Big Shout Out To

Matty at: Deep Thoughts, Beer Thoughts ,

Thank you for getting Jill and me up to speed on our blogs!

You da Man!

Havin' a Blogging Blast!

Here are two controversies that I thought were ancient history, but apparently they’re still pretty hot subjects.

Number one: SUVs!
I read in the paper today that some people are still having a problem with others buying/driving SUVs. "Don’t buy SUVs because they waste gas, they’re a nuisance on the road, they’re dangerous, blah blah blah..."

My opinion? You go ahead and drive whatever the hell you please, because until we do away with all motor vehicles, there’s always going to be a "bad guy" that takes the rap for all things evil on the road. SUVs waste gas? Well so do sport cars, but you don’t hear anyone complaining about them. They’re a nuisance because you can’t see around them on the road? You can’t see around a semi either, but obviously it’s easier to hate your neighbor for obstructing your view, than it is to complain to a trucking company. They’re dangerous because they tip? Well that’s true enough, but then, I think it’s crazy for anyone to own a vehicle that they don’t know how to handle.

I don’t know who started this particular controversy, but it’s one that I find totally absurd. There are so many more ways to conserve our natural resources that are overlooked because they simply are not convenient enough. If people are really as concerned with fuel efficiency and road safety, why don’t we see more buses and trains? Because it’s easier to run your mouth, than it is to practice what you preach.

Number two: Music Piracy!
You would think that with so many "pay per view" music sites available, piracy would no longer be a problem. Unfortunately, there are still a few kinks in the system. Most of those sites only cater to the more popular artist, it’s almost impossible to find older or lesser known songs and artist, and they can also be quite expensive if you don’t know what you’re looking for. That being the case, I’m on the fence with this subject because there are some pretty good arguments for both sides. And if the artists themselves can not decide if it’s wrong or right, how can I?

However, I do believe that if you choose to download from a free source, some basic etiquette should be used out of respect for the artist. First, it’s not cool to download an entire CD instead of buying one, that should be a given. If you enjoy the CD enough to download all of it, at least have the decency to pay for it. Also, give back what you take! If you download (or even if you don’t, for that matter) an artist’s music and enjoy it, brag about them to everyone. Word of mouth is a very powerful thing! There are other ways to support your favorite artists, as well. Go to concerts. Buy T-shirts and other types of memorabilia. When you can afford it, just buy, buy, buy! Remember, if you don’t support them, they will go away.


Thought of the Day:
What do you suppose the celebrities are going to bitch about once the presidential election is over?

Quote of the Day:
Don’t hold strong opinions about things you don’t understand. -Unknown

Favorite Artist:
Karen Kristin! I might be a little bias here because I know her, but I think Karen is one of the Greatest Artist Of All Time!


This is very similar to a painting Karen did for me.

Garage Sale Hell

I just had my very first garage sale this past weekend. Usually, I’m the kind of person who will take my stuff to someone else’s garage sale, or I’ll watch someone else’s sale for them, but this is the first time I had one at my own house, with my own stuff and let me tell you, I gained a whole new perspective for this chore! If you’ve never taken on the project yourself, it can be very disheartening. After cleaning everything and setting it up to look presentable, I had to watch as people shifted through and sneered at my little trinkets and tidbits that have taken me a lifetime to accumulate, and some of which still hold dear memories. Of course, most of the people were considerate, but there were those few that made jail time for murder look not quite so unreasonable.

The rain that came Sat also made me think that I may have chosen the wrong career field. All week the meteorologists predicted that we would have a nice weekend, but come Sat, they changed their minds and we had rain. If you think about it, being a meteorologist would have to be about the easiest "ist" job out there. No matter what you say, you have about a 50 percent chance of being right, (it’s going to rain this weekend, it’s not going to rain this weekend.) And as long as you don’t say it’s going to snow in the middle of summer, people are most likely going to forgive you when you’re wrong. What better gig could a person ask for?!?

