Halloween Nights

So I have to say, I hate that you can never predict how many kids you will get Halloween Night. Last year we went through more than 20 bags, this year, and we give out 3 pieces as long as they SAY "Trick 'R Treat", but this year we went through maybe 13 or 14. So my Mom is bringing a LOT of candy into work. YES, we don't get to keep it. Something about Diabetics shouldn't eat candy or some such nonsense. BLAGH.

Sandy and I decided we did not feel costume-appreciated and we need to do something next year so we can show them off. No one knew who either of us were, and we worked so hard on them, it just...well it sucked. I was Abby from NCIS and she was Sally from A Nightmare Before Christmas. And I am not thin like Pauly Peretti who plays Abby and my black wig looked so stupid and un-Abby, but I think I pulled off her essence pretty well. And Sam looked awesome as Sally! I will post a few pics at the end of the post.

Max as a Bumble Bee was SO adorable!! He hated the head thing with the antennae but he didn't wear that for long, but he was as cute...as a bug!! LOL! Here are a few Max shots:

Sure I have like 45 more, but I am trying to not be THAT person by showing 100's of my dog pics, lol!

Here is my pumpkin. Sam and I did them with stuff we printed from the net. So to get my details I used an exacto knife and marker. I did the skull. We had to take them back in one night because critters were eating mine especially!! Seriously enlarge the pic by clicking on it and you will see the two large bite marks taken out of my poor skull.

This is Sandy's pumpkin, the spider, which had more details but they broke off.

Here you can see Sandy's pumpkin before the animals ruined her details.

And here is Kate's babbbbbyyyy pumpkin. We put in light up bracelets because even tea lights were too big, it would have burned them down.

We watched Darkness Falls with my Mom. Spooky movie involving the tooth fairy and the only protection is to stay in the light. Later Sam and I watched Pitch Black, where you also NEED to stay in the light or ELSE. It was a nice evening that included rain beginning around 8:30pm. Maybe that is why the kids were less, but who knows? Next year if I only pick up 13 bags we could need 23, so it is like the flip of a coin, how many kids show up. Errrr. LOL!

Okay here is a pic of Sam as Sally. You don't see it in this pic but she has tights on that have stitches all over and they are all over the skin near her neck, etc. Awesome job Sam!

This is just a good pic of Katie with Max. She went up to Cafe Lebanon in Mass. to belly dance, yes on Halloween!! And guess what? NOT many people were there! Who wants to do normal Arabian night on Halloween?!

And here are some of me as Abby:

I wanted good details so you may have noticed the cool spider web tights and lab coat. The scary wig (yuck) and the sassy skirt.

Plus the famous spider web neck tattoo:

The huge gothic cross choker:

The cool tee:

HALLOWEEN Career DON'T'S + Scary Galore!

Poor Career Choices for Horror Movie Characters

Surviving a horror movie is hard enough without choosing one of these 99.9% fatal professions.

1. Grave Digger. A job that requires you to dig graves. In a cemetrey. Alone.

2. Polar Scientist. "Hey I know - I'll go to the most isolated part of the world. A place where night lasts for 6 months! What a great idea!"

3. Security Guard. If something goes bump in the night, you're the guy who has to check it out.

4. Camp Director. You're an authority figure who bosses teenagers around in the middle of the woods. It's a shock you lived long enough to read this senten-

5. Hooker. Prostitution is so fatal in these movies that hookers rarely even get the courtesy of an on-screen death. The first time we see them is when our grizzled hero cop is scraping them out of several dumpsters.

6. Janitor. Strange. You could've sworn you locked the door to the pool. Why are the lights off? And why does that laughter sound like it's coming from the water?

AND a BUNCH of really spooky movie trailers! Share with your friends!!

The Following trailer's movie scared the crap out of ME!

Deadly Sins and Dental Pains

The Seven Deadly Horror Movie Sins

The Seven Deadly Sins lead back to the Earliest days of Christianity. They were devised as a way to keep followers from indulging in their less attractive urges: lust, pride, gluttony, wrath, sloth, envy and greed. In Catholicism, these transgressions were (and still are) were dealt with through confession and prayer. In the Church of Latter Day Horror Movies, however, there's a different set of seven deadly sins, and only one punishment...

1st Deadly Sin: DOUBT. There are two type of movie characters: those who believe your story and those who don't. And while believers are by no means safe, at least they've taken the first step down the long road towards survival. Doubters, however, can always count on being dead before the end credits.

"It was just a dream, honey."

2nd Deadly Sin: Machismo. The jock who thinks his football skills are enough to defeat the reincarnated serial killer. The redneck who intends to show that vampire how they do things in Texas. The soldier who's taken on aliens way scarier than this one. All tough, all dead. Remember, males - in horror movies, testosterone may as well be cyanide.

"You want some of this?"

3rd Deadly Sin: Independence. Have you ever seen that documentary about wildebeests? The one where it's nothing but slow-motion footage of them getting torn apart by lions and crocodiles? Great, isn't it? Funny how the predators always seem to kill the animals that are on the outer edges of the herd. The ones who are either too slow or too stupid to draw strength from their numbers. This is not a coincidence.

"Screw you guys, I'm going home."

4th Deadly Sin: Ugliness. Nobody said horror movies were fair. That goes double for people with acne, glasses, etc. You see, in the "everybody's a teen model, except the funny fat guy" world of horror movies, it's a sin to be anything less than drop-dead gorgeous. And while it's true that even the hottest of hotties sometimes gets disposed of, it's usually because he or she engages in one of the other deadly sins (especially number 7). It's rare that someone is killed for good looks alone. On the other hand, ugly people could put on body armor, lock themselves in a padded room buried beneath a mountain, and surround themselves with armed guards, and they'd still get wasted before the one hour mark.

