I am asking for some serious prayers and I don’t care what GOD you pray to. My 4 year-old great grandson has been fighting a very rare cancer called Alueolar Rhabdomyosarcoma aka ARMS. It was discovered when he was three. It was already at stage 4.
They had been treating my great grandson at CHOP (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia with a year of chemo and radiation. It had recently gone into remission, which only lasted for a little over two months.
IT CAME BACK!!!!!
My great grandson needs more chemo. Here is the thing. This cancer is genetic…not hereditary…but genetic which means that his body will continue to produce cancer.
THIS SUCKS!!!
I’ve tried screaming at GOD, because no child should get cancer. In fact, no child should die because of cancer, war, hunger, or plain old stupidity caused by adults.
So, instead of screaming at GOD, I am asking for prayers. That’s it. I want a miracle. I believe in miracles…but I need a whole bunch of prayers. Please pray for Landon. You might even want to join me at night as I yell up into the night sky to what I believe is a loving GOD and say, “FIX LANDON!”
Snowflake was the last of the three dogs that my husband and I owned. We had two chihuahuas: Godzilla and Snowflake aka Snowy…and one Toy Yorkie, LeLe, which I stole from my daughter. You can read about Godzilla here. He passed around a year before my husband did. LeLe passed away last year.
Snowy was my husband’s favorite, and she was all I had left that was my husband’s. Snowy, at sixteen years of age, had congestive heart failure, which we were treating with meds. Two weeks ago she began to lose that perky energy that she was known for. Snowy was very protective of the three great grandchildren, and she would not allow my daughter’s two dogs near the babies. It was a comical sight to see this small fluff of white energy stand up to two dogs double her size.
She began coughing. She couldn’t settle down. Her appetite disappeared. Her coughing became so bad that we took her to the Vet. Nothing could be done. Today, we had to put her to sleep. I know that she is in heaven with my husband and playing with Godzilla and LeLe.
Goodbye Snowy. I think I cried the most with you. We have been through hell and back and I will miss our naps together.
I have reviewed many of Patrick Devaney’s independent films, and I loved them all…but this new film is definitely my favorite. Find out why with my review and interview of the amazing Patrick Devaney.
Dad’s New Roommate
Dad’s New Roommate is a short that centers around a retired widowed mechanic, who is also a Vietnam veteran. Joe Kowalski (Wylie Weeks) is lonely, and apparently his three children haven’t visited much since their mom passed away. Joe’s decision to accept a roommate from the internet to help with expenses has his sons Bob (Matthew J. Kaplan) and Jerry (Kyle Tuck) worried that their dad might be a victim of a scam. Joe doesn’t get much support from his daughter Margaret (Heather Drew) or her wife (Meaghan Bloom Fluitt).
Then, we meet the roommate, and Joe’s children are freaking horrified…and rightly so. Even though Joe’s children have taught him to me more open and accepting of people who are different than him…that all changes after meeting the roommate.
Conclusion with Spoilers
I was not expecting the ending! I don’t want to give too much away except to say that I would think twice before accepting a roommate from the Internet. Now, let’s find out more about the film from Patrick.
Gilbert: Patrick, where did you come up with such a great storyline?
Patrick: Hi Marie, thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it! Well, I’m not entirely sure where some of these ideas come from, I grew up watching Mr. Rod Serling tell me a story every night on my little B&W TV, so I know much of it comes from that; it never really turns off. But I knew I wanted to try my hand at something set more in “our” world. I mainly write things from alternative universes or timelines, and I also wanted to try to write something with an intentionally comedic angle, so this story kind of gelled in my head. As I was writing it, I could picture certain people playing certain things. I had worked with everyone in the cast in some way in the past, but I’d never really been with Wylie on set before. But he was my first choice to play Joe, the father in the story. Everyone involved was my first choice, so I was very lucky indeed. I pitched the script to my DP Mark Boutros, my AD Karen Morris, and my Costume Designer Gail Gooch and they were with the project right away.
I guess I also wanted to do something based on issues that people face today, themes of struggling with money and getting older, and family growing distant, and how the world today must not only look so different to an older person, but also to younger people who are well away from their college days. So much has changed in the last decade, and I think mainly for the better, but I wanted to explore what the members of one family are going through with all of that and then give them a huge curveball to deal with.
Gilbert: How did you meet Wylie Weeks?