Thought of the Day:
Why do so many performers feel the need to express their political views at concerts and such? Isn’t the whole idea of entertainment to get away from the "real world" and to enjoy yourself for a couple of hours?

Quote of the Day:
Here is the test to find whether your mission on earth is finished. If you're alive, it isn't. - Richard Bach

If I Could Be An Animal For the Day:
I think I would be an opossum today. I’m not feeling very motivated, I’d rather just hang around.

Help Me Please!

OK, this song is driving me crazy! I have some of the lyrics, but I don't know the title or who does it and I want to buy the CD so bad! It's been playing on HBO On Demand for the last few weeks. If you have any clue as to what it is, please let me know.

you showed me how to do exactly what you do
how I feel in love with you
all the while its true, oh how i love you
you showed me what to say exactly what you say
in that very special way
oh the while its true
you feel for me too
you taught it to me too exactly what you do
and now you love me too

There's also another song they've been playing, something about "this is the time of our life..."

Tell Me Something Happy, PLEASE!

It's been a miserable fucking day...

The Effects of Caffeine on the ol' Brain Cells

Sorry I haven’t written anything in the last few days, I’ve been trying to cut down on my coffee consumption and I find it increasingly difficult to hold a thought in my head for more than a couple of seconds. Even now, I’m trying to come up with something clever to say, and it just ain’t coming to me. So, I give up.

PS: Nat! Way to go on the BBQ chicken! It’s very tasty :o) num num num nummy...
Thank You and keep up the good work!

Side Note:

After reading Mattys latest post I just had to come back over here and praise him! (I would have done it on his blog, but I didn't want to give him a big head, lol.) It just goes to show you what kind of a hell I'm currently living here in hillbilly Ohio.

Most guys around here wouldn't even consider cooking for a woman, it is the woman's job to cook for them. Even though she has worked a full day at a regular job, it is her responsibility to cook, clean, and if applicable, take care of the children. And yes, I realize that there are exceptions to this rule, but they're too far and in between to count.

Just hearing Matty talk about wanting to impress his girl by making her dinner makes me long for the "old" days when I lived in Vegas, where most of the traditional roles were considered outdated. Where the home chores were divided equally, usually to the more experienced. (I did the laundry, he made sure the tank had gas in it, we both ate out A Lot.)

I know that this is how it goes in the more advanced areas of this country, and for the life of me, I just can't understand why the women of this area so willingly volunteer to put up with being the "little woman." That is one of the reasons I say that "women's lib" hasn't come along nearly as far as people seem to think it has. Sure, we're working out of the home more and more, but we're still having to take care of the home without help from the guys. So I find it wildly refreshing when I hear a guy talk about cooking!

Kudos to you, Matty!


For all my boob lovin' friends...

Latest News...

I was just sitting here bitching to myself about the fact that I finally have a day off with nothing to do (got all my errands done yesterday,) only to find out that there’s nothing good on TV. Imagine that, digital cable now has millions of channels and there’s Still nothing good on! It’s enough to make you want to shoot yourself in the head!

But, instead of doing that, I went out to get my mail... And guess what I got! A letter from poetry.com saying that my poem, "Tears in a Mirrored Window" has been accepted into the finals! Yes, it’s true, I now have a chance at winning this contest. Not only that, but they also want to publish my poem in their latest book Eternal Portraits.

Now, I’m not sure how excited I should be about this, I’ve heard a lot of negative things about poetry.com since submitting the poem, but just the fact that there may some day be a book out there with one of my poems in it is kind of cool. I might even spring for the $50 to buy it.

Anyway, I just thought I’d share that. Breakfast at Tiffany’s (one of my favorite movies) just came on, so I’m off to watch it. I’ll keep you updated on any further developments with the poem.

Peace and Greenbeans




The view from our hotel room in NYC.

Oh Boy...

Did you ever have one of those days where you just feel like a total idiot? Where everything you say and do suddenly seems stupid? What do you suppose causes that?

Well, regardless of what causes it, it's a very humbling feeling.

Quote of the Day:
Let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be clean. - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Music:
BOND! It took me forever to find a copy of it, but their new DVD is awesome!