5th Deadly Sin: Curiosity. Have you ever been in a theater when the girl (in the movie) hears a strange noise and decides to see where it's coming from? Notice how everyone in the audience starts tensing up as she climbs up the stairs? That's because they know one of the basic horror movie equations.

Investigation = mutilation.

Now that you are the character, remember that when you go to "check something out", the audience is getting tenser with every step.

"Do you think it's dead?"

6th Deadly Sin: Irresponsibility. If you're supposed to be guarding the door, then guard the door. Don't wander off to take a leak. If you're supposed to be watching the kids, don't do bong hits with your earphones on. If you're supposed to wake your friend up at the first sign of a bad dream, don't fall asleep. How hard is that? In a horror movie, if you accept a task and fail to carry it out, someone close to you is going to die.

"Trust me, the kids are fast asleep."

7th Deadly Sin: Vehicular Sex. Everyone knows the old adage about sex in horror movies. Do it and die. Well, yes and no. While it's certainly advisable to keep it in your pants while visiting the Terrorverse, there are plenty of people who have sex and live to brag about it. That's because they copulate in the comfort of their own homes, or the privacy of a respectable massage parlor. Because they avoid the one kind of nasty that is guaranteed to result in death: vehicular sex. The kind counselors have when they steal the equipment van and drive into the woods. The kind the prom king and queen have in the school parking lot. In the real world, sex in cars make great bedfellows. But in the horror world, put the brakes on that kind of thinking.

Went to the dentist today. Had my teeth cleaned, then the dentist came in to figure out what is wrong with the last cavities he filled. He used one of the scrapers to KEEP pressing down, and some areas that was fine, but when he kept doing it to the area that has made me unable to chew on the left, it was torture. he thinks it is either an air pocket in the filling, or worst case, my tooth has cracked. I hope it is the air bubble. But they can't squeeze me in until December 10th!! A month and a half more of no chewing on the left...super. And that got him so concerned that he wants to fill in ones they were just "watching"!! So 2 or 3 more cavities!! :(

I swear I think I brush good, but no matter what I do, I get cavities. For the first time, my hygeinist said some people are chemically inclined to get cavities so I think it must be ME. I have always done poorly at the dentist, even as a little kid. I thought I was going to do better hopefully. Bought a spin brush, bought that fluoride Listerine mouth wash to use after brushing. Bought the KIDS Agent Blue Cool to make me brush better if that is what is needed, but still, now I have 2 or 3 more cavities to be filled. This sucks. And I got lectured about my gums, I am not flossing enough, and now she wants me to use the GUM massagers too, and Prevadent, and all this stuff. She claims within 14 days bleeding gums should stop, but I have been doing SO much better at flossing and I still bleed. And she made me bleed worse than normal. I use Plackers because of my bad gag reflex. It is just been such a BAD week. And before I left to go to the dentist the doctor called and his secretary said my blood tests were fine. But I only did it last night at 6pm?! My Mom had hers taken Monday, but I got mine which were for a LOT more tests? Yeah I was upset to hear they were fine. Fine explains nothing! Now we are thinking, since we went in together that those were my Mom's blood tests, because it never takes them 18 hours to get blood results. Especially for the Diabetes blood work. But I have to wait until MONDAY to make sure. It will drive me nuts. I need to know. I need there to be things wrong so they can FIX how I have been feeling. I haven't even gotten the urine analysis and THAT was on Monday. I hate life right now, it sucks big time.

Haunting and Butterflies

Is Your House Haunted? Questionairre

1. Do the showerheads or faucets bleed? YES NO

2. Did the previous owners die as the result of a murder or suicide? YES NO

3. Does furniture rearrange itself when you aren't looking? YES NO

4. When you reach into the refrigerator, does you

r arm appear in YES NO

another part of the house?

5. Are there Civil War-era children playing in your attic? YES NO

6. Does the house issure verbal or written warnings? YES NO

7. Does the temperature suddenly plummet if you discuss remodeling? YES NO

8. Do you feel more compelled to murder your family with an ax than YES NO

usual?

9. Are Native Americans constantly showing up to ask, "What happened to YES NO

our cemetery?"

10. Does the house contain any candelabras? YES NO

There are two things you can't change in this world: a husband who lets the dishes pile up, and a haunted house. Both lead to nothing but frustration, fear, and, eventually, a gruesome death. If the 10 Questions come back positive for a haunting, get out. Don't pack up your things. Don't go for one last dip in the half-finished swimming pool. Run. NOW.

Okay so I left myself notes that when I woke up I'd see, Do NOT eat anything Wendy, it is a fasting blood work!! So yay for post-it notes!! I brought Sam with me, she can be very calming and she knows this stuff. This is HER chosen career. Yes, she is still looking for someone to give her a job without that pesky one year of experience clause, which I find astounding. Other classmates, well I know of one, have gotten jobs, but Sam who was THE head of her class, is having troubles?!! Stupid people. So she went with me and she held my hand. She said even as we were waiting on the paperwork, I began to get paler (hard to believe I can GET paler right?). And through the whole process I got paler and paler. She said she could tell because of course the chalkiness of my skin, but the circles under my eyes got more and more pronounced. Lovely. Plus she had me eat the granola bar I brought ASAP because of my color and the fact that my cheeks were tingly.

