Book finds, more Nail Polish and keeping Belladonna warm~~~

Hello Darklings

So far I have been having fun this weekend! 

One of our local Library’s is having a book sale and a friend of mine who works there was able to get me two passes for their Preview opening.

Of course anyone who is into reading knows you have to go on Preview Night to grab “The Good Stuff” and I and my friends were no slouches.

Of course I’m a serious book buyer at these sales, I take one of those “old ladies” shopping carts that I have with a cloth liner, and right now I’m have so much fun having purchased black material with skull’s imprinted on it and sewed up the liner for my basket, it does prevent small things from slipping out, like one’s pet yorkie, (well that’s what one of my friend’s does.)

Of course such a shopping cart is very handy at flea markets as well.

And talk about luck, fantastic luck, I was able to find the hardcopy bound editions of a number of Anne Rice’s books from “Interview with a Vampire” and the two that followed, “Pandora”, “the Vampire Armand”, “Blood and Gold”, and a number of others, including “Blood Canticle”, as well as a 1940’s edition of the Catholic Douay Bible, still beautifully bound.  The only title missing from my collection is Rice’s “The Mummy”.

I also found several collections of vampire stories (mostly the classic one’s including “Good Lady Ducane”) and Ghost Stories. 

I also hit their audio-visual selection and found a wonderful selection of classic music cd’s in practically brand new condition, and several DVD’s of horror films I have not seen in ages.   My senses were tingling at my treasured finds.

My friends also struck it rich in their hunts, Doyle sadly could not come with us, his job precluded his attending, but he and I are going to the clearance sale, we may find some gleanings to add to our respective libraries.  One just never knows what one will find.

The only problem with going on a preview night is how everyone elbows everyone else, well I’ve learned to “elbow” with the best of them, my Mother didn’t take me to clothing clearance sales when I was little for nothing, I learned how to do body blocking and pretend to be so totally unaware, looking like the sweet little angelic 7 year old I pretended to be at the older women, while Mother swooped in and made a “killing.”  

Wrestling Tag Teams and Roller Derby had nothing on Mother and Me, we checked, blocked and tagged with the best of them;  Mrs. Miller sometimes came along as relief, she could be deadly with a well placed positioning of her cane and smiling sweetly as a helpless little old lady.

As a matter of fact Mrs. Miller was the one who helped me get my first apartment in her Apartment complex and Mother was relieved that there was someone who would “watch over” me.  Although I laugh at the thought of some of the scrapes Mrs. Miller and I would get into.  I miss them, Mother and Mrs. Miller, Dad and Granny and others who helped develop my outlook on life.

The weather is turning cool to cold, clouds and possible rain is coming, I am looking forward to it.  Although it may mean I can’t take Belladonna on her walks as often, but perhaps a little rain coat and hat for her might do, that is if she is inclined to do her walks in the rain.  Considering how I found her I hope that experience has not scared her, but we shall see.

I decided to improve things for Belladonna for the coming winter, I know that her feet get very cold on some of our walks, so I looked for a heating pad that I can put under her doggie bed to warm it up when we return from our evenings walks, and during our searches I just had to go into the cosmetic area at our local drug store and found a bit of a treasure.

Some times Revlon nail polish will surprise a person with something un-expected or not very well advertised, in my case it was a find.   I came across the last bottle of what was their Halloween collection of colors called “Sweetly Sinister”, the remain color was this one was called “Haunted Heart”, a lovely shimmery, sparkly (I know Darklings “sparkly”) orangey coral, in some lights it is intensely orange, in others an intense coral without out much pink, it is a perfect color for Halloween or for the Summer and goes well with my Revlon lipstick “Orange Flip”.  This color is in the “Top Speed” fast drying collection, the other colors were “Spooky Skull” (a sheer shimmer white), “Wicked Star” a green shimmer and “Black Magic” a black Cream. 

