It's Halloween

I have run the gamut of emotions this season. This season isn't even remotely over yet either.

My mind is in flux. I'm not quite sure what to do with it. Poking and prodding from outside sources only lead to more confusion. I was exceptionally bored tonight, which is typical for a Sunday. Unfortunately it shouldn't be typical for the night before Halloween.

Halloween is an enjoyable time of year for me. I like Fall weather, which there was some of. There was a snowfall that occurred a day ago, but that was thankfully melted by the Sunday sun. The weather is still a little cold for the usual crispness of fall, but I'll deal. When I think specifically of Halloween, I actually think of the movie Halloween and its' setting. I envision the suburban neighborhood with leaves blowing in the wind. Orange and black (go Flyers) decorations mounting every porch and windowsill. Now, I haven't watched Halloween in any of its' parts this year, but the season and AMC's plentiful commercials always remind me of it.

I think the first problem I ran into this year was the lack of costume ideas. typically, I make my costume in some way. I like to wear real clothing for when I am out. It just feels more comfortable. I am not a girl, so I doubt I could get away with strips of lingerie and call myself vixen. Many people would find it hilarious if I was to do that, but it isn't happening, at least not this year. Still, I didn't have an idea on what to really be to get my creative juices flowing.

The past few years I went all Batman villain-like and portrayed The Riddler and the Scarecrow. I gathered supplies from various sources and slapped some hot glue and sewing skills together for something that wasn't too shabby. I was attempting to be characters I have never been before. When I was a kid I had an old school handmade Batman and Robin outfit that was made by my mom. They resembled the Adam West series costumes. When the Tim Burton Batman film was big, I was the Joker. In high school, I went as a not so great version of Two-Face. My scarred, make-up filled side decided to leave my face early. This year I just didn't think of another character to portray with the limited time available.

 I have dressed in store bought costumes before. I have masks galore just because I like masks. I wear glasses, so masks aren't usually the best option. I don't like to wear make-up too much because I know I will mess it up. This year I went fairly cheap and easy. I dressed as The Doctor from the current Doctor Who. I already had a sonic screwdriver that I got from work. I owned a bow-tie. I bought a tweed coat from the Goodwill store and stopped by Wal-mart for a pair of suspenders. I even picked up a Halloween cowboy hat because fake Stetsons are cool. The Doctor wore a cowboy hat for like 3 scenes in as many episodes. I wanted a fez, but couldn't find one on such short notice.

Right now, I am on a lull. I'm not feeling the greatest, or even the average-ist. I have another Halloween shindig to attend, but that's before Thanksgiving. The bar I regularly frequent is having a late Halloween party complete with prizes! I have no idea what to wear to that. I'm probably thinking Scarecrow.

Halloween 2011: The Return! MIx

I have compiled another Halloween mix. It was an ordeal because it's difficult to find songs that I haven't used on previous Halloween mixes, that I made years prior. Seriously, I have done this many times before. Granted, I don't think I have quite the catalog of  the NOW! That's What I Call Halloween variety, but having 6 - 7 CD's (remember those) worth of different Halloween music, should amount for something.

So, here's the listing:

Halloween 2011: The Return!

1. Satan's Ice Cream Truck - Strapping Young Lad
2. Graveyard Picnic - Voltaire
3. I Want You To - Black Light Burns
4. B-Movie Scream Queen - Murderdolls
5. Moon Over Bourbon Street - Sting
6. Eclipse - Thrice
7. Avoid The Light - Pantera
8. Her Black Wings - Danzig
9. After Dark - Tito & Tarantula
10. Spooky - Dusty Springfield
11. Peek-A-Boo - Siouxsie And the Banshees
12. Bum the Witch - Queens of the Stone Age
13. Dracula - Gorillaz
14. Black Lodge (Black Strings Mix) - Anthrax
15. Mothra - Godflesh
16. Fresh Blood - Eels
17. Long Hard Road Out of Hell - Marilyn Manson and The Sneaker Pimps
18. All Hallow's eve - Type O Negative

All total, it runs slightly under 80 minutes (or the average length of what a burnable CD will hold). I tend to use the length of a CD as my target for length. I never feel I should whittle down to something around 45 minutes or so. I like Halloween, and things that put me in that mood. I want to listen to it for as long as possible. Sure, I could just hit repeat, and I have. I just would like variety for at least a modest amount of time.