Now this phlebotomist used a butterfly needle, these are the smallest and nicest of the needles to take blood. But she HURT me. I have a needle bruise and it hurt for way more than a second. Sandy, as we walked away of course, said the woman had done it wrong. She hadn't properly done some vein prep thing, and hadn't had me ball my fist or hold onto a squeezy thing, and I should have felt only a second of pain, and I was holding

her hand so the squeeze was way over a second's worth. It just made me proud that my sister knew this information, and shook her head when she saw my bruise. LOL! I wish someone would give her a well-deserved job, I actually think I'd go to her to have mine done from now on. And they gave me tape I am allergic to. There was no other kind, so even though it was on maybe 15 minutes, it was all red and itchy when I took it off. OY! Even I know after all these years of blood tests, butterflies are supposed to be the kindest of the blood work needles! This hurt! Bloody Olga!! You were nice but not nice TO me! Ouchies. Now I just have the dentist to endure tomorrow, plus he will want to make an appointment to get my other cavity filled, and a bone density test next Thursday. I am so tired of doctors. And if there IS something up, with my lood, heart, etc., I am so not done with them yet.

Dlual Citizen and DANG IT ALL!

Harbinger of Impending Doom: The Dual Citizen

A dual citizen is a special breed of character found only in a horror flick. He or she is someone (usually an elderly man) who exists somewhere between the Terrorverse and the real world. Dual citizens always function in the same way: give the audience some neatly bundled back-story and force the protagonist to make a choice - either heed the warning and turn back, or ignore it and forge ahead. Inevitably, our her

o always chooses option number two (otherwise we wouldn't have much of a movie). But if your goal is survival, you'd be well advised to get the hell out of Dodge when some old codger tells you to, narrative structure be damned.Here are three of the most common dual citizens to be on the lookout for:

* The gas station attendant who lives just down the road from the evil town and tells you not to go there, even though he seems relatively unaff

ected by the evil. (Why hasn't he moved away or called the cops in all these years?)

* The local barfly who tells you a story beginning with "It was a night just like tonight...".

* The homeless guy who grabs your arm after you toss a nickel in his cup, stared into your eyes and says something like, "If you're trapped in the house of hell, follow the right path to freedom". Of course, this advice eventually saves your life at the end of the movie, when you're confronted with two doors while escaping the serial killer's basement.

Hero

One door on the left, one on the...right?

(puts it together)

Right path! "Follow the right path to freedom!" God, what clever screen-writing!

Still, you'd be better off identifying him as a dual citizen and not entering the house of hell in the first place!

Okay back to writing from me, I am such a moron. I got everything all set to do my blood work today, but when I woke up to trudge upstairs to bed I felt hungry and had a bloody granola bar, which made the fasting null and void! Freaking idiot!! Agghh! I wanted it over with. I am so not okay with needles, like on the verge of passing out a lot of the time. AND I want the results back as soon as earthly possible! So I am very angry with myself for blanking in that moment!

I went to see The Stepfather tonight. No one was willing to go with me, no matter how I begged, so finally, even though I don't love it, I was like I am going by myself then. I have missed too many movies I wanted to see in theaters and I NEEDED this. I needed to be distracted from all this stress I am feeling. Too close to tears all the time. So I got ready and went outside and am leaving when Katie calls me from inside the house. I was upset no one would go with me when I asked so I was like I am fine goodbye. THEN I closed the garage door and she heard that so she called back and insisted on going. Which okay yeah, made me a bit happy. And guess what? It was NOT scary, she actually liked it. She said the scariest looking parts were IN the trailer, so it reminded her of thrillers she was okay with. Like Disturbia. ♥ So I really enjoyed it. That Walsh guy was really good as the evil soon to be stepfather, and Penn Badgley was great! I like him! So if you liked Disturbia, I think you will like The Stepfather. It was a thrill!

Switcheroo and 2nd Appt.

The Ejection Seat #1: The Genre Switcheroo

Should you find yourself in the clutches of certain death - fangs to your neck, knife to your throat - there are only four proven methods of making a last-minute escape, called Ejection Seats because of their drastic, last-resort nature.

Ejection Seat #1 is the Genre Switcheroo. The switcheroo works by doing something to confuse the killer (and the screenwriter) just long enough to get clear of the immediate kill zone. This is accomplished by doing something completely incongruous with the situation - something that leaves the audience asking, "Wait, is this really a horror movie?"

Move your mouth out of sync with your dialogue. Demand to know where magic sword is. Use the words revenge or master in every sentence. Genre: martial arts.

Fart. This should be easy, considering you're already moments away from making it in your pants. Genre: teen comedy.

Slip your attacker the tongue. Potentially gross depending on the type of killer you're dealing with, but quite effective. Genre: romance.

Light a cigarette and chastise your attacker in Italian. Doesn't even have to be real Italian. Just use your hands a lot. Genre: artsy foreign film.

Deliver a Long, Stoic monologue in an English Accent. About a lifetime of regret, unrequited love, and summers at the estate in Yorkshire. Genre: Mercahnt Ivory.

As for me, I am only slightly annoyed sometimes so far with the monitor device. Mostly when it must have fallen from my front pocket while I was asleep and I rolled onto it. If I swore, that would have been a doozy. It HURT. Ouch! I went to the obgyn, she just likes to see me at least once a year because she gives me the depo-provera shot. Luckily all I have to endure is the breast exam, as she knows I am intact, for a fact. Ew. But since the shot can affect calcium levels she wants me to get a bone density exam, so I have THAT next Thursday! And according to HER scale, I am 20 pounds more than my last weigh in. I am so pathetic, I actually HOPE the blood tests will tell me I have somethign wrong, because come on! Excerise for 6 months, after being pretty much a couch potato and I gain weight instead of just at least maintaining. The thyroid could explain that. Yes I am so pathetic I would appreciate having a new disorder. Otherwise it makes no sense. I am so overly traumatized by all this, I feel so numb, which is not good for me. Yeah so this week of doctor appointment's CAN actually get worse. I am feeling so very much, not in control and not strong right now. I suck.