Favorite Artist:
Michael Parkes. I don't care what anyone says, I still love his paintings.

If I Could Be an Animal For A Day:
Seeing how it's raining outside, I guess I would be a frog? Maybe? Yeah, it's better than being a worm...

Thought for the Day:
Is technology finally coming back to bite US in the ass?
I was sitting here reading an article about the pros and cons of the plans Bush and Kerry have for our country and one statement in particular caught my attention: "Rising health insurance premiums make it cheaper to buy better equipment than hire a new employee. ‘Businesses are more interested in using technology,’ says Sung Won Sohn, chief economist of Wells Fargo. ‘They want to hire people only as a last resort.’ " -Time 9/13/04

This statement was in response to the jobs lost during Bush’s presidency, but I think it says a whole lot more. We've been concerned about the effect of technology on the employment rate for years, maybe now it’s starting to take its toll. If you think about it, rising insurance premiums are only a small part of the larger picture. Why hire a person when you can get a piece of machinery to do the same job? A piece of machinery doesn’t complain about having to work late; once you’ve paid for that piece of machinery, you don’t have to give it a yearly salary, benefits, or a retirement package; you don’t have to worry about the machines union officials; a piece of machinery may have to take a sick day every now and then, but it will work all holidays, all birthdays, all of its kids birthdays, personal days and it never ever takes a vacation. When you look at it from a business owners point of view, a piece of machinery is the perfect employee!

Granted, you will need someone to run and repair all that machinery, and that is where hiring temps and contractors comes in. Temps and contractors keep the pay wages and benefit packages at a minimum. You may only need a few permanent employees to supervise and train the people to run a medium to large factory.

So what’s the solution? Well, if you’re a factory worker, my guess is that you should start looking for a new occupation, because I don’t see any reason for this situation to ever turn around. With all the new technology becoming available, why would these large companies start hiring people again? It wouldn’t be out of the goodness of their hearts, they’re in it for the money and they will do what they have to do to make that money. We may have a chance with trying to promote smaller businesses, but they generally do not pay as well. One other suggestion is trying to find work in the entertainment field. There are a lot of jobs there that you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to get and, if you "make it", it pays very well. Just ask Michael Moore.

Quote of the Day:
All I want is a warm bed and a kind word and unlimited power. - Ashleigh Brilliant

Music:
Song of the day: "Blue Sky Mine" by Midnight Oil

Movie Pic:
Tue is the first day of Vincent Price week! Tonights suggested features are The Pit and the Pendulum and Fall of the House of Usher.

If I Could Be an Animal For A Day:
I would be a cute little deer... And I would bite Evil Sandmich back!


Smith Park.

Just Another Day...

Thought of the Day:
This thought comes from a conversation I had with a friend earlier today. She was offended by the advances made toward her by a bandmate. Rather than telling him point blank that she found his behavior offensive, she started doubting herself and her own behavior around him, leaving him to believe that his advances were acceptable, if not welcomed.

It reminded me of another conversation I recently had with a family member.

I find exactly two words in the English language to be extremely offensive. Unfortunately, one of those words just happens to be very popular in this area. I always make a point of saying something when the word is used around me and sometimes the person will be considerate stop using it, and sometimes they don't. Either way, I know I spoke up.

In retrospect, both of these situations are similar in the way they should probably be handled. If someone offends you, don't dwell on it, tell them. Be polite, but firm. You don't have to be rude to get your point across, because chances are, they didn't mean to offend you. (If they did, you usually know it and that's whole different story!) If you unintentionally offend someone else and they tell you, don't go on the defense and start hurling insults to distract, take what they say into consideration and if necessary, apologize and try not to do it again. Just keep in mind that nobody's perfect and everyone is bound to offend someone else at one time or another, don't take it personally.

This may sound like a simple solution, but I'm amazed at how seldom people use it.

Music:
Song of the day: "Why Can't We Be Friends" -War

Movie Pic:
Anything but a Steven Seagal movie! (Is it just me, or is he getting way too old and puffy to be playing one of those macho, karate chop type guys?)

