A Night Under The Stars

Summer officially kicks off once I take my first trip to Mahoning Drive-In.

Last Sunday, my partner in crime and I made the trek to the grand Mahoning to see the “Little Devils” double feature. This bill consisted of a showing of the 1986 motion picture, Dolls and the 1990 flick, Child’s Play 2.

Now I have to be honest… this was not my first trip to the Drive-In this season. In fact, this marked our third venture since May and we have plenty more dates planned for the future. I was quite thrilled with this outing though, because for those unaware… I have an affinity for dolls. So of corpse, I had to bring the children along for the ride.

We had a spooktacular time and everyone was on their best behavior! For those that have not seen these motion pictures, they are quite entertaining and zany. Both spotlight dolls coming to life, running amuck and committing murder! I love each of the movies, but have a soft spot for the characters in Dolls, as they have the most precious little teeth. If you have never been to a Drive-In before, I highly recommend finding one near you. There is nothing more magical than seeing a movie under the stars, especially if projected on actual 35mm film. This is just one of the many things that makes Mahoning special. They often project the movies they are showing on actual film rather than digital projection, which is a rarity for most theaters these days. If you are ever in the Poconos area, make Mahoning Drive-In a destination.

Speaking of dolls… on the wild webs of the internets I stumbled upon a short story contest of interest to me.

Terrorcore Publishing is sponsoring a short story contest with the following prompt:

Style: Set in the 1980s / 1990s.

Genre: Horror. Any kind. It can be paranormal, slasher, psychological, gore, etc. There is no such thing as TOO FAR for this anthology.

Prompt: Write a story about a porcelain doll from Lady Hawthorne’s attic. This can be the story of how it ended up there or what happens with the doll after the auction.

The moment I learned of this opportunity, the little man in my brain was spinning the wheels and moving the levers with excitement. The submission is due July 31 and has to be between 5000-10,000 words. I don’t think I will have any problem with the word count. When it comes to dolls, I have a lot of mystifying and unusual things to say. I also have quite a bit of experience in terms of doll wrangling. At the present time, I have started brainstorming some ideas. One thing I am certain of, the angry one will be the star of the tale, but I also see the lady in pink making an appearance too. I will be sure to share my progress here. In the meantime, send your well wishes, good luck spells and charms to me and the dolls.

This week I got two scoops of sweet stuff that I am proud of…

• I wrote about famed actor, Patsy Kelly in celebration of my pal Alonso Duralde’s book “Hollywood Pride”. Often recognized for her role in the illustrious horror flick, Rosemary’s Baby, there was more to Patsy than her unforgettable performance as baby stealing Laura-Louise. She was a dynamic, wisecracking comedian and a trailblazer for the LBGTQ+ community. Check out my article for some Patsy recommendations. Make sure to let me know what you think!

•  Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person will without a doubt end up on my end of year favorites list. The movie is now playing in select theaters and will open nationwide soon. In the meantime, check out my full review at MovieJawn and make sure to add it to your watchlist.

This week I recommend checking out…

Kaweco Pens

I love all writing instruments. Just one waltz in the lab and its no secret: I am a pen enthusiast and stationery fiend. Pens, pencils, markers and highlighters... I do not discriminate. I will take any script writing device out for a spin. Although, as many do with their children, I do have a favorite, and that is the Kaweco brand. Each time I write with one of these beauties, whether it be a ballpoint or fountain style, I feel invincible—a bit powerful even. Whatever spell, wish or dream I decree, with one of these magic wands it will indeed come true. For when I put the Kaweco ink to paper, fascinating things happen.

Since I enacted the grand fantastical escape, I have been journaling daily and Kaweco tends to be my go-to scribing tool. They come in array of colors, sizes and have a bunch of different nibs available. If you would like to procure one for yourself I recommend doing so from my favorite Philadelphia shop, Omoi. Liz has a wonderful eye for products and design. It is always a treat to visit her store… maybe one day I’ll share a few picks from my next visit there.

Happy you are here. xx. goodbye.

Tell a friend.