A Very Horror Drive-In Thanksgiving

I've heard individuals speak of Thanksgiving with disdain, claiming that people should not need a special day to express and feel thanks. Maybe so, but we all have our bad sides. We're all human, and ego, frailty, spitefulness, anger, and self pity come along with the condition. I like the idea of a holiday in which to relax, reflect, and re-evaluate our lives. One to give thanks for what we do have.

It's a volatile time in American society. Many feel rage and helplessness. I understand those things, but then my life has always been uncertain. None of us can expect things to go our way all the time, nor can we hope to go through life without adversary. Most of us have food, shelter, companionship.

I could feel sorry for myself, and I sometimes do, but I do have a lot to be thankful for at the end of 2016. I have a decent job, and I finally found the right someone to share my life with.

I'll soon be celebrating eleven years of Horror Drive-In. I recently made the usual noises about shutting down the forums, and I do grow weary of it at times. However, Horror Drive-In has become one of the most venerable message board forums in the horror fiction field. Message boards were once as commonplace as typos in a typical self-published book, but they are very few and far between at this point. The big social media networks have claimed the lives of most of them. As well as loss of innocence and enthusiasm in online discussion. Times change, as do people.

I've mostly enjoyed my years in the forum business, at Horror Drive-In, Shocklines, and Gorezone. I've shared laughs, tears, love, and joy in our mutual obsession with all things horror. Horror Drive-In was born when I lost my brother to cancer. His death inspired me to make a move to start my own website. Since then I have shared my life in the pages of the site. The triumphs and the tragedies. The destruction of my marriage, my struggles with emotion and mental health, the loss of my longtime job. I also shared my successes with the friends who came to the boards, and who have continued to be a part of them. Others have come forth and spoken with often painful honesty about their lives.

I'm not thrilled about everything in my life. My health insurance has gone up again, and the premiums are what I consider to be an obscene amount of money each month. I've had a recent financial setback which will curtail my Christmas shopping drastically. My job is secure, but it can be enormously trying.

On the other hand I am happier than I have been in years. In many ways I am happier than I have ever been in my life.

I've neglected Horror Drive-In for the past few months. Past few years, really, but I plan to become much more active. I've been in the slow process of moving, and I haven't had a lot of access to my computer. I've used a laptop, but I've needed my own desk and PC.

So, yes, Horror Drive-In will be here for a long time to come.

I wish everyone, all over the world, happiness and prosperity. Books, movies, music, and joy. What the hell is so funny about peace, love, and understanding, anyway?