Bone Chilling Art

I want to take the opportunity to do a little plug for a place called The Haunted Studio. It is an awesome website (http://www.hauntedstudio.com/ ) in which a guy named Lew Lehrman brings spooky scenes to life. All are for sale. The originals are usually already sold - and who could afford them anyway? But he has prints of each one at fair prices.

Here is one example, called "Mistress of Melancholy"


This guy knows how to set a spooky scene. Another creepy creation:

This one is called " Night of the Chosen One"

I think he's great. He does alot of eerie mansions, but also does haunted plantations, dread-inducing graveyards, ghostly churches, macabre still-lifes, ominous marshes, and other spine-chilling fare.

One of my favorites is "The Devil's Castle", which he based on an actual Transylvanian castle.

Seriously good. Soooo very ghoulish, eh?
Check out the website. It's worth a look at his work, if nothing else.

Academy Award Atrocities

What on god's green earth is Diablo Cody wearing? I realize she was a stripper in another life (literally) - but must she continue to utilize her exotic wardrobe in this lifetime? I fear for the big cats in Africa - might be a shortage of them by now, after all the awards shows she's attended in such fine feline attire.
This is an intelligent, witty, up-and-coming writer who penned the Oscar winning screenplay for the movie "Juno"! What was she thinking?



And below, here's another winner. Literally.
Tilda Swinton dressed in a gothy velvet obscenity apparently designed for the one-armed man from 'The Fugitive'. And let's not stop there. The Best Supporting Actress (for 'Michael Clayton') has on not one apparent stitch of makeup on that ghostly white visage, no hairstylist to speak of (looks like Carrot Top's sister), and just what is that metal hand shackle-like band on her arm? Looks like she just broke out of Rikers! (after stealing the sheets and dying them black). Making matters worse is her leg sticking out like a kickstand, probably to help prop up the obviously unadorned, lightweight left side so the weighted-down, toga-influenced right side doesn't topple her over. What a mess.



Seriously, many warmhearted congrats go out to these two, but hey -now that you are Oscar winners, how about hiring a real stylist, ok? Not your second cousin on your dad's side - the one who's blind in one eye and can't get dressed alone in the morning.
I'm so glad this is the last time I have to look at these two - they've been unbelieveably badly dressed at every award show I have had the opportunity to catch this season. Tilda actually looked worse at the BAFTAs - where she won also - but I cannot bring myself to put that picture on this blog. My computer might implode.

** CONGRATS TO ALL THE OSCAR WINNERS, in particular anyone associated with 'No Country For Old Men' - the Best Picture of 2007. The book (by Cormac McCarthy) was awesome - highly recommended - and I cannot wait to see the movie - it's at the top of my Netflix queue anxiously awaiting its delivery to my house when the film comes out on DVD March 11th! ***

Cell phone rant-O-rama

People and their cell phones just drive me nuts. Forgive the following rant, as I know it is harsh, and I know someday I will join the droves of obsessively insane cell phone owners. But hey:

Why does it always sound like you are calling me from the guano encrusted caves of Jamaica or Base Camp #3 at Mt. Everest? If you can't get a clear signal, please don't call.

To add to that complaint, you always tell me "I'll call you when I get home" - well if it wasn't important enough to need to know right now, why the hell did you call in the first place? I was probably in the middle of watching a movie anyway!

Same thing with the comment about calling me from a 'land-line'. Hmpf !!

Why must you people talk like you're in a crowded subway station or at a NFL football game? Don't you realize you are screaming? And thanks for calling me when your kid is having a bad day. Hearing them screaming in the background doesn't make for a pleasant experience either. Seems every person that calls me at work has this dilemma.

Do you really need your phone on when you're in a bookstore? When I'm surfing through the mystery section in Borders and I hear someone's phone going off and they take their sweet time answering it it just gets under my skin. Bookstores are kinda like libraries, okay? If you have to have it on, can't you have it on vibrate and answer it in your "library" voice? Must you shout?

And while we're on ring tone talk - seriously! Must you have the theme song to James Bond, the Teletubbies tune, even the latest Snow Patrol song- so screaming loud? Are you all deaf? And no one, I mean NO ONE, wants to hear Stevie Wonder singing "I just called.... to say.... I love you!" Can it, please.

