A note on Helen Jewel and The Misfits.

Hudley Flipside | Punk Rock Colleague • Historian • Archivist

Hudley An Original Fiend Club Member

I wrote this post a few years ago about my youthful rebellion. With much insight and pain, I wrestle with my past now as a senior citizen crone who is also a punk rocker, a curse, I’m sure.

If the Misfits put me on their guest list today, like they once did in the past, I would go no matter where they play. It would be grand. Yet I know this will not happen and I hope the best for all bands that are doing well. So be it.

We went out of control!

Helen Jewel roving reporter for Los Angeles Flipside Fanzine.

Helen Jewel was a consistent staph worker on Flipside Fanzine during the 1980s. We met her through another friend through Pete Landswick. She lived near uptown Whittier in a second story funky apartment. She drove around in an old primer grey Porsche. She had a distinct style about her that was a bit on the Femme fatale side.

At the time she worked at a local ceramic business and painted ceramic pieces. She was well-educated in the arts and literature and had a wild side. This is why, I guess, she hung out with us.

I remember when I turned her on to The Misfits. We just saw them live and interviewed them for an issue of Flipside to be published. She did not seem impressed at first, even when I told her all about the band. She was not easily impressed by others at all and told me once,

“If someone has the guts to insult me, I know they are my friend!”

The Misfits were going to play the Whisky A Go Go. I almost begged her to go. I told her,

“You just have to see them to believe them.”

She went. I will never forget the Misfits when they hit the stage.

Glen Danzig was between two out-of-sight monsters of testosterone Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein and Jerry Only.

Both with their Devilocks hanging down as far as Helen’s mouth.

There just are no words to describe how much fun these guys are to see live, so I won’t, but we went out of control!

~Los Angeles Flipside Fanzine # 31 Included in the Hardcover Los Angeles Flipside Fanzine # 54 Ten Year Anniversary Issue…

Celebrating 50 years of Punk Rock. Click on image to order.

My Campaigns that keep moving forward. Political sorrow.

Here we are at a turning point for our country and the world.

Some politicians begging for money and others too much money as

Trumpians and Muskians pour their wealth into dictators

obscene characters that don’t care about

“We The People.”

This is how I try to move with the groove of a song I believe in.

Asking for money to build my world image.

Engaging artists and creators to express themselves.

Hoping and inspiring

Protecting our lands

building community where we can live happily with our wild friends.

My focus is to hold the contradictions of life

suffering and joy

Repulsion and attraction

Listening and doing

Loving and more loving

As the fire of Prometheus

calls us to freedoms

beyond our wildest dreams

calls out to our very souls.

Letter to Politicians

The Seminary of Praying Mantis Publishing- Letter to Politicians

Big Ugly Apartments in the San Fernando Valley

Big Ugly Apartments in the San Fernando Valley

“Sweet and Low”

Hudley Flipside | Punk Rock Colleague • Historian • Archivist

As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.

Abraham Lincoln

My little celebration of 50 years has some strange turns. As on Halloween night when you take a new path or go to a different neighborhood than the one you have been Trick-or-Treating on for years.

I look at Los Angeles Flipside Fanzine from 1977 to 2027 as 50 years of overall punk rock. The beginning and towards the confirmed genre. Unknown and unclassified to becoming a term that I don’t use but is used often.

Like bands. Some great bands that form and then die. And other grand bands than are still playing with only one member of the original band. It is something to celebrate and many of the fresh players that came to work on Los Angeles Flipside Fanzine appeared around the night of my departure.

Los Angeles Flipside Fanzine 1977 to 2002. My term was from 1979 to 1989. On the edge of a new type of punk scene and all the other terms that some use. Like Al coining the term “Grunge.”

Regardless or redundant… of all of this I came upon this interview in an old Los Angeles Flipside Fanzine. FUGAZI on the Cover image by KRK and an Interview with the band Nirvana by Al and fresh staff people. There is a good feeling in my heart that the issue continued as it should have.

