Halloween party 2012

Where were you on October 13th, 2012?

My second annual party for Halloween has come and gone and I can say, it was a doozy to get through this year.
I had originally planned on getting home weeks in advance to decorate for it, but I was really sick and had to go into the hospital.  Not only did that slow me down, it completely stopped all party planning for about 2 weeks.  Once I got out and was well enough to go ahead with things, I was grossly behind.
The last two weeks before my party, I really tried to put everything into overdrive, but still failed to get everything I wanted accomplished.
On top of that, some of my props failed right before guests started to arrive, so I wasn't happy with that either.
On the up side, a lot of people came this year.  I had a total of 15 guests and everyone did have a good time.  The music worked, my biggest prop worked and was a hit.  The food was plentiful and tasted good and I got a lot of help from my family and husband to set everything up and clean up afterwards.
I definitely learned some things to keep in mind for next year.

I think I'll make less food and work less hard to make everything perfect.  It's never going to perfect, but I can make it fun without killing myself.

I have to make sure to send out invitations early again and invite as many people as I can think of to guarantee that lots will show up.

And do it late enough in the year that seating outside is available because that was a popular option for guests this year.

Start working on my trivia game early and come up with a wide range of answers for each question.

I'm starting my own business

After not working for the past few years, I'm pretty much fed up with the job application process and getting passed up for employment.  My only option now is to hire myself.
I've tried to think of what would be the least amount of work for me, i.e. doing something I love and selling it.
I could write my own love sci-fi story, which I still might, but in the meantime, it's Halloween products.

I've decided to take wooden plaques, hat boxes, cigar or recipe boxes and paint them using professional paints, brushes, and stencils.  I've already seen these sold on places like Etsy or Ebay, but I plan on mine giving a bit more visual punch.  The graphics I've seen used are pretty cutesy and I want to offer some that are a bit more sinister.

I'll show you examples of my work as soon as I've completed some.  I'm currently stocking up on supplies and finding the right techniques.  Don't worry, you'll able to purchase them as well, somehow, through my blog.
Wish me luck!
And I must find a name.....Do you have any ideas?
Put your suggestion in the comments section immediately following this entry.

Yankee Candle Halloween

Yankee Candle Preview Party for Halloween

So the party was today from 10-4 at all locations nationwide.
I still resent the fact that Yankee took over Illuminations Candle Corporation and then swallowed them whole with no trace of the quality of that company.  Yankee said they would integrate some of Illuminations into Yankee, but they haven't and they won't.

With that said, I don't have too many alternatives, so this poor man's Illuminations will have to do.

I have been following all the build up and excitement on my Halloween forum website so I got to see the catalogue about a week ago.  I made a wish list and almost completely fulfilled it today.



I got my little candy dish that I wanted.



A picture posted on Yankee's Facebook page showed some candles and a Boney Bunch figurine that they were selling.

I'm not too much on the Boney Bunch stuff, but their Halloween merchandise in general was cute.


If you haven't shopped online or visited the store today, chances are some of those Boney figures have already sold out.  People like to purchase them in bulk and then resell them to poor saps on Ebay for greatly exaggerated prices.

I ordered most stuff online, but saw a few things in person at the store that I liked.

Anyway, if you're coming to my party in Oct. you will see what I got for yourself.

I love shopping this time of year!

The Halloween Purchasing Season has Officially begun!

Just to let you know, I haven't forgotten about our little party coming up.
I've worked out the menu.
I've worked out some of the decorations,
and I've certainly just made some new purchases today to make this party even better
than last year's.

In case you want to know,
online today:
Yankeecandle.com
just put out their Boney Bunch gang for the year and the preview party is this Saturday, Aug. 4th at your local store.

Grandinroad.com
also just presented their Halloween Haven shop for the season with some really cool things that I want.

Potterybarn.com and williamssonoma.com also have some really nice Halloween entertaining items available that you will see at the party this October.

I hope you guys are ready : )
I can't wait!

Halloween Haven 2012

Hello all.
Grandin Road just sent me an email telling me that their Halloween shop will be up and available to shop on August 1st!
This is the usual time that they release their inventory, but I thought I'd share it with you in case you didn't know.
I got a gift card for them last year for my birthday and I've been waiting all year to use it.
I can't wait to see their new stuff!!!!

Halloween Party Planning Update

So for those of you souls lucky (or should I say unlucky?) enough to be invited to my monster mash in October, here's a little update.

This week, I'm working on creating stations throughout the house.
These are areas that are clearly devoted to one Halloween idea.  For example, I have a life size female mummy all wrapped up.  She's in the Egyptian station of course as well as other things like hieroglyphics, treasure, jewels, and afterlife offerings. 
Another station will be the vampire zone where I have not one, but two vampires "hanging" out as well as vials of blood, coffins, bats, and garlic.  I wouldn't linger at this station too long or you might never leave my little party alive.
Buwaaahhaaaahahahaaaaaahhhaaaa hhaaaa  hhhaaaa!

