Weekly Dose of Mark
Sunday, May 24th 2026 • 04/24/26
Penny Firehorse returned from her three-week-long road trip to the Grand Canyon, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Joshua Tree, San Diego, San Francisco, and other scenic locations. She stopped to attend art shows, garden shows, baseball games, have dinner with friends, and have herself a grand time along the way. The trip did have a couple of hiccups. A fender bender in Phoenix required a day of repair. A camera lens escaped from a bag and, after teasing a possible recovery by being halted by a bush, decided on a one-way trip off a cliff. Oh, and she forgot to wear Chapstick one day and woke to sunburned lips. But these were all minor mishaps compared to the parade of fun she had during the trip. She said that aside from one or two cloudy days, the weather was beautiful, with blue skies and wonderful weather. She then commented that, as soon as she crossed the southern border of Oregon, it felt like driving into a wall of water.
Larry Lewis was very happy to see Penny at Freelance Fandango. While he, like the rest of us, wanted to hear about her trip, he was also looking forward to her helping him scan in his graphic novel. Larry’s graphic novel has been in production for over a decade. Once Penny updated the software and showed Larry how to do the scans, he was to input some sixty pages.
There were six of us at Fandango this week. Tasia brought her boyfriend, Bruce, with her today. Chris Moreno joined us around noon. I was glad we’d landed a larger table, since we were spread out across it with our pads, laptops, and books. We sprawled over onto a couch and coffee table. Normally, a quiet elderly patron named Tom lounged around it. I couldn’t help but notice he snorted once or twice at our antics while enjoying his paper.
It was Bruce’s day off, and he came because he wanted to see why Tasia couldn’t get any work done while at the group. Bruce quickly learned that the topics of conversation come out of left field. I’d decided on a lark to bring along the deck of playing cards I created ten years ago. The deck features obscure horror movie monsters. It turns out Bruce is a bit of a movie fan and enjoys horror movies. Everyone explored the topics of old and recent films. Of course, people were working on projects. I was redrawing a dog’s head. And this led to a discussion of apps like PAWS, and my comment that the app lacked a category for pro pooper scoopers. Chris went, “What?” Penny and I explained that people are hired to pick up dog poop. We have a couple of friends who do it, and they’re busy, busy, busy. Chris, who shops for people when projects are lean, wanted to learn more about this. So, we started giving him advice, filled with one horrible poop joke after another. “Call my friend, she can give you the scoop.” Etc. Our table was full of laughter, and Tom looked like he was enjoying the overflow. The KitKat flavor this week was Milo. I normally take a picture of the group, but I completely forgot this time.
I might have mislaid my selfie stick. Krista asked me what it looked like. I described it as the shape of a light saber, black with red trim. In my dyslexic head, I can easily picture it as red with black trim. But I’m pretty sure it’s red with black trim. I don’t want to order another one, for I know the moment I do, the mislaid one will surface. Plus, I don’t want to give Nori the satisfaction. I’ve teased him many times about his being on his fourth or fifth selfie stick.
My niece Melina turned 29 this week. Happy Birthday, Melina!
Alley News
Krista and I went to a plant nursery before the weekend started. Even on a Thursday, there were a lot of people there. Krista commented that our second-choice nursery was more expensive than our first, but they have a better selection of vegetables and tomatoes, which was what we were primarily after.
The house directly behind us has held many people over the years. They were all renters, and I was friends with most of them. Currently, the house’s owner, Dave, lives there with his wife, Veronica, and their small dog, Author. Dave took a moment from his yard work to thank me for mowing along the alley behind his garage. He recently had some surgery on his throat, which resolved the issue he had with swallowing. He and Veronica are planning a cruise to Alaska in the near future. He’s a little concerned because he’s trying to lose weight, and a week at sea with delicious food on offer will test his restraint.
We also talked about our neighbor, Buttons. Buttons had two dogs in her backyard that were constant barkers. They disappeared sometime last fall. I don’t know if the city took them, as it did the two previous dogs she had, or if she gave them away. Dave and I talked about how quieter the neighborhood is now. I told him that we’re relieved as the smell from that yard sometimes made working in our garden difficult.
Dave told me that the excursions away from the boat were pretty expensive. He quoted a price for a fishing trip, and I was agast. I told him how much my brothers and I paid for a fishing guide who also offered lodging, and he got very curious. I told him I would have to get him an accurate quote, as I think my brothers and I get a deal as we’re frequent regulars, and there’s usually a horde of us. Still, he wants the number of our guide.
I spent this weekend mowing the yard and trimming back blackberry and ivy. I also trimmed back the Pink Dogwood. I tried to have a gentle touch. I’m wondering if Krista will even notice. She was busy with her own task of cleaning up the back yard and planting tomatoes.
