Happy Birthday/Father's Day/Pride Month/Juneteenth

There are a lot of things to celebrate this month.

Hello Higher-Minded Humans,

***JR is taking over for this post, which is coming out a bit late due to a family emergency. ***

JR and the tiny human.

I became a father almost six years ago. Since then, an unimportant holiday that landed on or around my birthday became a day that actually meant something. Being a dad to my son is one of the top things that brings me great joy, and I love having a holiday when I can fully lean into that identity. So, with that, here are a few horror movies and gift ideas to help lean into your dad identity.

Horror Movies:

I know you are asking what horror movies have to do with Father’s Day. The truth is, I don’t really know. But I love horror movies. So, when Diana told me that I was able to write a newsletter for Father’s Day, guess what I decided to write about? But, in my attempt to connect the two, I bring you a list of horror movies where being a father is core to the plot of the movie. This list is essential Father’s Day horror movies list.

Warning: List includes spoilers. But the newest movie on this list came out 20 years ago.

1. Pumpkinhead

When a father witnesses his son die because of the negligent acts of visiting city kids, there is really only one thing to do… You go to a witch living in the woods to have her bring forth a creature to slaughter the city kids one-by-one. This heartwarming movie showcasing what a father would do for his child ends with the father and the creature becoming one, connected by the threads of fatherly vengeance.

2. Pet Sematary

Stephen King has a giant well to pull from when it comes to fathers with issues. You obviously have The Shinning, but you also have movies like The Mist, 1408, Storm of the Century, and many more. The reason I picked this one is because the plot of the movie is contingent on the main character doing the dumbest things with good intentions of wanting to be a good father. From the start of the movie, he learns that it isn’t a good idea to bury things in the Pet Sematary because they come back wrong. But then he buried his cat, and it came back all kinds of wrong. So, it is only natural that when his son is hit by a truck (because one day at the typewriter, Stephen King said, “why not.”), the main character buries his son in that very Pet Sematary. To the surprise of no one, the kid comes back wrong. Then the guy’s wife dies. Guess where this guy buries his wife at the end of this movie?

3. Friday the 13th: A New Beginning

This movie gets a lot of hate, mostly because it isn’t a great movie, but it has started to build a bit of a following due to the really great dance sequence where a character does The Robot in front of the mirror. The biggest reason this installment gets so much hate is that it is revealed that it isn’t actually Jason killing the youngsters this go around. You first notice something is off when you realize that Jason’s hockey mask is different. Instead of red triangles, it has a blue triangle. These triangles on the mask are called something, but I don’t follow sports, so I don’t know what they are called. At the end you find out that Jason is actually the father of a kid that was killed earlier. So, in a way, it is kind of like the original Friday the 13th, instead it is a father instead of a mother, and it has an amazing The Robot dance sequence.

4. Seed of Chucky

The Seed of Chucky is when he became a father, though it was later on, in the television series when Chucky truly became a dad. At first, Chucky wasn’t very accepting of his son because his son wasn’t all-in on the murder. He was a bit of a pacifist It wasn’t until the series that you learn that Chucky has actually become incredibly progressive for serial killers born of the Reagan 80’s. When Chucky tells Jake in the television series that his kid is gender fluid, Jake asks if he is ok with that. Chucky responds, “I’m not a monster, Jake.” So yeah, I am not saying that he is father of the year, it is pretty decent compared to other homicidal maniacs.

5. The Exorcist

Ok, so maybe a little different of a take when it comes to fathers. But when you are possessed by a demonic entity, having your dad tell you dumb puns and complain about the lights being left on isn’t really going to do much. If you want to get rid of the demonic entity housed in your human daughter’s body, you have to call the father that is going to do the important things, like splash your daughter with some water or throw himself out of her bedroom window. So, remember, anyone can be a dad, but it takes some water sprinkles and screaming, “THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU” to be a father.

Gift Ideas:

Are these gift ideas specifically for dads? No. Because that is a ridiculous notion. This isn’t 1964. People like what they like. But I am a dad, and here are a few things I have gotten recently that I have really enjoyed.

Father’s Day Hot Sauce Gift Set

Look, true story is that I am not a huge hot sauce person. I have always eaten food more on the bland side, and never thought to try hot sauce. So, you may be wondering why I am adding this to my list. Well, I decided to give them a try because I liked the company. More importantly, I liked the time the people at the company took to reach out to us. They actually took the time to know us before just throwing info in our email, and I appreciate that on a human level. So, while the ghost pepper sauce may be too much for some people, to those that can handle that kind of heat will truly enjoy this sauce. They offer a nice spectrum of heat indexes, and all of them are packed with flavor. Plus, these sauces will be perfect for those summertime cookouts.

Reveka Magnesium Soap Bar

Full disclosure, this is a wash bar that I use for my face. I wasn’t taking care of my face for a bit, and I started building an acne problem on my forehead. Having acne on your forehead is really cool because your face still has the wrinkles of an old person, but you get that delightful red bumpiness of being a teenager. It is truly a gift of a situation. I have had this acne problem for a few years now, primarily noticeable when I am hot. For the first time, it is going away, and it started going away the moment I started using this wash bar.

Kava Kava Chameleon Kava Gummies

Kava is one of my personal favorite forms of earth medicine. I have been drinking kava for many years, and it wasn’t until recently that I discovered these kava gummies. No matter the time of day, I have found that there is a gummy. I take two in the morning before work, two when I get home from work, and two when I am going to bed. If you are new to kava, please be warned that you will feel a numbing sensation in your mouth, and kava has a very strong taste. It is best to know this information upfront so that you don’t think something is going wrong when you first try it. But if you are looking for something to help calm you down or relax you without impairing your mental clarity, then nothing works quite like kava, and these gummies do the trick.

The Healing Rose CBD Lip Balm

Remember when I said kava can make your mouth feel numb? Well, drinking kava can make your lips dry. As I said before, I have been drinking kava for years. I have always been on the lookout for a good lip balm to keep my lips from being dry and chapped. I finally found the perfect lip balm for me. The fact that I have gone through two of them without losing them before they were finished shows how serious I feel towards this lip balm.

Demeter Comic Book Soy Candle

I am a huge comic book nerd. I love comic books. Back in my younger years, I would have comic books pulled for me every week so that I could just swing by my shop really quick to pick them up. Not that I was ever there really quick, because I would start looking at back issues and talking to the people that worked at the comic book shop. Like Big Bang Theory except even less entertaining because the conversations were generally incredibly boring to anyone that didn’t have an opinion on who was writing the new run of Doom Patrol. So, when my wife told me about this comic book candle, I was curious what comic book smelled like. I can tell you it smells good. I never smelled this smell while reading the comic books themselves, but it would have made the reading experience better. They also sent the graphic novel Alliances: Orphans which was co-created by Stan Lee. I can’t really think of a better combo.

Skincare Set by Barberians

I just used this face kit last night. Sometimes I like to have a little spa night and pamper myself. Also, I am not getting any younger, and you must take care of your skin. After I used the products, I insisted that my wife touch my face because it felt so smooth. The next day (today) I made her touch my face again. My face was STILL smooth and soft. Were these skin products, or tubes of paint used to paint a picture of me that I will grow uglier in my attic? Because my face looks at least two years younger today than it did yesterday. At least it feels like it does.

One More Story Card Game

These are just fun conversation starters. Whether you are a husband, boyfriend, or just a human-being in any kind of relationship, sometimes you just run out of things to talk about. These cards bring fun discussion back into the mix. Whether it is a night in, on a date night, or during a long car ride to your vacation spot, it never hurts to have some fun topics keeping the conversations going.

Until next time, stay high and beautiful.