Party Alert!

So I know it's February.  I know no one else is thinking of Halloween except for me, but I did want to mention to all the readers out there that I'm planning a great Halloween party for the month of October.
Granted this year might be the last we all have on Earth if the Mayans are right so I'm planning a big BIG party to end all parties.
To all of you who were invited last year, the invitation still stands for this year and I'm just going to be inviting more people to hopefully have more than 4 show up.
So I'm prepping now.  Planning decorations and invitations now.  Menu to work on next.

Just a little save the date for you guys!  Even though I haven't officially set a date.  (It will most likely be mid-October on a Saturday night.)

It'll be a lot of fun and you can expect to see a few animatronic monsters, lots of candles, pumpkins, spiders, games, a witches potion table, and a few scary surprises in all corners of the house.

More info coming along in the next upcoming months.

Can't wait to see you guys there!

PS
If you have any suggestions please toss 'em my way or if you want to volunteer yourself to help me set up or bring food.

Department 56 Halloween intro's are out!

I'm so excited to see the new products for Halloween available from Department 56 this season.

My village is getting pretty big, but I'll always make room for new additions like these:


This is called Hilda's Witch Haunt and retails for $75.00
I definitely want this one.


Axel's Costume Shop retailing for $85.00
It looks like the bay window has a rotating scene back lit in white so I'm interested to see it in person.

And of course, not only do they have buildings, but the people and landscape details to go along with houses.


This is Hilda she goes with the first piece I showed you.  She retails for $17.50
Her broom looks to be on a spring so it moves a little with a bit of wind.

So there's a peek if you don't know of one of my hobbies.
This looks so much different when you have a complete village set up with trees, a background, and landscaping done, but trust me, it's addictive to build your own little world.

If you come to the party in October, you will see my village "Shudder Valley" all set up in it's lighted glory.

Another repost for me for Halloween

I thought this was important to read for fellow Halloween lovers like myself.  Too often this holiday gets a lack of respect for it's fun, creativity, and whimsy.  For most, Halloween is not about the devil or devil worship - it's about being free to be what or who you want to be for one day.  To relax, to play, to be a kid again.  A lot of people take Halloween much too seriously and forbid their children to participate, to look down at people who do celebrate it, and some don't call it a holiday at all.  And to them, I say, RELAX, give out some free candy because today, that's all the kids really care about on Oct. 31st - free candy.  That's all I ever cared about next to trying to decide what costume to wear.
I got this article from iskullhalloween.com
the author is Lesley Bannatyne.


------------------------------------------------------------------------

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Why Halloween Matters

Overheard once in the aisles of a Halloween Costume shop: “Look at all these. There’s no creativity. No one knows what Halloween means anymore.”
Respectfully, I disagree.
Yes, it’s true that Halloween’s a monster of an industry. We’re spending somewhere around $6.9 billion on it this year, $310 million of that on our pets (and by pets I mean dogs; I’d like to meet the cat who would tolerate a Louis XIV suit). There are Halloween-y skulls on our mouse pads, fangs on our kids’ stuffed animals, and claws on energy drink labels. We owe this Halloweening of America not just to commerce (all holidays are market-driven to a point; it’s part of what gets us on the same page), but also to cultural events in the not-too-distant past. Without a renaissance of the occult, there’d be no fascination with the world of spirits; without a clinical, hands-off relationship with our dead, no curiosity about death. Without our post-Viet Nam, post-9/11 worldview, no need to fight back against a pervasive fear that seems to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.

Here, and in many other ways, Halloween can help. At Halloween we can wrap our arms around the reality of the other 364 days and satirize, emulate, exorcise, and celebrate it. Levees break. Banks fail, jobs vanish, and markets tank. The joy of Halloween is not that it’s dark and we revel in that; it’s that Halloween can bring a bit of light and laughter into this darkness. Our onetime children’s holiday turned blood-and-guts carnival may just be the right antidote for a myriad of ailments. In so many ways, Halloween keeps us together.

Consider this: Halloween’s the only holiday we have left where we open our doors to strangers. The holiday doesn’t cocoon in living rooms or backyards but spills out into the streets, wild and egalitarian. It’s a throwback to the age of neighborhoods, a day we stand together in a shared flight of imagination, agreeing for an evening that little babies are peapods and our pets are superheroes. We welcome men in high heels and women with Mario Brothers mustaches, pre-teens who look a worldly 20 and dads dressed like Marshmallow Peeps. In the cold, hard light of the following morning, few of us would tolerate a six-foot tall Peep.