Check out the web site “Frazzle and Aniploish” at www.thekarend.blogspot.com/ for a review and Jen of  www.xoxo-jen.blogspot.com/  especially for “Haunted Heart”.

Another way to decorate your nails, is to first put down a clear base coat and then put a layer or two of an orange nail polish over the complete nail, let it dry completely then follow with two coats of black on top, have it cover the bed part of the nails but leave the projected part or nail tips still in orange, simple and uncomplicated for Halloween.

But I have seen using “Black Magic” to put on Pumpkin faces and with a touch of “Wicked Star” as the pumpkin stem, so Darklings you have a lot of choices. 

Myself I’m going to keep it simple and alternate with orange and black, using a clear bottom coat to not have the dark color seep into the pores of my nails (so hard to get out).

Of course Doyle has asked me why do I have so many colors of nail polish and I told him even my nails need a color wardrobe---he looked at me, shrugged his shoulders and said “O.K.”

Now it will take time to do it right Darklings, so I suggest having an entire evening to do this.   Perhaps have a “man slave”  ;-) to feed you  and change the T.V. channels while your nails dry.   Of course I’m joking on the “man slave” part  (or am I?  Hmmmm Doyle where are you???).

Later Darklings

Nguyen Chi Thien~~~RIP

Dear Darklings,



I was sad to read about the death of Vietnamese poet Nguyen Chi Thien.



He died on October 2, 2012 at age 73.



His poems that were translated into the book “Flowers From Hell”, I found so very inspiring, that through all his torment he could write poetry and managed before he was arrested by the Communists, to get them out of the country.



Some of his poetry as translated into English inspired me to write better, in some of his poems I felt as if I were walking down those same streets he talks about, the prison camps he is incarcerated in.



The one about his Mother’s tears, I felt was one for all Mothers who see their children suffer unjustly.



Some of his poems can be found on www.vietnamlit.org/ and is worth reading, along with his biography.



If you can Darklings, see if you can get the bi-lingual translation of his poems.



Later Darklings

Sparkly Vampires need not apply~~~~~

Darklings,

I’ve been busy catching up on my writing, and I’ve been pondering this thought about the “Twilight” series.


I have read the “Twilight” Series books (I made it as part of my ‘required reading’), and I can understand why young pre-teen and teenage Baby Bats and even their mothers in some cases, can be attracted to the characters as presented in these books.



Especially Baby Bat Girls---- that being said I understand why Stephanie Meyer is so clever. She certainly understands what makes a young teen age girl’s, and even a homosexual young man’s, heart all drippy with sex hormones which is perhaps the only reason why the saga has such a strong following. Without sexy immortal men what do you have? Nothing but teenage angst and how boring teenage angst is.



But as literature, serious literature it is nothing, just barely a step up from the old “Penny Dreadful’s” that Victorian Parlor maids read and shared amongst themselves as titillating reading.



My first encounter with vampires, at least fictionally, was when I read “Dracula”, far more moody, convoluted and terrifying. And it is terrifying, frightening and confusing to come face to face with one’s own awakening maturing sexuality.



But I, like Anne Rice, many years ago, was also visually affected when I saw “Dracula’s Daughter” with Gloria Holden, it was a sequel to the original Dracula. The sequel was about this beautiful daughter of Dracula who was an artist in London, and she felt drinking blood was a curse. That film mesmerized me with its beautiful, sensitive and mildly seductive scenes; even when the Countess Zaleska was dealing with a bumbling English Bobby it was sensitive.



It made the point to me what vampires were--- elegant, tragic, sensitive people but because of their being different they were public outcasts and they suffered the agony of this fact, this echoed within me, for I was the same way, I was not into the “bobby-sock” life of the teenager, I questioned things that were beyond the limited interests of the upper grade school and high school levels. In my own mildly “Wednesday Addams” way, I was different, not stupid or dumb but different and not into the teenage stuff of that time, I mean Elvis Presley and the Beatles were talented and enjoyable to listen and dance to but I was not into the adoration they generated, Christopher Lee was more my style.