Quote of the Day:
I believe in looking reality straight in the eye and denying it. - Garrison Keillor

Cheers! to:
The person who created Post-Its!

On The Lighter Side

Thought of the Day:
They said it could never happen, but it did! It really did! There's no denying that!

Movie Pic:
Under the Tuscan Sun. Dudes! If you have a girlfriend that likes those mushy, feel good type movies, this is Sat evening must! It may be two hours of hell for you, but well worth it in the end ;o)

Music:
Does anyone know how to find out what music HBO uses during their ads? I've tried everything I can think of, short of emailing the HBO website.

Quote of the Day:
After two years in Washington, I often long for the realism and sincerity of Hollywood." -Fred Dalton Thompson

Cheers! to:
Friends who think they can see right through you... And to those who actually can.

If I Could Be an Animal For A Day:
Today, I'd be a fish! And, I would probably be floating at the top of the tank...


While doing research for an article on fear.
Can you say, "O SHiiiiiiit!!!!"

Marcus C. Thomas

One of the few things in this world that makes me truly happy is art, and because of that, I'm always searching out new artist that really impress me. Marcus C. Thomas is one of those artist. Normally, I don't really get into scenic art (although, I notice that I'm enjoying it more and more as I get older) but this guy is so talented in his craft that it's hard not to like!



And that's not all, the remarkable thing about Marcus C. Thomas is that he creates these beautiful paintings while holding the paintbrush in his mouth. Yes, you read that right, he uses his mouth! It wasn't until after Mr. Thomas was paralized in a skiing accident that he discovered his talent and love of art. (you can read his story here.)

I am always in awe of those artist who are able to effectively translate their vision to a canvass, but this guy takes the cake!

Fleeting Thoughts

OK, this is my "online diary", so I’m going to use it as such. The next several post on this blog are mostly for my own benefit because they are subjects that I want to write more about and I’m always forgetting it or losing the post-its I write it on. This is the only place I know of where I can stash it without losing it. But, for anyone who may be reading these post, please don’t hesitate to comment if you like. I’m always appreciative of a fresh point of view.

They may look a little goofy now, but as I collect my thoughts and find information, hopefully they will turn out as well written pieces.

Extinction:

This is a subject I’ve been curious about for a while now. Seeing Evils post about green bigots got me thinking about it again. Why do we seek to protect endangered species? If they are meant to be extinct, why do we interfere? Are we trying to become more "Godlike" and save these animals? Or are we afraid that we were the cause of their extinction and we want to protect them? If that's the case, are we actually messing up the natural balance of life even more because these animals are Suppose to be extinct? (Keep in mind, survival of the fittest.) Are we keeping something alive that could be our downfall in the future? Now granted, I do believe that we've screwed up on certain things, and I believe we need to be more careful with our natural resources and environment, but should we be trying to actually bring them back?

Cloning:

While I love the idea of cloning and being able to clone (being a reader/writer it makes a great topic,) at the present time, I just don’t like the reality of it. Talk about messing with creation! And to what end? If we actually become able to create a living, breathing, for all intense purposes, "normal" human being, what is it we've really created? Seeing how we are not God, and these "people" are not being created by God, will they have souls? If not, and they know that, what's to stop them from doing anything they want? What type of moral values would they have? Unlike an atheist, they would have no choice in whether they believed in God or not, because believing in God wouldn’t do them any good anyway. With religion being so prevalent in this country, what kind of mental effect would that have on a person? Of course, if you are an atheist, I guess it doesn’t matter.

Organized Religion:

In my opinion, organized religion has become an industry for which charismatic leaders use "needers" (people who know they need something in their lives, but haven't quite figured out what it is yet) for their own means, instead of those of Gods, and that "true believers" (someone that wants to worship God, and not just feel as though they belong to a group) are getting lost in the shuffle. I would like to consider myself a true believer, therefore I find myself confused every time I hear one type of church bashing another. (Are we all not put here for the same purpose, to serve Gods will in the best way we know how?) It is this confusion that has made me leery of joining any church in particular. (Am I joining the "right" church?)