Intrude

Hi, Blog.

I would say that I have been busy, and haven't been ignoring you. That's a lie though. I think about you a lot. I just don't feel the commitment. Maybe it's not that either. Maybe I just don't feel good enough for you. I will try and see you more often. I will work you into a schedule if need be. A reason to write for at least a few minutes a day or something. With every new task, the routine needs to be started. There should be ground rules. I should figure them out.

I'll see you soon.

- Blog Writer.

Thinking Pt. 2

Muse.

No, not the band. I do enjoy the bands music though. Still, This writing is supposed to be on muse.

Dictionary.com definition:

verb (used without object)

1.

to think or meditate in silence, as on some subject.

2.

Archaic . to gaze meditatively or wonderingly.

verb (used with object)

3.

to meditate on.

4.

to comment thoughtfully or ruminate upon.

That's all fine and dandy. It is an acceptable definition, and one that is occasionally used. I on the other hand was referring to:

noun

1.

Classical Mythology .

a.

any of a number of sister goddesses, originally given asAoede (song), Melete (meditation), and Mneme(memory), but latterly and more commonly as the ninedaughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne who presided overvarious arts: Calliope (epic poetry), Clio (history), Erato(lyric poetry), Euterpe (music), Melpomene (tragedy),Polyhymnia (religious music), Terpsichore (dance),Thalia (comedy), and Urania (astronomy); identified bythe Romans with the Camenae.

b.

any goddess presiding over a particular art.

2.

( sometimes lowercase ) the goddess or the power regarded as inspiring a poet, artist, thinker, or the like.

3.

( lowercase ) the genius or powers characteristic of a poet.

Specifically, I was referring to the second "noun" definition. Basically, the thing that inspires someone to fulfill their creativity.

Many a creative person gets asked the question an infinite number of times, "Where do you get your ideas from?" It's a tough thing to answer. Sometimes it just comes to you. Other times, there is a certain thing that triggers a creative response. It could be the sight of a beautiful woman, the wind blowing a plastic bag, or even car horns while waiting in traffic.

For some people, the urge to create seems innate. Things just flow from them. I lack some of this I think. I don't think I lack it completely for here I am typing on the keyboard. There are thoughts, ideas, and ruminations that I feel compelled to share with the public, should they find this. I think the thing that curtails much of my creativity, or rather stagnation in creativity, is lack of proper motivation.

A muse is motivation. Even the verb definition has a contemplative meaning. Any good art makes people think. Hell, even bad art evokes a response. Still, there was an initial factor as to why that art/creativity took place to begin with.

I think I just lack the proper motivation. When I was in school, I had to write papers on certain research topics. Later, I had Creative Writing classes that allowed me to do what I wanted in a fiction environment. The difference is that I was motivated at the time by just that, Time. There was a deadline for anything I was required to write. Very few things now-a-days require my creativity, even less so put an actual date of completion to it.

I guess the short of it is that I am lazy, and I see many things as an excuse to not do what I claim to want to do.

Next up: Peers.

Thinking Pt. 1

I am trying to think of a theme for a blog. I figure with a theme, it will give direction. With direction, I will have a thing to focus on to actually write. It's almost like in school when I was assigned to write papers. I knew what it had to be on, so I wrote about a particular topic. I'm trying to figure out that topic now.

Since this here blog is a cluster-fuck of craziness and ramblings, I figure I will leave it that way. No point in trying to switch format now. For the most part I use this thing just to throw ideas on the web. Sometimes it gets read, other times I think it just wastes the infinite space of the interwebs. With a more focused approach, I think I could write more often. Random, inane bullshit would still wind up here. I need a ranty voice as well. I just want to see if I can find something I would want to write.