Regardless of me being absent at this point. I never met KRK (Kirk Dominguez) until years later in 2010. I do respect his work.

I spent time together with FUGAZI when they first came to Whittier California to hang out with the Flipside staff. At the local Indian restaurant, I learned about Baklava. A type of pastry with honey and pistachio. Yet never met Nirvana.

It was years later when my two boys got into their songs that I learned to love their music. My oldest knows all the leads to each of their songs on his guitar.

Any bitterness has melted like butter on my waffles. I embrace it all as a time of celebration. The overall time, bands and all the times we shared in this punk scene.

I’m sharing this band, now gone, because I heard a whisper today—in a song, the wind, a cool breeze while sitting outside with my cats, or a bee buzzing near my ear.

It spoke of becoming an archivist of Los Angeles Flipside Fanzine: sharing its story and celebrating the friendships and all the good songs. I never knew it would be like this. It is bitchin’.

FUGAZI has been on an indefinite hiatus since 2002.

Nirvana Original forming band 1987–1996: Death of Cobain and disbandment.

“I’m on my time with everyone.
I have very bad posture.”

Strong Women postcards Continue.

Meet the woman whose middle-finger protest at Trump’s Syracuse rally went viral!

At a campaign rally Monday in Ohio, a young woman who has yet to be identified was violently assaulted by multiple Trump supporters.

The woman was wearing a shirt that read: “Release the Epstein files.” The Trump administration has yet to release over 3 million files.

A brave woman is one who faces challenges head-on, overcoming adversity with resilience and strength. She stands firm in her beliefs, advocates for herself and others, and takes risks despite the fear that may accompany them. A brave woman challenges societal norms, breaking barriers and inspiring those around her. Her courage is not just about physical feats but also emotional and moral bravery, as she navigates difficult situations, defends her values, and supports those in need. She embraces vulnerability while demonstrating incredible fortitude, proving that true bravery often lies in authenticity and the willingness to speak out for justice, equality, and change.

Bitchin’ women.

New Moon in Libra and Vulcan with Uranus and Dionysus still veiled in Mystery.

In esoteric philosophy, the Moon symbolizes karmic history and subconscious influences, governing a person’s reactive and emotional behavior in an undeveloped state.

As one embarks on a spiritual journey, the Moon’s influence diminishes, revealing the planet it conceals, which is Vulcan for those awakening spiritually.

Additionally, older Greek pottery often depicts the comic scene of Vulcan’s return to Olympus, humorously portrayed as he rides a donkey, accompanied by Dionysus and satyrs.

Artist symbolism is fun. Working with old esoteric ideals is strange when they come forward is in their dynamic dramas. So, this is my interpretation of the new moon, Vulcan, and Uranus and of course Dionysius.

Praying Mantis steps into the play or mystery very well.

A Reflection. Surfing old age.

Happy Autumnal Equinox.

Is my son mocking me? hahah

“King Arthur resolves that “violence is not strength, and compassion is not weakness.”

This aligns with the idea that revenge and harm are pointless, and that true power is using influence for good.

Violence often breeds fear, cycles of retaliation, and loss of trust, while compassion builds trust, healing, and long-term peace.”

My son made an AI-generated image of me as a Knight of the Round Table. I was happy. It feels bitchin’.

In my early twenties, when I was a young punk, Ames Books was located in the building where we lived. We had homesteaded an art loft above it—not a real apartment, and sometimes an awkward place to be. That’s why I spent much of my time reading downstairs at Ames.

The Knights of the round Table, myth, esoteric knowledge, films, and a type of Christianity that talked about the Holy Grail.

Now much later I know more about the subject, yet it is a mystery housed within myself for reading. Or in nature to be found in the Bees collecting pollen or the first blooming Dionysian Hollyhock in my garden.

I am grateful for our two son’s success in the world. They have taken on the things I taught them. We still have heated talks about logic vs. love when applied to AI.

Mythology and synchronicity vs. open and closed coding.

