revealed!

You were all wrong.


The hint picture was a tribble with a halo and photoshopped vampire teeth. Knowledgeable people know that tribbles are a creature from Star Trek, so really smart people would have known that I would be a vampire Captain Kirk and Maria (going with the halo/vampire teeth theme) would be a vampire angel.

The vampire angel was an idea of mine from a few years ago. I'll be honest. The vampire Captain Kirk is the first of its kind. Vampire Captain Kirk -- can you imagine how unstoppable he would be? He would be... oh man. Hopefully they bring Vampire Captain Kirk into the new J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie.

halloween 2007 cd preview

We're really cutting it close this year. I don't know why, but getting the Halloween cd out seems to get harder and harder every year. It's always a lot of fun, but before we did the amount of research we do now, it only took an afternoon. That was back in the era of mixtapes, though.

Despite having another child, J.R. did a great job mixing in some serious Christopher Walken spoken word into most of the tracks. The lengths this guy goes through for the sake of Halloween is seriously... scary.

I'm not quite sure if this will work since we're dealing with .m4as or something, but here goes. Here are some of the songs we featured on this year's compilation. Click on them and you should be able to listen. If not, download them and then get some kind of file converter to see to your needs. If your computer has Quicktime, I think that works just fine.

2. Scarecrow by Beck
4. Reptile by The Church
5. Strange Brew by Cream
6. Witch Queen of New Orleans by Redbone
10. Out of Limits by The Markettes
16. Rainbow in the Dark by Dio
18. Exit Music (for a Film) by Radiohead

I'd like to think that somehow, mix cds celebrating Halloween will make the world a better place someday.

Happy Halloween.

how 'bout another halloween post?

Here's a little hint of what Maria and I are going to be for Halloween. Any guesses (excluding everyone I know who's already seen the costumes)?

a blow to the halloween schedule

Is it a conspiracy that they released Guitar Hero III only three days before Halloween? It's cruel. Delicious, magnificent cruel; but still cruel.

A more oldskool form of cruel is the fact that they released the game for the Wii, but are not selling stand-alone guitars for two-player games. The guy at the video game store said he wasn't sure what Red Octane's deal is, but he isn't aware of any future plans to release a separate guitar. As a result, my hand was forced and I did the awesomest, stupidest thing yet this week. I bought a separate copy of the game for Playstation 2.

Anyway, here's a shot of Dre and me rocking out at the same time and in two different rooms and on two different televisions!

amended halloween fun

Years and years ago I posted some Fox Trot comics on my old web site. I remember considering asking Bill Amend for permission to do so. Reading some of his strips, autobiographical information in his books and his web site; I concluded that he's a really cool guy and would probably give me permission with no questions asked. I still chickened out though. What if he didn't and I'd be stuck without a post that day? Once again, I'm chickening out on the permission. Maybe it's mostly because just about any other person (including Amend, I reckon) would consider such a thing way to minor to even bother.

Anyway, I couldn't resist. This is an awesome one and, as usual, very timely.

raven

Ok, so it's not like I wrote this or anything, but J.R. and I will be using it for this year's Halloween cd. We have audio of it, so I needed to have a printed copy in front of me to figure out where certain audio would go in the playlist. Since I don't have a word processing program on the mac that I'm used to, I decided to edit the list her in the blogger interface. Looks like I accidentally published it about an hour ago. So if you somehow managed to come across it during that time, that's what the deal is. Instead of taking it down, I may as well leave it up for the season. Why not?

The parts bolded are only bolded because we may use those parts on the cd. Foreshadowing! Or maybe spoilers!

Oh, and I suppose you don't need to be a genius to know that it was Edgar Allan Poe who wrote this originally.

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door -
Only this, and nothing more.'

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore -
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore -
Nameless here for evermore.

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me - filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
`'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door -
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door; -
This it is, and nothing more,'

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
`Sir,' said I, `or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you' - here I opened wide the door; -
Darkness there, and nothing more.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before
But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, `Lenore!'
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, `Lenore!'
Merely this and nothing more.

Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
`Surely,' said I, `surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore -
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore; -
'Tis the wind and nothing more!'

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore.
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door -
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door -
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
`Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,' I said, `art sure no craven.
Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the nightly shore -
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,
Though its answer little meaning - little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door -
Bird or beast above the sculptured bust above his chamber door,
With such name as `Nevermore.'

But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only,
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.
Nothing further then he uttered - not a feather then he fluttered -
Till I scarcely more than muttered `Other friends have flown before -
On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.'
Then the bird said, `Nevermore.'

Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
`Doubtless,' said I, `what it utters is its only stock and store,
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful disaster
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore -
Till the dirges of his hope that melancholy burden bore
Of "Never-nevermore."'

But the raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling,
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird and bust and door;
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore -
What this grim, ungainly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore
Meant in croaking `Nevermore.'

