film festival in Seattle that I would have loved to attend. The website for it is makebelieveseattle.com. As it is, all my socializing has left me too tired to drive to Seattle and attend. Randy asked me what I thought about the trailer for “Renfield.” I told him I thought the movie would be a seven on a scale of 1 to 10. I was looking forward to seeing an over-the-top performance of Nick Cage as Dracula. I forgot to mention that my friend James Stowe just completed a poster for the Grand’s upcoming showing of “Vampire’s Kiss,” another Nick Cage vampire performance. Randy called me during a Ganzaga football game that was not going well. I told him the only sport near and dear to my heart was sumo and that tomorrow would be the last day of the Basho. Krista and I were rooting for the Rikishi, who had to win twice again the same opponent that day if he wanted to win the Emperor’s Cup. I said goodnight as I could smell the pork chops that were nearly ready in the kitchen.

 

I also spoke to Aunt Christine briefly. We just wanted to make sure she and her dog were doing okay. The weather in Alturas is colder than it is here. She was thinking about going grocery shopping. But, like us, she has plenty in the pantry in case she doesn’t like the look of the roads. 

 

Alley News

 

The weather is still on the cool and damp side. This week my neighbor Pat and I only got rained on once during our walks. Krista joined me for a walk most days. A couple of days, I went for a walk twice, once with Krista and once with Pat. I’ve not shown enough willpower in the evenings to constrain my dinner portion. I hope a couple of extra walks will keep my weight even. Pat is improving his Pokemon Go skills. He’s learning more of the tricks of the game. 

I said to him, “I think I created a monster.” 

“Which one?” he asked, thinking I meant a Pokemon.

 

The alley has been very quiet. It has yet to start on the post-winter yard clean-up. The frequent winds have left branches scattered about. Thankfully it remains cold enough that the grass has remained dormant. There’s no need to get out the mowers. It was dry and clear enough today that I pruned English Ivy off another panel on the front fence. This time I could fit it all into one of the yard waste containers. I wanted to keep the other container free for Krista next in case she decides to go outside and clean out the raised beds.

 

Here are some of the dreams I remembered:

 

March 20

#IDreamt a colleague rented an Air BNB for a work trip. It was odd in that it had no interior walls. I was jet-lagged and wanted to sleep. But he wanted to show me videos of his dog on his phone.

 

March 21

IDreamt I was watching a Jonah Hill movie in which he was a drug dealing kingpin who made a deal with law enforcement in exchange for protection and medical expenses. The latter of which was increasing due to injury and chronic illness.

 

March 22

#IDreamt students of a rural university in England would put on the town’s fête. One of the attractions would be a fortune-telling pig called Mr. Richards. The students would go all out with prosthetic makeup.

 

March 23

#IDreamt one of the characters in my dream, decided to recycle a dream used by a previous character. This, in turn, saved them a lot of dream energy so they could play a more featured role in the dreamscape.

 

March 24

#IDreamt I was visiting a farm in Australia. There was a slight cold snap that morning. This might explain why several budgies were burrowing under my denim jacket.

 

March 25

#IDreamt people could learn a new language by chewing gum. A new term arose, ‘Babe,’ which referred to a new language consisting of languages available through the gum.

 

29. March 18

The Faculty (1998) Rating: 7

I don’t recall watching this in the theater. In rewatching it, I find it hilarious how many of the actors were at good points in their careers when they did this movie, and many of the student actors went on to become famous actors in their own right. Some of those careers were downright stellar. The premise of an alien invasion occurring on a high school campus works historically with all of the other student-cried-wolf movies. I wish I didn’t wait so long to watch it. The film is slightly dated, with bulky computer screens, a lack of cell phones, and other things. But it was fun to rewatch it again.