Those long mathematical equations explain so much about the world, eventually branching into the Fibonacci sequence—and bringing us back again to flowers and bees.

We learn progressively as we age, with knowledge building upon previous insights. While I don’t read science fiction or Tolkien, my sons do. I resonate with mythologies that reflect real-life experiences, finding inspiration in genres like cowboy shows, murder mysteries, horror films, and film noir.

New Chapbook

Hudley Flipside: The Seminary of Praying Mantis Publishing.

A Poem to Prometheus

The small GOLD MUSHROOM

A Flopside cOmic “Be More Than a ASSHOLE.”

Today Mr. Fuck came out of the bomb shelter after months of hiding only coming out to climb the fence to do his freegan thing at night.

I felt his hand on my shoulder, and he told me he had a project in mind. I looked over my other shoulder and there was Mr. Shit with his sly grin, and I knew I was in for good fucking trouble.

He gave me a list, and I went to do some good fucking business.

One & 3KG Graphite Crucibles Smart Electric Melting Furnace, 1800 W 110 V Gold Melting Furnace Kit with PID Digital Electric Smelting Furnace for Gold Silver Copper Aluminum Jewelry & Hobby Foundry Kit.
Big canvas for the ground.
Pepy Plastilina Reusable and Non-Drying Modeling Clay
Juome Jar Resin Molds Silicone, Mushroom Jar Silicone Molds for Epoxy Resin.
Mailing box the right size. Addressed to the President of the United States.

He had everything else he needed in the bomb shelter. Preordering his fifteen $1 gold Trump coins that went on sale Sept. 2.

Twenty-five for $61.00. Wow extra fee there? Mr. Fuck will have them within the week. So, he did. He has a friend who has a friend who knows someone who travels and knew someone who works where the coins are made and so … the underground of subversion is a wide and deep organization. Come to your own conclusion.

Be More Than A Witness

Two notable books delve into the vibrant intersection of punk culture and journalism, particularly through the lens of Los Angeles Flipside Fanzine. The first, released in 2019, offers a retrospective exploration of the punk scene, documenting its influences and the impact it had on the music industry and youth culture in that era. This book serves as an essential companion for anyone interested in the roots of punk as well as the evolution of independent journalism during this transformative period.

The second book, which is set to launch this year, continues this narrative, focusing on the pivotal years from 1977 to 1987. It provides an in-depth look into the ten-year journey of the Flipside Fanzine, celebrating its contributions to punk rock storytelling and the DIY ethos that characterizes the movement. This documentation not only covers the milestones of the fanzine but also highlights key bands, figures, and events that shaped the more shadowy punk scene.

Both works are particularly special as they are tied to the Anniversary Celebration of the Ten-Year Anniversary Issue #54, which is a landmark publication in the history of Flipside. 2027 marks an incredible fifty years of Flipside and punk rock, a testament to the enduring legacy of both the fanzine and the genre. Together, these books not only celebrate a storied past but also invite readers to reflect on the continued relevance of punk culture in today’s society.

Whether you’re a long-time punk enthusiast or new to the scene, these publications offer invaluable insights and rich historical context.

My site.

https://www.amazon.ca/stores/author/B07Q2JN6LY

The secret Vow I took with ZOUNDZ

“Zounds were an English anarcho punk/post-punk band from Reading, Berkshire, formed in 1977. Originally they were part of the cassette culture movement, releasing material on the Fuck Off Records label, and were also involved in the squatting and free festival scene. The name of the band is derived from the old English minced oath “zounds“, a contraction of “God’s wounds”, referring to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ, formerly used as a mildly blasphemous oath.”

An Address on Environmental Etiquette.

People, Gaia, and wild animals over power.

“Teilhard argued that the “sense of the Earth” is the passionate concern for our common destiny, which draws human consciousness ever further toward unity. He warned that unless humanity shakes off old prejudices and builds the Earth, it risks perishing. This vision of a unified, conscious humanity points toward a social order that transcends narrow self-interest, which is a core value of both socialism and, in a broader sense, cooperative capitalism.”

