Why I Love David Sokoloff

My favorite comic strip ever was a Griff and the Unicorn which I cut out, plasticized with scotch tape, and have carried in my wallet for years.  It showed the snake (forgot his name) and the flower (forgot his name . . . well, probably her name, right?) watching as Simon the ant crawled up a thing that looked kind of like a sundial.  The second panel showed a close-up of Simon struggling mightily, maybe even sweating a bit, the third panel showed him cresting the top of the thing with an exclamation point (maybe two or three) shrieking above his tiny little ant head.  In the last panel, the snake (who was wearing a fedora, I failed to mention) is saying to the flower--or possibly vice versa-- "Simon was trying to get on top of that sundial all day.  Why is he crying?"  The flower responds, "He thought it was a drinking fountain."  Now, all of that was from memory, so I'll have to check to see if I got it right,  but that's definitely close.  And that seemed to say it all to me.  You work your ass off only to discover, once you've attained it, that what you thought you were working for didn't exist.  (Cue the marriage processional tune X 2, please.)  All your effort is for shit, and all you're left with is a whole lot of tired and some fuck it on the side.  Also, the idea that the flower (or snake) watched the poor sonofabitch Simon--who was a friend of both characters, by the way--struggle, knew that the little ant was struggling in vain, and just fucking watched . . . WTF?  (Reminds me of most of my "friends" after my divorce from Clare.)  Sympathizing, of course, but not willing to step up and pronounce the truth . . . and not willing to put themselves out to lend a hand, foot, or even a sphincter whisper.

Ahhh.  Or, as the poet said, "I don't hate people. I just feel better when they aren't around." (Charles Bukowski)

Anywho, for some reason I was thinking about Sokoloff this morning, and I went Googling and found some good shit . . . like The David Sokoloff Griff & The Unicorn Page , for instance.  (I'm particularly fond of page 3. Check it out.)  And I found a couple of his books on Amazon--The Ten Little Rabbis and Jewish Stories of Fun and Adventure: Starring Menschy the Clown and Chickenface & Noony, Foofy, and Cooky.  (It was Foofy who put it over the top and into the shopping cart for me.)  And it looks like there are a few more, but those are the ones I ordered.  There's also The David Sokoloff Biography which seems to be linked to the cartoon pages mentioned above, but it looks like the links are all fucked up, so viator cave.

I'm also trying to find an email address for the feller so I can send him a gushy fan note.  First effort resulted in Delivery Status Notification (Failure), but I'm not one to give up on anything (except life).  So . . . to be continued, perhaps.  But BTW . . . Mr. Sokoloff, if you ever Google yourself (I know it sounds like a sexual perversion, and I'm sorry about that) and happen upon this little page, I would really love to know where I can buy a complete collection of Griff and the Unicorn! It'd make a great Kickstarter project.

Legion (2010)

Archangel Michael

When God chose your kind as the object of His love, I was the first in all of heaven to bow down before you. My love, my hope for mankind was no less than His. But I have watched you trample that gift. I have watched you kill each other over race and greed... waging war over dust and rubble and the words in old books. And yet, in the midst of all this darkness, I see some people who will not be bowed. I see some people who will not give up, even when they know all hope is lost. Some people, who realize being lost is so close to being found.

   Written by
Peter Schink
Scott Stewart

That is some pretty poignant stuff from a "horror" movie.

A Dream of Q.

Last night I had a dream about Q.  I woke up (in the dream) and Q had opened the cage and let the two birds out.  T helped me get them back in, then I had to go around the house turning off all of the radios Q had turned on.  The next thing I remember is being out on the street, and Q had gotten into our car (an old black Chevy like my father once drove--maybe a fifties model?  Large with lots of chrome, a hood ornament, etc.) and was driving away.  I didn't know what to do.  I ran down the street, but she was out of sight.  Finally she came tooling back, laughing.  I told her that if she wanted to drive she had to pass the driving test and get a license.  She found that uproariously funny.

