Reviews sort of XP "Hellier" & Synchronicity

Synchronicity.

I used to think that it was a cool concept only psychology nerds really knew about, but—and maybe this is just me—along with Cthulhu and the Akashic record, it seems a bit overused of late. Especially so in this show called “Hellier” on Amazon Prime. I watched it recently with a recommendation from my sister. 

It should have been exactly my kinda thing. It had creepy woods in Kentucky, mysterious emails, cheeky little gremlin/alien creatures, abandoned mines and tunnels, and an attractive group of paranormal investigators. BUT after watching nearly the entire first season, I couldn’t take it anymore. I wish I cared enough to count the number of times this group of people used my word. MY WORD (Okay, obviously it isn’t mine, it’s Carl Jung’s, but still.). I started rolling my eyes in the first episode. EVERYTHING is synchronistic to these people. They found synchronicities around every corner. Granted, I’m oversimplifying; granted, some strange coincidences certainly happened. And I do not think this was entirely scripted, the people involved seemed genuine. But come on. If everything you do and see and hear is a synchronicity, then it really isn’t very special anymore. I think it’s more like, somebody (or something) be fucking with ya. And also, the show got boring. If the culmination of the first season involves the finding of an old tin can on the ground, sorry, I’m out. But that’s just me. Maybe I’m desensitized to these things from watching too many weird YouTube videos. 

Same with a podcast I listen to called “Jim Harold’s Campfire.” He recently had an entire episode full of callers with similar experiences. The themes were unplanned and came in randomly, but still. As much as I enjoy the show, he uses that term too freely for my taste. I prefer “too much of a coincidence to be a coincidence,” as he likes to say. Let’s not water down my word, Mr. Harold. You could argue the vernacular, but this is my blog and my opinion, so I win.

Any who. It’s not really their fault. We do dis. We are hard-wired to look for those connections to give meaning to our lives beyond our day-to-day trivialities. Why do you think ancient people thought the sun and the moon were gods? Fuck, I don’t know either but probably because they wanted to give meaning to their lives.

I don’t know how many times in the last week, month, or year I’ve thought, “What is this all about?” I didn’t used to think about shit like that. I didn’t used to have time. This year, I’ve had a lot of time to wonder about the meaning of life. When I’m feeling up, it’s all about connections with other people. That’s been difficile this year because of COVID. It’s given me the out I always thought I wanted, but has really just served to further my introversion. When I’m feeling down, the best I can do is to keep on keeping on. I think that’s my 2020 motto, and shit, man, it’s good enough. It has to be.

To me, though, a true synchronicity is harder to decipher. It’s a little more random, a little more mystical. And maybe I’m wrong. Maybe I only recognize the extreme cases because of their extremism and strangeness. Like, for instance, the picture of fallen logs lain across each other in crystal-clear water in the "Ju-On: Origins" credits. The show left an impression on me (scared the shit out of me, well), as did that image, and a week or so after finishing the series I randomly watched a BBC travel video about Lake Mashu-ko “Lake of the Gods,” the deepest lake in Japan. It sits in a caldera and has exceptionally clear water. Cut to 2:56 in, and you will see the same fallen from Ju-On. It was only on the screen for a moment with no explanation, but it struck me. That is some random high strangeness synchronicity right there. What does it mean? Do I need to go there? Maybe if I could speak to my spirit guide or tap into the collective unconsciousness, I could understand it, but at this point in my journey, I remain clueless. I don’t expect that to change. Even though I now have time to ponder, I don’t have time to really investigate, nor am I able to travel right now. And perhaps that’s for the best. I’m not quite ready to face the abyss.

In the meantime, I’ll keep reading and listening to those things which fascinate me, and see what other signs and synchronicities I can find. 

J. L. Dodd

"Am I supposed to be writing about Christmas and shit? I don't want to." - Me

Links:

Hellier: A Planet Weird Original Series

Jim Harold’s Campfire — JimHarold.com

BBC - Travel - Japan’s mysterious ‘lake of the gods’

Random XP! Three Books

Is it just me or is this pandemic exhausting? I think I found the shelter-in-place order intriguing to begin with. I was relieved in some ways that my weekends were now free, and that I could write to my heart’s content. It hasn’t really worked out that way, though. I feel like I’m writing less. My weekday mornings are shot because my children are on Zoom meetings for class and on the weekends, well, there’s much to do. Much to do I tell you even though I typically spend one full day watching TV with my teenage daughters (I’ve been watching so much anime that I’m beginning to think in Japanese) and one full day working in the backyard/cleaning/being otherwise productive. When I’m lazy, it’s exhausting When I’m productive, I tend to overdo it and it’s exhausting. Not only that but for the last week, I’ve been plagued by a persistent yet mild headache which doesn’t lend itself to creativity. So I guess this post is just going to be me whining while people are outside dying. I’m done now.