Parenting and My First Doctor of the Week

As it is in it's final countdown to Halloween, I cracked open my favorite book, "How to Survive a Horror Movie" by Seth Grahame-Smith.

A Horror Movie Parenting Guide

Being in a horror movie is hard enough. Raising a kid in one can be hell. If you're a proud parent of a creepy child, keep this quick reference guide handy in case of an emergency.

SYMPTOM: My child's "imaginary" friend is talking through his or her index finger.

TREATMENT: Your child's "imaginary friend" is actually a very real manifestation of his or her psychic abilities. Therefore, listen closely to whatever it has to say, and act accordingly - even if it tells you to cancel travel plans or cut your spouses head off.

SYMPTOM: My child is speaking a language he or she has never studied.

TREATMENT: This is a classic demonic/satanic possession symptom, though it can also result from a mischievous ghost using your child as a human hand puppet. (*Note: If your child is speaking Latin or speaking backward, you've definitely got a possession.) Either way, summon a Catholic priest, who will be able to determine whether an exorcism is necessary.

SYMPTOM: My child is having conversations with the TV or dead people.

TREATMENT: Your child is probably being visited by a lost soul with some unfinished business or who is just looking for companionship. Usually nothing serious. In fact, the ghost can be quite nurturing and educational. However, they can cause physical harm in rare cases. Proceed with caution.

SYMPTOM: My child's nanny just hanged herself in front of us.

TREATMENT: Unfortunately, your child is the seed of Lucifer, heir to the throne of eternal agony.

SYMPTOM: My child screams obscenities at me, slams doors in my face, and tells me that I am going to rot in Hell for all of eternity.

TREATMENT: There's nothing wrong with your child.

Okay, now to my appointment. Wow I had no idea things could go WORSE than I imagined. My imagination is really good too. Well first we decided to weigh me before the doctor got in. Big mistake. Not that waiting for my OBGYN appt. tomorrow would have made things any better. Not unless my primary doctor's scale is...wayyyy off. Because according to this one, I have not only not LOST weight, I haven't even maintained. In fact, according to his scale in Exam Room 3, I have gained 15 POUNDS!! I am numb, I am in that much pai

n. My parents say i eat pretty good, and the only things was I should be more careful of eating sweets. So I have been doing that. And for the first time in my LIFE, I have been excercising. On Sunday it will have been 6 MONTHS. Or should I say, would have. Because I have no intention of going through that pain and the stress it is causing me, if I can't even maintain my weight. I crossed the number I vowed never to cross again. Which was why I started excercising 6 months ago, to never get NEAR that number. So yeah, I started shattered.

Then he arrived, and I talked to him about being hypoglycemic almost 2/3 a month. And I showed him my fasting numbers and while they are GOOD, they have

never been THAT good. So he is concerned. He is making me do the fullest range of blood testing that I have ever had, including checking my thyroid, etc. It is scary that he doesn't know why I am hypo so much, that he has no clue as to what is going on with my Diabetes. I HAD to bring up my Diabetes, he has't had me have an A1C test on over 2 years!

Then I brought up my concern over needing to pee like every 20 minutes. And that even if it is like nothing, I feel the NEED that I have to go. This worried him also so I had to do a urine analysis. And it figures, the one time I need to pee, I can't. They got a few drops maybe, but said it was fine. Whatever.

But then it came time to talk about the whole reason I was ther

e to see him. My pulse even at rest being so high as 117. The fact that even when it is slower, like in the 70's, it feels like it is trying to pump itself OUT of my chest. It is so scary. I know what my tacchycardia feels like, I am used to that now, I can recognize the symptoms. This is different. And when I described these feelings to him, and he understood I would recognize if it was me needing a larger dose of my heart medication, he became worried. I thought he would make me do an EKG, and I even prepared myself, if they made me do a 3 night Halter Monitor. Which was torture. You can't take a shower because of the connected electro

des, which there are like 6 of at least. And it was so uncomfortable, during sleep, just sitting around. So I was scared, but prepared. But not prepared to hear him tell me he wanted to monitor my heart for 3 WEEKS! I about had heart failure! Then he claimed it was different and you can do all normal stuff like showering, so I was like...oookay. He directed me to a different room where a nurse brought a box in. It only needs to have 2 electrodes, I unclip the electrodes when I shower, and then plug them back in when I am dry. The monitor is the size of a LARGE walkie talkie, but I can keep it in a sweater pocket or pants pocket while I am up, but for sleeping the nurse suggested t-shirts with front pockets. She had to u

se the same monitor once and said it was the only way that it didn;t get wrapped up and pulled off, etc. So we bought a 4-pack of Fruit of the Loom guy shirts with pockets. We are talking 21 nights people! With THIS:

*This is the ONE electrode I WILL show you.

*This is the wire coming out from the bottom of my shirt. When I use the thing that looks like a cellphone holder, it all twists up under my shirt and I look like a freak.

*And this is the device the wires from the electrodes attach to. That I have to carry around in some way, at all times.

I am being monitored by "big brother", okay a place in Texas, 24/7. Seriously, if I get really bad, they may call and ask me what I am doing to get the heart response I am having. 21 days people!! It is already BUGGING me!!

I have OBGYN tomorrow, and I have to go do the blood tests on Wednesday, and I have a dentist appointment on Friday for a cleaning and they are supposed to fix the cavities making it impossible to chew on my left side. I HATE this week, it is already so much worse than I ever imagined.