Tattoo You

The Book I Read (2010 Edition)

91.  Llana of Gathol by Edgar Rice Burroughs
90.  Coming Up For Air by George Orwell
89.  The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John Le Carre
88.  Fables:  Witches by Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham
87.  Fables:  The Great Fables Crossover by Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham
86.  Fables:  The Dark Ages by Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham
85.  Fables:  War and Pieces by Bill Willingham and Mark Burckingham
84.  Fables:  The Good Prince by Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham
83.  Collusion by Stuart Neville
82.  Fables:  Arabian Nights (And Days) by Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham
81.  Fables:  Sons of Empire by Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham
80.  The Ghosts of Belfast by Stuart Neville
79.  Emily Windsnap and the Monster From the Deep by Liz Kessler
78.  Savage Beauty:  The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay by Nancy Milford
77.  Poems of John Clare's Madness edited and with an introduction by Geoffrey Grigson (which I read in Belfast in the library at Queen's University)
76.  Fables:  Homelands by Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham
75.  Fables:  The Mean Seasons by Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham
74.  The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler
73.  Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale by Zack and Joss Whedon
72.  Bukowski: New Poems Book 3 by Charles Bukowski
71.  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling
70.  The Marriage of Heaven and Hell by William Blake
69.  Slan by A. E. Van Vogt
68.  The Wizard of Linn by A. E. Van Vogt
67.  Synthetic Men of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
66.  Empire of the Atom by A. E. Van Vogt
65.  The Immortal Iron Fist:  The Last Iron Fist Story by by Brubaker, Fraction, Aja & Foreman
64.  The World of Null-A by A. E. Van Vogt
63.  Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
62.  The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan
61.  The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
60.  Mythology by Edith Hamilton
59.  Fifty-to-One by Charles Ardai
58.  Long Life by Nigel Nicolson
57.  Swords of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs (8-8)
56. Bone Palace Ballet: New Poems by Charles Bukowski
55. The Continual Condition by Charles Bukowski
54, The Corpse Wore Pasties by Jonny Porkpie
53. This is Water by David Foster Wallace
52. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
51. Moby Dick by Herman Melville
50. The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
49. Jonah Hex: No Way Back by Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti and Tony DeZungia
48. Blockade Billy by Stephen King
47. The Cheating Culture: Why More Americans Are Doing Wrong to Get Ahead by David Callahan
46. Fables: The March of the Wooden Soldiers by Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham
45. although of course you end up becoming yourself: A Road Trip with David Foster Wallace
44. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
43. The Case For Christ by Lee Strobel
42. The Guermantes Way by Marcel Proust
41. Fables: Storybook Love by Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham
40. Fables: Animal Farm by Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham
39. The Diamond of Darkhold by Jeanne DuPrau
38. A Fighting Man of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
37. The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century by Thomas L. Friedman
36. Fables: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham and Lan Medina
35. Crossing Midnight by Mike Carey and Jim Fern
34. driven or forced onward by or as if by wind or water by Edgar Mollere
33. The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne DuPrau
32. The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau
31. Kane: Greetings From New Eden by Paul Grist
30. The Last Wanderer by Meg Anderson
29. V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd
28. The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
27. Why We Suck by Dr. Denis Leary
26. The Resasembled Man by Herbert D. Kastle
25. Modern British Drama by Peter Saccio, Ph.D.
24. Overcoming Life's Disappointments by Harold S. Kushner
23. Raw Spirit by Iain Banks
22. Hellblazer: Pandemonium by Jamie Delano and Jock
21. The Pilot Star Elegies by Sherod Santos
20. Jon Sable, Freelance Volume 4 by Mike Grell
19. Towing Jehovah by James Morrow
18. Ultimate Fantastic Four Vol. 1: The Fantastic
17. The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity by Mike Carey & Peter Gross
16. All Men are Mortal by Simone de Beauvoir
15. George Orwell by Gordon Bowker
14. Concrete Island by J. G. Ballard
13. And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks by Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs
12. The Master Mind of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
11. Incognegro by Matt Johnson & Warren Pleece
10. Flood Summer: A Novel by Trenton Lee Stewart
9. Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
8. Jon Sable, Freelance Bloodtrail by Mike Grell
7. Jon Sable, Freelance Volume 8 by Mike Grell
6. Jon Sable, Freelance Volume 7 by Mike Grell
5. Jon Sable, Freelance Volume 5 by Mike Grell
4. Jon Sable, Freelance Volume 6 by Mike Grell
3. Jon Sable, Freelance Volume 3 by Mike Grell
2. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart
1. Jon Sable, Freelance Volume 2 by Mike Grell

