Weblog 246
October 31, 2010~ 12:00 am
Boooooooooo!! Halloween has arrived! Every year, Wayne sends me wonderful cards, and this year I got three!
(I love that pissed off-looking Wizard Cat.) The inside says, "I was going to be a dog for Halloween, but it seemed like too much trouble to have my brain removed." LOL!!! (It's true. Dogs, lovable as they may be, are often a bit 'slow'. Tongues lolling out, grinning... chasing their own tails...) but cats are sharp as tacks! And this card reminds me of my own dear buddy gone now for over a year, but here in spirit, that's for sure. For Wayne and me both.
One of the neatest things about Wayne's cards are the drawings on the envelopes because he always spells the person's name out in artistic ways.
That one from this year is particularly ornate. It's a 'keeper'...it's going to be saved right along with his cards. Here's another seasonal greeting he posted to me.
OOoooo....pea soup green. The witchy color...the color of Hecate-y complexions...comes from eating toad stew....with moldy bread. LOL!! What a great design that one has! See the witch in silhouette, leaning against her house? Bats, witches, wizards......it's a great time of year! Saturday evening after we grocery shopped and had a fine dinner at Calabria's, we sat down to watch a spooky movie. The title I'd chosen from Netflix had mixed reviews. It was a low-budget film with unknown actors, but had some creepy moments and we enjoyed it. It was
(I'm a sucker for a ghost film that features chilling-looking child ghosts. Remember the murdered twins in 'The Shining'? Anything that echoes that, gives me a serious case of the willies.) It's a movie in the vein of 'The Blair Witch Project'- purportedly based on 'real events'- (of course, it's not at all, but to suspend disbelief for the duration of a film is part of the innocence of watching to be frightened into sheer enjoyment, isn't that true?)
Friday evening I came across some truly brilliant artwork, very creepy (but of course!) that illustrate some of the most challenged books in public libraries (not so much because of the stories which are folktales and legends we've all have heard at one time or another, things like "The Hook" and "The Babysitter") but because of the disturbing nature of the illustrations by Stephen Gammell. It's a three book series called, "Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark"-
and I was delighted with the artwork! It's spine-tingling fun. Here's an article about those drawings in Comic Alliance. It appears there are lots of folks who'd be about my son or daughter's age now, who carry around residual chills from seeing those drawings.
One of my favorites is a drawing called "BIG TOE"-
That's not only bizarre, it has the humor and charm of a Maurice Sendak illustration... and I love it. (If the article I've linked to has whet your appetite for more of Mr. Gammel's art) -you can visit this treasure trove of his illustrations for ALL three volumes by clicking these links: 1.,2., 3. Enjoy! AND........HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!
(Tonight we join Holly and family, to get a close-up view of Bill and Kay's trick or treating. Man o man.......I can't wait.)
October 31, 2010~ 11:30 pm
The holiday is almost over, and what a TERRIFIC HALLOWEEN it's been! A bit chilly, but sunny and seasonal, lots of fun at 'the HALLOWEEN HOUSE' this evening.
There it is, flying its ghost flag and waiting for the first little visitors. The hostess, my daughter Holly, looked exceptionally fetching in her devil costume.
Shes such a pretty woman, I had to post that close-up standing by the front door, just having given out some treats. (And here's a smiling one.....)
She has a look like, "Oh, Ma...." LOL!!! And of course, KAY got her final bit of costume- a glittery head band of bouncing, silvery-colored discs to top off her fairy get up. (Complete with BLUE FALSE EYELASHES, which she loved!)
(Oh, by the way, Holly was wearing bright RED ones. Notwithstanding I was sans costume, I shoulda sported a pair of purple ones just for the heck of it! I've never been able to apply those things in my life, so it fascinated me how easily those two gals could traipse around without the eyelashes beginning to droop and peal off like a dying spider on the cheek.) I simply don't have that glamour girl in me I guess, but those two looked great!