Also, we create Halloween for each other. Despite multibillion-dollar marketing, this holiday is at its core both homemade and original (ask any parent who’s been asked to make a cat/pickle/stoplight costume at the 11th hour.) The decorated yards that multiply each year bear witness that Halloween’s not entirely driven by a group of people sitting around a board room trying to decide what we’ll buy, but by people in their garages and basements trying to come up with something really, really cool. Pneumatic zombies that pop out of trashcans, maybe. Or ghosts on a zip line and spiders made of pool noodles. Of course the bar’s been raised—gore-wise—over the past decades. It takes a lot more visceral props to create thrills for a generation raised on “Hellraiser” as opposed to, say, “Betty Boop’s Halloween Party.”

Most of all, Halloween is about tolerance, a delightful gimme for any number of alt-cultures normally banished to the fringe. “On Halloween,” a Goth friend told me, “everyone looks like we do.” This works for the rest of us, too. Whatever box you check, queer/straight, geek/jock, Halloween’s your chance to come out, because on the morning of November 1, we’re going to be cantankerous as ever about people who don’t look the same as us.

Which may be why we hold on so tightly to Halloween. No matter how much we try to stretch it, Halloween happens only when the light casts a certain length of shadow and the temperature slides. The night is dug into the year like a marker. Before Halloween: creativity, anticipation, endless possibility. After Halloween: winter. The sheer G-force of accelerating time makes us cling to something organically cyclical, to hold tight to this one night of benevolent exhibitionism and group glee before the bitter dissension of November politics hits.

Halloween is our rogue holiday. It’s not tied to a person (Mother’s Day), event (Thanksgiving, July 4th), or even ethnicity (St. Patrick’s Day), so it is free to ride the cultural currents and express who we are and what we need. More Gaga? Maybe. Tributes to Steve Jobs? I think yes, we may see a lot of ipads and imacs this year. More than anything, though, these: community, imagination, and generosity.


--Lesley
October 31, 2011

Halloween Hangover

So today I went shopping at Spirit.  I knew everything was going to be 50% off so I took a look around to see what I wanted.  The sale was pretty good actually.  I picked up a latex hanging bat, a small black latex cat, some cute window clings and a Support Halloween ribbon magnet for $32.00.  I was very pleased.
We had quite a few trick or treaters in my neighborhood, so it was a very nice Halloween. 
Hope yours was fun and safe as well.

Vampires & Zombies - A history

Vampires originated from something called a revenant in Eastern Europe.  They had stories of what we would call zombies today where these revenants were basically reanimated corpses looking to feast on the living.

The creation of the modern vampire story as we know it started in the Romantic Age of poetry with the poet, Lord Byron being the inspiration.

1816 in English Literature, Lord Byron was a superstar of his time, much like our celebrities today.  He was a playboy poet well lusted after, everyone wanted him at their parties, and everyone wanted to know him better.  But one guy really hated him....John Polidori.

Polidori was a doctor at the time, but he was an aspiring poet and took the job with Byron to get his foot in the door.  Unfortunately, Byron didn't think much of his writings and was constantly making fun of him.

One dark and stormy night (literally) at Lake Geneva in summer, Lord Byron, John Polidori, and Mary Shelley bet each other to write the scariest ghost story.  Shelley wrote Frankenstein, and Polidori writes a story called, The Vampyre.

Polidori based his character completely on Byron.  He was an aristocratic man who betrayed his friend and sucked the life out of young women.  When word got around, everyone wanted to read it, because they thought it was a biography of Byron.

The most famous Vampire of all comes out in 1897.  Bram Stoker writes his only best selling story  "Dracula".  Stoker was a writer and theatrical manager at the time.
The story was published during some great changes in Victorian England.  People were afraid of the industrial revolution taking over and this story somewhat played into these fears.
Dracula is probably the most well known version of any vampire.
The rich aristocrat male who is mysterious and sexy, plus a little dangerous looking.  He sleeps in a coffin, wears a black cape, and is pale in appearance.  He finds lonely attractive young women to prey on and eventually sucks their blood until they're dead.  He's a cold-blooded calculating killer and is never caught out in the sunlight or caught by authorities, though they may be suspicious of him.

More recently, people have been playing with this very successful formula to make up their own rules.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a character born to hunt and kill vampires.  She falls in love with a sexy vampire who's been cursed by a gypsy to live as a tortured human soul; who can never experience true love or else he'll revert back to a mindless evil vampire.  He currently has morality and is trying to do the right thing, but this is only because he's been cursed.  He's still a vampire that needs blood and can't get caught in the light.  He sleeps during the day and is definitely sexy and dangerous.  My mom is in love with him, but I like the character Spike myself.  Buffy provides a strong female role model for today's young girls, and the show was funny, scary, and entertaining to watch every week.  They took what could've looked like pedophila (like Twilight) and made it acceptable and sexy.  Twilight failed at this because they made a young actor look like a stoned creepy old man lusting after a young girl.  Not sexy, not even close.

