The Thirteen Posts Of Christmas #01: Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis

The annual thirteenth post.

Tom Waits kicks so much ass. Another warning about the audience. This is my favorite song he has done (that I have heard).

I hope you have a very Merry Christmas.

You too, Charlie Brown!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Thirteen Posts Of Christmas: #02: 2010 Send Off Edition

Another year has come and gone.
Work is still work.
I started an online journal this year.
I'm keeping it anonymous for now.
I plan on revealing it and myself as editor
if I get to issue #10. Issue #3
debuts in another month or two.

I had a few pieces published this year.
Just had a poem published in amphibi.us.
"The Morning Before The Flash Of Winter"
It's about soft acts of violence.
And nuclear war.
And the end of romance.

There is no Cookin' With The Pope this year.
I'll be cooking my signature gift
to reruns of How I Met Your Mother
and whatever else they put on Fox after Midnight.
Maybe some Sabaton/SYL/Overkill/ on the radio.

Speaking of Strapping Young Lad, I made a mock
book trailer a year or so ago. Uploaded it to YouTube,
but hid it under Private as WMG caught wind.
I offer it to you random passerbys as a gift.
I used to have a regular reader, but they
got a case of the snoots a year(s) ago.

I leave 2010 with a bit of sluggishness
and welcome the promise of 2011.
Until sooner,
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

And Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Thirteen Posts Of Christmas: #03: Movie Review: Home Alone (1990)

 Home Alone (1990) is a good-natured family comedy from my childhood that still entertains twenty years later. It is the story of what happens to a young, obnoxious little boy, Kevin McCallister (played by Macaulay Culkin), when he wishes he could just live alone. While rushing to board a plane to France, Kevin's parents inadvertently leave their son home alone, and the kid finds out first-hand that dreams sometimes come true. While fun at first, Kevin soon realizes that the world he wanted can turn nasty in a heartbeat.

Reality isn't the only antagonist in this new world. A pair of bumbling burglars, played wonderfully by Daniel Stern and Joe Pesci have their sights set on Kevin's house and the treasure trove of goods within. Much of the story revolves around a cat-and-mouse battle for survival as the criminals repeatedly attempt to rob the house.

As a kid, I would have to say I found the Tom & Jerry aspects the most appealing. Watching it all come to a head in his little fun house of torture was everything it could be for a nine-year-old. I still remember getting the VHS and ripping it open to find the cheesy little blueprint of his madness. Fun stuff.

Watching it now, I think it is the human connections that get to me the most. The old man and his son, Kevin's mother (played to beautifully by Catherine O'Hara) going berserk trying to get home to her son, and the always great-and-mighty John Candy's comforting presence in the back of the Budget Rental van.

Home Alone strikes many mature themes throughout, focusing on maturity, security, and judging others. It teaches us to face our fears, even at the risk of failure. It states that loneliness is no substitute for happiness.

Chris Columbus directs a John Hughes script with a fairly heavy twinkle that makes the film a must-see during the Christmas season. Hughes was a genius at blending comedy with a serious tone and it comes through masterfully here.

One thing I noticed this year that I hadn't seen previously is a certain weakness of relationship between father McCallister (John Heard) and his son. Keep an eye on the reunion scene, as it seems he could really give a damn that his son is okay. A slight hug, a well-wish, then--? Sort of interesting, especially as it is coupled shortly by the reunion scene between the old man and his son next door. Maybe it is the foreshadow of a falling out to come.

Overall, Home Alone is a second-tier modern Christmas classic that can be shared yearly by any age group.

For Its Genre/Era/X: Great

Overall: Really Good

P.S. Senta Moses is as cute as a Senta Moses napping in a pile of kittens and puppies.

The Thirteen Posts Of Christmas #04: Christmas Vacation Cat

Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!!!!!!!!!!

The Thirteen Posts Of Christmas #05: The Tree's Revenge

Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!!!!!!!!!!

The Thirteen Posts Of Christmas: #06: Gonna Get The Angel

Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!!!!!!!!

The Thirteen Posts Of Christmas #07: Sweet Pea In A Christmas Tree

Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!!!!!!!


...you too, sweet pea....

The Thirteen Posts Of Christmas: #08: Jingle Bombs

Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!!!!!!

The Thirteen Posts Of Christmas: #09: Sam Kinison on "Married...with Children"

Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!!!!!

The Thirteen Posts Of Christmas: #10: The Little Drummer Boy

Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!!!!

The Thirteen Posts Of Christmas #11: Angry Cat In A Christmas Tree

Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!!!


...and NOT sweet pea...


uh-oh...NINJA EDIT!!!!

The Thirteen Posts Of Christmas: #12: Animal Chorus

Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!!

The Thirteen Posts Of Christmas: #13: The Cup Size Choir

Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!

Pushcart Nomination

Just got news that my poem, "The Marionette," was nominated for a pushcart by Rhonda Parrish at Niteblade. I am honored to have had this piece nominated for the prestigious award. Thanks to Ms. Parrish!