Eallra Hālgena ǣfen means "All Hallow' Evening"

After watching the movie Trick 'R Treat, which actually scared the crap out of ME by the way, I decided to write about Halloween, and the original reasons for some of our favorite Halloween traditions. It's fun! Yes I am Mormon and christian, but I do not find anything about Halloween to be harmful. It is a night of fun! These are things I have learned over the years, or have since studied up on. Hey, I love scary so the reasons behind THE day for scary are fascinating! *Halloween is the shortened name for All Hallow's Eve. The Celtic's called it Samhain [pronounced: sow- wen]. *Halloween was a time of games, and rituals involved in methods of fortune telling whereby young people endeavoured to determine their marital prospects through such omens as apple pairings thrown over the shoulder, or nuts burned in a fire. Even one where a unmarried woman looks into a mirror in a dark room, and the face of her future husband is supposed to appear. If a skull appears, they would die before having a chance to get married. *Though some as I am sure you have heard about, did not treat it with such light regards in terms of Trick or Treat. "The Druids went from castle to castle demanding a ‘treat’, however, this demand was for a young woman who could be offered as a human sacrifice in a Satanic ritual. The Druids were known as men of Oak and they demanded blood sacrifices. These men were so controlled by Satanic forces that they had strange and frightening powers. If the ‘treat’ (the young woman) pleased the Druids, they would light a candle made of human fat and insert it in a Jack-O-Lantern to protect those inside the castle from being killed by demons. When some of the families could not meet the demands of the Druids then it was time for a ‘trick’. A hexagram was drawn on the front door of the dwelling, and it was said that Satan or his demons would kill someone in the household through fear that night. The spellbinding beat of the druid music would fill the night as the ceremony began. The men would assault their victim and then brutally sacrifice her to their gods."

*Halloween is believed to be the one day where the boundary between the living and the dead is disolved. Ghosts, demons, ghouls, are free to roam our world and do as they wish, which includes harming us. At midnight they will be driven back to whatever shadows they belong in, to their respective worlds.

*We think dressing up for Halloween is something made up in modern times to make it a fun celebration, but the reasons for needing to dress up are much darker. On Halloween night, if you are dressed up as scary creatures / ghouls / etc. ,the idea is that if the real ones saw you, they would be fooled and leave you be. The idea was that ghosts don't go around scaring each other, so if you looked like one of them you would be relatively safe from their antics.
*Orange and Black are the traditional Halloween colors. Orange symbolizes fall, turning leaves, the harvest, fire, and jack-o'-lanterns. Black symbolizes death, evil, the ancient Celtic dark half of the year, night, witches, black cats, bats, and vampires. * Something we don't practice much in the US is the Bonfire. The Halloween tradition of the bonfire in Ireland is said to also have originated during Pagan times when the Celts lit huge fires on the hills so the spirits of loved ones could find their way. It was also said that these fires would help to keep away evil spirits. Another old Irish Halloween tale says that if you drop a strand of your hair into the flames and dream of your future husband or wife to be, you're dreams will come true. *The Jack O'Lantern was originally carved from a turnip. Yup, seriously. The pumpkin only came along once the tradition was brought to the US by Irish immigrants, and gradually, as US influence has increased, the turnip as been replaced in Ireland by the pumpkin.

*Some say you must not let your Jack O'Lanterns go out, as they are protection from the spirits and demons. And if you BLOW one out or kick one over, you had better run, because you are in serious trouble!

*The story associated with the creation of the Jack O' Lantern is this: "A gambling drunkard named Jack stumbled home from a night of drinking and debauchery at a local tavern. The Devil appeared and demanded Jack come to Hell with him because of his Evil ways. Jack convinced the Devil to climb a nearby tree to pick an apple. As the Devil climbed the tree, Jack carved a cross in the tree's trunk thereby preventing the Devil from coming back down. The Devil demanded that Jack release him. Jack said he would if the Devil promised to never admit him to Hell. The Devil agreed. When Jack died he was too sinful to be allowed into Heaven, but the Devil would not let him into Hell, so Jack carved out one of his turnips, put a candle inside it, and began endlessly wandering the Earth looking for a place where he could find eternal rest."


*The Poisoned Candy Scare is something I am now, after the movie, once again afraid of and I will check out the candy if I have any kids. Anyway, it was a nation-wide panic in the 70's and 80's. People fear needles, razor blades and poison could be in their children's candy.
Although there have been many reportings of poisoned candy, only a few have been found to be true. One wasn't even poisoning. In 1964, an annoyed NY housewife gave children she considered too old to be Trick R Treating bags of steel wool, buttons, dog biscuits, etc. She was prosecuted and pleaded guilty to child endangermant, though no children were in fact hurt. In 2008, candy was found with metal shavings and metal blades embedded in it. The candy was Pokémon Valentine's Day lollipops purchased from a Dollar Store, but they were manufactured in China and not the US and they were all pulled after a mother reported a blade in her child's pop. All were confiscated in schools also. The one case known that is it really happened was in 1974. A 8 year old boy from Pasadena, Texas died after eating a cyanide-laced pack of Pixie Sticks. The police investigation eventually discovered the boy's FATHER was the culprit. He had wanted the insurance money, and attempted to cover it up, by giving out poisoned candy to other children He was executed in 1984. As recently as 2004, some hospitals still offered to let parents bring in their candy to be x-rayed. Which sounds great, but posion doesn't show up in x-rays. I am just saying! But my point is, the one case is the only one ever found to be true, so Parents? Relax and just through away unwrapped candy. The dear old lady down the street probably was just being sweet wrapping them up in bags with bows, but better safe than sorry. Just say thank you and when you get home, chuck it. That is what my parents did. Cute treat bags with candy corn and stuff that was free? GONE. My parents rocked! *The tradition of giving out candy on Halloween stemmed from people putting food on their doorstep to appease the spirits which would then safeguard their home. Food to candy? Brilliant idea!!