True Blood experiments with the idea that vampires are trying to integrate into society much like a shunned minority and have normal lives.  Haven't watched this one so I can't elaborate.

Twilight has changed the vampire so much, he's/she's pretty much unrecognizable in my opinion.  Take out the dangerous part, take out the sexy part, take out the sunlight rule and replace it with friendly vampires who want to date your daughter and oh yeah, their skin sparkles like diamonds in sunlight.  How lame is that?!  Sorry, I have some major beef with that whole phenomena, even though my friends and some family seem to eat it up.  Can't wait until the movies are done coming out already!

The Vampire Diaries is apparently about a love triangle between 2 vampire brothers and a young human girl.  There's a series right now on the CW network and a complete novel series written by a woman.  It seems to be a lot like Twilight, so I don't know which one ripped off who, but they sound the same to me.  I haven't watched the show or read the books so I don't know anymore than one who pulls up info on the internet for it.

Dark Shadows is a tv show from the good old days of the late 1960's.  A family moves to a new town and lots of strange things happen there.  They have all sorts of bad guys in this show, but I think the vampires stand out the most.

The Vampire Chronicles (Interview with a Vampire included) by Anne Rice is another version of the classic vampire story.  I read the book, which, I thought, was incredibly boring.  I watched the movie, which was an improvement on the book, but still pretty crappy.  I didn't care or sympathize with any of the characters and the story is just too bland.

I am Legend is a novella from Richard Matheson.  Many people might interpret the monsters to be zombies, but in the original story, the monsters can't come out into the light so night time is the most dangerous and they suck blood as well as eat flesh.  I guess, depending on how you look at it, the monsters could be either one or a combo of the two.  I personally like to think of them as vampires with zombie tendencies.  One of my favorite scary tales of Mathesons.

Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant was an ok movie, but this is based on a children's series of books too.  A young boy loses his best friend to a gang of "bad" vampires, while he himself, becomes a member of the "good" vampires.  Some of the ideas of the story are cute, but I wasn't too much into it.

Sesame Street's Count Von Count aka The Count.  A CLASSIC icon of Dracula.  Who hasn't seen him and loved him?  I love the puppet bats on sticks that "fly" around him.  They are sooooo cute!

I'd have to say the classic original Dracula is one that deserves a lot of respect.  Without it, a lot of the other stories wouldn't exist.  My personal favorites would be Buffy, and I am Legend (the book version).

My favorite scary story of all time. What's yours?

For the Halloween nuts like myself, we are coming up on one of the most exciting times of the year!  I figured it was a good time to celebrate Halloween and take a trip down a dirty gravel path....
The one that leads into the dark forest on the edge of town.
Tonight's a good night to visit this place....
The air is filled with electricity as a fast moving storm is on it's way to where we are here.
Can you hear the thunder in the distance?  Trees are blowing about in the wind, most of the animals have taken shelter since they know something wicked this way comes....
What was that?! 
Did you see that?
Oh, sorry, I thought there might've been something moving over there in the shadows, something with shiny eyes and very long fingers,
or maybe they were claws?

SO!  What's your favorite scary story of all time?  This can be a book, movie, poem, comic book, etc.  Whatever terrified you.  I'll go first:


The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in almost any form (book, movie, and cartoon).
It may be my favorite because as a small girl, I realized that my imagination was strong and running wild at the end of this story not knowing exactly what happened that night in the Hollow to poor Ichabod.  It may be that I can identify with Ichabod as being an underdog and being made fun of and picked on.  It may be that the 1949 Disney cartoon (The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad) is so charming and cute that you can't help but like it.  It also just happened to be the first exposure I received to the entire story (Thanks Ms. Robinson for showing it in my 5th grade class!).
Every time I watch that one I still get chills, and some nostalgia for my childhood.  But it's most likely my favorite scary story of all time because Washington Irving told such a simple believable tale that it's easy for me to get lost in; sure it was probably Brom Bones just trying to scare Ichabod straight out of town, but you are never really sure.
I like a detailed story and this one is full of heavy detail.
The feeling of fear and terror sinking into you when you realize Ichabod is not alone on his way home that night after the party.  The build up of anticipation as you see it IS the Headless Horseman fast approaching behind Ichabod and his horse, Gunpowder.  You can hear the horses running, the wind blowing past your ears, feel your heart racing and your arms wanting to wrap around Gunpowder's neck and hold on for dear life!!!  Scary, scary stuff for me, but I love every minute!


I like the open ending so you're free to interpret what you want.
I enjoy the small town setting and the 1790 time frame.  They just don't write stories like this these days.
So please, tell me what's YOUR favorite?

Halloween Decor and who's selling it

I'm talking about stores you wouldn't normally think of for selling home decor stuff and Halloween accessories first.  Secondly, the stores you know have Halloween stuff.