I was becoming nihilistic towards things that interested the “bobby-socker” as to being meaningless, the only thing that saved me completely from nihilism was my parents and grandparents; they showed me that there were certain important things that we need to have an interest in to achieve a livelihood and that even if I felt that life was meaningless there was and is meaning within it, which at the time we cannot see, we needed to look beyond the minutiae, cease to focus on that and look at a much bigger picture and even if I did develop an atheistic outlook on life, there still was meaning.



And that is what irritates me about the comedy “Seinfeld” it focuses on minutiae without focusing on the real issues of life---if that is what makes a comedy then we as a species are in serious trouble.



Fortunately thanks to my family’s intervention, understanding and love, I never did develop an atheistic outlook, for with their help, they showed me that God Laughs with a peculiar sense of humor and the Devil takes his own. With my family’s help I have seen a much bigger picture and learned to enjoy my being an “outcast” especially if I have skills that the “muggles” need, and plead with me to apply.



But sparkly vampires????? Please Darklings…..



“Twilight” is a candy apple walk in the park compared to “Dracula” where without personal strength or protections you could be “devoured” by this fiend, but it also showed the repressed sexuality that Victorians were dealing with, as well as being subjugated to another’s will, against one’s own will.



These vampires that I grew up with were Darkness, dark evil darkness of the kind you do not want to be a part of.



Now a days we would call them abusers, trapping you in a life of sex slavery, drugs and degradation. Even Christopher Lee’s portrayal of Dracula was a warning to young women everywhere, and yes, Darklings, I’ve outgrown that presentation although I still admire Mr. Lee as an actor.



That is why I feel that the vampire’s in the “Twilight” series and others of that ilk are “lies”. It makes them into romantic “fairies” instead of the dangerous creatures they are, young people forget that vampires “feed” on you.



Physically, emotionally, psychologically and psychically.



Perhaps that is the advantage of being an Elder/Elderly Goth, we can say “Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt many times over”.



In time as Baby Bats mature (at least we hope they do mature) they will understand these things, I can understand the romanticism about vampires, one wants something elegant, romantic, even knowledgeable in this 21st century sterile, computerized, Ipod, Ipad world.



I can understand why young girls get tired and turned off on the “gangsta” look with the baggy jeans hanging down to the guys’ knees, with the young male holding up the front of those oversize jeans with one hand on the crotch area as if they have the clap and need to scratch it all the time in perpetual masturbation, and the guys overblown male macho attitude that “you’re my possession, Bi%$#!”



Young Baby Bats are not anyone’s possession, but they are their parents children, and as your parents child, those are the ones you should ask advise from, for if they are wise and loving, they will understand, but be careful of those who allegedly profess their mis-guided “love” for you, especially if their “love” is more like being possessive.



For anyone to read even the literature of “Twilight” tells me that young Baby Bats want something better than what is being offered to them, but you have to work for it, Darklings and don’t settle for 3rd or 4th best.



But “sparkly”??? Please Darklings, no Tinker Belle fairy dust.



To all you Baby Bats, admit that what you want is style, elegance, consideration of your own feelings (very important), compassion, romance, understanding and knowledge to learn from.



Baby Bats want someone that is knowledgeable, is also willing to get out into the real world, be willing to earn a living and make something of themselves, not a couch potato, beer drinking, ex-jock, but also will not manipulate you, that is very important.



But never settle for someone just because you think you can’t get anything better, you can my Darkling Baby Bats you can, but you have to work on yourself, your education, your style and never settle for anything less.



Ignore those persons that think that you are acting like you’re “Too Good” or being a “Stuck Up Bi%#$”. Any one who is trying to improve themselves and their life is not being that way and you, my Baby Bats are not. It is because these others, they don’t even want to try to improve themselves, but you do and they cannot stand that, they would prefer to drag you down to their level, and any Goth worth his or her salt or black nail polish would never, ever do that.



