Author: Stacy Horn

Just try. I mean come on. Look at this face!! And that is after giving him medicine four times a day. He luuurrrvvves you. You must luuurrrvvve him back.

I was just talking about this on Echo, but someone posted a line-up of Halloween movies and I had this wonderful flashback to a Halloween from my past. I was in high school, and a bunch of us went to a midnight movie double feature. I just flashed on us all sitting up in the balcony screaming, throwing food, laughing. It was just fun in that high-school-act-like-an-idiot and do it very loudly way. One of the movies was The Night of the Living Dead, which I was seeing for the first time. ACK.

This year I will drum in the Village Halloween Parade, as I’ve been doing since I was 40.

But now I’m thinking I’d like to do something afterwards. Rocky Horror on 8th Street would have been perfect, but that theatre closed, what? Ten or more years ago?? Actually, because of the parade that theatre would have been impossible to get to. I have to find something on the west side. The problem is, even if I do find something, all my friends are like me and they are going to want to stay in and hole up on Halloween. I’m not sure anyone is going to be swayed by the “Come on! Let’s go to scary movies and act like assholes! It will be fun! pitch.

And by “save me” I mean read all the books I need to read and give me the highlights. I can’t believe how many books I’ve read, skimmed, glanced at, while writing this book about the Duke Lab. And everyday I find more.

Today I decided I must read this book written by Chris Carter (creator of The X Files). It’s called Parapsychology and the Skeptics, and I read an excerpt and it just looks like one that should not be missed. Then there’s another one called Extraordinary Knowing: Science, Skepticism, and the Inexplicable Powers of the Human Mind, by Elizabeth Lloyd Mayer, who died right before it came out.

I’ve started and need to finish: Entangled Minds by Dean Radin, a physicist, because I need to understand the quantum issues, Parapsychology: The Controversial Science by Richard Broughton, the title explains why I need to read it, and Memoirs of a Psychic Spy by Joe McMoneagle, because he’s been answering some questions via email, and they’ve been some pretty interesting answers.

So yeah. Feeling overwhelmed. And this is all for the epilogue that may only amount to a few pages. I just want to cry. I can’t take it anymore!! All of you out there writing books (except for me): STOP.

I found the picture of my band on Flickr. God, I’m vain. But I love finding pictures of myself.

I was browsing Flickr for pictures of my band, Manhattan Samba, and I came across this one by Marcos Vasconcelos. This is my favorite samba picture ever.

I just love how lightly his fingers hold the drumstick, but the muscles in his forearm show how much strength is really there. And the implication of talent that is in this gesture, and all the hard work and dedication that he must have put in to get there, to be able to grip the drumstick with such subtlety. Actually, I’m assuming this is a guy, but I guess it could be a girl. It looks like a guy though, right?

In other news: I have to give Finney medicine four times a day. Mother of God. I mean Holy Mary Mother of GOD. There’s a pharmacy nearby which will flavor medicine for kids and I found out they will do the same for cats. So I took the medicine there and it is now tuna-flavored. If nothing else, it’s kinda cool that there’s a place that will do that for you.

This was Echo’s home page in 1996. It was designed by my friend Sharleen Smith. I’d love to find the one she did even earlier, which had a New York skyline. It was gorgeous and exciting. This one is great too, though! It would be fun to go back to it and use it now. Wow. I just remembered how excited I was when I started Echo. It was 1989, I was 33 years old and I quit my job and everything. Very scary.

Oh God. I think I know why that just popped into my head. Because lately I’ve been thinking I might do something similar. Something completely life changing. I don’t know what yet, but I was talking to my friend Steven the other night and I said, “I have so few responsiblities, no family. I really can pick up and go anywhere and do anything.” It sucks for me in a way, but something good could come of it. I was trying to think of something to do that would improve one of the many the disastrous situations all over the world. I don’t know what yet, but there must be some way I could help.

Before

This was taken in March, and Alessandra (2nd from the right) was due in June. Yesterday we went back out to brunch. By the way, someone asked when we went out to brunch last and I said, “Last summer,” meaning 2006. “Weren’t we all bundled up?” They asked. “I don’t think so” I answered. “Maybe light jackets?” Here is the evidence, of when we went and the further deterioration of my brain.

After

This was taken yesterday, in front of the same restaurant. That’s Dimitra, Mary, Alessandra and a brand new human human being named Ella. Oh yeah, and I said “last summer” with little Ella right next to me, which would make her almost a year and a half old which she clearly isn’t.

I think Ella is taking this whole “I didn’t exist a little while ago and now here I am, please explain EVERYTHING to me” thing rather well.