Bath and Body Works -
Cute little candle holders and Halloween scents in their candles, hand soaps, and anti-bacterial hand sanitizers.

Crate&Barrel -
They sell quite a bit of stuff for entertaining.  Things like barware, some home decor, and little odds and ends.

Pottery Barn -
Lots of glass jars, little knick-knacks, and entertaining stuff for parties.  Similar to Crate&Barrel

Yankee Candle Company -
Candle accessories by the truck load (Boney Bunch, which I personally don't like), Halloween and fall scents for candles, and a few little decorating things non-candle related.

Bed, Bath, & Beyond -
I always find a few little candle things here or cutesy small decorations for Halloween every year here.

Grandin Road -
Be careful with this store.  They have some of the coolest looking Halloween decorations here, but the quality is spotty.  I bought a 5' female mummy from them and what was supposed to be an easy 2 piece assembly took hours to put together with 2 people working out all the little problems as to why the 2 pieces would not fit together.  That would be my genius brother and me!  Only if you don't mind fiddling with things to make them work right, or buy the little things where assembly or electricity isn't involved might you be ok.

Michael's -
This place is like an addiction for me.  Every year they have all the little table decor that I want like mini skulls and potion bottles, but I just can't afford the whole store.

Joanns Fabric Store - Also like Michael's.  They have a lot of crafty stuff with decor mixed in and usually, it's really cute.  Stickers, stamps, and baking stuff galore.  Don't say I didn't warn you.

And stores you know are selling Halloween stuff:

Spirit Halloween Stores - They pop up all over every year and are chock full of costumes, masks, and cheap holiday decor.

Halloween Express - Same idea as above, though some of these stores are permanent.  Masks, costumes, and cheap home decor.

Hallmark - Always a small treasure trove of holiday stuffed animals, bowls, little decor items, and a ton of cards.

Target - A ton of stuff.  Most of it's cheap, but sometimes I find some really nice stuff amongst all the junk.

Kmart - Quality is low here, as you expect.  I think this store will go completely belly up within the next 2 years.  It's been struggling for too long to last much longer, and ever since they got rid of their snack bars in the 80's and got rid of my favorite food item (taco snacks!) they haven't been the same.

Happy Shopping!

Why is Twilight so popular?

I watched an excellent program on Vampires and Zombies in history, film, and pop culture to find out more about these monsters.  The show's titled "LoveLust" and it airs on the Sundance Channel and is available on ITunes.  This post will cover the Twilight series alone and vampires & zombies in an upcoming post.

This essay is a mix of my own thoughts, and some information from the show.  "LoveLust" is cited when facts have been used from that source.
The Twilight series of books and movies has become so successful that you've had to been living under a rock to not know something of it.  I think the books have been translated into something like 39 languages.  The movies have grossed over 1 Billion dollars worldwide, and I wonder why?  Chris Nashawaty of Entertainment Weekly calls the Twilight series the, "Phenomena of our decade."  For the past 2 years the most popular baby names have been Isabella and Jacob, according to the show "LoveLust".

I'm not a fan myself, but some of my family and friends are.  I usually have debates, and discussions with them, trying to figure out why this franchise is so popular.  From what I've seen the typical vampire love story has been altered so heavily that it really isn't a vampire story.  It's a weak, uninteresting plot, with boring characters who have no depth.  At the end of the first movie I realized, I didn't care how the story ended.  I didn't care if the characters ever got together or had sex.  I just didn't care, and I don't see the reason for popularity.  Perhaps it's just some gay men, vampire die-hards, and little girls that are propelling this hysteria over the boys acting in this film, and not really the story itself?  I mean, let's put Jesse Eisenberg, Emily Browning, and Jay Baruchel in the 3 leads and see how well the movies do then?? Heh?
From what I understand there are 4 books and maybe 5 movies devoted to this vampire/human teen love story that is momentarily a triangle (sort of) with a werewolf Native American boy.

This century old vampire doesn't kill people by sucking their blood, he drinks refrigerated blood (I guess?), fights with other factions of vampires that do kill people, doesn't like werewolves, and sparkles in the sunlight instead of dying. Unfortunately for him, he got stuck at age 15ish and looks constantly stoned and creepy.

I have a lot of issues with this story/movie.
1.) I could barely sit through the 1st movie because they directed it in a way that would appeal to children who suffer from A.D.D.  It seems like some scenes are cut abruptly and others are too long.

2.) The actors are terrible.  The lead male vamp looks stoned on possibly more than just weed, but he looks creepy as well.  If he's supposed to be all head over heels in love with this teenage girl (pedophile) why does he look at her like a mental patient looks at his psychologist?  Perhaps he has mommy issues, maybe he hates being stuck in eternal high school, I can't imagine.  The girl has a hard time convincing me she's able to play anything else but an angst filled teenage girl.  The lead werewolf looks to be 14 at best, even with all his muscles, he's not attractive, and not convincing.