Patrick: I was invited to be a guest director a few times for a horror acting class run by Pamela Kramer, the casting agent who originally introduced me to my constant collaborator, Heather Drew. This one time, Heather was doing a scene with Wylie, and I thought he was great and that they were excellent together. During the pandemic, we created the remotely-shot “Visitation” web series and I invited Wylie, who produced and shot his own segments in quarantine and went far above and beyond, and I thought “I need to work with this guy in person”. He accept the offer to play Joe and after our first online rehearsal I knew I had something exceptionally special in front of me. The entire cast just formed like they were family for years, and it’s what I’d hoped for but so far past what I’d dreamed would be possible.
It’s worth noting that Heather, Matthew J. Kaplan, and Kyle Tuck were also all in Visitation. Meaghan Bloom Fluitt would have been too, but I had not met her yet! I can understand people like Tim Burton very well today; once you find the people who you love to work with, you always want to work more with them.
Gilbert: Where can your fans watch this short?
Patrick: We are waiting to see when the film will premiere in 2024, it’s scheduled for the film festival circuit. As those things usually take months before you know anything, I cannot say for sure at this time. But we are planning to have it screen all over the US and Europe, and hopefully in new markets we’ve never had exposure to before. People who are interested can visit our Facebook page ( facebook.com/DadsNewRoommate ) or the film’s website ( www.find-a-mate.net ) We do hope its world premiere will be local to the Northeast so that most people involved can be there, but that is out of our hands for the moment!
Gilbert: What is your next project?
Patrick: I have a few projects in the planning stages for 2024 into 2025, including a new post-apocalyptic short dreamt up by my creative partner Lauren Clover, a long-planned new film created by Carol Ritter Conley (the director of “Penitence”), and a new film that I wrote called “Wavelet”, about a man who accidentally travels back 200 years into his past and no one seems very much impressed by this fact at all, no matter what he tries to tell them. So my hands are pretty filled with projects at this time, and I feel nothing but fortunate about that (with some level of anxiety, too..)
It’s wonderful to chat with you again, Marie, and thank you for the opportunity to tell the world about our new film!
Gilbert: How did you get started in this business?
Lorena Insley Melcher: I started with Guardian Termite & Pest Control in 1999 on a part time basis doing their bookkeeping. That transitioned over time to become full time and I eventually went on to become the Office Manager and then General Manager. Guardian Termite & Pest Control closed as of 8/31/23 and I started Guardian Preventative Termite & Pest Control, LLC on 9/1/23.
Gilbert: What do you offer your clients?
Lorena Insley Melcher: We offer many services:
One Time Pest Control Services
Quarterly Pest Control
Rodent Control
Gutter Cleaning
Real Estate WDI Inspections
Damage Repair
Animal Control – Squirrel, Raccoons, Ground Hogs
just to name a few. It never hurts to ask if we do a service – if I can’t provide the service, I try to direct the customer to someone who can help them.
Aside from the services we provide, we offer a friendly, welcoming atmosphere for customers to feel comfortable when they call the office.
Gilbert: How is Guardian Preventative Termite and Pest different than other companies?
Lorena Insley Melcher: We don’t require a contract to help customers with services.
There is no hard selling.
We do our best to keep quarterly services with the same technician to provide consistency. The technician will know how the customer likes their services done and it provides a comfort level with the customer.
Gilbert: How can people contact you?
Lorena Insley Melcher: Our phone number is 856-565-3330. We answer the phone live, so you don’t have to worry about a robot directing you to choose this option or that option.
When I was a teenager during the 60’s, the place to go on a date was the “Lakes.” The real name is FDR Park. Lots of smooching and more went on in all those cars parked discreetly around the lake, boat house, and the Gazebo. Over the following years, FDR Park became victim to flooding, crime, and vandalism. But things are looking up for this beautiful park and I am here to tell you all about it.
FDR Park
FDR Park, originally named League Island Park, was created in 1914 and was designed by the sons of Frederick Law Olmsted. Near to the Philadelphia Naval Base, and located at 1500 Pattison Avenue, FDR Park consists of 348 acres that included walking trails, a golf course, skate park, tennis courts, playgrounds, and fishing opportunities. Like I said in the beginning, FDR Park, although beautiful, was a victim to flooding and neglect…but new life is being pumped into this treasure.
