Another Way to Waste Your Time
Okay, so this isn't strictly Halloween-esque, but it's still a great way to waste your time. Click on the site's link (PICTAPS) and draw your own critter that will dance around for you. Send me a link, etc.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Halloween Reads
Do you like Halloween, but you're having trouble getting into that spooky spirit? Do what I do, and pick up a good book to read. Here are some classics, and some favorites, that are bound to get you in the mooooooooood.
Tales of Mystery and Madness
by Edgar Allen Poe
illustrated by Gris Grimly
Yeah, yeah, you know about Poe already--he is standard Halloween fare. Yes. But go find this version. The illustrations are SO worth it! It includes two of my favorite Poe stories: Fall of the House of Usher and The Masque of the Red Death, and two favorites since I received this book (Rebecca, thank you again and again for this, I LOVE IT), The Black Cat and Hop-Frog.
The Magic Circle
by Donna Jo Napoli
Napoli is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. The more I read of her, the more I love her. She tells beautiful stories.
This one is about a witch. Not just about a witch, but how she came to be a witch. And how and why she built a house of candy in the woods, and what really happened when Hansel and Gretel found it. Wonderful book about good versus evil, beautiful story about redemption. Oh, just go and read it already!
Something Wicked This Way Comes
by Ray Bradbury
Another classic. If you have never read this one before, perhaps this year is the year to go and pick it up from the library. It's a good read, plenty spooky, and though the ending falls a wee bit flat for some, it works for me.
Tamsin
by Peter S. Beagle
This is one of my favorite books of all time, but I feel I need to recommend it with a warning: people either love Beagle, or they can't stand him. I don't know why. But if you hated The Last Unicorn, probably skip this one. Also, the heroine is a thirteen-year-old snot who changes drastically throughout the book, in a good way. However, she starts off as a thirteen-year-old snot, and her actions and language reflect that. So be warned. Also, it takes a long time to actually get to the spooky stuff, 100 pages or so? Just so you know.
And now that the warning is out of the way--I LOVE THIS BOOK! You want ghosts? English folklore of things that go bump in the night? Ever heard of the Wild Hunt? Interested in a bit of darker English history? You can't read a book that will get you more in the mood, I don't think (I just finished it again).
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
by Washington Irving
(or any number of folk that have retold it)
Always a classic. Even if you prefer to watch it on film, there are a large variety of films to choose from (though I would stick to either the Disney version or the Tim Burton version, myself).
Why are you still here? Go to the library, already!
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
I Made You Something
Once Upon a Time...
Wynne was a dork who managed to coerce two coworkers into dressing up together for Halloween. They were the Three Fates. (There they are--aren't they adorable? That's Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos. See how they very thoughtfully wore name tags so that all the illiterate would know who they were dressed up as?)
The Three Fates had a wonderful time decorating their office, passing out pamphlets to every person who worked in the building, and during their lunch hour, told any mortal who wanted to know THEIR FATE.
Much fun was had by all.
The End.
Or is it? I was thinking about how much fun I had this particular Halloween, and I thought, that perhaps, I could find a way to do something similar over the Internet.
And so, if you'd like to waste just a few minutes of your time, please click on the link below. (Please. Remember, I made it just for you.)
Would you like to add this link to your site?
Copy the text below the link you want, add an HTML element to your sidebar, and paste text into box. OR paste into a post using the "Edit HTML" tab (Blogger directions only):
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Fall Is Here!
Do you know what that means? That's right...
I am a Halloween junkie, and I am going to be celebrating Halloween here on my blog, because I can. Why Halloween? Why not, say, Christmas or Groundhog Day? What's so great about Halloween, you want to know. Okay, I'll tell you.
My Top Ten Reasons for Why I Love Halloween:
10. It's finally okay to have spiderwebs in the undustable corners of your home.To share my joy, I am going to be hosting two contests here on my blog! The winner of each will receive a bit of Halloween from me, the Queen Dork of Halloween. I can't promise that these packages will be ultra-cool or anything (more than likely, they will be just plain stupid) but at least you'll be getting a surprise in the mail. Now, who wouldn't want that?
9. Free chocolate.
8. I love pranks*. Halloween is a great excuse to do them.
7. Socially, it's great fun to watch**.
6. It's a day to let creativity run completely loose (i.e., you have a kleenex, a rubber band, a bunch of markers, and 15 minutes to come up with a costume. Go!)
5. I can dress my kid up any way I want, and even he won't complain, because he knows he's gonna get something sweet out of the deal.
4. I love it because it's solidly FALL at that point: it's cold and there are bright colors everywhere (unless you live somewhere like Vegas, I mean. That is nothing but dirt, year round.) I get an urge to break out the hot chocolate and get snuggly with a blanket and a book when the wind is howling outside.