3.) The vampires are sparkly, not scary.  They are not very threatening, unless you're a diamond ring and don't want to be outblinged.  Twilight has diluted the core vampire story and taken all the edge out of it, all the drama is missing.  The "LoveLust" program I watched poses the question, "what happens when your monster is so close to being human, and not your enemy that you don't want to kill it?"  The basics of a "I'm in love with a vampire" storyline needs a balance of fear and sex.
One of my favorite ways that the main vampire, Edward Cullen, has been described by full grown women is that he's the "My Little Pony" of vampires - pretty, sparkly, and deeply attractive to very young girls.
Nobody's really afraid of these vampires, and I hear they don't have sex for a long time.  Plus these actors (even though they are dating in real life) have no chemistry together on screen.  The most dead thing about the entire story is their acting.  "LoveLust" calls Edward sanitized, and Kate Harding, an anthropologist on the show says, "He's a vampire who isn't a vampire anymore.  He's been conquered by love."


4.) Other stories have addressed the issue of the age gap successfully.  Buffy and Angel on the series, "Buffy the vampire slayer" was one of my favorite shows ever.  I'm not biased towards or against Vampires.  I enjoy any kind of story as long as it is done well. 
Buffy was a 16 year old cheerleader in the series pilot.  Angel is more than 200 years old.  It didn't seem like pedophilia, like it does in Twilight, because they made jokes about it.  They drew attention to the fact that Angel is MUCH MUCH older than her and has seen a lot of other women and vampires.  Angel, of course, is attracted to Buffy at first because she's pretty, but through repeated exposures, he realizes she is beautiful on the inside as well.  Angel is a more well defined, more fleshed out character, specifically because the show makes efforts to show what he was like before he was a vampire, and what bad things he did immediately after turning.  They show his change, his very bad behavior, and they show that he is different now, but still struggling with his need for fresh human blood.  The writers of the show are very good at pointing out constantly that Buffy and Angel shouldn't be together, but you want them to be together.  They do a good job of showing Angel struggling with being a good reformed vampire and fighting off his terrible black past.  He is trying to atone, trying to be better.  Plus the actors had an intense sexual chemistry that flowed off them like fire, granted, both actors are talented, experienced, professionals at the time of filming this series, but it was so much better than Twilight.

5.) The storyline of Twilight was to be an anti-pregnancy campaign for teens (snooze).  The author wrote this to show young teens to avoid sex at all costs, sex is the true monster in this story.  I think her motives for writing these novels get in the way of creating a good story.  Write a good vampire story or write a religious-inspired anti-sex book.  It's one or the other.

6.) Don't make vampires your friends.  You take away the basic foundation of what vampires are supposed to be.  Stick with the original ideas - they suck blood, they're dangerous, they are dark, they can't be in sunlight, they're not friendly, they like to seduce and trap women, they DO NOT and I repeat DO NOT sparkle - that's the silliest part of all of this.  For a likable bad, dangerous, sexy vampire see the character Spike in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, HE was such a rich character and well played by James Marsters.  Which reminds me, Buffy had a lazy susan of hot young men to lust after for the entire show.  That's another reason to watch!

7.) I think this Meyer woman has done the opposite of what she intended (other than make a ton of money).  She should have made a strong female lead, instead she makes the classic damsel in distress character who needs a man to protect her and give her everything.  She tried to make an anti-sex story, but the movies are propaganda typical of teen love movies where the couple wants to have sex and is completely consumed with the idea of sex, along with casting actors that are now huge sex symbols and lusted after by t'weens everywhere. 

My final suggestion and comment on Twilight is that if you like a good vampire love story, watch the series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, from the late 1990's.  It runs in syndication, on the Logo channel if you have it.  Otherwise, just buy it, you won't regret it.  Not only is it sexy, it's funny, touching, and shows a strong female lead that doesn't get attacked in the alley, she does the attacking.  Joss Whedon is just a genius.

If you don't want to hear me bitch - don't read this particular post....

Ok, I started this blog for this very reason. 
I'm all fired up, and if I had a traditional diary, I would be writing in it.  Not that I don't love the pen and paper, it's just, I can type much faster than write.

ANYWAY, I belong to a few forums on Juicy Couture charms (JC charms for short).  Usually, they're a wealth of information.  I can find out about all the new charms coming out and coupons and such.  Very helpful information, and I express my gratitude to contributors who can save me money and show me things I wouldn't find otherwise.  These blogs and forums are open to the whole world, and I recognize that there are a lot of different types of people on there with different beliefs.  I try to make a conscious effort to be well spoken and well mannered in mixed company.

Anyone who knows me, knows I don't like conflict so much so, that I try to avoid it at all costs.

Someone on one of my forums today was expressing their dislike of the recent releases of Halloween charms.

I think these 2 are adorable as well as the slice of pumpkin pie pictured in an earlier post.