A long time ago I personally set those standards for myself, and along the way I did make some mistakes, fortunately nothing that I could not extricate myself from, because for me the first “hint” of surrendering my personal self, subjugating my goals and ideals to another’s instead of them being a partner or even attempting to understand my work, was enough for me to say “thanks, but no thanks, there’s the door, don’t let it hit your ass on the way out”.



I remember the first time I was seriously developing feelings for one young man, and he intimated that he was interested in a permanent relationship leading to marriage, I thought at that time my happiness would be nearly complete, remember my Darklings I was young at the time, just into my mid-twenties (many life times ago).



But then one evening over dinner at a very nice restaurant, things changed and changed very quickly and drastically the moment he referred to my work as being an “over-glorified file clerk”.



I looked at him, knowing exactly the type of work I was doing was nothing of that sort, so I asked him quiet gently what gave him that opinion of my job and work.



I listened very carefully to what he said, belittling me, belittling the job that I had to do, him saying in a disparaging way, that the pains it took me to do it well and correctly was nothing, and that it didn’t matter to the care and well-being of other people, nor to bring peace and answers to relatives.



He completely ignored me or how quiet I became as he continued talking in his “superior manner”; he was totally wrapped up in proving how superior he was and how inferior I was. That was a dangerous mistake for him to make. For in that instance the minute he started denigrating my work, my life, my choices, and more importantly even my family, he was, in my mind, completely struck off of my list of worth-while male suitors.



Taking care to not reveal my inner anger as it seethed and boiled, (trust me Darklings, it took a lot of strength of will to not want to “slam dunk” that piece of garbage into the nearest dumpster or toss hot coffee into his face), he continued on telling me about the plans he had for me to become a “nice little wifey” and raising 2 plus children, subjugating my wishes and thoughts and molding them to “his” ideals.



I smiled at him and murmured “How interesting” as I listened to him going on and on about “His plans” and “His goals” and “His ideas of marriage” and how he planned on seeing me dress in a way he “approved of” and what I was to do and cutting my work time to hourly and then eventually my giving up working to raise “HIS” children.



He was completely unaware that the more he talked the more I became silent, saying nothing to him, he was completely caught up in his monologue of his plans for “us”.



Eventually he saw me home after I suffered though a very tedious and upsetting evening, which he thought in his mind, was going just perfectly. While I was suffering through his selfish, self-centered snobbish soliloquy, I planned on what I was going to do to let him know My displeasure.



He walked me to the front door of my apartment and as I unlocked and opened the door (I was living in court type apartment complex) he asked if I was going to invite him in as the night was warm, and the water in the courtyard fountain was splashing gaily, I stopped before I entered and looked directly at him and suddenly with a snarl on my lips said “Never more!”



I quickly went in, closed and locked the door. When he recovered from his initial shock from my sudden explosion of anger, he proceed to bang on my front door for a good long while calling my name, pleading with me to open the door so we could talk and “work things out” as the neighbors leaned out their windows telling him to shut up before someone called the police.



While he was banging and yelling at my door, I wrote out a note describing his faults, his selfishness, and why I was breaking up with him, I then dressed in a black filmy nightgown and robe.



He was very persistent, completely intent on not giving up, and continued for a long time assaulting my front door despite the threats from my neighbors to call the police, I was upstairs by this time and from my upper bedroom window that was over the front door I saw that the police had arrived. How perfect I thought.



As the police officers talked to him to try and find out why he was having a case of “Love Labors Lost” I opened my window and sweetly called out to the police officers “Hello Officers” I said, catching their rapt attention.



They all looked up at me in my romantic and sexy filmy black night gown and robe, and their mouths hung open at seeing me dressed so, I could tell they did admire my assets, as a matter of fact old Mr. Miller from next door, could see me quiet well and gave a “wolf whistle,” Mr. Miller might have been old, very old but he wasn’t dead yet.