The Teeth Within

"The Teeth Within," a short-short, appeared in Issue #10 (October 2010) of Kaleidotrope. Fred Coppersmith edits this awesome genre zine.

*Note: First review ever: From SFRevu:

"The Teeth Within" by Jason Huskey is another clever little half-pager about a guy who dreamed of being bitten by beautiful vampire women. Things just don't go his way. Good story!

That Shadow Of Dust

"That Shadow Of Dust," a poem, appeared at Unheard Magazine sometime between 04/11 and August 1.

"Non-Verbal"

"Non-Verbal," a poem, appears in Volume 4: Issue 1 of Plain Spoke. Cindy M. Kelly edits this awesome journal. Check them out!

The Bargaining Stage

"The Bargaining Stage," a poem, appears in the new issue (No. 2) of the print journal 491 Magazine. Caitlin Paley is Editor-In-Chief of this excellent magazine. Check them out!

"Roanoke Dark"

"Roanoke Dark," a poem, appears in the last update to the first issue of The Glass Coin. JM Prescott and Sairah Saddal edit this journal firing out of the gate. Check them out!


Photo Info: Roanoke, Virginia as seen at night from the Mill Mountain Star. Photo by Ben Schumin on March 14, 2003.

"The Old Hag"

"The Old Hag," a poem, appears in Issue #20 (June, 2010) of Yellow Mama. Cindy Rosmus edits this wonderful underground e-zine. Check It Out!

Every Day Less / Every Day More

"Every Day Less / Every Day More," a poem, appears in the first issue of The Glass Coin. JM Prescott and Sairah Saddal edit this new journal that revolves around themes. This issue's theme is Beginnings & Endings. Check it out!

Two Poems

"It's Not What It Looks Like" and "Little. Yellow. Different.," two poems, appear in the summer 2010 issue of Red Fez. Come and enjoy this wonderful underground e-zine founded by Leopold McGinnis and edited by Michele McDannold. Check them out!

Two Poems

"For The First Time In The Long, Long Marriage" and "Aokigahara Souvenirs," poems, appear in the second WHITE issue of Black Words On White Paper. Shawn Adams edits this new journal. Check it out!

"The Hardest Sport"

"The Hardest Sport," a poem, appears in the current issue (#132) of Zygote In My Coffee. Brian Fugett edits this awesome online zine. Check it out!

"Soul Sensing On The Morning Dew"

"Soul Sensing On The Morning Dew," a poem, appears in Issue #2 of Penny Ante Feud. Gordon Purkis edits this wonderful new magazine. Check it out!

"Unmarked Pavement Ahead"

"Unmarked Pavement Ahead," a poem, appears in Issue #9 of Gutter Eloquence Magazine. Jack T. Marlowe edits this wonderful underground journal. Check it out!

"Reserved For Two"

"Reserved For Two," a poem, has been published at Clutching At Straws. Shawn Misener edits this fine e-zine. Check it out!

"In A Teacup"

"In A Teacup," a poem, appears in the new Yellow Mama (Issue #19, April, 2010). Cindy Rosmus edits this wonderful e-zine. Check it out!

Two Poems

"The Marionette" and "Newport Memorial," two poems, appear in the new issue (#11) of Niteblade. This is the first time my work got a little art love (cover), and it looks awesome. (There's something about speculative markets that I'd like to bring to the grit, if I ever get the strength (and act) together to launch my own little zine/mag/online/anthology/thing. Not just the money and artwork, it just feels like there's a hell of a lot more fun surrounding these places.) Rhonda Parrish edits this awesome journal. Check it out!


Cover art by Marge Simon.

"The Fire Some Men Walk"

"The Fire Some Men Walk," a poem, appears in the February 2010 issue of decomp. Jason Jordan edits this awesome online outlet of literature. Check it out!

Two Poems

"The Names We Forget" and "A Slick Heart In Overdrive," two poems, appear in the current offering (Feb. 2010) from Underground Voices. C. Powell edits this cool journal. Check them out!

"Bought Broke And Be Damned"

"Bought Broke And Be Damned," a poem, appears in the first issue of Poetry Quarterly. The Issuu of the issue will be freely available through the month of February. Glenn Lyvers is the editor. Check them out!

Three Poems

"Dawns Lost in the Fears of Others, Part III" "Upstream," and "Custodian On-Duty, Warren P, McGuirk Alumni Stadium, 4/10/09," three poems, appear in the first issue of Beggars & Cheeseburgers. Andrew Hilbert is the editor of this new journal. Check Them Out!

Two Poems

"Advice For The Broken Hearted (Because You Think I Care)" and "Parity," two poems, appear in the current issue (#7) of Gutter Eloquence Magazine. Jack T. Marlowe is the editor of this excellent journal of underground writing. Check it out!