Club High Castle

I finally had a chance to read the two mysterious chapters of a scrubbed sequel to PKD’s The Man in the High Castle. I finished them a few days weeks ago, but their mark has yet to fade from the recesses of my mind. While I understand why he never finished it, I wish there was more.  The chapters were accompanied by an essay and a fictional blurb about Hawthorn Abendsen. Naziism and The High Castle (1964) is an eye opener into the mind of PKD. He asks pointed questions about human nature and discusses Nationalism— no one is immune from falling into it. The essay reminds me of a quote ages ago when Season 2 of High Castle had just aired: I think we have is to humanize Nazis. If you indulge the fantasy that they were not human, then nothing is learned. This is human beings that did this. It is only humans that are capable of inhumanity. Rufus Sewell on portraying his character, John Smith (2016).  Reading it (and the subsequent chapters) made certain aspects of the show much more clea...

Join me in congratulating Earth for making another successful orbit around the sun. Good job, Earth! I made up my own challenge and decided to do 24 days of art last month. The goal: draw/paint something or work on an unfinished piece for the first 24 days of December, and I am happy to report that I DID IT! If you remember my post in May when I lamented over the fact that I wasn’t as prolific as I used to be, 24 days of art helped me overcome that difficulty. With out further adieu, here is the result of December’s challenge. All Mars Nature The Aurora Mountains Inspired by the one and only Bob Ross! I learned so much from him. American River This is based on a photo I took during my July trip to my home state of California. It’s not finished yet, but it was so much fun to finally get this one started. Alice of two worlds My character Alice from my unfinished story set in the world of Sisters. What would you be like on other worl...

Hello everyone! I know it’s been about six months since I’ve posted here, and I am going to blame it on the prolonged-neverending-braintomush-pandemic because…well, it’s true! But this post isn’t about me ranting into the void; it’s about the annual grasshopper awards! Grab your popcorn and get ready for my favorites of 2021; I’ve added a few categories! 2021 Grasshopper Awards Best Discovery of 2021 This goes to a YouTuber I stumbled across who has provided me hours of vivid storytelling. He’s my go-to Thing In The Background As I Draw. If you like the strange, dark & mysterious, MrBallen has you covered.  Thank you for keeping me company while I sketch, draw, and paint, MrBallen!  Best Discovery of 2021: MrBallen YouTube Channel Best Show of 2021 This award goes to my favorite show that aired this year (we all know what my all-time favorite is!).  The Expanse.  Season 5 (and now 6) keeps me on the edge of my seat, and if you follow me on various platforms–or h...

It is finally here, and I am thrilled to own one of the Man in the High Castle promo packages from 2017 at long last! Resistance Radio Promo: Inside the paper record player I remember when everyone was posting their photos of it on Twitter, and though I knew there was a 0% chance that I’d be surprised by one in the mail, I still checked every single day in hopes of mysteriously finding one inside my mailbox. In my, oh so fan, defense, they had my mailing address already. I won a signed promo poster for Season 2. I’ve mentioned how much I wanted one before (and let’s just say how much = A. LOT. A hell of a lot.), and I still cannot believe I was able to get my hands on one. Yes, I really have longed for one over the past four years.  I’m still blown away by the creativity behind it. It was such a clever way to slip Resistance Radio inside a fictitious GNR songbook, immersing you into the world of Philip K. Dick. It honestly feels like a traveler from their universe brou...

I decided to do something fun to celebrate the end of the year. Despite the train wreck that has been 2020, there were a few good things to come out of it, and so I wanted to host my own award show–blog post!  I will add more categories in 2021. If there is a category you’d like to see, let me know! This is the first of hopefully many. Welcome to the Inaugural Grasshopper Awards! Best Discovery – Awarded to a show, blog, podcast, or other media that I came upon and enjoyed. Best Book – Awarded to my favorite read of the year. Best Vintage Find – Because of High Castle, I am a huge fan of things from the 40s and 50s. This award goes out to my favorite vintage find of the year. Best Wardrobe Find – Awarded to a company or person that exceeded expectations, including being budget friendly. Best Discovery I am forever grateful to @Mr_Picard on Twitter for spreading the word about this one. The moment I saw that these two gents were dedicated to talking about ...