~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin on Capitalism and Socialism / French Jesuit priest, scientist, paleontologist, philosopher, mystic, and teacher.

These Data Centers or Big Ugly Apartments going up are a real issue with this country. Based on investors, corporations and big city planners who are letting this happen. All politicians. It does not have to be this way.

Environmental Etiquette is a theory I produced to look at this issue.

Before more Data centers are built, or big Ugly Apartments, we need to get them to see where there are building. Not just a random profitable place. What can they help with in our communities to amplify good community?

Are they looking around to see where they are? They must help with building up our infrastructures instead of raping them. Plant trees, pay their own power bills, and help build parks. Be upfront and honest. It is not the technology that I am against, it is how these corporations are implementing their projects.

Instead of building big, ugly apartments, why not create single-family homes with front and back yards? They use less power, reduce overcrowding in our communities, and can also support our infrastructure. How does their Etiquette improve our communities? Ignore the big lie of affordable housing when it only gives greedy corporations permission to take over and further exploit our communities.

We must think of wildlife, pollution of all kinds. More people mean more schools, more hospitals, and a bigger strain on our already weak and old infrastructures and overburdening our electricity power plants or nuclear sources causing massive “Electrical Arcing” proven to start fires and this is due to poor Environmental Etiquette. Poor city planning.

Where are the politicians who care? Why don’t we hold companies accountable and require them to practice good Environmental Etiquette?

We live in an economically based society. It is both socialistic and capitalistic, and hopefully we can stay democratic. Money and humanity and good Environmental Etiquette.

Environmental etiquette t-shirts for your wearing pleasure.

August 27–28 lunar eclipse Moon: My Focus.

A Church Bazaar” is the Sabian Symbol for Pisces 5° — precisely the degree area of the August 27–28 lunar eclipse Moon (~4°54′ Pisces, rounded up to 5° for Sabian symbols).

That makes the symbolism especially interesting with Diana beside the eclipsed Moon.

“Throughout all this we have no difficulty in understanding the absolute accuracy of the Divine adaptation. The density of the stars, respectively. Proceeds, of course, as their condensation diminishes; condensation and heterogeneity keep pace with each other; through the latter, which is the index of the former, we estimate the vitallic and spiritual development. Thus, in the density of the globes, we have the measure in which their purposes are fulfilled. As density proceeds—as the divine intentions are accomplished –so, in the same ratio, should we expect to find an acceleration of the End. — and thus, the philosophical mind will easily comprehend that the Divine designs in fulfilment. –and more, it will readily give the advance a mathematical expression; it will decide that this advance is inversely proportional with the squares of the distances of all created things from the starting-point and goal of their creation.”

` Edgar Allan Poe Eureka: An essay on the Material and Spiritual Universe Pg. 120

A Church Bazaar

In Search of Orange autumn lights.

“A true paradox makes for a strong devotion and a mystical union powerful enough to endure the problems.”

Owning Your Own Shadow~ Robert A. Johnson.

Taken down the spring light of multi-colors that lingered from passed holidays. I was on a mission to find some lights for autumn. I got in my little green number, Fiat, and went for a drive.

Firstly, I went to the old Jo-Anns fabric and Craft store that is now a Spirit Halloween store. I walked with much joy throughout the store. Macabre as it was with all sorts of fun stuff. I did not find any string of lights. I asked the workers too.

Feeling delighted to see that a new Jo-Anns was opened next door. Bigger and better. I had not been here for some time because of my saddens when one of my favorite stores closed. What a gift to know that it just moved.

My routine of shopping is focused these days. Not as easy to get around.

Walking through the stores I felt so much creative joy I was beside myself. A massive Halloween exuberance had taken over this store. Yet no Halloween lights. Again, I asked the workers.

“No lights.” They told me.

Found a pumpkin basket with a hat. Big enough for my kitties to jump in. And they did and have been fighting over it ever since I brought it home.