Their Dad took Kay and Bill around the neighborhood. This is the happy trio starting out, caught in a golden setting sun, just after the fire department blew their siren at 6:00 pm to signal, "LET THE FESTIVITIES BEGIN."
We had some interesting trick or treaters. One was Pinhead from the 'Hellraiser' films. Really great mask. I wish I'd had my camera at that moment, but alas, I was standing in the front yard, smoking. LOL!! (Bad habits can cause you to miss a lot. LOL!)
And here's Kay showing her delight at having a Mommy with a bouncing devil tail......
......And....it wouldn't be Halloween without Wayne grabbing the witch hat and clapping it on his head.
(Now there's a real Cat In The Hat, holding a cup of coffee and soaking up the spooky ambience, having a grand old time.) Pizza.....neighbors out in their driveways making hot-ice smoke, scary music like the theme from the movie 'Halloween' drifting out of speakers, and squadrons of parent-escorted happy kids making the kind of memories they'll keep with them always. It was a great night.
November 3, 2010~ 6:45 pm
I have the November 'bare bones' syndrome.....meaning, all the hooplah over the spooky season has past and a BUNCH OF STUFF feels like it too has been stripped away. Luckily, in the past two days I've had two things that sparked something more in me- the first was a Fresh Air interview yesterday with Michael Caine by Terry Gross....Caine has to be one of the most unassuming, and one of the sweetest men I've ever listened to-- I simply love him.
Next... is the article I've just read. A long one, but completely worth the time.
I'm drying my eyes here -even though it's fiction, and that's due to the talent of Martha Koretzky, an author who draws you into her spell to make you believe this quasi-autobiographical piece written in the voice of the daughter of the best friend of
KURT VONNEGUT.
Told in what is very much like Vonnegut's own style, if you click on the picture and you persist to the end -(YOU'LL FIND THE PDF FILE EASIER ON THE EYES TO READ) -you'll want to believe even if it isn't true. For all those who love Vonnegut's writing...get a load of Koretsky. She's done something miraculous.
***
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Boooooooooo!! Halloween has arrived! Every year, Wayne sends me wonderful cards, and this year I got three!
(I love that pissed off-looking Wizard Cat.) The inside says, "I was going to be a dog for Halloween, but it seemed like too much trouble to have my brain removed." LOL!!! (It's true. Dogs, lovable as they may be, are often a bit 'slow'. Tongues lolling out, grinning... chasing their own tails...) but cats are sharp as tacks! And this card reminds me of my own dear buddy gone now for over a year, but here in spirit, that's for sure. For Wayne and me both.
One of the neatest things about Wayne's cards are the drawings on the envelopes because he always spells the person's name out in artistic ways.
That one from this year is particularly ornate. It's a 'keeper'...it's going to be saved right along with his cards. Here's another seasonal greeting he posted to me.
OOoooo....pea soup green. The witchy color...the color of Hecate-y complexions...comes from eating toad stew....with moldy bread. LOL!! What a great design that one has! See the witch in silhouette, leaning against her house? Bats, witches, wizards......it's a great time of year! Saturday evening after we grocery shopped and had a fine dinner at Calabria's, we sat down to watch a spooky movie. The title I'd chosen from Netflix had mixed reviews. It was a low-budget film with unknown actors, but had some creepy moments and we enjoyed it. It was
(I'm a sucker for a ghost film that features chilling-looking child ghosts. Remember the murdered twins in 'The Shining'? Anything that echoes that, gives me a serious case of the willies.) It's a movie in the vein of 'The Blair Witch Project'- purportedly based on 'real events'- (of course, it's not at all, but to suspend disbelief for the duration of a film is part of the innocence of watching to be frightened into sheer enjoyment, isn't that true?)
