in a 1960s French film somewhere…

Huh?

humor of the dark

  • What Goes Thump in the Night

    At times I wonder if I’ve slipped into speaking Sumerian. Possibly a past-life resurfacing; in this one I speak only English. Or perhaps I’m mumbling unawares. I try to enunciate. Yet there are individuals who respond like I said something else altogether. Maybe they only tune in to every 5th word, then fill in the Read more

  • Glad to Be of Service

    [Revision of a story published in 2016] You can take the queer out of the city, but you can’t make the Navy town on the peninsula seem anything but off. Vestiges of the city follow, the seedy bits. Perhaps it’s the military presence that encourages seamier behavior. If that’s the case, I have yet another Read more

  • Once Bitten, Twice Bitten, Somehow Never Shy

    Rare is the person who has kept house with critters & not, at some point, felt the close of teeth on skin. It’s a rite of passage. Sharing life with beings whose sole means of defense is the power of their jaws, it just happens. I may be antisocial, but no people have resorted to Read more

  • The Witches of Eastlake

    I may be guilty of many things, but wizardry isn’t one. If this were Salem, Mass. in the summer of 1692, I certainly would’ve been set ablaze, tossed in the drink, or swung from the gallows. Puritans would’ve found me objectionable, no doubt. Wouldn’t even have passed age 5 or 6. It was then I Read more

  • Odd Job

    As far as anachronistic employment opportunities go, I traveled back further than most… to 200 B.C.E. China. Now it wouldn’t have surprised me to have taken work on a vintage steam locomotive trundling tourists to ghost towns, or leading people to weird mounds of geologic/anthropologic significance in Washington state. But to make hand-painted wallpapers was Read more

  • Festive is in the Eye of the Beholder

    In Homeland Security databases it’s noted that classic American cars are terrorists’ preferred mode of transport for weapons-grade plutonium. Or they’re the vehicles of choice for human trafficking. Or they’re tagged as drug cartel automobiles. Or I could just be stretching the hyperbole a bit much. What do I know? I fit the profile of Read more

  • Wild Time Loop Thing

    In the 1970s photographer David Godlis took pics of restroom wall graffiti in the legendary NY punk club CBGB’s. I no longer recall those photos other than a few band names, yet it is telling that I was even interested enough to look at them. It would possibly lend relevance to an experience I had Read more

  • Feather or Not

    All the members of my family have supremely graceless moments on a regular basis. We all admit it: we’re klutzy. While I raced across the street once during rush hour to make the light, hands stuck in pockets, I tripped & face-planted in the crosswalk. The schadenfreude experience goes both ways. Upon standing back up, Read more

  • Thief at the Jewels

    Unless you’re one of the fewer than 100 people in the world with hyperthymesia, you probably don’t recall every minute of your existence. Hyperthymesiacs are gifted (?) with such enhanced autobiographical & episodic memory that they have the ability to recall in [excruciating] detail all their life experiences. I’d say this is some curse, especially Read more

  • The Y-Files

    From its first airing I followed Star Trek. I’ve read & watched a lot of sci-fi ever since. Not the type to go to conventions, or watch the DVD extras, or become fluent in Klingon. It’s just entertainment for me, not a lifestyle. I was not suited to study science during my formative public education Read more