However, I find that there is no shortage of people willing to talk about God. I enjoy the many discussions and learn quite a bit just from casual conversation. There are a lot of open minded people out there and they all have a different opinion of what the Bible is trying to tell us. I've found that by listening, then studying the Bible, God tells me what I need to know. I'm satisfied with that.

Now, I would like to talk about how I feel about organized religion. Mind you, this is just my observations. You may or may not agree with what I'm saying, I understand, accept and even welcome that. You have reasons to believe the way you do, and I have reasons to believe the way I do, some of which, I will point out. If you're reading this, it's because I feel comfortable enough with you to share a bit of myself, so please, be kind, and try to keep an open mind.

Downfalls of Organized Religion

It seems to me, that no two churches are alike, whether they are the same religion or not. Each has it own views of how we should be serving God. This alone is not so much the problem, as how they react to other churches. By this, I mean... how they interact with each other, or mainly, their lack of interaction. You have the different religions (such as Catholic, Protestant, Baptist and so forth) which is confusing enough, but then you have different churches, with different beliefs, within the same religion. All claiming to have the "right" beliefs, while every other church has the "wrong" beliefs (ever hear the pride in some ones voice as they say "Come to my church" and then proceed to give you directions?). If you ask me, shouldn't Any church do? As long as you're going, and learning what you need to learn, I'm happy. There seems to be a battle going on out there to get you into one particular church. I have to wonder if there's not a lot of preacher worship, rather than God whoosh, going on. And all this within the same religious group!

Different religious groups are a whole other story. They have been fighting (Churches? Fighting? Yes!) for thousands of years, and although the Bible does warn of this, you'd think that through growth in the Lord, we could get past this, at least in our own country. (While I was married, my husbands uncle invited us to his church, where he was the pastor. He asked me what religion I was, and when I told him that I was Protestant, he gave me a disgusted look, then said that it was OK, I could come to his church anyway. I have to wonder what he would have said, had I not been new to the family.) This is not an isolated incident, the people I interact with every day often ask what religion I am and depending on what I say, I can tell I’m being judged.

Authority:

Why do we fear authority figures? If these are the individuals that we, as a nation, have given the power to protect us and our system of laws and standards, then why are we afraid to question their power over us? When was the last time you said, "As a matter of fact, officer, I Do mind if you search my car". And what do you suppose would happen if you did say that? You would probably be in a lot of trouble! So where did our authority get away from us? Well, as far as the incident I just described, it's called reasonable doubt. If an officer suspects you of foul play, he has the right to question you. And who gave him this right? We did. We did because there are people out there who have actually committed a crime and are trying to hide it. But what about Mr. Average Joe who's just trying to get home, late at night? He's caught in the cross fire of this war we have on crime.

Information:

Where do we get our information and how much stock do we place in our sources?

Most of the information we get is readily available in books, on the internet, in newspapers, and from the people we know (not to mention any stranger you meet on the street). But which are we to believe? These days, just about anyone can write a book, and who's to say they're telling you the truth and not misleading you to sale you on their own opinion. As far as the newspapers and media are concerned, who's to say they don't have their own agenda going on, as well? I mean, if there's nothing to report, they're out of a job. It's their mission to make mountains out of molehills just for the sake of survival. Which is fine, as long as you don't put to much stock in it. Then there's the people we know. Now this one is a tough call, considering the fact that if we even bother to ask, we’re usually going to have to listen. The thing is, where are they getting their information? You might like to think that they get their info from reliable resources, but a lot don't. That's where a lot of rumors get started.

Hatred/Govt. Conspiracy:

Is our society being torn apart by those who capitalize on hatred?

Of all the things our govt. does to "guide" our way of living, pitting neighbor against neighbor is one of the most despicable crimes a govt. can commit. Yet, day after day we blindly follow, sometimes to our own end.

What's the problem?