What I had a problem with, is her saying that Halloween was not a holiday.

"Halloween has become so important to many... Folks are even calling it a holiday! Yard decoration is at an all time high in my neighborhood."

I know that currently I am PMS'ing.  I know that I wear my heart on my sleeve.  I know that I tend to be more emotional than a lot of other women, but it just struck me wrong.

I posted back, "I'm confused.  If Halloween isn't a holiday, then what is it?"

What I implied was for her to give me an adequate word to substitute holiday for.  Something that means the same thing when referring to Halloween night.  Recess isn't right, neither is break.  Celebration is a possibility though.

I expected trouble back from her.

This is what I got for a response later the same day (today)

"Webster's dictionary defines a holiday as a day on which one is exempt from work, which we are not. As to, "Then what is it?" One has to define what Halloween means for herself. For me it's not celebrated so I can't help with that one."

I read that and instantly got enraged.  Ok, not enraged really, aggravated.  Pulling out the Webster's definition was a move that signified to me, that I am incorrect to consider Halloween a holiday.  That she's trying to make me appear foolish or not as smart as her, and in public, no less!  It was a high and mighty snotty post that I cannot ignore.  In the past, I would just sink back and not say anything, but I'm tired of being that meek version of myself.  I have to stand up for what I believe in and what's right, and dammit, if it starts with a post on some stupid charms forum than so be it!

This was my reply,

"For some, Halloween is not celebrated/observed for various reasons and that is their right. For the people that do celebrate it, we consider it a holiday much like Valentine's day, mother's day, father's day, and St. Patrick's day. I like any reason to celebrate and have fun!

I know that these forums and the internet make it easy to be more verbally aggressive anonymously than in real life because you don't have to face the person/group you're talking to, but think about how things might be understood or misunderstood by people before you type them.

I could be very offended right now by the possibility that you're implying that I can't figure out what's a holiday for me personally or not. I could think that you're trying to condescend to me in public, by typing out a formal definition of the word "holiday" to prove how smart you are, or how wrong or ignorant I am.

Just because the United States Government doesn't let me and the rest of the country have a paid day off for Halloween doesn't make it a non-holiday to me. I define a holiday as something that is recognized by the majority of the US population and which is also noted on any year-long calendar you might purchase anywhere across the country. The word holiday really doesn't have anything to do with the government or banks to me."

I wanted to be clear, but not offensive to her.  Try to stay classy about it and not revert to name calling or petty arguments.  I spent an hour thinking of a response.  I could've included the fact that Halloween is the 2nd most popular holiday in the US next to Christmas.  I could've pointed out that Halloween is very special to me because it lets you be a kid again for a day.  You get to eat lots of candy, throw parties with great themes, scare people, be free, have fun, and be whatever you want for one day without judgement from anyone.  It's freeing, it's liberating, and that's why I love it.  Besides the fact that I love decorating for it with spiders, bugs, cobwebs, skulls, and lots of other scary looking decorations. 

I could've pointed out that I know it's not celebrated by a lot of people because they think it has something sinister behind it like devil worship or animal sacrifice.  Well, to be honest, there are a lot of weirdo's out there that DO celebrate it by doing things such as that or more nefarious, but that's something that can be done any day of the week with criminals and cruel souls.

To me, and I think most others that love the holiday, it means letting kids go out and get free candy, having monster parties, and getting out and having some fun.  I belong to some forums JUST for Halloween alone and nothing else.  Lots of people feel just as passionately for Halloween as I do.

I guess if you don't have kids and don't like decorating or giving out freebies, well then, I understand why you wouldn't celebrate it.

At the same time, anyone, religious or not, who doesn't want to celebrate Halloween is well within their rights not to.  It doesn't bother me.  It doesn't hurt my feelings.  I don't take it personally, I just don't want them to tell me not to celebrate it.

What I didn't like about that woman's post is that it felt like a personal attack to me in front of other people.   Reading what she said that I was somehow unable to think for myself; to come to my own conclusions about what to do with my personal holidays.  That I was uneducated and ignorant by pulling out a formal definition and saying well, if you can't figure it out, I don't celebrate it so I can't help you out there.

Just makes me crazy.

I mean, am I wrong about this?  I realize this is just some stranger saying something that really doesn't matter in the scheme of my life, but I don't like being talked down to, ESPECIALLY not in front of an audience.

Holidays are supposed to be fun, and special.  Set aside from other days to recognize something, and there really aren't that many of them to begin with.  Life is too short to treat everyday the same way.  Look for reasons to celebrate, to party, to feel alive.

I don't know.  I've never liked people speaking like they know what's right for all.  That everyone should believe as they do. 

Live and let live, that's what I say.

If this woman had posted something like, "Well, Halloween isn't a National/Bank/Government holiday and I just see it as another day.  Or some people celebrate and some don't." 