Wetland Project
Plans are in the works to make FDR Park a world class destination for ecology, recreation, art and design. This is the first time in Philadelphia that a park plan is incorporating climate change projections and comprehensive hydrology study aligning community priorities with the realities of the hotter, wetter future the city faces.
This means that FDR Park will bring nature, water, and human activity into a balanced, unified system. All this work will take decades to complete, but the first three phases include:
Gateway Phase which includes the Anna C. Verna Playground (a state-of-the-art play area for children) and the Welcome Center. From the plans, this looks to be a spectacular play area when it is finally completed in the summer of 2023.
Nature Phase: 2022-2026 will include Tidal Wetlands, Nature trails, Wildflower Hill, Treehouse Woods, and Nature Playground.
Picnic & Play House Phase: 2023-2026 will include Fieldhouse, courts, fields, playground, picnic area.
Conclusion
This past weekend, while visiting my sister who lives in South Philly, we took her granddaughter to FDR Park. It was my first time back to this awesome park in many years. FDR Park has a huge Boathouse where you can rent a boat.
They have all kinds of activities: music, food trucks, shows, tennis, pickleball, and even an Asian Market that is open on weekends. Nestled in this park is also a Historical Museum.
I plan on volunteering after I move closer to South Philly this November. If you live in the tristate area, you definitely should visit this park. You won’t regret it.
Because of me doing psychic events, I have come across the most talented people. I began doing events for Tobi Schwartz Cassel’s Franks & Beans and this is where I met the amazing Lorena Melcher. Allow me to introduce Lorena to you.
Melcher Creations
Gilbert: I am so excited to be interviewing you, Lorena, and equally excited to share your crafts. How did you get started with Melcher Creations?
Lorena: I started Melcher Creations when I started paper crafting years ago. I set up the Facebook page, Melcher Creations, to share my paper crafts, homemade cards and shadow boxes.
Gilbert: Are the crafts hard to do?
Lorena: I can’t decorate a cake to save my life, but I love building the cards with the various papers and adding layers and embellishments. When I do a project with a group, I provide the template and encourage the crafters to put their own creativity to play. The projects can be as easy or as complicated as the crafter wants to make them. Embellishments/Bling are available for each craft.
Gilbert: Can clients request a certain craft to be designed just for them?
Lorena: I have made several special orders. I have been asked to make a mermaid themed shadow box, several never-ending cards with various themes such as Marvel Superheroes, Musicals, and color preferences. I have designed holiday cards, bridal shower invitations, baby shower invitations, and graduation parties.
Gilbert: Do you do house parties for small groups?
Lorena: I love working with small groups. We pick a project and work together to coordinate the craft. I do card packets, shadow boxes, and inspirational quotes.
Gilbert: Can your crafts be done by children? I was thinking of a fun party favor that children could do at a birthday party or as a take home craft gift bag.
Lorena: I would have to look into appropriate themed crafts but would be happy to give it a try.
Gilbert: Where can people find you on social media?
Lorena: They can find me on Facebook, here…and on the Franks & Beans Event page here. Tobi’s Franks & Beans holds monthly events featuring crafting events with me, Psychic dinners, and Everybody’s Birthday Party where we celebrate our birthday because we deserve to celebrate ourselves.
Gilbert: Thank you Lorena. I love your crafts and I am sure that my fans will love them too.
Check out Melcher Creations, and check out Franks & Beans for all the fun events coming up.
If you would like to see more of my reviews of films and TV shows…hop on over to Biff Bam Pop.
Biff Bam Pop is a Canadian Pop Culture site with amazing writers. If you want to read more of my reviews, click here.
Dating can be quite the adventure even on a good day, but when Maja falls hard for Leah, she not only inherits an orthodox family; she also inherits something not on her bingo card:
A spiritual enemy.
Attachment
Attachment is a Nordisk Film Production by Gabriel Bier Gislason and stars Josephine Park, Ellie Kendrick, Sofie Grabol, and David Dencik. Through a series of mishaps, Leah (Ellie Kendrick) who is visiting Denmark, meets former actress Maja (Josephine Park) at a bookshop where Maja is doing story time for the children. They click right away and for the first part of the film we watch their friendship grow into love, but it isn’t long before Maja notices that the perky Leah is having issues like sleepwalking and mumbling in her sleep. After Leah suffers a seizure that causes her knee to snap, the happy couple are forced to return to Leah’s home in an Orthodox Jewish community.