The problem is: a black man in Cincinnati Ohio can not walk down the street without fearing an attack from a police officer; a couple can't go out for a drive on a Saturday night without worrying that the driver in the car next to them is intoxicated; a gentleman can not go out for a drink without fearing an altercation for having lit up a cigarette.

Who starts these disputes?
Who stands to benefit from these disputes?
What part does the media play?
Who pays the price?

Consider this, did you know that most brake pads (such as the ones on your car) are made of asbestos? Asbestos is a known cause of lung cancer. By standing on a busy street corner, you breath in more asbestos in 5 minutes, than you would working in an office building for 5 years that has been insulated with it. So why has the govt. made it mandatory that building owners have the substance removed, while letting the car manufacturers go unchecked?

Did you know that almost as many people die each year from asbestos related illnesses as those who die from second hand smoke related illnesses? (http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2004-07-22-asbestos_x.htm : http://www.lungusa.org/site/apps/s/content.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=34706&ct=67116) Yet, instead of going after the major corperations, we turn on each other.

It's Got to be in the water!

Well, I just finished that last post and it was a lot of fun, but now I’m sitting here bored. I’m trying to think of all the questions I would ask if I thought I’d ever get an answer to, and the one that keeps coming to mind is why the people of my community have such a problem with dental hygiene.

I live in a small city and for some reason, most of the people here have really bad teeth. For my small circle of friends, this has become somewhat of a fascination and we discuss it often. What, other than not brushing, can cause your teeth to rot so early (and we’re talking early 20s in some cases) in life? Curiosity got the better of me once and I actually went through the trouble of doing a little research on the matter. What I found out is that this particular area has large amounts of fluoride in the water supply.

Now, I have heard that too much fluoride may cause some tooth decay, and I’ve also heard that too much fluoride can cause brain dysfunction. So what my friends and I are trying to determine is: Is it the fluoride that's causing our teeth to go bad, or is the fluoride causing our brains to go bad, and we're just getting too stupid to brush?

Considering the content of this post, I’m betting on the latter!

Related information can be found at: http://www.fluoridealert.org/

Quick Question:
Is it a sin to be attracted to an actor when he's playing the role of a priest?

Quote of the Day:
Change your thoughts and you change your world. -Norman Vincent Peale

Song for Thought:
Procol Harums "The Idol"

Monkey See, Monkey Do!

I saw this on Mattys blog and thought it was cool, so I'm adding one to my mine. I also added a little byline as to what I remember most about each state.



create your own personalized map of the USA

Arizona: Jerome!!!
California: Of all the things I liked about CA, what sticks in my mind most is seeing cows graze by the sea.
Washington DC: Thank God I wasn't the one driving!
Florida: Lived in Cocoa Beach once. The beach was nice, but way too many old people!
Georgia: Mostly highway, and Stuckeys!
Idaho: Snow.
Illinois: Stayed at Jellystone Park, but was disappointed when Yogi Bear didn't make an appearance.
Indiana: To close to home to impress me much.
Kentucky: The view from Natural Bridge, and a pack of wild dogs that chased us from our campsite.
Michigan: Getting to talk to a group of Guardian Angels in Detroit. At first they were a little scary to a country kid like me, but they turned out to be really cool!
Missouri: Got lost in the dregs of St. Louis and never made it to the
Gateway Arch.
Montana: Snow.
Nevada: Nice place to live, but I wouldn't want to visit there.
New Jersey: 19 years old when I passed through on my way to NYC. Got a killer doobie from a gas station attendant!
New Mexico: Albuquerque. My first taste of a Sonic Burger!
New York: First time I went on my own, my two friends and I were lost for three days! That'll teach us to smoke NJ pot.
Ohio: Current residence.
Oklahoma: Tulsa. That McDonalds is just ridiculously big!
Pennsylvania: Love Pittsburgh and Lake Como! So many cute guys in such a small area...
Tennessee: Mountains.
Texas: Some of the best vacations of my childhood! Probably the reason I still love to travel.
Utah: Like to never found a liquor store!
Virginia: Don't remember a damn thing about VA itself, but I remember we went there once to visit family.
West Virginia: Don't really remember WV either... I must have been asleep at the Wheeling, har har.
Wisconsin: The Wisconsin Dells and Devils Lake. Beautiful country!
Wyoming: Yellowstone National Park!