I apologized to them about having to come out to deal with my rejected suitor at such a late hour and appreciated their assistance, as my neighbors also leaned out their windows enjoying the spectacle and watching how things were playing out,



Then I called out to my erstwhile suitor and with two pennies in the envelope to weigh it down I tossed the note to him and said again quiet loudly “Never More!” closed the window, closed my drapes, turned off my bedroom lights and went to bed with a smile on my lips, a contented sigh and a slight chuckle emanating from my throat as I heard the police officers saying to him “Let it go Buddy, she told you to leave. Are we going have to march you down to the station?” as he was sputtering “She can’t do that to me! I have plans for us!” but I heard Mrs. Byrd, my other neighbor, call out to him, “Well Sonny she certainly didn’t have any plans for you!” and old Mr. Miller laughing and saying “Good for her!” as peace returned to our small apartment complex.



For weeks he sent me flowers, candy, and small gifts. I returned the gifts, as that was only right, I sent the flowers to my neighbors, to hospitals and convalescent homes and took the candy to work to share among my co-workers or gave them to my neighbors as peace offerings. Especially to Mrs. Miller, who laughed when she found out the reason for Mr. Miller’s verbally descriptive admiration for my form.



Several of my co-workers said they would be sorry when the candy would stop arriving.



He contacted my friends and family pleading his case, in the hopes that they would persuade me to “see reason” but I had told them why I refused to see him again, they understood my side of it and relayed the information back to him that I refused to be in touch with him ever again.



Eventually he sent me a letter saying I didn’t understand him and again saying he could make a good living for both of us that we’d be happy with. I made a copy of that letter that I cut into sections and with each of his arguments I had written rebuttals underneath for each section and told him that he did not understand or appreciate a strong independent woman who has her own goals and ideas in mind nor did he show any willingness to compromise or work in harmony.



A person like that, I told him, is only an Egotist, full of his own self-importance and over-inflated sense of entitlement which he did not deserve nor earn.



I saw him some 18 years later, he had grown fat, hair had thinned, his wife meek and mild, his children were selfish money grubbing teen age brats, and altogether neither of them happy, the shocked look on his face when we ran into each other was enough of a reward, as he remarked that I had not changed a bit, and I saw in his face a wish that he had not “blown his chances”.

There have been other men, and although nice enough, they had faults and still had that attitude that women were women to ‘wait’ on men. Although not to the degree that my erstwhile suitor had, and all were let down gently.

It’s been years my Darklings, I am my own woman, and Doyle is a perfect companion, he knows I need my space but I also enjoy his companionship, we see things the same, but in some areas we have differences, small but there to make things interesting. As the song goes “I’m a little bit country, he’s a little bit rock and roll.”

But I still prefer my heroines to be strong and take charge, not Bella’s weak willingness to become Edwards’ helpmate. Bella’s overriding passivity is in distinct contrast to other fairytales for teen girls that have been popular in recent decades—in which the heroine’s encounters with magic open up much wider fields of possibilities.

If I had read the “Twilight” series as a young girl I would have said “Yuck!” yes Darklings, “Yuck!” and I would have seen it for the fairy tale it really is, my Mother told me that fairy tales are just that, “fairy tales”, in real life there is no “happily ever after” but with the right person there can be a measure of happiness and contentment but to be prepared for life’s ups and downs.

She directed my interest to the Brother’s Grimm and their fairy tales told in all its grim reality. We’d read them and I’d ask her why did the step sisters do this or why did Blue Beard do that and she’d tell me why. For those fairy tales were tales of survival and code of conduct and how to be pro-active.

So my Darklings, sparkly vampires need not apply.

As a matter of fact the Brother’s Grimm stories were more to my Goth style and perceptions of society.

I mean what a delicious name----Grimm.

Later Darklings

Do you talk to the Dead?? and Smithsonian Vampires~~~

Hello again Darklings,




I’m finally catching up on things, so much at work to clear away, but finally done.



