greetings!

Let’s talk about Tuesday.

Tuesday was an extremely bad day compliments of the issue I have been mentioning previously involving MovieJawn. Tuesday was the kind of knock-down, drag-out day in which I contemplated grabbing the shovel so that I could dig the hole deep enough for the velvet lined bunk, pop open the lid, and crawl inside. However - and this is important! - instead of packing up all my plushies and heading to the nearest graveyard, I did what any logical specimen would do: I made a pie.

I am truly finding joy in baking because the end result is not only sweet but satisfying. As I devour each and every morsel, it is thrilling to know that this is the result of my own two creature hands. It is a reminder that I have something to offer. It is a reminder to stick around.

what’s the latest scoop?

Living in an Analog World

(in the tune of Material Girl)

You may recall in a recent Sundae Matinee entitled, MY FIRST PEN SHOW that I proclaimed my love of writing by hand.

This proclamation has been top of mind as of late, given the intrusion of artificial intelligence in our daily lives. Quite frankly my dears, the internet is not fun. As if things were not exhausting enough, now I have to spend time fretting whether a human being actually wrote or created something. Is it real? Is it fake? I have lost trust in the digital (and living) world. I am tired of someone, or something, looking over my shoulder when I am busy being creative or drafting a simple electronic correspondence. Sometimes I want these things to be private and for the reader’s eyes only. More and more, I find myself pining for the past - not because it was perfect by any means, but things were just simpler. I would so much rather receive a tap dancing telegram delivery than another damn e-mail or direct message.

We are constantly bombarded with information, non-stop, and I have had it. I am putting up boundaries. I have been trying my best to put my phone away in the evenings and on the weekend. I don’t want to find myself down a dark hole (web) of sadness. As I stated in my first entry to you this year, I am in prioritization mode. I have become more strict with my time, which means I am spending less of my time online. I am spending more time with physical objects: books, cassette tapes, pens, paper, etc. NO MORE DIGITAL.

When I take pen to paper, I am not concerned with being spied on or being corrupted by whispers in my ear. I determine what is scribbled down without any sort of prompt or “assistance”. The outlandish thoughts, schemes, and experiments are my own - NO ONE ELSE’S.

I am making it a priority to get myself offline in as many ways as possible. Down with the internet! If you want to reach me, send me a letter in the mail, or better yet, a telegram!

this week i am proud of…

MovieJawn at Sundance

This year, four writers from MovieJawn covered Sundance for its final bout in Park City, Utah before it heads to Boulder, Colorado in 2027.

It has been six years since I attended Sundance, and I could not be more proud with how far our little magazine has come since then. When I attended in 2020, I was the only person that was credentialed for MovieJawn - now there are FOUR! It is absolutely incredible. It thrills me that MovieJawn is recognized as a meaningful outlet at such a highly acclaimed festival. Make sure to check out out the MovieJawn crew’s coverage of the festival in the upcoming weeks here.

My time at Sundance in 2020 was extraordinary. At that time in my life, I was working full time in a corporate Human Resources role, and I was tired, stressed, and often at my wits end. I always found time to write though. Sure it was tough and there were days I wanted to forget it all. Take all my dreams and throw them into a river and succumb to a mundane existence filled with spreadsheets and conference calls.

In 2020 when I boarded the plane back to Philadelphia I took with me a purpose: TO KEEP GOING. I left Park City inspired, determined, and most importantly, I left with a promise to myself. I promised myself that I could not give up on my dreams. No matter how hard things may get, the idea of living with regret outweighed that. Every little step I take matters and it gets me closer to my final destination. Especially in this current timeline, I find this sentiment more important than ever. The path I am on is a bit curvy at the moment, and I am faced with much fog but if I remain vigilant, I’ll find my way and end up in the exact place I am supposed to be.

this week i recommend…

Watching King Creole (1958)

This is a GRAND watch! and I am pleased as punch that I finally got around to viewing this motion picture.

Elvis gives a commanding performance which, in ways, made this a rather emotional watch for me. Much of the films in Elvis’s filmography that would follow King Creole were not even in the same league as this black and white beauty. The choice to shoot in black and white brings out the grittiness of the story, and really sets the proper mood.

King Creole was directed by Michael Curtiz (Casablanca, White Christmas, Mildred Pierce) and tells the tale of a rough around the edges juvenile, Danny Fisher (portrayed by Elvis). Danny has a slew of problems: he flunked out of school, is unemployed after he decided to quit his busboy gig, and his father has reached a breaking point with his antics. One night he gets a chance to perform in front of a packed bar and is later approached by a night club owner to work as an entertainer. I loved seeing a young Carolyn Jones (who would go on to play Morticia in the hit television show The Addams Family), and despite Walter Matthau not being really convincing as a heavy, I still enjoyed having him around too.

This soundtrack is an absolute 🔥 stunner.  When Elvis performs the song TROUBLE, I had chills. If only Elvis would have been given the opportunity to develop his acting more, I truly think he would have been one of the greats of the silver screen. Sadly, the scripts he was offered were nothing to write home about and inevitably were just replays of the ones that came before. They churned these puppies out - often with multiple Elvis films coming out within the same year. As entertaining as some of the movies are, complete with snazzy set pieces, they sadly are rather forgettable. I often confuse one from the other as the plotlines tend to blend together. That won’t happen with King Creole.

If you’re going to watch an Elvis picture, this is the one. Check it out here.

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy you are here. xx.
goodbye.