The Movie I Saw (2010 Edition)

155.  Legendary (2010)
154.  The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (1965)
153.  I'm Still Here: The Lost Year of Joaquin Phoenix  (2010)
152.  Spy Game (2001)
151.  The Big Sleep (1946)
150.  Starz Inside: Comic Books Unbound (2008)
149.  Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)
148.  Peyton Place (1957)
147.  This is Spinal Tap (1984)
146.  True Grit (1969)
145.  The Boxer (1999)
144.  Frankie and Johnny (1991)
143.  Atonement (2007)
142.  Chocolate (2008)
141.  Comic Book Confidential (1988)
140.  National Geographic: Byond the Movie: The Lord of the Rings:  The Return of the King (2003)
139.  National Geographic: Byond the Movie: The Lord of the Rings:  The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
138.  Blade Runner:  Theatrical Cut (1982)
137.  The Thing Called Love (1993)
136.  Loose Change 9/11:  An American Coup (2009)
135.  Tron: Legacy (2010)
134.  The Boondock Saints II:  All Saints Day (2009)
133.  The Boondock Saints (1999)
132.  Tarzan, the Ape Man (1981)
131.  Pink Floyd:  The Dark Side of the Moon (2003)
130.  Mister Foe (2007)
129.  Hollywood Shuffle (1987)
128.  Regarding Henry (1991)
137.  Classic Albums:  Queen: Making of a Night at the Opera (1975) 
136.  Tender Mercies (1983)
135.  True Stories (1986)
134.  Collapse (2009)
133.  The Keep (1983)
132.  The Beach (2000)
131.  Billy Elliot (2000)
130.  Witchblade: The Complete Series (Anime) (2006)
129.  Witchblade: Season One (2001)
128.  Russell Brand in New York City (2009)
127.  Winter's Bone (2010)
126.  Toy Story 3 (2010)
125.  Mary and Max (2009)
124.  The IT Crowd:  Series 4 (2010)
123.  The Amish: A People of Preservation (2003) 
122.  The IT Crowd:  Series 3 (2008)
121.  Teenage Catgirls in Heat  (1997)
120.  That Thing You Do!  (1996)
119.  Peaceful Warrior  (2006)
118.  South of the Border (2009)
117.  12 Monkeys (1995)
116.  From Hell (2001)
115.  The Ex (1997)
114.  In the Realms of the Unreal (2004)
113.  The IT Crowd:  Series 2 (2007)
112.  Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him?)  (2006)
111.  Legion (2010)
110.  She (1935)
109.  Aeon Flux (2005)
108.  The Case for Christ (2007)
107.  Kim Cattrall:  Sexual Intelligence (2005)
106.  Batman:  Under the Red Hood (2010)
105.  It Might Get Loud (2008)
104.  The Baxter (2005)
103.  Derrida (2002)
102.  Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)
101.  Virtual Girl (1998)
100. In the Time of the Butterflies (2001)
99.  Imagination (2007)
98.  Saboteur (1942)
97.  Ponyo (2008)
96.  The Last Picture Show (1971)
95.  The Deep (1977)
94.  The IT Crowd:  Series 1 (2006)
93.  Apocalypse Now Redux (2001)
92.  Constantine's Sword (2007)
91.  Nick Nolte:  No Exit (2008)
90.  My Left Foot (1989)
89.  Brazil (1985)
88.  . . . And Justice for All (1979)
87.  Saturday Night Live: The Best of Commercial Parodies (2006)
86.  War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death (2007) 
85.  Destination Mars!  (2006)
84.  Inside Deep Throat (2005)
83.  Futurama Volume I (1999)
82.  Examined Life (2008)
81. Obscene (2007)
80. Niagara (1953)
79. Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (2010)
78. Them! (1954)
77. Following (1998)
76. Bandolero! (1968)
75. Factotum (2005)
74. Shrek (2001)
73. Ghosts of Machu Picchu: Nova (2010)
72. Inception (2010)
71. Jaws (1975)
70. Unusual Buildings and Other Roadside Stuff (2004)
69. The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior (2008)
68. Princess of Mars (2009)
67. Sweet Land (2005)
66. Poetry in Motion (1982)
65. Christopher Titus: Love Is Evol (2009)
64. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)
63. The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)
62. The Road (2009)
61. AVPR: Aliens vs Predator - Requiem (2007)
60. Chinatown (1974)
59. Letters to Juliet (2010)
58. Desperado (1995)
57. The Last Airbender (2010)
56. The Prestige (2006)
55. Gran Torino (2008)
54. A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
53. Rescue Me Season Five (2009)
52. North by Northwest (1959)
51. Jonah Hex (2010)
50. The Big Chill (1983)
49. Shutter Island (2010)
48. Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (2009)
47. The Karate Kid (2010)
46. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)
45. Iron Man 2 (2010)
44. Wedding Weekend (2006)
43. Irina Palm (2007)
42. Robin Hood (2010)
41. Romance and Cigarettes (2005)
40. The Nines (2007)
39. Epic Movie (2007)
38. Whiteout (2009)
37. Iron Man 2 (2010)
36. The Wide Sargassso Sea (1993)
35. Rescue Me Season 4 (2007)
34. Barbershop (2002)
33. Human Nature (2001)
32. The Conspiracy to Rule the World: From 9/11 to the Illuminati (2009)
31. Synecdoche, New York (2008)
30. Closer (2004)
29. Clash of the Titans (2010)
28. Rope (1948)
27. Rope (1948)
26. How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
25. The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (2009)
24. Stranger Than Fiction (2006)
23. Heavy Metal (1981)
22. The Princess and the Frog (2009)
21. Rescue Me Season 3 (2006)
20. Behind the Sun (2001)
19. Rescue Me Season 2 (2005)
18. The Godfather: Part II (1974)
17. Rescue Me Season 1 (2004)
16. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (2010)
15. Barry Lyndon (1975)
14. Scent of a Woman (1992)
13. A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
12. The Godfather (1972)
11. Frances (1982)
10. Pulp Fiction Art (2005)
9. Le Mepris (1963)
8. The Notebook (2004)
7. Architecture & Design of Man and Woman (2005)
6. Chicago 10 (2007)
5. There Will Be Blood (2007)
4. Tyson (2009)
3. Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone (2007)
2. Persepolis (2008)
1. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