Why do you all have to call when you are in your cars? Is it necessary to be on the phone while driving? Aren't you already a bad enough driver? Can't do it in California or New York and if they can deal without them there, we can here in PA as well. That's a whole other gripe altogether, but when someone tries to call me from the road (this happens alot at my job) and it sounds like two radio stations jamming together or the noise your tv makes when a station goes off the air at 3am - please just call me when you get where you are going or pull off the freakin' road.
"You're......cutting.....out........You're.......breaking......up!!
Can you hear me now???

Do you really need to call Aunt Bertha to see if she needs peanut butter while you are grocery shopping or Depends while you are at Wal Mart? Doesn't anyone make a list anymore? What gets me even more is seemingly responsible-looking adults chatting on the phone going up and down the aisles the entire way through the store. You've all seen and heard this.. "do we need potatoes? how about sugar? did we use the last of the tomato sauce? run down to the basement and see if we need detergent......" OY VEY!

I don't want to hear about dropped calls. This is in tandum with my rant about tv commercials. I'm dead sick of commercials about cell phones cutting out.

Ditto ads about text messaging and all the darn abbreviations. Funny how many moons ago the telephone was invented so we could actually talk to someone and hear their voice, and nowadays it's all about NOT hearing anyone speak and typing out messages that look like shorthand in a court room. You see people out, at a concert, restaurant, or a movie - and they are frantically texting their lives away about how wonderful the experience is, but they aren't actually EXPERIENCING IT cause they are too busy texting!

While we're at it, can you just shut up about all the different plans there are? Please.

Same goes for all the different phone colors. Pink, Chartruse, Striped, Polka-dotted, Chocolate, Cherry, Chocolate-Cherry - tutti frutti - oh....my...god. Let it lie. Can't we just have black?

Please don't let your kids play with your phone. Can we stop this? Kids with their parent's cell phones riding along in carts at Wal Mart. They drop them on the ground, the parent screams at them for dropping it, the kid screams cause the parent yelled at them, the parent yells at them to stop screaming..... it's a vicious cycle and I'm tired of listening to it. Get them a fake plastic phone in the toy aisle for pete's sake.

I know someday I'll regret writing this. I hate talking on the phone (any type) though, so maybe I won't.
Rant over... for now.

Winning Colors

A sad day for horseracing fans:

Winning Colors, only the third filly in history to win the Kentucky Derby, was euthanized February 17th at age 23 after a bout with colic.

She had a record of 8-3-1 from 19 starts, made over a $1.5 million in earnings, and was inducted in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2000. She has produced several foals but has never been able to duplicate her fabulous filly feats. She presently has three foals of racing age.
She is buried at Greentree (Gainsway) Farm in Lexington, KY.

Rest in green pastures.

Info from http://www.bloodhorse.com/

A touch of the old west

3:10 to Yuma



3:10 to Yuma


This was a very well done remake of the 1957 western by the same name. It isn't Gunsmoke or Bonanza - there are no women in fancy dresses skirting around, no romance to really speak of, and no poker games in session. What it does have is superior acting by both Russell Crowe as uber-bad guy Ben Wade, and Christian Bale as Dan Evans, a down-on-his-luck-losing-the-farm rancher who agrees to bring outlaw Wade to the train (the 3:10 of course) to Yuma prison.

What occurs within the film is a bonding of the two men, whether they liked it or not. Crowe obviously is the star here, given most of the good lines - which he delivers with relish. But his eyes can tell a story before he says a word.
He plays Wade as a true criminal, heartless at times but with just a touch of sympathy. I would have chosen the villaneous Crowe over the good-guy Bale any day! But hey, that's me.

Don't fret though, there are enough gunfights, robberies, swift chases, barns on fire, Indians, whiskey, campfires, and more than enough shoot-outs to make any fan who thought Westerns were dead rejoice. But there is also wonderful supporting acting, a thoughtful script adaptation, careful attention to detail, and a great last 15 minutes!

Absolutely check it out.

Winter in PA

Here's my cousin Sydney in all her winter glory. I don't know what her friend's name is, but he sure is cute.