Scene IT!!

Oooh it's not good. Not good at all. I found an email in my inbox from Scene-it, which is a dvd game I LOVE, but no one will like ever play it with me!! Just because I retain movie knowledge!! I got the Scene-It TV game 2 Christmases ago and guess how many times I have played it? ZERO. They bought it for me, but refuse to PLAY it with me! It is so unfair!! So when I got this email inviting me to their Beta website, where I can play by myself, it was like, ehh okay I will check it out...duh duh duh duuuuhhhhh. I am addicted!! Question after question of movie trivia, where I can buy stuff (I think, I am too addicted to taking the quizzes so far) with the "bling" I earn for my correct answers!! I have had my Mentalist episode paused for like 2 hours!! It has me captured!! The only reason I am here, is well, I hate NOT posting, and I also was like, I have to tell them about this new addiction!! It is insane! I am taking quizzes even on movies I really know not much about, like Airplane and Zoolander (sorry, HATE it), but I am getting at least 50% if not higher so I just can't stop!! I LOVE movie trivia! And I am learning ones I didn't know...sure I will NOT retain it all, some of it is BORING. But still, it is my thing! Ooh they knew what they were doing when they sent it to me. But how did they know??!!

Okay also, all I did today was prove I may be getting sick. After grocery shopping, we had dinner, and were watching House. I suddenly got so cold, so I winded up wearing a jacket, and 2 think blankets and could still have used a third blanket, I could not get warm, and everyone else (who is usually cold) was fine. Then when I went upstairs to say goodnight to my Mom, I got so hot, I felt like I was broiling from the inside out, even though everyone was all, you feel fine. But how can I go from layers of freezing, to wearing shorts and a tee, because I am so hot?! It is weird.

My sister Katie's birthday is on the 12th and hallelujah, I thought of something I know she will love. She is SO hard to shop for. Her birthday lists consist of odd bellydancing or dance gear, or strange make-up things you special order. I don't do that. That may be what you write down, but the gift from ME, has to be FROM me. I don't buy things for people that are what they want but feel weird, giving it to them. I don't know, I guess I have to feel it. One year I did get her a Bellydance cover-up, but it was my idea from assisting her so it felt right. And I bet you are thinking, I bet Wendy gives a lot of movies, YES I do. But it is when they love the movie, or tv show. I got my Dad NCIS Season 1 last year and that made him want all of them, and now he owns all of them and watches them like every day (he is a little too addicted me thinks). So I know what to get her, can't write it yet just in case, but she will love it, I KNOW this.

I have decided for Halloween, well the month of Halloween, I am going to end my posts with a trailer or clip from a scary movie! Go on, it is just the commercial or a tiny clip, you don't change the tv channel do you, just because one is on TV?!!

All Hallow's Eve

Okay, it was a nice Halloween. Yay. Sam went out and found me and her two pumpkins. I told you everyone slacked this year and so it was last minute pumpkins. And they had NO big nes so they were like a little bigger than a cantaloupe. So they could only have traditional faces. But I was happy. I got my fix of stabbing a pumpkin and reaching my hand into it's brains and pulling the slimy guts out...it doesn't count if you don't use your HANDS!!

Then I watched as Kat made apple pies, she had a hankering and made 1 regular and 1 crumb top (the only kind I like!!)...mmmmm. And she even started working on dinner...Mexican! Ole!

I went and got ready, and Voila, I became Lil Rebel Red Riding Hood. Sam and I were both going photo crazy with our matching (mine is red though...I liked hers so mine is newer too, LOL!) cameras. Ahhh I love taking pictures!

Then at 6...how lame, we never left until 7...we got our first trick or treaters. You know, in the last house we lived in (across the street from myhigh school), we got 100's of treaters...we ran out and had to go buy more bags of candy one year...over 30 bags we went through. I bought us 15, because the bags are SMALLER I Swear!! And we have candy left over...and that was with giving all the kids 2 pieces each!! And this neighborhood is full (except for us...the weird middle class Mormons) of rich people, so they were in large groups. One group wa being hauled around on a flat bed...decorated with fake fire cauldrons and DRY ICE!! Yeah, and was lit up with pumpkin string lights and everything...which was hauled by a SWEET golf cart. Multiple golf carts were being driven tonight...I told you, the neighbors are ALL rich, so kids are constantly driving them all over the 'hood. It is SO lame and so SCARY...hello I am trying to drive a REAL car here!!

So we were eating and answering the door, but we started IT, yes all 3 hours and 8 minutes. And my Dad actually stayed with us this year. Last year he went to his room to watch tv. Yeah he and Mom don't "do" the door anymore. So it is us "girls"...not that it was that many knocks...maybe 16. SAD!

And Dad started the pellet stove (FIRE) halfway through the movie....it felt so WARM. The door had been quiet since 8:30pm....I KNOW!! I was trick or treating until like 10 at night in my last few years!! So I went and changed into WARM clothes....was sooooo cold! But I put my cape back on....I am so the only one with Hallow's Eve spirit. Kat doesn't count. She wears those pj's ALL the time. Sam had been in real clothes for awhile...before the treaters stopped. WIMP!!

Anyway, it was a really nice day. I didn't even cry today, so it was a REAL good day. I was a spaz this morning...I was speaking SO fast I was tripping over my tongue and I couldn't STOP! LOL!