I then drove to Home Depot. I talked to some workers, and they told me that Halloween decorations will be dropped in a day or so and then the Halloween stuff goes up. They had no string of lights.

Got mulch for the front garden roses and three bricks to surround them. A lovely tall bush that has the most glorious roses. Big and lovely.

Last stop is just a short drive down to Target. One of my favorite stores that has windows that look out upon my beloved Verdugo Mountains. Only a few ghosts and pumpkins around. They again were not set up for Halloween. Yes, I asked … and no string of lights to be found. I walked a lot. I walked out with nothing in my hands.

The heat now was in the nineties, and I felt the ideocracy of myself walking through a hot parking lot forgetting where I parted my little number
“Oh there it is.”

Frustrated I went home. Overseeing the bricks took it toll on my week neck. So, out came a couple Advil. Ok this is when I hit Amazon.

Within two hours my lights were delivered to my house. This is the first time I have used their two-hour service. They keep their promise. I ordered two orange, purple light boxes. I put them up around 9PM.

Reflecting on my determination and mission I sat down that evening about to watch “Murder She Wrote,” with my cup of magic coffee. Being truly content of reaching my goal that day of feeling bitchin’. Orange, purple lights are up. Illuminate my joy.

Not the man!

Tee-Shirt

Come repel with me !

You reading this

This is the face of corruption

The face who supports

A dictator!

Push them all in the dump!

A landfill of Treasonous Assholes!

https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/97392324-todd-wallace-blanche?store_id=1424027

New Artist Statement.

July 25, 2026

Jack Smith is our modern hero.

Jim Jordon is our anti-hero. As a society we must balance somewhere in-between. As our House and Senate do nothing to support our heroes and allow our anti-heroes to rise, for me it is a sad lukewarm reality this country faces.

War and tariffs and now the evil immigrants.

Back in our history during religious inquisition, in general, the church did the same thing to its own people. Because some had different faiths and were starving. Not paid a decent wage, occasionally defining a storm a peasant stole the life stock to feed their family when the land was cold and wild animals were hard to come by.

They were captured and called devils.

So, the name lycanthropy was invented. Based on the She Wolf ancient culture persecuted by a Christian power in control. Somehow a culture can shame us and throw their shadows upon the weak and nature loving. Those women and men who are only human, yes better than those who accuse them.

The End of Roe v. Wade

Is the number one worst thing done in our modern times… to take this freedom away from women. The right of a woman to do what she will with her body. Only between her and her god, her autonomy.

I have experienced it all. At fifteen I got my period, at about that time guys started to follow me around. Boys, dates, and boyfriends. Rape, abortion, miscarriages and two healthy sons. Sons who are well in this contrary world of ours.

Over these long years our government has helped me as a young woman and as I matured. Also Planned Parenthood and now having good healthcare that cares about me and my body. Yet I still must be my own advocate.

18 years ago

I lost my ability to have children. Now as a crone I see that as a female my power is in my Solar Plexus my belly. My sexuality is sensitive and creatively inspired. I can discern our worlds shadow and false narratives ruled by power, religion, and the unbalanced often unchecked patriarchies. This is where I focus my creativity on balancing or bringing a wholeness.

I do this honestly

Through mythologies and nature. My art. By way of myths and my own jovial psyche. When my shadow and light play in my mind and heart during my night walks under the moon and stars. Where my psyche and the cosmos meet. While hearing nature and the sadly growing asphalt jungle. Whether I like it or not I am part of it all.

“We think alike!”

A few days ago, I was out front watering the potted plants. As I was watering one potted plant out popped a praying mantis.

I went to get my phone to take a family picture when I put my iPhone’s password in backwards… had to wait for the security to clear 1 minute. I looked at mantis thinking,

“Oh, the wind is blowing mantis around. If I were mantis, I would crawl up that hanging rosemary vine.”

I put the security in backwards again. I had to wait 5 minutes.