Unfortunately, I have to think her friend isn't still visiting...
It got into the mid-40's with rain yesterday.

Thinking of nice weather.....

With nice weather comes our usual trip to Hatteras Island on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. If you know me at all, you'll know I yearn for the ocean - seafood, sand between my toes, walks on the shoreline, and of course, lighthouses.


(Lighthouses of the Outer Banks)

I even miss the seagulls...




Wish I were there.......

Birthday of two legends

Yesterday (the 15th) was the birthday of two legends -

Seattle Slew


photo credit: Tony Leonard)

In my opinion the greatest racehorse that ever lived.
Oh, many will argue - but who was better on the track AND in the breeding shed?? I dare you to name one horse.
Anyway, he was born February 15, 1974 - and for those of you born under a sports trivia rock - he won Thoroughbred Horseracing's Triple Crown in 1977. Only 11 horses have ever done that, in 134 years. Wow!
Slew died in May, 2002 - 25 years to the day of his Kentucky Derby triumph. His legend lives on through the thousands of horses out there running their hearts out on the track and elsewhere every day.


Also celebrating a monumental birthday yesterday is my favorite uncle - Shawn!



Happy 40th, dude!! Love ya!

In Memory:

In memory of all the victims of the Northern Illinois University shootings.
Everyone is thinking of you.

What is wrong with people?
Why do these things have to happen?

Sentimental mush.........

And a big thank you to my husband for putting up with me for 18 years!
Happy Anniversary!

Numero Uno

Many congratulations to the winner of the 132nd annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show tonight at Madison Square Garden, NYC
The 15" Beagle took the honors.



His call name is UNO - and he sure did show great. He got a standing ovation from the crowd. Westminster has never crowned a beagle Best In Show, so it was a special night.

He was pretty excited too!




**************************************************

(I was rather partial to the Weimaraner - she was fantastic.)


Ch.Colsidex Seabreeze Perfect Fit

(photo credits: http://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/ & AP)

www.dogsrule.com

Winter Wonderland....

Finally! Some snow!
Our first actual meaningful snowfall of the season - I can't believe it's mid-February.

Ridiculously stupid ads & slogans

This time up:
My Top Fifteen dumb ass product ads & slogans

1) That damn Burger King 'King' - face it, that dude is just creepy. Hopefully he has gone away for good. Scariest of these ads? The one where the guy wakes up in bed with the King..... Oh...my....god...!

2) Always : "Have a happy period" -Are they actually serious? Had to be a man devising this dreck. Happy? As if.

3) Can somebody please make the Mucinex 'Snot' go away? Ditto that for the disgusting Lamisil foot fungus creature. Since when do bodily secretions and fungi pass for advertising representatives? Just plain yuck.

4) Geico: ok, I thought the cavemen were kinda funny, and I even like the British gecko.
But the 'real people' who have celebrities explain how great Geico is - now that's stupid.
Like I want to look at Joan Rivers Poltergeist-era clownish persona ever again - or see Little Richard and his creepy brown lipliner for any reason.... are you guys intentionally trying to give me nightmares?

5) GoDaddy's dumb ass Danica Patrick ad. Debuting on Superbowl Sunday, this had to be one of the real bombs. "Hurry everyone, to the computer to see a chick zipping her jacket on (or off). This ad is too risque for regular tv! Run to your monitor. Forget watching the game."
Huh?
As if I care to see whatever it is she's showing. I'm quite sure it isn't full frontal nudity.
And really, who gives a shit? And by the way, what exactly is GoDaddy?
Try telling me that. I still don't know.

6) Speaking of celebrities - the Pepsi ad with Justin Timberlake. Really assinine. And not just cause it's him. Would be equally annoying with someone good looking and/or talented - such as Johnny Depp, Carrie Underwood or pretty much anyone else for that matter.

7) Pepto Bismol's characters line-dancing to a variety of illnesses. Anyone (or anything) getting jiggy to problems with body functions has too much time on their hands. I understand it's a great product and all - but a little ditty about gastric ailments is just.....wrong.

8) Countrywide's endless commercials on getting your mortage refinanced for their low low rate! "Quick! Call now and get a RE-FI as soon as possible! "
I'm so darn sick of that dude - he's aging on air he's been doing it so long. Did his hair gray overnight or what? How about a big, tall glass of shut the f*** up.
Where's the mute button?