This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o'er,
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o'er,
She shall press, ah, nevermore!

Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer
Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.
`Wretch,' I cried, `thy God hath lent thee - by these angels he has sent thee
Respite - respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore!
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

`Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil! -
Whether tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,
Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted -
On this home by horror haunted - tell me truly, I implore -
Is there - is there balm in Gilead? - tell me - tell me, I implore!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

`Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil!
By that Heaven that bends above us - by that God we both adore -
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels named Lenore -
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels named Lenore?'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

`Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!' I shrieked upstarting -
`Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!'
Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.'

And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted - nevermore!

scratching on the outside of the casket

I love Halloween so dang hard.

Unfortunately, for the past two years I've found it to be excruciatingly exhausting. We hit the climax of all Halloweendom two years ago. May as well read old archives of the sheer spectacle of it all. Would you believe I'm actually too lazy to provide the link right now? I'd rather just keep typing words instead of code. Check out the archives of October and November 2005 over on the column to the right to read about Halloweens past.

Anyway, the point is I'm stressed out. I'm running out of time to fully enjoy the holiday. We're here on the last weekend and I've hardly accomplished any of my Halloween duties. Here's the list:
1) finish the Jon Madsen/J.R. Fillmore Halloween 2007 Halloween cd (almost done)
2) hit up Frightmares at Lagoon
3) hit up Nightmare on 13th
4) buy nine packages of candy
5) see several scary movies
6) do a movie commentary on a scary movie (probably Lost Boys)
7) since it's the middle of the night right now, number seven is devoted to the unknown Halloween activity that slips my mind
8) and oh yeah of course, make another horror movie
9) read a few appropriate novels
10) actually PICK A HALLOWEEN COSTUME

Every year Kaila and I go to a haunted house. Starting last year, Maria has joined us for obvious reasons. We still need to make time for that.

I actually meant to do a commentary on The Lost Boys ever since the middle of summer. I was totally going to preface the whole thing with "I know this may seem like a Halloween movie, but I consider it a really great scary summer movie, 'cuz that's what it is." Yeah, I was going to do that LONG before Halloween and now I've procrastinated enough to quite possibly not finish IN TIME for Halloween.

My video camera went on the fritz in Hawaii, so I probably couldn't make a scary movie even if I had anything in my head. I fear that I'll only have one horror film under my belt by the end of my life.

I'm reading the teen vampire infatuation-fest Twilight right now. Kind of sad that in Halloweens past I've started Dracula, Frankenstein and even nearly finished Interview With the Vampire, but Twilight might be the first of all those I actually finish.

Have you seen it? Watch it on youtube right here. As long as we're talking about media events, may as well listen to the Abel Hour Halloween broadcast from last year featuring Scott Johnson from Myextralife. Strangely this particular Abel Hour is still online.

Anyway, I really have picked out a costume, but it's not quite as original as some of my past endeavors. I'm not saying what it is yet, but at least I'm not a girl. I asked my friend Kristi what she's going as and she said a slut, which was very surprising. She's not that kind of girl. When I questioned her choice she simply said, "It's all the costume store had left." Funny. True, though.

Pretty much all I have done is watch J.R.'s October pick of the month -- Lady in White. I think both of us agree that a better, scarier movie would have been far more apropos for October.

The point is, I get the same sort of holiday stress this season as many people do during the Christmas season and now it's down to the wire and I won't accomplish or really enjoy any of it.

Speaking of, I think it's a really good thing that Halloween now is now probably the second-most popular holiday in this country. It's the last bastion standing in the way of the Christmas season extending back into July.

And therefore, we need a Halloween grace period. I need it to go all the way to November. Since the Mexican Day of the Dead is the day after Halloween and The Simpsons Halloween Special always comes after Halloween, I think we have some pretty favorable precedents. Halloween should go to Thanksgiving.

If I get nothing done this year, maybe I'll try something different. Maybe on Halloween night I'll simply stay inside and play Silent Hill or something. That's gotta be pretty effective.

obligatory pictures from hawaii

Why did the chicken cross the road? Because Hawaii!
Seriously, there were so many freaking chickens on Kauai. We heard a story that it came about because the island's biggest promoter of cockfighting crashed his chicken truck and all the birds escaped and overcame the island over time.

There's a lighthouse behind us that we were able to view the first day. It was past hours to actually go visit it when we took this photo, so we resolved to return the next day. We never got back.

A cute flower outside where we stayed on Kauai. Oh, and that's Kaila and Monica next to Maria.

Hawaiian fog

Driving videoHere's a taro paddock

This is like a sort of geyser that's pushed up the reef from the pressure of the waves

This boat was named after my mom

greetings from hawaii!

For some reason I'm peeing eight or nine times a day here. Also, while I've been gone my car stereo has been stolen.

But I'm having a FABULOUS time!