I’ve been staying away from the news for the most part. I read headlines. I’m not interested in what Trump is doing because it only pisses me off (The fact that he’s putting his name on the CARE ACT checks? WTF? And why are we letting him? It’s an obvious ploy to get votes from the uneducated, and so ridiculous it’s laughable. Ay, Dios Mio!). And congress, I mean, for Christ’s sake people, if they can’t stop their bickering and finger-pointing at a time like this I think we really are doomed. Doomed, I tell ya! So, I don’t even want to know.


Anywho … the title of this post is three books for a reason. I started reading three different books that I have not finished in the last year (perhaps longer? I could consult Goodreads to be certain but I’m certain it doesn’t matter at this point). I’m so close to finishing my own book (I think I hope OMG maybe not) that I haven’t read anything more involved than manga in a really long time (a long time being months, which is a long time indeed for a mind vacation). So, I’ve decided I need to finish these three books:


Shadowland – Peter Straub

The Left Hand of Darkness – Ursula Le Guin


Linger – Maggie Stiefvater


This list of DNFs perfectly encapsulates the strangeness of my motley reading interests.

And then, I must commit to reading a book I bought months ago with the intention of reading right away because it’s going to be so awesome I know and yet, I can’t seem to pick it up because I know every waking moment going forward will be spent reading it in all it’s 1300+ pages of glory:


Words of Radiance – Brandon Sanderson


So, wish me luck. I have already made progress in Shadowland. Hopefully, Straub doesn’t do anything horrible to absolutely piss me off or I’ll have to permanently DNF him.

Happy reading, people!


J. L. Dodd

Quickie XP Skip Beat update

Oh. My. God.

I can't say anything without ...

If only I had my own grudge demons. 

They'd be busy little fuckers.

Listen people. If you have ever read Skip Beat or watched the anime or the Taiwanese live-action drama, you need to get caught up with the manga. There's a lot that's unresolved but ... progress. 

My sister said, "We've been waiting 10 years for this!!!!!!" Fuck yes, we have. Probably longer.

I really can't say any more.

With what's going on in the world, I figure the best thing I can do right now is to completely lose myself in a book (or in this case, a manga). I haven't yet gone all the way back to the very first volume but I'm considering doing that because it. is. just. so. good. Not that there aren't slow parts--there are. But Kyoko-chan's character is a masterpiece of heartbreak, determination, spirit, and, of course, love. And I have to say, the mangaka has fleshed out Ren/Kuon so fully that he now shares the spotlight with her.

I'm rooting for you Kyoko!

J.L. Dodd

Music I love ... Young the Giant "in the Open"

Okay, so, I know it’s been a while. I’m still writing. Still struggling. I’m still battling resistance in many forms. Still looking for connections that inspire. Still healthy, for now. Things have been good. Things have been bad. The whole world is pretty much a shit show atm. If I’m being honest, I was hoping for a zombie apocalypse, but this post isn’t about the state of the world today. I found something I want to share.


Let me start over.


This is the perfect moment. As much uncertainty and worry and stress and stupidity as exists in the world right now, it doesn’t matter, because right now is perfect.


One of the bands I’ve recently become infatuated with is Young the Giant. Years ago, I purchased “Mind Over Matter” on iTunes and haven’t tired of it. Since then, I’ve been listening to them here and there without any conviction, until now. After I watched the “Superposition” video 85 times, YouTube suggested I watch the “In the Open” series, and I’m hooked. Basically, the guys go random places and perform their songs in live, mostly unplugged sessions out and about in the world, and it’s fucking great. At the top of some hills in soCal. In a tunnel. Next to a pond. I haven’t heard most of these songs, but “Guns Out” is good. You can’t not love Sameer Gadhia’s voice. This is perfect writing music. 

To me, right now, this music encapsulates a perfect moment. I am surrounded by my family. The girls are making gnocchi. Their dad is supervising. The boys are playing video games. Everyone is together and everyone is happy, and I am content.


I’ve probably had a million perfect moments in my life, but I hardly ever have the presence of mind to recognize them. I do remember watching a gentle rain on my carport. There was a starry night on a roof under the stars in the middle of El Paso. Holding my children, at any and every age, for two seconds or two hours, is perfection. I’ve also felt utter and absolute despair. Heartbreak, the slow and painful kind as well as the bandaid-getting-ripped-off kind. And I, just once, entertained the idea that I might not live to see another day. Perhaps you'd disagree, but I'd argue this is also perfection, albeit of a different sort, and worth pursuing. 


Anyway, fuck this shit. Just do what I tell you—put this music on, forget about what’s going on outside and write, draw or paint. Or make gnocchi. Or wash dishes. Or just whatever you are doing while you’re distancing and sheltering in place and under lockdown and quarantined.

J. L. Dodd