9) Why did they have to ruin that Zeppelin song (Rock 'n Roll) by attaching it to a Cadillac commercial? I still can't get that out of my head when I hear that song. And I'm sure not buying a Cadillac anytime soon, either. So there.

10) Lawyers. In general. All the commercials that start with "Have you: been injured in a car accident/taken a medicine that made your head explode/worked in a coal mine for 30 years/got cancer from your microwave/got incurable diarrhea and-or brain damage from eating lead paint/ate a poison mushroom from your neighbor's garden/tripped over your daughter's skateboard" ...etc....etc...
This shit should be banned. It is an endless parade of ambulance chasing and greedy gimme-more assholes. Put a cap on this crap, asap.

11) The Viva-Viagra campaign. Need I say more?

12) Head-On - that headache tube of waxy chapstick type junk you roll on your head and WHAM! Your headache is gone. Sanity has gone by the wayside.

13) Safe Auto. I wouldn't buy this damn insurance if it were $2.00 a month. The mere start of that horrific jingle makes me clamor for my remote and click on the mute. Why can't all insurance commercials be like Nationwide (life comes at you fast!)

14) Absolutely anything that Billy Mays is hocking. Another mute-worthy jack-ass. This guy probably makes more money than the President selling Orange Glo groovy gunk and Oxy-this'n'that. Why doesn't he try hustling Oxy-Contin? That'd go quick. With a free diamond ring to boot.

15) And last but not the least annoying: Wendy's commercials starring the asshole in the Pippi-Longstocking wig. Pardon my language but just what the f*** are they talking about? People diving one after another into holes in the ground like sheep?
Wow, and someone at their ad agency actually is feeding his family by thinking up this rubbish.

Ok, rant over.

Pyro sets field aflame

I'm off to a great start in my fantasy horseracing game - one of the horses in my 'stable' smoked a field of 11 horses in the Grade 3 Risen Star stakes at the Fair Grounds racetrack in Louisiana on Saturday. PYRO is an impressive son of Pulpit who works in regular company with Curlin, the current reigning Horse of the Year ('07). Steve Assmussen trains both horses.


(photo credit: www.bloodhorse.com)


Pyro came from the back of the pack and flew up the middle of the track, winning in high style with nice speed and a superb turn of foot. Last to first-- -always impressive!

The Risen Star is one of the first premier races for 3 year olds preparing for the Kentucky Derby the first saturday in May.
Pyro is a great grandson of the immortal Seattle Slew.
He is well on his way to smelling the roses.

In Memoriam:

Felt it was only right to take a moment and recognize the passing of one of the stars of one of my favorite movies - JAWS.



Roy Scheider, 75, died today in Little Rock, Arkansas - reportedly from complications from a staph infection. He had struggled with Multiple Myeloma for a few years.

Before JAWS made him "summer blockbuster" famous, he starred in such critical and box office hits as "Klute" and "The French Connection", for which he was nominated for an Oscar.
As police chief Martin Brody, he uttered the iconic "You're gonna need a bigger boat" - which has become a famous pop-culture reference. I can still hear him chanting "Show me the way to go home...." with co-stars Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw. He went on to star in Jaws 2 due to contract obligations, but passed on the remaining sequels - a good choice.

Scheider received a second Oscar nom for "All that jazz", and also starred in such movies as "Marathon Man", "The Russia House", "The Peacekeeper", and "The Punisher" - but he'll always go down in history as water-phobic Chief Brody.

"Smile, you son-of-a-bitch!"

Rest in peace...

Six Quirks

Another blogger friend asks: What are 6 quirks about yourself?
Ok, I'll bite.

1) I have all my DVD's categorized alphabetically by genre. So "From Dusk to Dawn" does not follow "Forrest Gump", ok?? And you will not find "Gladiator" anywhere near "The Holiday" or "The Sound of Music".
I do basically the same thing on my iPod, but that's a whole other quirk.

