Since I’m starting to operate in chronic sleep-deprivation mode, I hereby give you one very brief recap of deadCENTER, Day Three. (Actually, it’s less of a recap, and more like a random collection of whatever semi-coherent thoughts happen to pop out of my very, very cloudy brain.)

I really enjoyed Official Rejection, as well as the panel discussion afterwards. Lloyd Kaufman is hilarious. I could’ve listened to him go on and on all day. I believe that at one point, he referred to women as “gyno-Americans,“ and also made the wonderfully offensive observation that another of the panelists was “well-hung – like David Carradine.”

Ouch.

I also had the pleasure of chatting briefly with Mr. Kaufman following the panel. Well, actually my friend Suburban Kitsch did the chatting, while I stood around, yet again, like an awkward oaf. I chalk it up to the fact that I was a little intimidated after having just seen Kaufman’s ass in Official Rejection, and also to the fact that I had yet to partake in any Liquid Courage. But he was a very nice man, took a few pictures with us, and gave us some Troma swag.

The rest of the day is pretty much a blur. I vaguely remember some Okie shorts, some horror shorts, and lots of Stella. However, perhaps my best time at deadCENTER so far came at the midnight shorts.

First of all, Untitled is a fantastic venue. I love the art they have there right now, especially “The Darwin Shrines.” While some may scoff at the idea of someone traveling the world, making little shrines to his dead dog at each location, I’ll freely admit to tearing up while gazing at a portrait of the eponymous Darwin, a beautiful red heeler.

But, back to the midnight shorts. This may have been the strongest block of shorts I’ve seen so far. I was happy to see Miracle Investigators again, and found it perhaps even funnier the second time. Whore was the film I’ve been longing to see, in a world seemingly dominated by male filmmakers and male characters. It captured the confusion and awkwardness of early adolescence from a female perspective, and highlighted the extra challenges faced by young girls. I’m definitely going to be seeking this one out again.

Finally, I was able to make peace with Dewayne Austin, who was there with his latest acid trip, Misadventures of Moon Kitty. It was just as weird as Shwarma, but was the kind of weirdness that fits perfectly at the midnight shorts. I go to the midnight shorts for Teh Weird, after all. And it was nice to be able to catch up with him again, and get a hug.

Today, we’re planning on hitting the Short Femmes block, and we’ll be there tonight for the Wavy Gravy hippie love-fest. I’m totally going to put flowers in my hair.

Check out the deadCenter Live Blog at their site. Check back here and at The Filmcake for additional coverage.