 

30. March 22

Piranha 3D (2010) Rating: 7

It’s always fun to watch a remake and see what different choices will be made to make the story more titillating. In this case, it’s boobs, fun bags, ta-tas, and hooters. And to exploit everything film can do to shove them in your face, let’s add 3D. It’s time to open a can of crass carnivorous critters from a crack in a creepy cave.

 

31. March 25, 23

Shivers (1975) Rating: 6

It’s been as least thirty years since I last viewed this film. Back went I first watched it, I was still a teenager, a gore-hound on a relentless quest in the video store to rent every horror movie I could find on the off chance of seeing some significant practical special effects. Shiver’s budget in that regard was low, but it compensated with sexploitation- very awkward sexploitation. The actors looked incredibly embarrassed as they pawed at each other. The social commentary on the perception of modern living is as strong as a slap to the face. You get to feel a little smug at the dated elements in the film. I couldn’t help but think that Door-Dash would now replace the lavish meal delivery in the movie. And true fright fans will quickly recognize scenes that would be homaged in future horror films.

 

More next week,

Mark

Weekly Dose of Mark,

Saturday, March 18, 2023 • 03/18/23

 

There was quite a turnout at Freelance Fandango this week. In attendance were Yichao Zhang, Nori Kimura, Haley Waddington, Corey Macourek, Anique Zimmer, and myself. There was a children’s drawing on the whiteboard. We decided to critique it. And then, after guessing as to what some of the elements were, we decided to take turns embellishing it. We were all quite happy with the result. Somebody realized I was drawing beakers falling from a plane. Everybody groaned when I said they realized I was drawing a chem trail. Yichao is a fantastic illustrator. She brought in some of her ink drawings for show and tell. Corey brought in proof for his “Ghost in the Shell” poster. I brought in the Manga my brother brought back from Japan last week. Each week we try a new Kit Kat flavor. But this time, Haley brought in a couple of flavors, and we had leftovers from last week. We sampled: Lemon Crisp, Bitter Extra Chocolate Bean, Chocolate Mouse Cake, and Melon. Stan Brown wasn’t able to attend because he still had Covid. He could tell from the photos we posted online that he missed a perfect time.

 

I completely messed up on Tuesday. Krista called me to watch Sumo at 4:25. I had an alarm on my phone set for 4:25 and thought it was going off to remind me about Sumo. So I turned it off without looking at the label on the alarm, which would have told me to open the room for Epic Sketch Time. It was only after Sumo was over I realized my mistake. Krista apologized, even though it wasn’t my fault. I mentioned earlier in the day that we’d have to watch Sumo in the evening because I had Epic Scheduled. But, like many sports fans, we forgot our schedule in the excitement for the match. I spent the next half an hour emailing and texting apologies to those who’d waited patiently for me to get my act together. Bill Morse tried to reach me on my phone. But its battery was low, and I’d left it in my office to recharge.

 

I suffered a setback on my project. The file I was working on became corrupted, and I could not open it up. Macs have a system called “Time Machine,” You can go back an hour, a day, or a week and open an earlier version of your file. Unlucky for me, Time Machine was not running. I’ll have to look into why it was turned off. I was lucky in that I did save an earlier version of the file, so not all of my work was lost. But I did spend the rest of the week getting back to the stage in the project when I’d start to apply color. It took three days because I spent half of one day failing to access an older file version via Time Machine. The plus

 

Yichao Zhang had her first art show at the Asia Pacific Cultural Center. I didn’t think I’d get a chance to go because it was the third day in a row Krista had to travel to her office in Olympia to work. And the odds of her getting home early were low. But came home early, she did. So when my phone alarm went off, and I looked at the label expecting it to be a reminder for me to pick her up, I was excited to see it was a reminder to see Zhang’s show. So I went off to the show expecting it to be some light snacks and drinks and found that there was an impromptu presentation as well. Plus, I was called upon to mention Freelance Fandango and The Grand Drawing Room. I also met Ron Snowden, a watercolor artist, who teaches there on Mondays. He said he might come to the live drawing sessions. I bought a couple of prints from Yichao. I’ll pick them up from her on Monday. I will have to tell her that her work is underpriced. She is a truly exceptional artist. After the show, I followed Krista’s instructions and brought home some takeout from Zen Sushi Burrito. We usually order shrimp bowls with extra Yam-Yam sauce.