Leah’s mother, Chana (Sofie Grabol) is openly hostile to Maja. Leah explains to Maja that her dad was a religious zealot and had forced Chana to live in a community where she never felt comfortable, but that doesn’t explain her hostility towards Maja.
One day, while Leah is home healing from her injury, Maja checks out the neighborhood and walks into a bookstore owned by Leah’s Uncle Lev (David Dencik). Maja is looking for a book on the Hebrew religion and Uncle Lev then explains about the history of golems and dybbuks, which are like the Christian version of demons. This is a good thing because it isn’t long before Maja begins noticing all the symbolic talismans being hidden in Leah’s apartment. Why is Chana doing this? And what is causing the rift between Uncle Lev and Chana when it comes to Leah?
It isn’t long before Maja realizes what is happening to Leah and that she might be the only one who can save her lover from a dybbuk, but will Chana allow this to happen?
Conclusion
I was surprised how much I enjoyed Attachment. The horror isn’t thrown in our face, but is revealed slowly like the peeling of an onion. There are many layers to sort through, beginning with relationship and trust between Leah and Maja as compared to the relationship between Leah and Chana.
Both women love Leah and want to protect her, but Chana has the upper hand. She knows what has hold of Leah. Uncle Lev is the conduit for Maja to connect to the ancient beliefs of the Orthodox religion and its dybbuks. It is Uncle Lev who finally forces Chana to join forces to save Leah.
Like I said, I enjoyed the film even though it leaves us wondering if Leah is truly free. Do we every successfully exorcise the demon within us all?
You can find Attachment on Netflix and Amazon Prime.
I am surrounded by amazing friends, and one of my friends just published a book that is a must read. Join me in my interview.
Gilbert: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Goldstein: All I can remember through most of my life is living in survival mode. When no one is there to care for you it makes for a very difficult childhood and life. When I found recovery I found myself and began to discover that I was a teacher and a writer. The road to that awareness was not easy but I would not change the lessons I learned along the way.
Gilbert: What inspired you to write To God, The Only Parent I ever Knew?
Goldstein: I began writing as I was going through a very painful part of my own recovery from food addiction. Thought it would be a helpful tool to help me process the information I was receiving from God to help me heal. At one point I almost threw the book away. Then I awoke one day and said to myself, this is a very informative book that can help someone deal with their own journey, and I began thinking of all the books I read that helped me through my early recovery. That is the birth of my book as we see it today.
Gilbert: How has writing this book helped with your healing?
Goldstein: As mentioned above writing is a great tool when one is recovery from addiction. It makes it real clear when you see your pain in black and white, and read it to someone. Very powerful! Also it is healing to me when folks read it and validate what I went through to get to where I am today.
Gilbert: Publishing this book must have been quite a painful journey. Do you feel that this book will help others?
Goldstein: I have no question in my mind that this book will help others go through their own journey. It was painful to reexperience the abandonment and trauma that I lived through as I wrote the book but it was also very healing to me.
Gilbert: Are you working on a second book?
Goldstein: At this time, I am considering a second book but I am taking time to discover when that may be and what the book would be about, as there are several avenues to discover.
Gilbert: Thank you so very much for this interview, Suzanne. I wish you much success.
If you are interested in purchasing the book, you can find it on Amazon here.
Well…I loved the walker themed commercials that ran throughout The Walking Dead series finale…but I truly feel that this finale should have been a whole two hours because it left me feeling like I got stood up on a blind date. Let’s chat!
Rest in Peace
In the finale episode, it seems that Pamela Milton (Laila Robins) was a nastier Governor than the original Governor. Her actions almost cost Judith (Cailey Fleming) her life. Daryl (Norman Reedus) faced down the horde of climber walkers to get our little Ass Kicker to the hospital inside the Commonwealth, but he was injured in the process. I have to say that Judith is truly a Grimes because she climbed off the stretcher and kept those walkers from making her and Daryl an afternoon snack.
Rosita (Christian Serratos), Eugene (Josh McDermitt), and Gabriel (Seth Gilliam) managed to save Coco and a few other infants from the walkers, but then found themselves surrounded with a drainpipe as the only escape available. Rosita falls with her daughter in her arms…I want to tell you this one truth, nothing, and I mean nothing, will stop a mother bear from protecting her cub. Rosita, who was covered in walkers, jumped up fighting. She did manage to get her and the baby to safety…but she was bitten. Very sad, as was the death of Luke (Dan Fogler) and Jules (Alex Sgambati). At least Rosita had time to say goodbye to everyone, and she got to die in her bed.