“Oh no”

About 20 minutes later I went back outside and there was mantis crawling up the rosemary. I got the password right this time and took the pic.

“We think alike!”

Then as I came back, I saw that mantis caught a bee. After climbing to the top of the red brick.

“Oh my,” I thought.

The serendipity of the whole thing. I also remember in a dream where Praying Manits spoke to me about how cats in our yard have eaten a few praying mantes. That Praying Mantis has also eaten a butterfly.

So, what came to my attention was this.

Respect the bee for its work.

Respect the mantis for its hunger.

Respect yourself for being able to witness both without turning either one into a villain.

Now I am working with my shadow. This is what bee and mantis are sharing with me.

Life is fleeting; it involves experiencing light and shadow and striving to find balance between the two.

I SPY RPRAYING MANTIS

2027 Almost 50 years since Flipside Was first Published.

New hardcover~ it feels good. A part of a history that I feel is presented with sexy respect. The first handheld device of information. The fucking fanzine.

Link to Amazon to purchase World Wide

https://a.co/d/07YAazvs

The most challenging times somehow make me highly creative. My list is complete for now with what I wanted to create this season. My Chapbook Dark City Punks and the Original Ten-Year Anniversary Issue 1977 to 1987 the hardcover.

To open the cork and celebrate that special Flipside Fanzine Issue. It looks great and I am incredibly happy with it. A dream complete of a hardcover copy. Within time I will make obsolete the Paperback edition. Even though that was a grand accomplishment on its own.

It was a process and like most things done by the Flipside Fanzine crew we learned as we grew. Seven years since it was published again. Thirty-nine years since its original publication.

2027 will be 50 years since the creation of Flipside Fanzine. So, this is an early move into that period of reality of how fast time goes by.

It was not my ambition to preserve Flipside Fanzine, but I have accomplished a lot for that strange little rag created to get into shows for free from Whittier California.

My gratitude goes to the original creators, my mentors, especially the master mind X-8. Yet this history is shared in the three narratives LOS ANGELES FLIPSIDE FANZINE THE NARRATIVE DOCUMENTARY / FILM. EPEISODION ONE, TWO AND THREE. For free viewing on my YouTube channel.

The Chapbook Dark City Punks shares a whole perspective of what I went through to get here. Sometimes a very lonely journey. I wanted to share the fermentation of punk inclusion and exclusion of punk intimacy.

It may not be what you want to hear but it is honest. Are we not assholes, are we not human beings… yes, we are good and shady. I am tired of all these punk rock icons and legends. That is all bullcrap.

Click on image below to order your copy.

Both for sale now and soon on my Amazon Authors Page.

https://www.amazon.com/author/hudleyflipside

Los Angeles Flipside Fanzine Number 54~10 Year Anniversary Issue Paperback Documentary (replica) Punk Rock 1977 – 1987.

Open Source

I was inspired today by watching the video below. The ideal of “CODE for the people.” Is a new concept for me but not an old one.

From acclaimed director Bao Nguyen (BTS, Be Water, The Greatest Night in Pop), Code for the People is a documentary short exploring the past, present, and contested future of the open web.

In this video so much of what I have always done and fought for was talked about. The growth of computers and the internet.

Years ago, I used Quantum Link with our Commadore computers at Los Angeles Flipside Fanzine. I had a group I met with called Midnite Mystics. We communicated across the USA.

My friends did not have a clue back then what I was doing. Yet it is a dinosaur to what we have now. My oldest son is an advanced computer engineer, and coding is a second language to him. Like my youngest son’s is math. Another language. Both beyond me but I do have my art. That is my source of communication between art and writing. My husband speaks so many other languages, but Chess is one that takes time to see and understand.

Symbols are my language and narratives. I was touched by this video, and it is some of the ideas shared that were like direct contact for me.

The fire of Promethius or Open Source as a way for the people to experience “the Freedom to be Free.”

I wrote about this in my new book Electric Honey and in the art of Attis.

I gathered this all together today to show us all that WordPress is a wonderous example of an open source to share our words, ideas, and art.