I had some dreams this week:
May 15. #idreamt John Wayne did a sci-fi movie during the late ‘50s. It was a hit and became a genre classic.
May 18. #idreamt a thick rubber band I held in my hand as a leash snapped. A group of small animals broke up in front of me. I remembered I didn’t have a pet.
May 19. #idreamt fresh from the academy, I was assigned to the Ministry of Illusion to solve a murder.
May 20. #IDreamt I was waiting for the alarm to go off when #LucilleBall did a cameo and commented, “if I had a left foot for every time I made a contract with #TedTurner.
May 21. #IDreamt of an old English manor house in the 1800s. A lord of the manor worked to find that his maid had died in her sleep in his bed. It was sad and baffling.
May 22. #IDreamt I saw the Learn-to-Draw ad with a pirate image laser etched on a box cutter’s blade.
May 23. #idreamt I was back in college. John Ryse-Davies got my name right but got another student’s art confused with mine.
May 24. #idreamt we were sharing a hotel room with another couple and were about to go to sleep when Lisa Shaftel knocked on the door.
Krista and I finished off an Anime this week:
Eris no Seihai aka: The Holy Grail of Eris (2026) 12 Episodes, Rating:7
Genre: Mystery, Supernatural, Villainess.
This is a fantasy world with aristocracy and lots of fiendish shenanigans. Add to the mix a wronged spirit seeking revenge,, and we have something that’s a fun break from the sap of childhood romance and OP Isekai.
I also finished off a couple of books:
“How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying” by Django Exler, Rating: 8
Genre: Fantasy, Isekai
I suggest the audiobook because the narrator does a wonderful job of voicing three forms of inner voice. There’s the base-level inner voice of just thinking, a deeper level where her subconscious is monologuing, and a breaking-the-fourth-wall inner voice. Inner voices aside, our hero’s larkish commentary on life, death, death, death, and hey, let’s try that one more time, death, is definitely amusing. Just a heads-up for the prudish: this fantasy is rated R or LGBTQ-R. I’m happy this book is the first in a series because I hope to look forward to another book like this one.
“The Forbidden Library” by Django Wexler, Rating: 6
Genre: Young Adult, Magic
I was lured to read this book while exploring the works of Django Wexler. I found “How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying” very entertaining and wanted more. Since the sequel wasn’t out yet, I found a previous book they wrote. I didn’t expect it to be an office-safe YA novel. It’s sorta like being told you’re getting McDonald’s for lunch, only to be handed a Happy Meal instead of a Big Mac. Can you really complain, what with the toy and everything?
Movies I’ve watched this week:
59. May 18. Send Help (2026) Rating: 7
A wonderfully dark horror comedy. Bullies come in many forms, and this film explores the various shades of both being bullied and being the bully, and the repercussions when survival is on the line. Does someone snap? Oh, yeah.
60. May 19. Greenland 2: Migration (2026) Rating: 4
The first movie focused on building trust between the characters. This sequel, which I watched on HBO Max, was about having trust in each other. That and apparently leaving fallen comrades behind as you soljourn on.
61. May 20. The Quick and the Dead (1987) Rating: 6
A made-for-TV movie that I originally saw when it aired, rewatched on Amazon Prime. The gruesomeness and solaciousness were kept in check for the broadcast era in which it was created. That said, it kept its authenticity through attention to custom and prop details. Having most of the story take place on the wagon trail covered the cost of building too many sets. I’ve no doubt this movie is fairly close to the book that inspired it, weather permitting. I’m also a Sam Elliott fan.
62. May 21. Ghost Stories (2017) Rating: 8
Why did this take me ten years to watch? I wanted to see it when it came out, but I missed it in theaters. So then I was waiting for it on a streaming service and kept finding other films with similar titles instead. And when I did find it, I would hold onto it like a favorite marble to save for when I was in the right mood, and then it would be gone again. Even when I located it again, this time on Kanopy, I kept it in reserve because I hoped it would be good. After finally taking the plunge, I can confirm it is good. It’s an anthology of ghost stories that ties together better than most anthologies. The creepiness indicator pops high on the gauge at times. I would have loved to see the stage play on which this movie was based.
63. May 22. Full River Red (2023) Rating: 8
I went into the movie on Kanopy blind. I was expecting a standard martial arts flick, and what I got was political intrigue, a web of lies, masquerades, double crosses, and a lot of humor. I loved the music, which seemed to be a form of Chinese rap, and I only wished the subtitles had applied to the lyrics. I had no idea about the historical settings and implications until the movie finished. You can blame that on my poor ‘70s public school education, where history was poorly covered within our borders, let alone outside of them. This film doesn’t pass the Bechdel Test. But it would make a great drinking game every time someone ran down a narrow street.
More next week,
Mark