J.P. Mac's Blog

Not Mine Personally (Though I complain often enough)Sadly, my sister is nearing terminal stage with blood cancer and my father-in-law has smashed his hip to pieces and acquired a bad infection in the process. I  do what I can when I can.  But infirmity and the Big Sleep await us all. Hence, slovenly blog host that I am, I will be posting even less for the near  future. Hope you all are doing well. 
 

 

(Updated my runs and will note I've now passed the blogmark of 20 years and a million visits. My running, due to health issues, has been reduced to walking. My weight has ballooned. But I've been there before. My writing is a series of short-story rejections. I've also been there before. More t/k. 

 

I've been a slob, a loafer of the first rank in ignoring this blog. And here I stand, on the brink of 20 years of continuous posts to a select audience. Nevertheless, I present a sampling of past July 4s (and a 5).

The OnionMemorable July 4th EventsThanks to the Founding Fathers for sticking their necks out and declaring independence when it was unclear they could back up such a deed. (I recommend David McCullough's book 1776 if you wish to read how the British kicked the American army off Long Island, chased George Washington from New York, and came very close to mopping up his ragged little force.)
History aside, here are several recollections from July 4th past: 
5Ks   Mark up another one today. (Only 3 miles.) Ran around the golf course at Griffith Park along the soft dirt bridal trails where you rarely see a horse while maneuvering past their rounded droppings. Felt good, no injuries, taking it very slow. In the past, there have been runs and walks in:
2007
2010, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2022, 20235th of July Party 1981Close enough for a list. This epic bash saw an entire Hollywood apartment building unite in pursuit of a drunken bash that began around 11:00 AM at the pool, spread from the building, down the block to a bar, back to the building and inside an apartment where it continued until the cops showed up at 3:00 AM. My recollections are fuzzy due to age and staggering drunkenness.
1986This year, repairs were finally completed on the Statue of Liberty and there was to be a big televised event with more fireworks than Saturday night in the barrio. An old improv friend invited me to a party down near the beach. I'd once had a crush on Lisa. She reluctantly informed me of her gayness. But I still didn't give up, as I'd met women before who were "gay for a day." In any case, Lisa's party was lesbian central. Out of 22 women, only three were straight. One was ill and left early, the other nursed a bad sunburn, and I didn't hit it off with the third. No matter. We all had a grand time watching fireworks over the ocean off Santa Monica. The following year, Lisa moved to Sedona, Arizona with a girlfriend, bought a house, and waited for UFOs to circle Coffee Pot Rock. (I could be wrong about the last part.)1976Bi-centennial. A big deal. My sister was attending Western Illinois University. Out in the cornfields, near the Mississippi River, not far from Iowa, stood the little town of Basco. There they made their own fireworks and put on a patriotic pageant every 4th. My girlfriend and I, my sister, and her friends attended. We ended up trashed in some field drinking Grain Belt Beer and watching the fireworks crackle. We all bought tee-shirts that said "Basco 1976." I drove back to the farmhouse my sister was renting, hunched over the wheel, barely able to see.
Horror Book Discount ContinuesThat's about all the July 4th memories I can salvage for the day , but there's always time to flog a book. Through today and ending Tue. July 5th, Hallow Mass continues to be available in Kindle form for under three dollars. Cool off with a nice chilling horror tale of old grudges, new terrors, and unadorned sorcery. A pleasant weekend to all! 

 250 and Counting!A fine Independence Day!Festive Fun!  wallpaper.com
 

 

Flashback Fun 

 

GRACE Ballet

When I'm 64A charming peek at a lost time.
ABC News in-depth

Back Before Everyone Had a Camera Glued to Their Hand    Paul Rugg's Froynlaven 

 Grift in the Publishing Industry? Sadly, yes, and Writer Beware helps to pinpoint the publishing-agenting-AI schemes that attempt to part writers from their money and rights. Give it a peek. You owe it to yourself.  Gifdb.com
   

 Ebooks, Phone and Audio On The Rise Such is the state of reading preferences according to Pew Research. I still prefer a fine hardcover or paperback. It's one less daily screen for my eyes to fix upon.   bookartwork.com
 

 Intriguing place, this Substack, alive with many facets. A social media replacement? A platform for fiction? Go here to discover more: https://tinyurl.com/mw6dx8k9. I have and don't regret it.

freepik.com
 

Up in the Skies, He Flies Around





Yes, he does, that Hero Boy. Alas, upon landing he stinks at battling oversized monsters and is laughed at by all. This minor character from the animated series Freakazoid! was recently gifted with his own song, courtesy of Suno AI. A parody of Astro Boy, young Hero Boy rates a tune. Listen and decide.  Listen on Suno