Okay so I suck at getting the pictures to behave SO picture on top is...obviously me as Lil Rebel Red Riding Hood, the next pic is my shoes, had to show you my lil skulls on my shoes. Then it's me with the hood up....ooohhhhh spooky! Then it is Sam as Wednesday Adams and Kat as a 2 year old. She owns those footie pj's and had a stuffed animal...she just wanted to be WARM...and she was....smart girl! And I wanted you guys to see the sleeve tat's I wore...part of why Red was a Rebel! And my Max as a pumpkin...he went crazy ALL night whenever the doorbell rang. Now he is a dead body...barely moving!!


HEY, if you liked My Halloween Story PLEASE go Vote for me at Crash Test Dummy Diaries AND at SEWL'S!!! PLEASE...no one is voting for me!!

Happy Halloween!!

Happy Halloween you guys!! Hopefully I will have a picture that doesn't make me hurl, that I can post, but just in case that ISN'T the case....HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

And here is the final day I shall post from my VERY cool book.

"EPILOGUE

Tangina
This House...is Clean.
-Poltergeist (1982)

When is it safe? When we see credits rolling in front of our eyes? Hear applause? When the killer suddenly takes off the mask, shakes our hand, and says "nice working with you"?

No, it's never safe.

Once you're in the Terrorverse, you're in for good - even after the movie that brought you there has wrapped. You succeeded in vanquishing the enemy? Great. Chances are you made it to the final credits, and you'll lead a long peaceful life (especially if your movie bombs at the box office). But there will always be the possibility, however slight, that you'll be called back for sequels.

Screenwriters will keep dreaming up new villains and killing methods. Directors will get sleeker and bloodier. And the enemy will keep it's fangs and machetes razor sharp.

You'd better keep your skills the same way."

MWAHAHAHA! Seriously...if you want to stay alive for always...BUY this awesome book! It's a riot!

How to Survive A Horror Movie
by Seth Grahame-Smith

I even linked the above picture to the Amazon page!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!
And here is "The Monster Mash" featuring one of my FAVE movies, ARSENIC & OLD LACE with Carey Grant...good ALL year round! Seriously go rent this, you will LOVE it...hilarious!!

An Apology...

"An Apology from Wes Craven

There's something I have been meaning to get off my chest. Something that's been eating at my conscience for decades now. And I'll admit, it's not easy to write without getting a little choked up....

....I'm sorry.


I'm sorry to the countless people whose lives I've cut short. The characters who've become unwilling sacrifices to my art: the buxom babysitters. The doubting cops. The overbearing parents and well-intentioned boyfriends. Teens with their whole lives ahead of them. Decent, hard-working adults. All sent to an early grave in the name of box-office gold.

Some made my job a little trickier - valiantly struggling to make it to the end credits. Others did everything but cut their own throats - running upstairs when they should've run out of the house; falling asleep when their lives depended on staying awake.

I'd be lying if I said I hadn't taken pleasure in dreaming up ways to kill them. Disembowel them. Beheading them. Burning them, shooting them, and crushing them in garage doors. I've tortured in Last House on the Left. Picked off an entire family one by one in The Hills Have Eyes. Created a child-murdering monster with the power to kill people in their dreams.

I've built a career on the blood of innocents, and I guess the guilt's finally caught up with me.

Sure, I've tried to make amends before. Tried to give my characters a fighting chance. New Nightmare was the first step towards self-aware horror movie characters. Scream went a step further. For the first time, we had people who knew they were in a horror movie. Even better, they were armed with knowledge of the rules.

And yet they died.

No matter what I do, no matter how much of a head-start I give them, it seems my characters always end up on the wrong end of a long knife. And while I'm happy that somebody's finally written them a guide to help them survive, I wonder how much good it'll really do.

Death finds a way."

I loved this foreword by Wes. Death finds a way sounds just like Jurassic Park's "Life finds a way". Jeff Goldblums' Dr.Iam Malcolm saying "If there is one thing the history of evolution has taught us it's that life will not be contained. Life breaks free, expands to new territory, and crashes through barriers, painfully, maybe even dangerously." It just gets tangled up and makes me laugh!

Happy Halloween EVE!! Tommorrow's the BIG day!! *owwwwwwwwwwwwwwww*

I need to go find something....hold on a sec......

Here ya go!


*When I stilled loved M.J. and his music...and he looks better as a zombie than he does these days in real life!

10 Wildlife....and an Introduction

Haha! Tricked you, by luring you with this precious photo!! Now...READ! It's okay...NOT scary, FUNNY!!

"10 Wildlife Creatures That Are Always Evil

1. Monkeys. Opportunistic little bastards. A monkey would sell it's own mother for a stale banana peel - which is why they are always recruited as spies by the enemy.
2. Rottweilers. Dogs are universally good, with one exception. It seems that Rottweilers put their paw print on a contract with Satan, since they're always portrayed as rabid psychopaths or guardians of the Antichrist.
3. Sharks. They're bad enough in the real world. In Horror movies, sharks can carry a grudge, solve problems, eat boats, and track humans halfway across the globe.
4. Ravens. As birds go, ravens are quite pleasant. Unfortunately they are also classic harbingers of impending doom.
   

5. Cats. Whereas monkeys are evil because it pays well, cats are just plain evil. They don't need an incentive to sell you out or steal your baby's breath; they do it for the sheer pleasure of being rotten.
6. Rats. Where there's one rat, there's 14,000. And where there's 14,000 rats, there's some sociopath using them to murder people.
7. Bats. It's not a bat, it's a VAMPIRE!
8. Owls. Owls have been waging a PR campaign to change their perennial image as evil creatures. They've bought their way into a few family films, playing the faithful friend or endangered species, but don't be fooled - they're cold-hearted killers.
9. Sloths. There's actually nothing to suggest that sloths are evil. But seeing as they are the only animal named after a deadly sin, it's probably best to avoid them.
10. Wolves. It's not a wolf, it's a werewolf!!"