 

I had too many things to go to this Friday. Lynn De Dino had her Tripod slideshow as 7. Travis Bundy was selling prints at Friday Night Fright’s presentation of “Maximum Overdrive.” I spent my evening with Corey Macourek at the Grand Cinema presentation of “Ghost in the Shell.” Corey did the movie poster on 3D paper. His prints sold well, and he made back his investment, which is saying something as the cost for production on these prints were three times as much as normal. 3D paper is expensive stuff. I love this anime and haven’t seen it in the theater. I think the last I saw it was when it was released in 1995. Two years ago, I was starving for social contact, and now there is an overabundance of things to do with friends on Friday night. My level of carousing is very low-key compared to the average Friday night carouser. Watch me paint the town red with my choices for a fun time: art shows, slide shows, anime, and horror movies.

 

Alley News

           

Pat Smith and I have gone walking nearly every day this week. I mentioned earlier that Krista spent most of this week in Olympia. She and I did manage to get at least one walk-in together. But this was a busy week for her work-wise. Pat is enjoying learning the ins and outs of playing Pokemon Go. There was a special Pokemon event today. When Pat called, Krista shooed me out the door. She was decompressing with a book. Pat and I drove over the Wapato Park. There are a lot of Pokestops and Pokegyms over there. Today’s event encouraged players to catch Pokemon called ‘slowpokes.’ I was telling Pat about ‘shinies’ when he caught one. He would go on to catch five; I only caught one. When we got home, there was still more play to be had to evaluate, exchange, and determine which ones to evolve. A couple of new features popped up in the game that I’d never experienced before. If I’d known about them, I would have changed our strategy as we walked around the park. The park parking lot was full, so we had to park on the street outside the park. It was warm, sixty degrees. I didn’t bother with a coat. Pat and I even saw a turtle sunning itself on a log poking out of the lake.

 

Here are some of this week’s dreams:

 

March 12

#IDreamt of two people who pinned their hopes on the t~shirt designs they created. The designs were well crafted. But I know from firsthand experience it’s hard to sell shirts.

 

March 13

#IDreamt bank robbers put a bomb around my neck and sent me to the bank. I refused to go in, so the bomb detonated. I didn’t die, but I was carrying my head around.

 

March 14

#IDreamt My wife and I lived in Japan. Instead of getting older, we got younger.

 

March 15

#IDreamt I was washed up on a beach with many others. The shock wore off as we made our way inland, and I recognized a friend. I thought we might be heading toward our houses, but the others disappeared when they rested.

 

March 16

#IDreamt I was going to drive to Yakima to deliver a board game to a friend but realized I could save a lot of time by mailing it instead.

 

March 17

#IDreamt that nearly all US Military bases were built underneath dragons’ nesting areas. Partly because of their consistent flight patterns and partly because nobody wants to mess with dragons.

 

I watched some movies this week:

 

26. March 13

Crimes of the Future (2022) Rating: 7

I like how Cronenberg explores questions about society, how it changes, and what changes it. The imagery can be disturbing, just like the questions.

 

27. March 16

Bird Box (2018) Rating: 7

I’ve put off watching this movie for four years. I don’t know why I waited so long. This film arrived in the theaters before the Covid pandemic hit. The premise of danger outside the home and fear of contacting others might have hit too close to home. It’s a solid horror movie, and I like that it doesn’t look for an easy out with the creatures.

 

28. March 16

The Darkness (2016) Rating: 6

Sacred Native American ground is tread upon by an innocent child. So a family goes home with something in tow. Some good creepy elements but nothing that would end a good date night badly.

 

More next week,

Mark