Daryl saves Judith’s life by giving her his blood until Tomi (Ian Anthony Dale) could do surgery on her. Mercer (Michael James Shaw) is rescued by Princess (Paola Lazaro) and Max (Margot Bingham), and the big surprise of the night…Maggie and Negan made their peace. Maggie didn’t hold back as she told Negan what he stole from her and her son. There will be days when Maggie will find it hard to look at Negan, but there is a truce of sorts. Negan understood and his apology was heartfelt enough for Maggie (Lauren Cohan) to allow Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) to help her take down Pamela.
Conclusion
Our group survives because that is what they do. They are the ones who live…right? Judith also admits to Daryl that she did not tell him that Michonne was looking for Rick and that the whole family was supposed to be reunited, because she didn’t want to lose him too. The love between Daryl and Judith made me cry. He is really a father figure to that little girl.
There is a one-year-jump at the Commonwealth where we find that Ezekiel (Khary Payton) is the new governor, and Mercer is the lieutenant governor. Eugene and Max have a baby. In Alexandria we seen that Ninja Carol (Melissa McBride) has taken over Hornsby’s job. Maggie is hinting that she wants to see what’s out there beyond their communities. Carol and Daryl say a tearful goodbye. Carol is also in charge of keeping Judith and RJ (Antony Azor) safe until Rick and Michonne (Danai Gurira) are found.
Before we go into the surprise ending, I need to rant about Carol and Daryl. It was nice to see that there are true feelings of love between these two warriors, but I am not the only one who wanted to see at least one passionate kiss between Daryl and Carol. I was hoping, like the rest of the entire universe) that Carol and Daryl would have rode off together…but Melissa McBride was not able to do the Europe thing where Norman Reedus will be working in the spinoff. NOT HAPPY!
I know there are spinoffs coming, but this series and the people who worked on this show for the last eleven years are family to me. I worry about them. Will they find other acting jobs now that the series is done? Will we see guest appearances as Daryl, Maggie, Negan, Rick and Michonne do their thing on the spinoffs? I don’t know.
Speaking of spinoffs, just when we thought that the series would end without us seeing Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne…we learn that Rick is being tracked by a CRM helicopter. He throws his backpack that includes his diary and phone onto an abandoned boat before capture. Michonne dressed in the best kick ass Ninja outfit and riding a horse has apparently found said diary and is now writing messages to Rick as she continues to search for him
I don’t know about you, my little walker snacks, but I don’t handle loss very well, and even though there will be new shows…it is not the same. I will still continue to write my posts on the spinoffs depending on which one I finally decide to choose as my favorite. I will not say goodbye to The Walking Dead. They are family, and I will drop in and visit, and…I will share my thoughts on the spinoffs with you my dear followers. WE ARE THE ONES WHO LIVE! Love you all.
I love doing reviews on independent films. I’ve done many reviews for films that were directed and produced by my friend Patrick Devaney, and you can find these reviews on my blog. In this post, I will be reviewing a short film that was written and directed by Scott W. Perry, and stars Patrick Devaney.
Follower
Follower, which is produced by Slick Devil Entertainment and Drew and Perry Productions, along with Hilltop Studios with Stolis Hadjicharalambous producing, shooting and editing the film, begins with a young woman, Sarah (Heather Drew) being interrogated by a detective (Patrick Devaney). Sarah is part of a dangerous cult, and the detective is trying to get information on the cult leader, Andrew.
Sarah claims that the cult is about love, but as the detective digs deeper, we learn that the cult has its own armory. The detective doesn’t settle for the “We are all about love” explanation that Sarah is sticking to, and soon asks Sarah what happened to another cult member who has gone missing.
Conclusion
This film was well written, and the acting was top of the line. All through the interrogation, we are led to believe that Sarah, then later, Rebecca (Mandi Fuccillo) are unwilling participants in Andrew’s plans for a major coup. I was not expecting the surprise ending. Holy Wow!
The only bad thing about short films is that they leave you wanting more of the story. I truly enjoyed this film, and it is a perfect reminder that you don’t have to live in an isolated community to be taken over by the cult mentality.
This amazing short story will be slated for viewing for the 2023-2024 festival circuit. You can learn about the director on his vimeo page here and his imdb page here.
gilbertspeaks 