Halloween!

Ahhh... My favorite time of the year! The weather is starting to cool off, the leaves are falling from the trees, and the decorations are starting to come out! What better time to throw a couple logs in the fireplace, grab a glass of wine, and snuggle up to some good horror flicks? Seeing how this is my favorite holiday, I thought it might be cool to come up with a movie suggestion list to help get you in the mood, also. Some of them are goofy cult classics (just for fun) and some should sufficiently creep you out. I know they do me! I call it The Thirteen Days of Halloween!

Now, before we start the thirteen days, I think we should use the week preceding to honor Vincent Price (5/27/11 - 10/25/93). The king of horror, himself! I mean, he Did go through all the trouble of trying to hold on till Halloween... We can give him at least this much, right?

If you can find a copy, may I sugest you start off the VP week with Michael Jackson's Thriller. Cheezy? Maybe. Fun? Absofuckinlutely!

1. Pit and the Pendulum
Fall of the House of Usher
2. House of Wax
Diary of a Madman
3. Theatre of Blood
House on Haunted Hill
4. Twice-Told Tales
Tales of Terror
5. The Fly
The Last Man on Earth
6. The Raven
The Comedy of Terrors
7. Abominable Dr. Phibes
Dr. Phibes Rises Again

And now for the Thirteen Days of Halloween:

13. Killer Klowns from Outer Space
The People Under the Stairs
12. Stigmata
Ghost Ship
11. Texas Chainsaw Masacere
House of a 1000 Corpes
10. In the Mouth of Madness
Event Horizon
9. The Shining
Hell Night
8. Stir of Echoes
Thir13en Ghosts
7. House on Haunted Hill (1999)
Haunting, The (1999)
6. Rosemary's Baby
The Entity
5. Poltergeist
Blair Witch Project
4. The Mothman Prophecies
The Sixth Sense
3. Session 9
Signs
2. Omen
Exorcist

And for Halloween night...

1. Night of the Living Dead
Dawn of the Dead
Return of the Living Dead
(I pick these mainly because I know you're going to be too busy having a good time that night to watch them!)

Hope you enjoy them!

And please, if you have any to add, I'm not above watching three movies a night :o)

An Evening of Art...

What more could you ask for?!

Tonight, a few of us brainiomaniacs went on a field trip to Covington KY for their monthly Gallery Hop. This happens on the first Fri of every month if you happen to be in the area and art is your thing. For more info, you can visit www.nkyarthop.com.

We had a ball! So many different galleries and so many different artist and styles. One of my favorites was the photography of Ron Durham. He had some amazing scenic views, but more important than the subject was the warmth that he conveyed. If I were to try to explain his work in terms that most people would recognize, I would have to say that it's Ansel Adams with depth. While anyone is able to take a picture of something beautiful, it takes a special person to be able to show you exactly what they are feeling while taking that picture. Ron Durham is one of those gifted people.

One of those ungifted people had a shop a few doors down from him. Usually, I'm not the type of person who would say anything bad about an artist (we all see the world differently and who is anyone to discredit someone elses vision?) But, this guy was really bad! He did have a couple of decent paintings, but most looked as though he just threw some paint on a canvass in the shape of whatever. I didn't even bother to get his name, and that's unusual for me.

Another favorite was a little Gothic shop. They were more along the lines of handmade jewelry and trinkets, and were no less impressive! They even had a suit of armor which, of course, I had to try on the helmet. Found out that those things are really not as comfortable as they look. Ouch!

With maybe one or two exceptions, most of the galleries and stores had some great art! Even the coffee shop (Scribbles) had some cool paintings up. And although most of it was fairly expensive (no starving artist here,) there were a few affordable pieces. Even if you're not looking to buy, I would suggest checking this event out. You will have fun!