Fourteen years walking the WordPress & The Seminary of Praying Mantis Publishing!

Electric Honey

liberté être en liberté

Promethius’s song .

Pholus & Blessed thistle

First big Watercolor painting

size 44 1/2 by 22 1/2

Took some time a month or so..

An Interesting character Pholus …

And not only a centaur but a centaur-mantis.

“He was shy. He did not talk much. We three sat together.

Saturn said that Pholus was pleased with my painting of him. Then Pholus kindly spoke,

“I often sit in my garden like you and watch the praying mantis.”

He told me the name “mantis,” has great value and meaning to him.”

“Small acts can unleash far-reaching consequences,”

7/3/2026

I had an active imagination last night. I imagined a female voice announce that Saturn would like to see me. I had turned him down a couple of days ago. Had a tough week. Yet last night I agreed. So, the lovely white horse with wings was waiting- then zoom I saw the rings of Saturn.

“How fast,” I thought.

We landed and I gave the horse some barley and oats. I tickled his whiskers on his nose.

I walked up to the large open ballroom with rounded door. I was given a lovely white dress to wear. Feeling silly I asked if I could just be in my regular clothes.

“You mean your bitchin’ pants and t-shirt.”

I turned around and there was my beloved Saturn.

He escorted me to an upstairs room. He told me there was someone who wanted to see me. He introduced me to Pholus.

Pholus held out his hand and I said,

“Hello.” I touched his hand.

He was shy. He did not talk much. We three sat together.

Saturn said that Pholus was pleased with my painting of him. Then Pholus kindly spoke,

“I often sit in my garden like you and watch the praying mantis.”

He told me the name “mantis,” has great value and meaning to him.

Pholus told me gently that he has a healthy healing potion for my foot cut. So, Saturn was there to help him put a small, exceedingly small drop on my cut…

I fell asleep.

Later in the morning I remembered the experience and softly said,

“Saturn and Pholus I am sorry I fell asleep. But I assume Saturn brought me back as usual.

In reflection:

Pholus was in the shadows, soft spoken, gentle, and filled with a goodness that was a wonder for me to behold. He asked if I would finish the right of the painting with yellow. I hope I got that right.

Laura, you have one tragic weakness.

What’s a book, movie, or TV show that you wish you could experience again for the first time?

“Love is eternal. It has been the strongest motivation for human actions throughout history. Love is stronger than life. It reaches beyond the dark shadow of death.”

The film noir thriller Laura.

As many film noirs this one is always an amazing adventure.

Characters change, where good guys become bad guys, and bad guys become good guys.

Dana Andrews, Vincent Price and Gene Tierney were just a top selection of actors that I was beginning to know.

The first time! Every time!

Laura is always a deep wonder of shadows and delights.

The soundtrack pulls this whole film together.

I love a good detective film. Love and betrayal and overall, a deep side kick of audacity!

“Laura, you have one tragic weakness. With you, a lean strong body is the measure of a man. And you always get hurt.”

And exchange ideas through art.

What I love about this global WordPress community is that it feels real. Even as countries clash and leaders create division, it is comforting to know that people around the world can still connect, share this planet, and exchange ideas through art.

The artist Vincent van Gogh said this:

“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”

Fourteen years ago, I began this WordPress journey without knowing where it would lead.

Today I noticed a collection of WordPress achievements that made me pause.

Visitors from over 150 countries.

Readers from more than 50 countries. 

Fourteen years of publishing. 

Hundreds of posts.

A community that continues to read, follow, and encourages my work.

These aren’t awards in the traditional sense. They’re reminders that showing up matters.

I’ve never chased fame. I’ve simply tried to keep creating—painting, writing, publishing, and sharing what feels true.

Thank you to everyone who has stopped by, read an essay, looked at a painting, left a comment, or quietly visited from somewhere in the world. You are part of this story.

The journey continues.

— Hudley Flipside

The Seminary of Praying Mantis Publishing.