Doyle and I had so much fun this last weekend, not only were they offering a “Ghost Walk” but there was also a Harvest Fair Festival going on as well, with a unique way of “kicking it off” by dropping pumpkins from the top of the Ghost Towns’ Tallest Building.



The “Ghost Walk” was a perfect precursor to the next event in two weeks, a Paranormal Ghost Hunting convention at Columbia State Park, just perfect timing and Doyle has already made arrangements for us to attend---I am so looking forward to it.



The “Ghost Walk’ was very entertaining, the “actor’s” put a lot of thought into the various stories of the different residents in the Cemetery, but it helps to have good walking shoes and to dress warmly, although the day was mild, the nights do get very coolish.



The Harvest Festival was complete fun, food, and frolic, there were several items I simply could not resist, as well as a painting that I though would be perfect for the entrance Hall in my home. And if you are Elder Goth “lite” it is a perfect event to attend to find all those little things that can “tweak” your little gothic castle.



What I liked is for a period of time you felt that you are taken back in time, I felt that I would have been very comfortable wearing Victorian clothing---although tight corseting would have not been on my list of things to wear, but there was something about the atmosphere of the area that felt so relaxing. I’m going to have to plan to come here from time to time just to get away from the business of the City, sort of a mental retreat, although it is about 2 ½ hours from the Bay Area, but still such a wonderful cool Fall feeling.



Doyle said we should plan to come here again next year, I hope so, other wise I’ll come by myself. It seems that starting in September kicks off all these wonderful Harvest/Halloween/Holiday treats, and I certain enjoy them with relish. I am reminded of some things that I use to do with my family, which I’ll talk about at a later time.



There are places to stay both in Columbia and within a short walking distance from the State Park as well as lovely places to stay in Jamestown and Sonora especially along Highway 108 the gateway to Yosemite; I’ve saved the listings for the next event for future reference. Not all take pets, so that will be a serious consideration.



I enjoy going to cemeteries and columbarium’s, the older the better, they have so much to “say”, yes Darklings, “to say.”



When Doyle and I were on our Ghost Walk at Columbia State Park, we enjoyed all the stories and “thrills” that were delivered by those hard working docents dressed up as the spirits of those deceased persons.



But the next day that we were going to leave, we stopped again at the Cemetery in Columbia and walked in the daylight among the graves to see them a little better.



There was one that arrested me, it gave the name and date of a man who died, at a relatively young age, but the cause of his death was simple and blunt, his epitaph read “Fell Down A Mine Shaft”, this caused us to stop and surmise and “talk” to the dead.



How and why, Dear Sir, did it come to be that you fell down a mine shaft?



An accident? Foolishness? Being unaware? Unsafe conditions? Did someone push you?



It seems that in our “talking” to him we attracted 2 other couples and they joined in on the “conversation” and for nearly an hour we spent time with this unfortunate person in “discussing” the predicament that led to his untimely end.



Granted the person in question was not with us in real time, his bones were interred 6 feet under us, but for some reason we felt that his spirit enjoyed our visit with him.



Which led our conversation as to what we would want on our tombstones, usually it was something benign “beloved something or other” or in the case of one of the gentlemen who said “Gone Fishing”.



Doyle asked me what I wanted on mine and I said “I’ll-Be-Back” Doyle thought this over for a few seconds and replied “Darling, you are one sick puppy.” I smiled in reply.



Indeed there are tombstones with unusual comments; two of the most famous is “I told ya I was sick” which does indeed exist and this other one “Here lies Lester Moore, 4 shots from a 44, no less, no more” Lester Moore was a Wells Fargo agent who was killed during a robbery, and some wag decided to emblaze how Mr. Moore died.



Doyle thought that perhaps as part of our travels we should take in historical cemeteries, which I could only agree, the Columbarium in San Francisco is one that I’d like to visit again and in Oakland the Chapel of the Chimes, Mountain View Cemetery, and St. Mary’s, they go back to when the city was founded, which should make for interesting “reading”.