Friday evening I came across some truly brilliant artwork, very creepy (but of course!) that illustrate some of the most challenged books in public libraries (not so much because of the stories which are folktales and legends we've all have heard at one time or another, things like "The Hook" and "The Babysitter") but because of the disturbing nature of the illustrations by Stephen Gammell. It's a three book series called, "Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark"-
and I was delighted with the artwork! It's spine-tingling fun. Here's an article about those drawings in Comic Alliance. It appears there are lots of folks who'd be about my son or daughter's age now, who carry around residual chills from seeing those drawings.
One of my favorites is a drawing called "BIG TOE"-
That's not only bizarre, it has the humor and charm of a Maurice Sendak illustration... and I love it. (If the article I've linked to has whet your appetite for more of Mr. Gammel's art) -you can visit this treasure trove of his illustrations for ALL three volumes by clicking these links: 1.,2., 3. Enjoy! AND........HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!
(Tonight we join Holly and family, to get a close-up view of Bill and Kay's trick or treating. Man o man.......I can't wait.)
October 31, 2010~ 11:30 pm
The holiday is almost over, and what a TERRIFIC HALLOWEEN it's been! A bit chilly, but sunny and seasonal, lots of fun at 'the HALLOWEEN HOUSE' this evening.
There it is, flying its ghost flag and waiting for the first little visitors. The hostess, my daughter Holly, looked exceptionally fetching in her devil costume.
Shes such a pretty woman, I had to post that close-up standing by the front door, just having given out some treats. (And here's a smiling one.....)
She has a look like, "Oh, Ma...." LOL!!! And of course, KAY got her final bit of costume- a glittery head band of bouncing, silvery-colored discs to top off her fairy get up. (Complete with BLUE FALSE EYELASHES, which she loved!)
(Oh, by the way, Holly was wearing bright RED ones. Notwithstanding I was sans costume, I shoulda sported a pair of purple ones just for the heck of it! I've never been able to apply those things in my life, so it fascinated me how easily those two gals could traipse around without the eyelashes beginning to droop and peal off like a dying spider on the cheek.) I simply don't have that glamour girl in me I guess, but those two looked great!
Their Dad took Kay and Bill around the neighborhood. This is the happy trio starting out, caught in a golden setting sun, just after the fire department blew their siren at 6:00 pm to signal, "LET THE FESTIVITIES BEGIN."
We had some interesting trick or treaters. One was Pinhead from the 'Hellraiser' films. Really great mask. I wish I'd had my camera at that moment, but alas, I was standing in the front yard, smoking. LOL!! (Bad habits can cause you to miss a lot. LOL!)
And here's Kay showing her delight at having a Mommy with a bouncing devil tail......
......And....it wouldn't be Halloween without Wayne grabbing the witch hat and clapping it on his head.
(Now there's a real Cat In The Hat, holding a cup of coffee and soaking up the spooky ambience, having a grand old time.) Pizza.....neighbors out in their driveways making hot-ice smoke, scary music like the theme from the movie 'Halloween' drifting out of speakers, and squadrons of parent-escorted happy kids making the kind of memories they'll keep with them always. It was a great night.
November 3, 2010~ 6:45 pm
I have the November 'bare bones' syndrome.....meaning, all the hooplah over the spooky season has past and a BUNCH OF STUFF feels like it too has been stripped away. Luckily, in the past two days I've had two things that sparked something more in me- the first was a Fresh Air interview yesterday with Michael Caine by Terry Gross....Caine has to be one of the most unassuming, and one of the sweetest men I've ever listened to-- I simply love him.
Next... is the article I've just read. A long one, but completely worth the time.
I'm drying my eyes here -even though it's fiction, and that's due to the talent of Martha Koretzky, an author who draws you into her spell to make you believe this quasi-autobiographical piece written in the voice of the daughter of the best friend of
KURT VONNEGUT.
Told in what is very much like Vonnegut's own style, if you click on the picture and you persist to the end -(YOU'LL FIND THE PDF FILE EASIER ON THE EYES TO READ) -you'll want to believe even if it isn't true. For all those who love Vonnegut's writing...get a load of Koretsky. She's done something miraculous.
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