I recently bought a new office chair. Not a big deal right? Except the one it’s replacing I’ve had for 35+ years. It should have been replaced years ago.

There is nothing special about the old chair, in fact I probably got it on sale way back when.

I don’t buy things for myself all that often.

“How come your films aren’t funny anymore?”

This was a line I used to hear all the time when I switched from making short films to features.

They are two different beasts. I made short films as slices of my life, with me as your deadpan narrator. With my features I was dealing with different issues and a totally different filmmaking style. I appear in all of my short films, I do not appear in any of my features. My features do have light moments but they are certainly not comedies.

I never set out to make funny films, they just happened.

REI was always a shining example of an organization that cared. Apparently at some point that changed. They now have a CEO and a board of directors that are more interested in the bottom line and profit, than they are the welfare of their employees.

REI has not been bargaining in good faith with their unionized workers. They are cutting wages and hours and have hired a legal firm that supposedly has expertise in breaking unions. The employees are calling for a boycott of the big anniversary sale happening this month.

I’m supporting the workers. I will not be shopping at REI until they get serious and bargain with the union in good faith. This is a fucking Co-op and the members are the owners!

THE ANGRY FILMMAKER RANTS

I am not afraid of people of color, immigrants, or any of the people I have been told I should fear most of my life.

Why?

Because the only people who have consistently screwed me over have been white guys, usually wearing suits.

I saw this cartoon last week and I really identified with it. Some of you know about my health issues over the years and somehow I keep bouncing back. I love the sentiment, “The Raccoon Brought Nunchucks. Don’t go quietly.” And trust me, I’m not going anywhere.

You are never too old to learn and try something new. A good bye to an old friend. And a good book I recently finished.

Last Friday and Saturday evenings I participated in a story telling evening. As I wrote last week it was a new experience for me and I was nervous.

I agreed to participate in a story telling event that will take place Friday and Saturday evenings (Feb 6 & 7) and I am nervous.

I have never done anything like this. I have taught workshops, done guest lectures, and readings from my books. In all of this I have a piece of paper in my hand, something to refer to in case I get lost. A crutch if you will.

It was roughly 34 years ago today that I released my second short film, You’ll Change.

Oddly enough it also is my daughter’s birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAY FIONA!

As a kid growing up in northwest Portland we lived fairly close to the Forestry Center. Dubbed by the media as the “world’s largest log cabin,”. It was apparently the second largest, but that doesn’t make as good of a headline, does it?

I love the title, The Best Years Of Our Lives. What years were the best of their lives? Were they before the war? During the war? Or are the best years still to come? The film leaves that up to you.

Chris Martin and I talk about two documentaries, you can watch me read from Dennis Barton Is A Bastard, on The Ed Sullivan Show, and there are dog photos... What more could you want?

One of my life’s little pleasures is reading Bizarro. I like and respect everything that I’ve seen Dan Piraro and Wayno do. I follow them on social media and I get Dan’s weekly newsletter.

"I can't believe it! Reading and writing actually paid off!" - - Matt Groening, The Simpsons

If you enjoy really well made films and don’t mind black and white cinematography, or reading sub titles, this film is for you. It’s available on Kanopy, a free service through the library. Yeah, it’s two and a half hours long but well worth it.

Hey there. Over the last few months I have needed to take a break from the internet. Sometimes one just needs to step away. It’s nice to think about things without all of the mental clutter that comes with the internet.

I may leave some social media behind, but I am going to stick with Substack. I like that what I write here goes straight to people that follow me. And it’s a place for me to about write things that interest me, and hopefully interest you as well.

As great as the cast is in this film, it really belongs to Glocken, (Michael Dunn) who is a dwarf. He is our “Greek Chorus. He is the ultimate outsider and he knows and understands that. One of my favorite lines in the film is - “You know, I travel a lot. My folks give me some money, not much, but some. They are more comfortable when I'm not around…” And he states this in such a matter of fact way that it broke my heart. He doesn’t want our sympathy which is what makes him such a great character.

As a writer, I value the unique voices of other writers. I’m not sure how I feel about these books and the way they were written. Unlike AI, which I hate, these books were written by real writers often based on outlines supplied by Stratemeyer. They were written to a proven format and cranked out by the dozens.

Every time I show the film I get people coming up to tell me their car theft stories. The best story I heard was a friend of mine was showing his in-laws my other film about being a father, You’ll Change, and Stolen Toyota was on the same tape. They watched both films and laughed. He told me they really enjoyed it. The next morning they went outside and their car had been stolen.

We live our lives and leave some friends by the wayside as we move forward. Ever now and again a name, a memory from the past resurfaces and we smile. I feel bad that Russ and I lost touch. I’m also very lucky as I have both memories and his drawings.

Since the reunion I have pulled out his drawings a few times. I realize he’s still with me. That makes me feel a little better. I can still hear his voice, and remember the funny and stupid things we used to do. And that is gold.