I would've understood.  I wouldn't have made a big deal.  I wouldn't have been able to argue with a rational neutral statement like that.

I honestly feel like a lot of people are more bold and disrespectful because they are anonymous on the internet.  You don't have to see the pain or damage you inflict on someone else with your words.  You can be as hateful and mean as you want without having to show your face to anyone.  I just wish people were nice, kind, and thoughtful with each other in real life and on the internet.  I try not to stir up trouble.  I try not to be offensive in real life, or on the internet unless someone is being cruel to me or mine.  I try to keep in mind to treat others as you would like to be treated, I really do.

Maybe I'm just crazy.  Maybe I should've just let it go? 

But that didn't feel right.  I've walked away, a lot, in my past from cruel things said to me and it feels like I shouldn't let people get away with being mean to me anymore.

All this from a charm forum website!  Geez!

Ok, so I feel my gears starting to slow down now.  I'm getting back in control of myself.  I might get banned from participating in this forum if the moderator sees my behavior as antagonistic, but I can still see what's posted.  I just won't be able to write anything and that would be ok with me.  I'll just keep plugging away with you, my dear reader, and speaking my mind here amongst friends.

Thanks for listening to my rant today, I really appreciate it.

And if you think I let this get under my skin wayyyyyy too much, please let me know.  I've gone a couple weeks doing this now and not a single comment on any of my posts yet.  I'm starting to feel unloved : (

Update:  No response from snotty lady nor any moderator.  Just another member telling me to instant message the other woman to avoid drama.

*yawn*

 Update again: July 13th.
The forum had irrepairable damage and lost everything posted after July 8th.  There goes that!

Halloween Villaging - Yes I am the Mayor

Halloween is the second most popular holiday right behind Christmas.  I think this is an interesting fact.
Christmas is supposed to be about God, depending on how you look at it and your personal belief system.
Halloween is supposed to be about the devil, depending on how you look at it and your personal belief system.

Kinda' like polar opposites if you ask me.  But I love them both equally for different reasons.

Anyway, this post is about villaging, specifically for Halloween, but there are villages for all sorts of holidays.

Villaging in case you don't know, is a hobby where different companies produce miniature houses, people, and landscaping for a certain focus (sometimes religious, holiday oriented, or promoting a movie or tv show.)

I have not yet purchased Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer set (though I want to) but it looks really cute and it's about $50.00 per piece.



The Village




"She thinks I'm cuteeeee"





"Let's be independent together"













So for Halloween there are numerous different villages you can focus on.  For the best quality, so far, Department 56 Snow Village Halloween is my go to collection.  The houses do get pricey sometimes retailing for about $150.00 per piece, but that's nothing on the secondary market.  Once a piece is retired and the only way to get it is on Ebay or somewhere else - the prices can sky rocket into the 1,000's.  It's pretty ridiculous and since I'm looking for a few older pieces, I have to shop a lot to find a decent price.

Lemax also offers Halloween villaging pieces, but the quality is much lower and the prices should be as well (though recently it seems their prices have gone up while the quality has stayed low.) 



courtesy of christmascentral.com



Having bought pieces from both collections, the difference is easy to see, but I mix and match them throughout my village.  Both companies have pieces that light up and make noise and are animated so there's something for everyone.

I have a tendency to collect miniature things (see Juicy Couture charms) and since I already love Halloween so much this was right up my alley.  I found out about it innocently enough.  I was online looking for some very small decorations I could use on a table top when I discovered Lemax headstones and coffins.  2 years later, my collection has grown to over 25 houses and countless pieces of landscaping and people.

Since I'm in between houses right now I cannot set up my collection all in one place but there is a plan.
In L.A. there is an artist that I have noticed that makes things out of styrofoam like cliffs, hills, and whole little landscapes to place your homes on top of.  She seems to be the most reasonably priced for commission and is the most talented in my opinion.  Her name is Nicole and she does this in addition to having a full time job and being a single mother.  I don't know how she does it, but I think it's amazing.  When I'm ready with my own house, I want to hire her to complete a large platform for my pieces.  Visit her photo website here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/56thandmain/

There's so many good photos on there I couldn't put them all up, but I'm really impressed and excited to speak with her on my project.
What I envision is a 3 tiered village scape with a small mountain range behind the lake.  I also need a bit of old buildings ruins and a shoreline (for the lake of course!)  I have a boat I need to display so that's why I need the lake.  I have it all planned out on paper and have been dreaming it up for years.  I am also working on a soundtrack for the village to show at night, as well as a large canvas backdrop for the wall behind my display space.  I'm working on a color organ (sound and light synced up) lightning and thunder effect to add some drama to my village.  It really will be like a small world of Halloween in my house.

I can't wait to have it all complete and show pictures when it's all done, but I have a long way to go - years before all the little problems are worked out : (