LOL, I laughed so hard at Owls. I LOVE the Harry Potter movies and want an owl of my own, so them "buying" themselves into the Potter films is hysterical! And poor sloths, like Sid from Ice Age...condemned to be evil because sloth is one of the seven deadly sins. Poor John Leguizamos Sid!!

AND NOW, AN INTRO BY THE AUTHOR HIMSELF, SETH GRAHME-SMITH......

"Introduction

'Don't let us make imaginary evils, when you know we have so many
real ones to encounter.'
- Oliver Goldsmith (1730-1774)

Brace yourself for some bad news - if you're reading this, there's a good chance you've become trapped in a horror movie. I know, I know - it sounds crazy, but you'll just have to trust me for a minute, OK? This book has a knack for finding it's way into the right hands - if it's found it's way into yours, there's a reason.

Questions. You've got a million. Lord knows I did. 'How's that even possible?' 'Why me?' 'Am I going to die?' Nobody knows the answers to those first two. Maybe you fell down a rabbit hole, or took one too many puffs off the ol' peace pipe. Or, in the words of Aldous Huxley, 'Maybe this world is another planets hell.' As for the last one? The answers 'yes, and that right soon' - unless you do exactly what I tell you over the next 170 pages.

I've spent the better part of my life (if you can call it that) trapped in the Terrorverse-sleeping with one eye open and one finger on the trigger. For almost 20 years now, I've tangled with all manner of ghosts, demons. slashers, and half-retarded hillbillies. I've vanquished vampires, blown off the heads of my share of zombies, even danced with the devil himself - all witout a lick of help. And you know what? I'm still here, so I figure I must be doing something right.

I've also watched a lot of good people die (spend enough time in a horror movie, and you're bound to lose two things: friends and appendages). I've also watched screen-writers and directors - the invisible gods of this godforsaken land - become increasingly clever and cruel over the years, So I decided to write down what I'd learned, in hopes the new arrivals in Terrorverse (that's you) would stand a better chance of making it all the way to the end credits. Sharing the skills I'd learned from a life spent dodging the kills.

From this moment on, nothing is as it seems. You're not a human being, you're a character - and filmmakers are doing everything in their power to kill you, even now. Supernatural powers and curses are real, and numbers like 666 and 237 can kill you just as easily as a butcher knife. Log cabins are slaughterhouses, cornstalks are antennas for evil, and aliens never, ever, come in peace.

And me? I'll be your guide through hell. I'll teach you how to peform an excorcism, survive a night of babysitting, and navigate a cemetery (without becoming a permanent addition). I'll teach you how to escape the inescapable, spot harbingers of impending doom, and defeat a haunted house. Most importantly, I'll show you how to make life miserable for the screenwiters and directors who are trying to end yours.

So I suggest you stick close, pay attention, and avoid breaking the Terrorverse's only commandment: Thou Shalt NOT Be Stupid.

Now Come with me, if you want to live...."

Cool, eh?! I thought it was hilarious that the bad guys are the writers and directors, that it's not the monsters out to get you, it's their creators! Anyone know what 237 is though? Can't figure that one out. And YES I believe in Supernatural...I watch my Jensen every week...and repeatedly on dvd...over and over again...yeah. Okay, anywho, don't you love the one "commandment"?! Because that is why people die in most horror movies...stupidity!! No...do NOT open that door, just TURN and RUN you idiot! Have I said this to the screen or tv before? Why yes I have. There has only ever been one smart character in a horror movie...yes he died in one, but he explained why it was possible...Jamie Kennedy's Randy in the Scream movies. He knew the rules, even made a cameo in the third explaining in a trilogy, there ARE no rules...so Syd had better look out...did she listen? No...not until the end of the movie...after her entire social network was DEAD. So people...do as Randy said...don't be stupid!! LOL!

Now scroll up and give the monkey a big kiss! Isn't he adorable?!...or is he? Mwahahahaha!

Seriously People, PAy AtTEntTIon

"Ten Things to Never, Ever, Ever...Put in a Child's Room

1)Any representation of a clown. Whether it's stuffed, painted or otherwise.

2)Indoor Playtents. Anything that obstructs the child's view of the room (or your view of the child) is no good.

3)Windows. In Horror Movies, windows are what kids get snatched out of by vampires and scary trees.

4)Doors. Does this sound familiar? You hear the children screaming and run to the room, only to have the door slammed in your face by whatever ghost is about to eat out their soul.

5)One of those toy Monkeys that bang cymbals together. These serve absolutely no purpose other than coming to life when something scary is about to happen.

6)Framed Photographs of Dead Relatives. Or photographs of any dead people, for that matter. It doesn't matter if the images are Abe Lincoln or Mother Teresa.

7) Ouija Boards. Come On!!

8) Any Crucifix featuring an open eyed Jesus. Directors love cutting to "creepy creepy pupils Jesus to build dramatic tension. Don't Hand them an invitation!

9) Beds with more then 4 inches between the box spring and floor. The bed's legs should also be chained to the floor, and younger kids should sleep wearing a climbing harness tethered to a secured steel cable (in case of an attempted spritual abduction).

10) Closets. What are you, CRAZY? Nail the door shut and buy a dresser!"

-courtesy of How To Survive a Horror Movie-

Seriously people!! You know you are all thinking back...."Don't go in the Light Carol Ann"!!