2-for-1 Holiday Time
This last week has been one for the books, or at least the blogs. I saw not one, but two great movies, got back in the studio to record and celebrated two holidays. Not too shabby considering the week isn't even over!
The movies I went to were Studio 666 and The Batman. They were both amazing and I can't recommend them enough. The Batman was so good it got me to record a podcast for the first time in almost eight months. You can listen to it and let me know what you thought about both movies.
I want to dive into some of this week's holidays, but before we do that….
ANNOUNCEMENTS!!!
I'm waiting to hear back from YC3 about a table and doing panels. That show is in Amarillo the weekend of April 22nd-24th. It's a pretty close drive, well Texas close at just over two hours, so I'm looking forward to it.
I'm hoping to debut some new books there too. I'm currently halfway done with the first book in a new series of kids beginner chapter books called "Time Teddy" that should be in print by then. It's about a time traveling teddy bear, what more could you want?
The Embassy Volume 1 is coming along nicely. Issue 1 is fully colored, about to go to letters, and issue 2 is about halfway colored. I'm almost done with the script for issue 3 and I have no doubt Daniel can knock it out pretty quickly. I'm working on a few surprises with this one and planning on dropping it in October.
Finally, if you're in the West Texas area, I'm partnering with Fan Expo Dallas to host an Oscar party at the Gas Light in Lubbock on March 27th. It's going to be a good time so come out if you can.
Ok, back to the celebration.
March 2nd has always been one of my favorite days. It's one of those rare occasions when you can celebrate two holidays at once. Not only is it Texas Independence Day but it is also Dr. Seuss's birthday!
People outside of the Lone Star State, and some inside, don't celebrate our independence day. Here in Texas we do things almost comically bigger than anywhere else. We have Texas edition trucks, our state capitol is over ten feet taller than the nation's capitol, and, of course, Texas Toast (maybe you've heard of it?). Why would we not do our own, big independence day celebration?
It usually consists of cookouts, even if the weather is freezing. There's also the usual overindulgence of Texas beers. Breweries like Shiner, Two Docs and Real Ale sometimes do special editions just for the holidays.
Who wants to hear an embarrassing story? Well, you're going to get one anyway.
About a decade ago I was in a phase where I literally didn't care. At the tattoo shop I was hanging out at they had a new person there apprenticing to be a piercer. She was telling me how she needed more practice, especially with belly buttons, and asked if I would let her pierce mine.
Again, I didn't care, so I said yes. The joke was on me because I didn't pick out the stud they put in so I ended up with this sparkly pink gem with a smaller pink gem dangling from it. It stuck out on my hairy, slightly heavy, belly like the North star in the night sky. It wasn't a flattering look.
Fast forward a couple of months to March. I'm at my best friend's house where we're celebrating Texas Independence Day with some other friends. After a few drinks my friend has what we call a "come to Jesus" meeting with me. He tells me that the joke has gone on too long and either I can take the belly button ring out or he will! I realize he's right and take the thing out. To this day I still have a scar from where the piercing was. I'm going to save you the horror and not post a picture but trust me, it was bad.
The real holiday that we all celebrate is Dr. Seuss's birthday! This has always been my favorite. You could argue that Seuss is one of the most read and influential authors of all time. Countless kids for generations have enjoyed his work. I loved it all when I was little and now my kids do too.
My favorite has always been "The Lorax." Even before I fully understood the meaning of it I loved it. As I got older I came to realize what the book really meant and enjoyed it even more. I think that's one of the reasons Seuss has such a lasting appeal. His books are easy to follow and understand for kids but carry deeper meaning that people can carry with them into adulthood.
Part of my Seuss day tradition is to watch the 1994 documentary "In Search of Dr. Seuss." I remember watching it on TBS when it first aired and I was little. Years later I found the DVD in a discount bin at Kohl's and immediately bought it. I've held on to it for years.
You've never heard of it? Not surprising, but sad. The framing device is that a reporter is looking for more information about Dr. Seuss. With the help of an amazing cast, playing some of his most iconic characters, we journey through his life and read many of his stories.
Seriously, look at this cast:
Kathy Najimy - Reporter
Matt Frewer - The Cat in the Hat (and waaaaay better than the Mike Myers version)
Christopher Lloyd - Mr. Hunch
Graham Jarvis - The Farmer
Brady Bluhm - Marco
Andrea Martin - Ad Woman
David Paymer - Ad Man
J. D. Daniels(from Mighty Ducks) - Marco
Patrick Stewart - Sgt. Mulvaney
Billy Crystal - Voice of America
Andrae Crouch - Yertle
Robin Williams - Father
Zelda Williams - Daughter
Eleanor Columbus(daughter of director Chris Columbus) - Daughter
Howie Mandel - Sam-I-Am
And more!
If you aren't sold by now, you never will be. As of this writing you can't stream it but you can buy the DVD on Amazon for $10 so go do that!
Seuss's birthday also celebrates Read Across America Day. When I was younger I had a Cat in the Hat costume from one of my Single's Awareness parties (those are a story for another time) but I would use it every year to go to schools and read Dr. Seuss books. His legacy is really one of love and knowledge.
Before we go, I wanted to ask everyone a question. Over on Scott Snyder's substack he records some audio, puts it at the top of the page then transcribes it underneath. Is that something you all would want me to do here? I feel like the podcast will handle that and this can be something different, but if you want them to be the same just let me know.
Until next time,
Lance
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