My Dad took me to see “The Dark Crystal” when it came out in 1982. I remember looking it up in the newspaper’s movie listings — and deciding on it even without knowing much about it. (That was just how we did it in those days — we used “the phone book” and TV Guide as well.)
Hot damn, did I love this movie. If you’re familiar with the 1980’s at all, then you know that “The Dark Crystal” was a surprisingly dark tour de force for Jim Henson, showcasing his ability to create a detailed and truly immersive alternate world. (Modern CGI just wasn’t a thing yet — it arguably made its first appearance in 1989’s “The Abyss.”) And you can’t really grasp the sheer spectacle of Henson’s world designs without seeing this movie on the big screen.
These are just a couple of more old Roanoke, Virginia snow pics I found chilling in my hard drive. Look at the size of those flakes. There are times when the snow falls out of the sky here in clumps.
Although, technically, terrible candy could also be “peerless,” because no other candy sinks to its level of mediocrity — like those “Good-n-Plenty” candies I got as a kid.
People say I think too much.
Anyway, we can safely mock the name because the Peerless Candy Company here in Roanoke is long gone. The Internet informs me that it was established in 1916 and lasted for about 35 years.
I remember being pretty excited as a tot about “The Last Dinosaur.” I was probably too young to enjoy it when it debuted on ABC on February 11, 1977 — I’m betting it picked me up as a fan a few years later, when I would have been around the age of a first- or second-grader. Here are a few quick, weird facts:
CERTAIN PEOPLE WHO WE WILL NOT MENTION made a wealth of humorous comments about how unprecedented this was, because my friends apparently all know me as a homebody. WHATEVER.
Is it me, or does the logo for Vistar Eye Center bear an uncomfortable resemblance to the Sigil of The Crimson King from Stephen King’s “The Dark Tower” series?
It raises all sorts of questions for Vistar’s patients.
But you and I are on The Path of the Beam, folks.
Care to visit my gorgeous little Bible Belt city? I’ve been making these videos since 2018.
They’re not professional-grade or anything — like those Youtube walking tours of Athens or Rome. I have both a shaky hand and a shaky understanding of how to film things. Hell, in a couple of these videos I inexplicably kinda forgot how to walk. But you can still see how perfect my adopted home is.
I actually was a tour guide for a while when I was a college student. I was actually really good at it; it was back during the time before I hated people.
This is Elmwood Park and its amphitheater in Roanoke, VA. I apologize for the shaky-cam. I am also aware that “open-air amphitheater” is probably a redundancy, so I’m sorry for that too. I’m not even sure that I can spell “amphitheater” without autocorrect.
Wednesday Lee Friday’s first horror short story collection dropped today — it’s entitled Creepy, Stabby, and Mentally Odd, and it looks damned awesome. It includes horror, dark fiction, dark erotica and even comics.
I just read the first story, “Raja,” and it was unnervingly great stuff. This looks like a hell of a treat for fans of scary stories.
You can find it right here on Amazon. I say go for it.
Eric Robert Nolan, Author 