The Styrous® Viewfinder: 2026

October 31, 2026

Tom's Ghost Pen

Tom's Ghost Pen - 2026

On Halloween in October of last year, while Tom was convalescing at the Piedmont Gardens (link below), the "Clients" were given a treat bag with candy and various trinkets, a rubber spider, a plastic pumpkin, etc. The only item Tom took a fancy to was this "Ghost pen"; for some reason it gave him spirit and strength at a difficult point in his life and he adored it!

I came across it earlier this year and decided it would be our acknowledgement, tribute, whatever you want to call it, to that grand mid-autumn celebration and I've been carefully taking care of it all this time.

There is a great video Best Halloween Music Playlist from 2025 on YouTube and of course, every Halloween I must mention the Skeleton Dance, an American animated Silly Symphony production that issued a series of 75 musical short films produced by Walt Disney Productions from 1929 to 1939 and certainly not least, Thriller by Michael Jackson. I HAD to stop and watch it while doing this entry!

Viewfinder links:

Walt Disney

Halloween

Michael Jackson

Piedmont Gardens ~ Hospital(ity)

Net link:

Piedmont Gardens

YouTube links:

Best Halloween Music Playlist 2025

The Citizens of Halloween - This Is Halloween (From Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas")

The High Witches’ Halloween Masquerade

Michael Jackson ~ Thriller

Styrous® ~ Saturday, October 31, 2026

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October 29, 2026

Tom and the laundry murders

dryer lint filter - 2026

photo by Styrous®

Every time I do the laundry, I think of Tom. That's because when I started to do our laundry when we moved to our new digs and used the washing machine and dryer, at the end I would clean the dryer filter and find all the accumulated lint . . .

dryer lint filter - 2021

photo by Styrous®

Then. one day Tom said, "That damned machine is eating our clothes up!" I burst out laughing and have never stopped.

Thanks for the laughs, Tom!

Viewfinder links:

Tom White

Net links:

preparedhero ~ What Causes Excessive Dryer Lint and How to Clean It Out

Youtube links:

Styrous® ~ Thursday, October 29, 2026

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Lock Martin & Gort

Lock Martin

Date & photographer unknown

This month is the birthday of Lock Martin who was born on October 12, 1916, in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was an American performer afflicted with gigantism. Martin had a twin brother who died in childbirth.

Martin grew to over 7 feet (2.1 m) tall, though his exact height was not certain. He became notable for appearing as the robot Gort in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). Despite his size, he had difficulty moving in the heavy robot suit, and during scenes in which he was supposed to lift and carry either Patricia Neal or Michael Rennie, they were either held up by wires, or replaced with lightweight dummies.

Martin traveled with Spike Jones and His City Slickers and appeared on their television show in the early 1950s. He also worked as a doorman at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles.

Towards the end of his career, he was filmed for a part in The Incredible Shrinking Man as a circus giant, but his scenes were deleted.

Viewfinder links:

Spike Jones

Lock Martin

Net links:

Filmology

YouTube links:

Gort´s Grave

The Day the Earth Stood Still ~

The Day the Earth Stood Still Contact (film clip)

The Day the Earth Stood Still Gort Attacks (film clip)

The Day the Earth Stood Still Patricia Neal & Gort (film clip)

The Day the Earth Stood Still Departure (film clip)

1951 Cast Reveals What Most Fans NEVER Figured Out (19 mins.)

Styrous® ~ Thursday, October 29, 2026

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Theater/performance people

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Lock Martin articles/mentions

Lock Martin & Gort

Lock Martin

Date & photographer unknown

mentions:

Styrous® ~ Wednesday, October 30, 2026

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Theater/performance people

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October 28, 2026

Tom @ Quinn's Lighthouse @ night

Quinn's Lighthouse - 2026

photo by Styrous®

Last week was the birthday of Tom. I thought it would be a hard time for me; it was and it was not. I continued on my quest to visit all the locations he loved during our relationship (link below). Quinn's is very high on that list.

The reason is because Tom considered their fish and chips the best he had EVER tasted! Also, every restaurant in the world seems to be closed on Monday and Quinn's Lighthouse is the only one we knew that is open on that day.

Well, last week I got a double dose of Quinn: I had lunch on Monday with my friend Esther and dinner with my friend Minoo on Saturday after we had gone to the Gray Loft Gallery to see the current exhibition, Gestures of Willful Abandon (link below). I discovered Quinn's has entertainment by The Buccaneers singing historical sea chantys on the first and third Thursdays as well as a comedy club on Monday nights.

We had thought of going to El Potrillo but they had stopped serving dinner an hour before we arrived, so, we just had drinks, Minoo had a fruit drink, I had my favorite beer, Negra Modelo.

Saturday night

Viewfinder links:

El Potrillo

Gray Loft Gallery ~ Gestures of Willful Abandon

Minoo Hamzavi

Tom White

Tom @ Quinn's Lighthouse

Net links:

Quinn's Lighthouse

Tom White

Youtube links:

Quinn's Lighthouse

Quinn's Lighthouse comedy

Styrous® ~ Tuesday, October 27, 2026

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Tom @ Quinn's Lighthouse

Quinn's Lighthouse - 2026

photo by Styrous®

Last week was Tom's birthday and I celebrated it with my friend Esther. Quinn's was one of Tom's favorite restaurants as he considered their fish and chips the best he had EVER tasted! Also, every restaurant in the world seems to be closed on Monday and Quinn's Lighthouse is the only one we knew that is open that day.