So Darklings, when you go to a cemetery go “armed” with information as to all the meanings behind the symbols on those monuments, even the littlest engraved thing can speak a volume of meanings, sometimes if the grave has a metal fencing around it the designs on the fencing also has meaning.



There is a gravesite society called The Graveyard Rabbit www.thegraveyardrabbit.com

If you are interested in the symbolism on Gravestones these are a few web sites to check out:



www.pinterest.com/ctdebrajoy/taphophile/

www.thecemeteryclub.com/#1

www.graveaddiction.com/symbol.html



Of course if you either Google or Bing in the word Taphophile you will come across a number of websites that will give you information on grave symbols.



Now most symbols apply mostly to American or English Grave sites, but one can find much of the same thing for any European Cemetery, although there will be variances for each local culture, which if you become a Cemetery/Graveyard enthusiast you can add to your personal encyclopedia of gravesite symbols, who knows it may make you a Taphophile.



Frankly I think being a Taphophile is a wonderful hobby for an Elder/Elderly Goth or even just perfect for the Darkly inclined.



From there comes understanding burial customs, funerals styles, how to mourn, the history and symbolism of mourning which is a little different from Cemetery symbols.



If you go back on my blog to “My First funeral” Mar. 31, 2010 you will come across how a funeral was held in the 1950’s.



But there were things done that I didn’t mention in that post. Which I will do in another post.



Now about Smithsonian Vampires~~~



Darklings if you can get a copy of the October 2012 issue of Smithsonian magazine, they have a whole article about American vampires---yes Darklings, American vampires---it all started in 1990 in Griswold, Connecticut when some children playing near a hillside gravel mine found some graves and the story takes off from there.



I’m not going to spoil the information in the story so I suggest Darklings that you buy this copy of Smithsonian and add it to your collection of dark things, I know I am.



In the mean time I’m going to ask Doyle why he was trying to pulverize with a hammer, a couple of very old broken red bricks that he got from a demolition site the other evening. As a matter of fact he has about a half dozen of these old bricks pieces that were not salvaged for re-use and were tossed aside and is keeping them in an old bucket; knowing Doyle he has a perfectly good reason that is not readily apparent. But I’ll give him time, eventually he’ll tell me, no matter how strange his reasoning is.



Later Darklings

I'm back and Meteors~~~~

Hello Darklings,




I have returned from my weekend trip and feeling much, much better, Thank you Sage for your concern, and yes Wor Won Ton soup has a wonderful therapeutic effect----that and Hot Tea with honey and lemon and a stiff shot of Jack Daniels---Doyle’s idea.



I want to ask any of you who live in the S.F. Bay Area---Did you see the meteor the other night and hear the sonic boom??!!



I mean Darklings, how wonderfully frightening, exciting and just out-of-this-world!!!!



I and a couple of my friends had a chance to see it ---simply spectacular!!!!! And that is an inadequate word to describe it.