3. It is a perfect time of year for things like candied apples (or at least, dipping apple slices in melted caramel) and apple crisp...love, love, love it.
2. Scary stories.
1. Kids can extort candy from adults. Does it get any better than that?
Contest winners will be announced on October 16th (this way, I have time to mail you your treats so you get them before the 31st).
Would you like to add a contest link to your site?
Copy the text below the link you want, add an HTML element to your sidebar, and paste text into box. OR paste into a post using the "Edit HTML" tab (Blogger directions only):
*I'm not talking about vandalism or anything mean-spirited, I'm talking about surprising people. Putting a sound-activated spider in the doorway of your office where it couldn't be seen, and a sign out: Clap for Candy. Sitting by the front door dressed as a scarecrow and when the kids get close, suddenly coming to life. Or, my favorite, to pass out candy to the trick-or-treaters, I dressed all in black, wore a black cape and a Scream mask, and (here's the prank part) stood on a chair and put a black skirt on the front of it. That way I looked about 7.5 feet tall. When I opened the door for the trick-or-treaters, I didn't say a word. Just bent down over them at the oddest angle and dropped candy in their bags. Most of them completely forgot to say "trick or treat" and just stared. But as soon as I closed the door, there was an eruption of laughter and chattering. What could be better than that?
**It's a holiday with really no significance at all: there is nothing historical or religious that we celebrate about it (don't go off about the origins of Halloween and All Hallow's Eve, the Night When Dead Walk, the Harvest Holidays or anything like that; in America, superstitions as a way of life is DEAD, and there is nothing historical we are celebrating), so why does it continue to be such a popular holiday that we celebrate?
I think it's a way for society in general to let off steam. It is a day for kids (of all ages) to face their fears in a safe environment—they can face something scary and be brave about it—conquering fears of all kinds; or it is a day for some to be able to live out a fantasy and not get ridiculed for it. Say, loads of glitter and wings. It's so fun to watch what different people choose to do with this holiday.
THE CONTEST IS OVER! Click here to see the winners.
Original post as follows:
The idea is to give me your BEST Halloween-related links.
For example, here are a few that I have found over the years:
Carve a virtual pumpkin
Make a scarecrow
Site dedicated to all things Halloween
Ghost stories
And I know there are a lot more out there, and much better sites. (And if someone can find a link to a decent virtual haunted house that isn't cheese-ball or just stupid, I'd be eternally grateful.)
The winner will get a special Halloween package in the mail. From me. And it might even be worth getting, but then again, no, not really. But at least you'll be getting mail, right? Anonymous entries accepted, though if you win, you'll have to 'fess up sooner or later if you want your prize.
All you have to do is put your link in the comments section. How does one create links in the comments? Copy and paste this text into the comment space, and make sure to put your text and your link in.
Contest winner will be announced on midnight* of October 15th!
*No, not really. I won't be staying up that late. But I'm sure I'll get around to it sometime on the 16th. Maybe.
THE CONTEST IS OVER! Click here to see the winners.
Original post as follows:
The point of this contest is to write something...Halloweenie. I suppose I can give you some examples...let's see.... One fairly easy thing to do is take something that already exists and change it a bit. Like a nursery rhyme:
Mary had some leprosy, leprosy, leprosyOr you could try a Halloween haiku, a limerick, original free verse, prose, fiction, a leprosy-rich perversion of the the Beatles "Yesterday" (I hope you're reading, Marie)—whatever floats your ghost. You can send it through the comments for others to enjoy, or you may email me your entry at muskadillo at hotmail dot com.
Mary had some leprosy
Her sores were white as snow
Every time that Mary tripped, Mary tripped, Mary tripped
Every time that Mary tripped,
Off would fall a toe
The winner will get a special Halloween package in the mail. From me. And it might even be worth getting, but then again, no, not really. But at least you'll be getting mail, right? Anonymous entries accepted, though if you win, you'll have to 'fess up sooner or later if you want your prize.
Contest ends at midnight, October 15th*!
*No, not really. I won't be staying up that late. But I'm not going to accept anything sent on or after the 16th, okay? The prize package needs to be there by Halloween, see.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Dress Barn
The first time I heard of it, it was on an episode of the Simpson's. I thought they were mocking the titles of discount stores. I laughed.
Then I saw one.
Are you kidding me?
Really, what were they thinking when they named this store? Who marketed this thing? I mean, really.
"The Dress Barn...Where the Cows Go to Shop. Moo."
"Were you raised in a barn? Then you'll love to buy a dress here!"
"The Dress Barn. 100% authentic chicken crap, all the time!"
"Manure is a girl's best friend."
"Who let the dogs out, who, who, who? Who knows. But you can find them all at The Dress Barn, gettin' their clothes on!"
Yeah. Just doesn't send the right message, if you know what I mean.
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