The Merchandiser by Chad Schimke
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Monday, December 26, 2016
BABY NEW YEAR
Here is a re-post of one of my most popular blog entries from 2014. I wonder what 2017 will bring? Enjoy!
BABY NEW YEAR - In the first few days of the New Year, I look back and I look forward. This year marks my second decade living in San Francisco. I remember crossing the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time, traveling down Divisidero, where a profusion of electric Muni bus lines crossed overhead. Initially, I was struck by the grit of Ninth and Market. But, over time, I formed a big picture of distinct neighborhoods that are little cities in their own right. If I’ve done anything right, I’ve shown up and worked hard when I got here. If I’ve done anything wrong, I’ve acted hastily without thinking things through first. Here in The City, there is new and old everywhere, just look around as you walk down Market Street. Lots that stood vacant for over a decade, are suddenly springing forth luxury high rise condos, from freshly tilled ground. Or at the corner of 16th Street and Dolores, there sits the Mission, which was an outpost of colonial Spaniards in 1776. The baby New Year holds the promise of arriving as a newborn, in a big wide world to learn about all the wonderful possibilities, fresh and brand-new. I wonder, what new adventure will 2014 bring? I have no idea what the future holds.
BABY NEW YEAR - In the first few days of the New Year, I look back and I look forward. This year marks my second decade living in San Francisco. I remember crossing the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time, traveling down Divisidero, where a profusion of electric Muni bus lines crossed overhead. Initially, I was struck by the grit of Ninth and Market. But, over time, I formed a big picture of distinct neighborhoods that are little cities in their own right. If I’ve done anything right, I’ve shown up and worked hard when I got here. If I’ve done anything wrong, I’ve acted hastily without thinking things through first. Here in The City, there is new and old everywhere, just look around as you walk down Market Street. Lots that stood vacant for over a decade, are suddenly springing forth luxury high rise condos, from freshly tilled ground. Or at the corner of 16th Street and Dolores, there sits the Mission, which was an outpost of colonial Spaniards in 1776. The baby New Year holds the promise of arriving as a newborn, in a big wide world to learn about all the wonderful possibilities, fresh and brand-new. I wonder, what new adventure will 2014 bring? I have no idea what the future holds.
Sunday, December 18, 2016
The Witching Hour feat. Never Kill Santa Claus circa 73
CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE PDF
The Witching Hour feat. Never Kill Santa Claus circa 73
#ChadSchimke #Vintage #Horror
#SanFrancisco #ComicBook #Blog
Saturday, December 17, 2016
KRAMPUS
KRAMPUS - Krampus is a demon/ goat who punishes naughty children
in pre-Christian Germanic folk tales. He’s celebrated on Krampuskarten with festivals,
greeting cards and parades. Sounds great. But, in large part, Krampus -- the
movie --disappoints. It attempts to capture the spirit of the 80s horror/
comedy classic film entitled Goonies. What’s wrong with it? It’s too gimmicky,
there are too many jump scares and the CGI images are overdone. Forty minutes
into the movie nothing has happened other than a dinner and a snow storm. Moments
that have horror potential are actually missed opportunities. I really wanted
to like this movie but it wasn’t funny and it also wasn’t scary. A cool idea?
Yes. A good movie? Clearly, no.
Friday, December 16, 2016
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Sunday, November 27, 2016
THE DAY AFTER ROSWELL
THE DAY AFTER ROSWELL - Colonel Philip J. Corso’s memoir is
an account of the purported discovery and subsequent cover-up, detailing a
crashed extraterrestrial spacecraft in Roswell NM in 1947. He describes recovered
items including alien bodies, UFO instruments, computer chips, metal cloth and fiber
optics. According to him, these inventions were reverse engineered and resulted
in the advancement of computer science, communications and modern video/ audio
entertainment. Published a year before his death, he went on to appearances in
the media including Dateline and radio interviews promoting his book. The book’s
detractors are numerous including the media, government and scientists. There are claims that the
assertions are over reaching and not supported by corroboration/ evidence. Interesting? Yes. Factual? I have no idea.
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
THE LADY'S MAID'S BELL
The Lady's Maid's Bell - A new maid is employed by an invalid in a gloomy Hudson Valley mansion. As she gets to know the house staff, she is bothered by several odd circumstances. She is replacing the position of a former maid that was recently deceased. Several other attempted replacements didn’t stay in the gloomy mansion for longer than a few days. Further foreshadowing reveals an odd locked room and her employer’s insistence to refrain from ringing the maid’s bell.
http://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2016/11/the-ladys-maids-bell.html
Sunday, November 20, 2016
THE CLUTTER MURDERS
The Clutter murders -
It was 1959, in the middle of the night, at an isolated Kansas farmhouse.
Dick Hickock and Perry Smith had just driven four hundred miles across state and
entered a darkened home. The cellmates planned to rob this unsuspecting family,
leave no witnesses, and start a new life in Mexico. The Clutter family—Herb, Bonnie,
their daughter Nancy, and son Kenyon—were roused from sleep. The cellmates
insisted they give up the location of a hidden safe. There was a problem with
the plan … since there was no safe … and, no cash. They bound the family, searched
for money and briefly debated what to do. In a fit of rage, Smith slit the
father’s throat and put a bullet in his head. They rest of them had to die too,
in cold blood. Finding nothing of value, the killers left with a small radio,
pair of binoculars and less than fifty dollars in cash. The Clutter murders
would later be described in the vanguard nonfiction novel, In Cold Blood. Truman
Capote, author of Other Voices, Other Rooms, left New York for Kansas after reading
a 300 word newspaper article. His co-author and research assistant was Harper
Lee, an author in her own right, of To Kill a Mockingbird. Capote and Lee grew
up together and had been childhood friends. First published in The New Yorker, In
Cold Blood was a sensation and the pioneer of the true crime genre. It has been
adapted into film, television and a graphic novel.
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Sunday, November 13, 2016
NEW ROOM WINCHESTER MYSTERY HOUSE
NEW ROOM Winchester
Mystery House – A “new” room has been discovered at the Winchester
Mystery House, the former Victorian mansion of Sarah Winchester. Heiress to the
Winchester rifle fortune, a spiritualist told her to keep adding rooms. So the restless
spirits of murdered gunshot victims wouldn’t haunt her. After the 1906
earthquake, she boarded up sections of her house, thinking evil spirits were
responsible for her being trapped there. The new room, which is an attic space,
had been boarded up since she died in 1922. The preservation team found a pump
organ, Victorian couch, dress form, sewing machine and paintings.
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Saturday, November 5, 2016
DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS
Día de los Muertos - What
is the Day of the Dead? It’s a Mexican holiday unifying indigenous traditions
and All Hallows Eve. Including festivals, parades and gatherings at cemeteries,
a day ending in prayer. Remember friends and family who have died, offer an
altar to them, in order to bring yourself peace and to honor their memory.
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