Thoughts on What Would Have Been My 5th Wedding Anniversary

Sailing

She's sailing around the world now
hair playing with the wind
smiling with the freedom
of the uncaged
And I imagine if she thinks of me at all
it's without regret,
or only with the regret of the bank employees of Norrmalmstorg
or with the pure hatred of the barefoot and married.

She spins around in my mind
the whirling dervish that remains when love dies
and I realize
I'd put all of my faith and hope in her
and when she sprouted wings
those fragile eggs fell from the basket of her womb
and spilled on the ground.

And when she rose I fell into an abyss so deep
it might as well have been the sky.

And so I suppose we are both sailing now.

- July 31st, 2010, 5:45 a.m.

Terminator 4: JCPS Attacks

Kenny Shea (played by John Scurti) 
on baseball & life on Rescue Me

"Anyway, baseball and life, one in the same. Everybody always says that life is too short. Bullshit. Life, unless you get hit by a bus or cancer, or set on fire, takes forever. Just like baseball. It's a series of long, mind-boggling boring stretches of time where absolutely nothing happens. So, you take a nap, and then after a little while, when that crisp crack of the bat hittin' the ball, so crisp, you could almost smell that wood burning, jolts you awake and you open your eyes to see something so exciting and intricate, and possibly, very, very meaningful that just happened, but you missed it 'cause you were just so goddamn bored in the first place. Oh, you know, a couple of hot dogs, throw in some beers, the occasional blow job, and that's that."

(Looks over to see Sean napping, someone gets a hit and he startles awake.)

I Love Ya, Honey (Do Do Do Do Do)