GOODNIGHT, FUCKERS #1004: THANK YOU FOR HELPING SAVE JOHN BRUNI'S LIFE

 I didn't think my GoFundMe would work despite the fact that I didn't believe it would work the first time, either, and that time was wildly successful anyway. If you haven't seen my GFM, it's here. I needed one thousand to save my life, and I got it. And people are still contributing! I am so grateful for you all. The extra money I get is going to good use. I said last night I thought I'd be eating cheese sandwiches for every meal going forward for the foreseeable future. The extra is going toward feeding me actual food, at least for as long as it lasts. Again, thank you all for your help.

This is the second time I'm writing a GF out of gratitude for help with a GFM (heh). In case you missed it last time, here it is. TLDR: In 2020, when I was unemployed, I'd just run out of Paxil. And all my other prescriptions, too, but Paxil was the one I needed the most. I couldn't afford the pills without insurance. I mentioned it on Twitter (back when it was still Twitter!). Shortly after that, I watched the final episode of Locke & Key on Netflix, and I said a lot of great things about the show and the comic book it was based on. Joe Hill saw my post. I'm pretty sure he wanted to vet me to make sure he wasn't retweeting a Nazi or some such, so he looked at my other posts and saw the one about Paxil. He recommended that I start a GFM, and if I did, he would pitch in. And he did! A considerable amount, too. I was able to get my meds, and I got a new job soon thereafter, and thus I got insurance again.

I bring up the previous GFM because I was acutely aware that I didn't have Joe Hill on my side this time. I was afraid that very few people would contribute. But I was desperate, and I'm so happy it worked. I am constantly surprised by the kindness of my friends. The fact that I have so many friends also surprises me. I didn't have many when I was in high school. Thank you so much for your help, everyone. Thank you from the very bottom of my heart.

I'm grateful that it worked for me, so it's time for the next thing, and that is paying it forward. I've been a fan of Wrath James White ever since I first came across him in an issue of Cthulhu Sex Magazine that I was in. It still irritates me that I didn't get a chance to meet him at AuthorCon in St. Louis. Whenever I looked over at his table, he had a big line, and I couldn't abandon my own table. His daughter is in a rough spot right now, and if you have a few spare bucks, please consider checking out his GoFundMe here.

GOODNIGHT, FUCKERS #1003: FROM

 

The only thing I got myself for Prime Day (Week?) was a 99-cent subscription to MGM+ so I could watch season 2 and 3 of FROM, one of the best horror shows I've seen in a long time. Oh yeah, and also season 2 of Billy the Kid, and it looks like there's a Stephen King show on there now I'll check out. But FROM was the impetus.

The idea is, a family on a road trip gets stopped by a tree across the road. This brings them to a small town in the middle of nowhere, where no one can ever leave, and there are horrible monsters roaming the streets at night. These creatures can't be killed. CAN'T. The people only have talismans for protection, but they don't work all the time. They have to be in an enclosed space with this talisman hanging in a window or door or something. If you hold up the talisman at an approaching creature, it will kill you in a very gruesome fashion. At first I figured they'd be vampires, but they're . . . something else. The people of this town must fight for survival every night, and this family is learning there is a terrible price to live in this place even in the day. Every time they score a victory? Something even worse happens to them to take it away from them.

There's a lot more to it than that, but at its bare bones, that's FROM. And the longer I watch the show, the more I realize why I enjoy it. These people are stuck in a horrible place they can never leave while a malevolent force with god-like powers is trying to kill them. I can relate. My life has been such a shitstorm that I watch this show, and there is an entire cast of characters who have it much, much worse than I do. I'm stuck in this terrible place I can never leave while vile bullshit keeps piling up on top of me.

I used to say I'd die at 46.* I only have nine days if I'm going to die on time, and it seems that the universe is bent on me being punctual. I scored a grand victory yesterday. It was immediately taken away from me this morning by something worse than I could have imagined. Hence the GoFundMe I set up earlier today. Holy shit! It looks like I got what I needed and more! The thousand will save my life. Anything more than that will help in other ways. I figured I'd be eating cheese sandwiches for the rest of my life. The good news: I love cheese sandwiches. The bad news: not for every meal forever. Additional funds will go toward food for as long as it will last, so I'll keep the page up a little while longer just in case.

I got off into the weeds a little. Seriously, go watch FROM. It will make you feel better about whatever situation you're in. And it will give you a mystery to think about. A good one, I think. The kind that answers your questions with more questions. And unlike a lot of shows like this, the creators actually have a plan. They're not just asking questions to confuse us so they can figure out why they asked the question. For example.

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*That's the original number. I then lowered it to 40 to make people nervous. But 46 is the number I believed all along. I'm going to try to not be a soothsayer, but at this point, I can't make promises.

I thought I was a great and terrible god to my characters, but the FROM writers make me look like I'm writing Curious George. They are ruthless to their characters. Every time I see the characters deal with a new problem, I can't help but think, What fucking now?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!! Which is pretty much how I react to everything that pops up in my life, usually because that thing is going to be bad, no matter what it is.

GOODNIGHT, FUCKERS #296: THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS

I have to say that I'm shocked by how successful my gofundme has been. One day, and I'm already over my goal. I have so many thanks to give all who pitched in and helped out. I should be able to cover my meds for a while, which should buy me the time to get a job with medical insurance. I'm so grateful to you all. Thank you so much! When I lost my insurance, I considered creating a gofundme, but fear held me back. Who would contribute? I didn't think it would get far beyond maybe twenty bucks. You all surprised the hell out of me. Again, thank you!


I have to say, though, I don't think it would have been possible without the help of one person.


I've been a fan of Joe Hill's since Heart-Shaped Box came out. I followed his career through books and comic books. I met him once at Andersons in Naperville. I've kept up with NOS4A2 on AMC and Locke & Key on Netflix and his Creepshow episode, etc. I'm so glad that this explosion of attention he is getting is happening. Because not only is he an amazing author, he's also a good person.


All I meant to do was comment on Twitter on how much I enjoyed Locke & Key. It got his attention, and he must have seen my post about running out of Paxil. He said if I put together a gofundme, he'd contribute. That gave me the courage I needed to create the page. Not only did he do that, but he retweeted it to everyone who followed him, and a lot of them responded very positively. A lot of them even contributed and put me over my goal.


See? The internet isn't always the cesspool people say it is. Maybe tonight this shouldn't be called Goodnight, Fuckers. Because a lot of you--maybe even most of you reading this--are definitely not Fuckers. You are good people.


Thank you so much, Joe Hill, for everything.