I have no idea what this new venture could bring. I could decide to write on things I know, but I know a lot about nothing and nothing about everything. That's not true. My general interests are mainly entertainment and why people entertain. I do like knowing why people do the things they do, but I also like the things they do.

Who knows what could come of this? Could be something, could be nothing. I guess I'll have to write and just see what life comes from it.

Next up: Muse.

Drama-splurge

Drama sucks.

Now, I don't mean that in any literary sense. Plenty of good stories are drama based. I just don't like real world, unnecessary drama. I only call the a majority of drama I deal with on a regular basis unnecessary because it tends to be perpetrated by adults, often times older then my thirty-one years on this planet.

I asked someone today what the difference between a psychopath and a sociopath was. He told me that a sociopath has a limited circle that he cares about, but doesn't really care for the needs of the many. He also suggested that I may be one. I said I wasn't. Despite my anger and frustration with people in general, I like people. I think I just expect too much from them. I think people should just be better then they are. (Oh, I really don't know what the actual definitions of sociopath and psychopath are. I looked them up on an online dictionary, but they seem to be synonymous.)

I understand some drama. Trying to deal with a stressful situation. Fearing the unknown. Worry about potentially new relationships, be they romantic or business related. I just don't see the effort in prolong drama about seemingly inconsequential things.

To be less vague, a lot of this crap I am referring to is work related and who know who trolls these types of sites for ammunition against me. I have had my blog referred to at work by both my boss and a managing director of the mall I work in. Who knew my voice could be heard so far?

Most of these stupid things makes me want to pull my hair out in frustration. Too bad mother nature is taking that option away from me on her own. Stupid genetics.

More reasons why I don't write

Ramble time.

I have a big problem with not writing. It's not for lack of ideas. It's how I feel about what I write.

I am of the opinion that if I write something, I would like for it to be and assume it will be read. This hinders some of my subject matter because of the subjects of the writing are typically, living breathing people that could also be reading this.

If you know me, you can sort of realized that I am more verbose on things that are aggravating and generally pissing me off. Hell, everyone likes to vent. Everyone needs to vent in fact. I actually originally started writing a blog in the efforts to vet more. I had some silly notion that if I started cataloging my complaints with the world, they would become less overbearing.

I have attempted on occasion to do the typical diary/journal just for personal things. It doesn't work for me though. Handwriting out something takes too long for how fast my mind works, and my hand-writing is progressively crappier the faster I try to write. I literally have about five or six books with varying degrees of gibberish scrawled in them about whatever nonsense I was going though at certain points in my life. I like back to school sales for the plethora of cheap notebooks and pens.

To put it simply, what I want to write is about you.

Granted, I always write about me. I am after-all the focus of my being. It's just that you tend to be the subject of whatever is going on. You influence my being. You make me feel certain ways. Ways I would like to share with the world, for both good and bad reasons. I could take what I feel and keep it to myself, but I don't think that is what writing is for in the grand scheme of things. I think writing is meant to be shared for good of ill.

It's like those sex tapes that get leaked constantly. If you didn't expect anyone to watch it, you shouldn't have done it in the first place. People constantly send dirty (scratch that) nude photos to loved ones (or lust ones) but don't expect them to be viewed by anyone else. It's not that they will be viewed by anyone else, it's that it could be. To be honest, if I had nude pictures of an attractive girl, I probably wouldn't delete them, even if I don't share them with friends.

What I am trying to say is that writing for me is like nudity. It's an exposure to who I am and the random things that come to mind. It just happens that what is on my mind is you. I don't think you would like to read about yourself, though.

So, here I am with a desire to loquaciously strip on the internet. As I am about to undo the first button, I stare nervously at the crowd. I don't think they would want to see what I am about to show. I freeze, staring at the spotlight glowing in my face.

Head Full

My head is full of ideas. Sadly, none of them are of the creative type.

I just spent a good half hour or so reading pages of a tread concerning a meeting I went to on Thursday. DC Comics is doing a huge publishing initiative in September, relaunching their entire superhero line. The meeting was to answer questions and clarify some of the steps DC is taking to get the retailers involved.