2) My socks have to match my outfit. I mean, at any given time. Always. Even when I have on old flannel pajama bottoms, if they are navy plaid - I will have on plain navy socks. No patterns with the plaid though - yuck. If I have on plain navy pants, sure - then the socks can have Mickey Mouse on them - but you bet your sweet ass they are NAVY Mickey Mouse socks.

3) I am not resigned to drinking white wine with chicken and red wine with steak or pasta. Is that a quirk or just a horrible tactless food offense? Seriously, just give me the wine.

4) And while we're still talking about drinking, I don't like drinking out of plastic tupperware glasses. I don't know why. Not too crazy about styrofoam either.

5) I have a calendar in nearly every room of my house, even the bathroom. I always like to know what day it is, apparently, and I guess I fear I may forget while moving room to room. Actually I think I just like the pictures. It's art, right?

6) I have to make my bed everyday. If I wouldn't get up until 6 pm and were going back to bed in an hour, it would still be made. I don't know where this comes from, because I hated making it when I was a kid.
I can find a way to 'make' a sleeping-bag if I'm camping, that's how anal I am about it.

So those aren't too bad. I guess they could be worse. Actually, I think I may have a touch of OCD.

King (and Queen) of Hearts

An early Valentine recommendation:

If you are into scary reads - I have to tell you to run, don't walk, to your local Borders and pick up the following two novels if you haven't already. They both have a "heart" theme, so I thought them appropriate to mention at this, the most romantic time of the year!

First up is "Heart Shaped Box" by Joe Hill




Joe Hill - Heart-Shaped Box: A Novel



It's a fun trip of a book written by Stephen King's son (didn't you all already know that by now??) - and he is a chip off the old (brilliant) block. In the story, a washed up rock star, with a too young girlfriend and too much free time and money, buys a ghost over the internet. Sounds ridiculous, but so did a possessed car and a rabid dog story, didn't they? This dude has made alot of mistakes in his life, a laundry list of indiscretions, grudges, backstabbings and betrayals - and the ghost is just itching to bring those all up again in his face. It's fast paced (I read it in one day), wicked, and totally satisfying. To say more would spoil it, so I'll leave it up to you.

Second up is "HeartSick" by Chelsea Cain




Chelsea Cain - Heartsick




She's new to the horror genre, and it promises to be a welcome addition. Let's just say if you're more 'Thomas Harris & Silence of the Lambs' than you are 'James Patterson and his prolific redundance', you're gonna LOVE Chelsea Cain.
She effectively creates the best serial killer in years. It's a thrill ride of morbid tortures and mind games. It's gory, disturbing, and just plain excellent. The lead detective on the case is actually a victim of the said killer, and their interplay is what send the book straight to the top of the suspense ladder.
I have heard there is a sequel on the way, and I will be in front of the line to buy it. Take my most honest and humble word for it, read it and you will not soon forget it. You'll be begging for more.

A Brave Opinion

So, I just saw this movie, The Brave One - which stars Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard, and thought I might mention a few thoughts.

The movie itself isn't prize-winning material, but I felt the acting was quite good. The plot- which everyone has no doubt figured out from all the commercial hype - is a woman who loses her fiance to a senseless violent crime and then turns the tables, becoming a vigilante and sweeping the streets of crime as she befriends the police detective investigating both her case and the new string of killings.


But what makes this film stand out is the question it makes everyone ask: is it wrong? Is it wrong to feel like she is doing the right thing - the justified thing- by taking out a few gang punks or drug dealers? It is a morality play, for sure - making us wonder if we are indeed human, for wanting to cheer her on and high five the person next to you when she kills someone outright.

Murder in any form is wrong, right? But if someone were to kill your husband or wife - your mother or child - or even your dog - wouldn't you want to get even? How far would you go to make sure your family was safe, or that the criminals that elude justice went down?


It's thought provoking and pertinent in particular to today's terror-filled world.
Ask yourself that question. Watch the movie and tell me you aren't happy with the ending. I know I was.

Musings of a Steeler fan...

Just thought I would pass along my feelings regarding the Superbowl played a mere 3 days ago...Can I say I was ELATED? How about OVERJOYED? Or maybe UNRESTRAINABLE?

That game really rocked my boat.