I’m including an article from our San Francisco Chronicle here ----“Start Praying” said one young man----I’m laughing at the thought.



~~~~~~~~~~

Thursday Oct 18, 2012 2:14 PM PT

A streak, a boom, and now meteor debris?

by Ellen Huet

Updated 1:17 p.m., Thursday, October 18, 2012

(10-18) 13:15 PDT MARTINEZ -- A bright flash across the sky and a shaking boom awed Bay Area onlookers Wednesday evening, and one scientist says souvenirs of the phenomenon might be strewn in the hills around Martinez.

A meteor, perhaps the size of a small car when it hit the Earth's atmosphere, put on a spectacular lightshow at 7:45 p.m. that was visible throughout the Bay Area and elsewhere in Northern and Central California.

The accompanying noise was the meteor's sonic boom as it traveled faster than the speed of sound, said Jonathan Braidman, an astronomy instructor at Oakland's Chabot Space and Science Center.

"These meteors travel 25,000 miles per hour or more," Braidman said. "When they hit the atmosphere they slow down considerably and break up into tiny, glittering fragments."

And those meteorite fragments, Braidman said, could well be scattered throughout the East Bay hills near Martinez, ready to be picked up by anyone willing to put in the effort to track them down.

It won't be easy. Braidman said the pieces could be anywhere over hundreds of square miles, with the Martinez hills estimate based mostly on eyewitness accounts and a northward trajectory of the meteor.

Meteors burn through the Earth's atmosphere "all the time," Braidman said. But most of them shine in obscurity, streaking over the ocean or land where no one lives.

"For it to flash across a populated area like the Bay Area, it's pretty rare," he said. "What's special now is we have so many people collecting data, taking pictures, that it's possible to see it streaking over the sky and maybe find out where it landed. Before, we were never able to do that."

Some people who spotted the meteor had no idea what they were looking at, but they knew it was something unusual.

"It was a big, huge fireball," said Tyler Clark, 19, who spotted it near his home in Manteca. "It was huge - bigger than the moon. All I saw was tons of flames coming off of it, and the next thing I knew, it vanished."

Clark said the meteor was visible for several seconds and burned mostly white, with red and yellow flame-like tinges.

"I was scared, not gonna lie - I thought it hit us," he said. "I was waiting for something to happen. I told my friends, 'Better start praying.' "

Clark can rest easy. Meteorite fragments that reach land are usually small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, Braidman said.

Their value depends on whether they're made of metal or of a stonier material.

Anyone who finds something they think might be part of a meteorite can bring it to the Chabot center or to one of a number of universities to be tested.

Braidman said the meteor was unrelated to the upcoming Orionid meteor shower, which will peak this weekend as the Earth passes through the tail of Halley's comet.

The shooting stars that people spot during meteor showers are much smaller pieces of comet-tail dust burning up in the atmosphere, not large meteors like this one, Braidman said.

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Can you imagine Darklings having as a piece of jewelry a bit of meteor hanging around your neck, to remind you of how infinite and finite life can be??? I know I would like a piece.

So something else to add to my List of ‘things to do’ 1st. Go to a Library book sale this weekend and 2nd watch the Orionid meteor shower.

Later Darklings.

Pumpkin Spice Latte and Perfection~~~

Oh Darklings,


I do love Flash Drives to write down and save my thoughts so I can upload them at a later time.


And I’ve been here at work since 6:30 a.m. so I can leave early today, I’m taking a break to upload a number of my thoughts and sip my wonderfully perfect Fall cup of coffee.


Sometimes something comes along and you see it, read it or taste it and you know there is something about it that’s so right.


First~~~~


I was taking a small break yesterday I happened to flip a magazine over and saw a print ad for Patron Tequila, specifically for Patron XO Café Tequila and the ad said:


“Perfection has a Darker Side”---I thought what a perfect sentiment for an Elder/Elderly Goth.

Second~~~~~

Right now I don’t care if it’s Starbucks and I know how some people feel about Starbucks


BUT----It’s Pumpkin Spice Latte!!!!


Now I KNOW Fall is here, I’ve had my first Pumpkin Spice Latte for the season!!!
Oh so goooooood!!! And Simply Perfect.

Later Darklings

Going to a Ghost Walk~~~

Just a short post My Darklings,

Doyle and I are leaving in a few minutes with Belladonna in tow we are going to the historic Ghost Town of Columbia---they (the docents) are doing a Ghost Walk this weekend and we have made plans to attend.

Such a lovely way to help "kick off" the Halloween season.

We are hoping it won't rain this weekend but we are prepared for it---either way it will be a lovely, gothicly, drive there to the "Gold Rush Country" so many ghosts, so many old, old buildings with dark histories.

I'm already enjoying the idea.

Until a few days from now, take care my Darklings and have Gothic Fun.

Later, Darklings