The thread was started by one of the other retailers that attended and I share many of his same views and excitement. Of course, being the internet, there was much negativity as well. I'll go into that at some other point.

Oh, and I met Jim Lee. Rather, I should say, Jim Lee met me.

For other blurbs:

• I read an article concerning the death of the Geek subculture. I don't agree with it, nor disagree with it for a couple reasons.
• I been finding many things terrible. I think I can do a better job, but am just lazy. This mainly concerns stories, be they comic book, movie or television.
• I spend a lot of time alone. It's not because I don't like you.
• I realized what I wanted to be in high school.
• Dinosaurs!
• I could wax on and off about the current comic book movie phenomenon, but feel that's already beaten to death.
• I still know a great deal about video games without really playing them, save for World of Warcraft.
• Duran Duran's Rio is now stuck in my head for no good reason.
• I want to do something, but am not entirely sure what.

I kind of just wanted to see what to bullet point function looks like. I am very tired and should head to sleep. I should be semi-productive tomorrow. I need an alignment for my car and a hair-cut. Probably not in that order.

Famous R.E.M. Song

I'm keeping a word processing document open in case I want to write something. I guess it worked because here I am typing.

It's the end of the world. Well, at least according to some folks. People can believe anything they want about most things. In terms of faith, things get blurry and subjective. How one woman approaches how she sees the Catholic God, is different from how a Jewish man sees Yahweh. That doesn't mean both people are necessarily wrong in their aspect of faith, just that their faith is different. I'm fairly certain, most people that are full of their faith think they are good people.

Anyway, that's a crazy philosophy I may delve into at some point. My head needs to work it out more. If I go off on it now, especially in a public forum (read: blog) it could come to bite me in the ass. That may not matter though because the Rapture is occurring this Saturday. No time for repercussions.

If you have been in any major population center chances are you've seen the signs. I don't mean omens. I literally mean signs on billboards, buses, and on people's person sandwich board style. The world is ending May 21^st, 2011.

Harold Camping is a man with a message. That message is that there are signs taken from the Bible that led him to believe that the rapture will occur on Saturday. The rapture is supposedly the time when God raises those deemed worthy to his side, while the rest are left behind (yes, a pun) for the coming apocalypse. There have been plenty of Biblical experts claiming the world will end or whatever on various dates throughout time. There have been plenty of experts in various fields claiming to know when the world will end. It hasn't ended yet though.

For me, my biggest problem with Camping's message, is that it's presented a absolute truth. He doesn't make claims that this is his opinion, or what he believes, it is what it is. Maybe it's just me, but absolute truth also stated that the world was flat and that we were also on the back of a giant turtle. (I like the turtles.)

Using numerology, Camping said he extrapolated the date for the rapture from various passages in the Bible. The most focused on is the Second letter of Peter (2 Peter 3:8) “"With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day". Couple that with Genesis 7:4 "Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth" and a math problem starts to form. 1 day = 1 thousand years; 7 days = 7 thousand years

There is a lot more to it. Frankly, while I find it semi-interesting, I don't really want to learn everything about it. Here's the wikipedia link for people that took the time to attempt to explain it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_end_times_prediction.

I don't think God would have us base our faith on math puzzles. I don't care what religion you are, if your deity of choice said math can solve all... that's science. I didn't think science and faith walked hand in hand. At least it doesn't for renowned physicist, Stephen Hawking.

Sure, people like the Buddha gave his followers logic puzzles and similar brain teasers, but that was in an effort to reach enlightenment. It's to get you to think. The Christian God seemed to present in the New Testament a more direct approach, like turn the other cheek. I would like to think God would like his message clearly known. If the message is more cryptic, who is to say things haven't been altered in the the translations of the Bible in that past almost 2000 years?

In the end, will the world end on Saturday? I have no idea. It might, but I doubt it. The world could end on Friday. It could end Sunday. It could also end thousands of years from now. As much as things always seem to get predicted about the end times, we aren't going to know until it happens.

Even then, we probably won't believe it.