I have been fairly dejected after my beloved Steelers fell off the playoff truck - even moreso with the Patriots and their perfect record which was all lie - their coach with his never ending cut-off-at-the-elbow hoodies, their obnoxious quarterback, and all the trash talking about pretty much every team they ever played. Well, cheaters - guess you got what was coming to you!!

I'm not saying they aren't talented, I'm just questioning HOW they are so talented.

Anyway, they lost when it counted the most, and though I'm not a Giants fan by any stretch of the word, I was completely bouncing off my chair when Eli threw that TD to (former) Steeler Burress.
It was, in a word, magic!

And while we're at it, I thought the National Anthem was perfect (a shout out to Jordin), Tom Petty rocked the house at halftime, and the Bud commercial with the Clydesdale doing the whole "Rocky" thing was sublime.

Now I hear cry-babies Brady and Moss are skipping the Pro-Bowl. Talk about pathetic. That shows little to no class in my book. LOSERS!

What do I say???

Well here it is, my first post and I really have no idea what to say. I don't even know how to categorize this blog. Guess it's just a stomping ground for my gripes, groans and grievances - and of course some musings and happy thoughts!

I guess there are a few things you need to know.

Some key personality points for me:
* introverted (this means I don't like social situations, and prefer to be alone - for those of you who don't own a dictionary)
* pessimistic (hence the blog name - my glass is usually half empty)
* independent (Basically, I don't like to be told what to do)
* sarcastic (I love to pick people apart and make fun of things... )
* content (I love my life)
* funny (I can make you laugh - sometimes enough to snort!)
* honest ( see 'sarcastic' - they run hand and hand with me - two ways to say the same thing)
* loyal (I've had the same friends forever. Some for 20 years, some longer than that)

Anyway.......

I'm quite into movies, music, tv, books - very intrigued by pop culture. Entertainment Weekly is my bible. Now, I'm not so much into the "national enquirer" or "star" magazine-type of hoopla - and in fact find much of it quite vexing and lamentable. But I get a kick out of it sometimes.

Movies: I love the horror genre best, but will watch (and most of the time enjoy) anything. There are only a few movies in my lifetime that I can actually recall as completely awful - and that short list would include "Eyes Wide Shut", "Gummo" and the worst horror movie ever made, "Borderline Cult" - don't get me started on that one. But basically, I like anything.

Music: I am all over the page here. I love rock - be it old school classic stuff, alternative, metal, even soft (I'm talking James Taylor, not Air Supply here). Classical, jazz, swing, crossover country, blues, reggae (Bob Marley is my hero), musicals - these are all good. Rap, hip-hop, twangy country, opera - these are all not good. But my main musical passion is movie soundtracks and scores. I own tons of them.

TV: Due to the ensuing Writer's Guild strike, tv is at a bare minimum right now. I am enjoying the new episodes of LOST and Nip/Tuck, and I do catch American Idol on a regular basis. Some of the shows I am missing due to the strike are: House, Bones, CSI, Desperate Housewives, and Men In Trees. I am hoping there will be a resolution to these writing woes soon. My thought on that matter is this: JUST PAY THE DAMN WRITERS WHAT THEY DESERVE. Without writers, there'd be no shows, people!
So I guess I will continue to watch the Discovery, History, Learning and Travel channels. By the way, if you're looking for some travel sarcasm laced with tidbits about food and culture, do check out "Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations" on the Travel Channel monday nights. It is awesome.

Books: I don't even know where to start here. Simply put, Stephen King is my favorite author and I prefer horror/mystery/thrillers - but I read anything and everything. My house is practically a shrine to the written word. I am thinking of starting a library to make some extra cash.

I'm also a HUGE Thoroughbred Racing fan, so if you don't like horses, you better skip that section of this blog. After all, I'm writing this for ME, cause that's the kind of person I am.
Without horseracing & horses, I would be a whining, lamenting, perpetually tormented soul.
Enough said.

I've kept a diary or journal of some sort most of my natural born life - (what does that actually mean - is there an 'un-natural' life out there somewhere that I missed?) - so this is kinda like an extension of that I suppose. I enjoy bitching about stuff that pisses me off, and that happens nearly every day, so this might be an extensive blog-situation.

Anyway, more to come. If you can stand it.