Hello My Darklings,
Well I'm finally posting on my blog again.
I have to admit it has been a hectic crazy period, and I'm finally coming up for air.
Poor Coralline she didn't do too well with her wisdom teeth being removed, the first weekend to remove the lower ones wasn't too bad.
But the next week to remove her uppers was just awful, she was out of school not only for the weekend but for a few days after as well. And it appears that she has an enzyme problem, she lacks enough of a particular enzyme to throw off depressants efficiently. They had a hard time waking her up.
So while she was recovering we periodically had to shake her awake to make sure she would be o.k.
My sister suggested that she be tested and it was confirmed that she has this deficiency, so now she has to wear a medic alert bracelet and its on her medical records. And she missed a few school days so she has to use her Spring break to make up her assignments.
Needless to say it was rough on her, she doing fine now, she just grumbles a bit about the home work.
I've been busy too, because of the holidays and at my old place of employment they are short staffed, so I've been called in alot to cover "holes in the schedule" I don't mind really, but when the BART trains started short circuiting and we had to take bus bridges, well I had to take the Bus to work, not easy really, but if I had to work late Doyle could pick me up.
And while the sun shines I've been having repair work done on the house to replace some important filigree work and such, but the painting is going to have to wait until we have a very clear window of sun.
Easter dinner will be at my brother's house, but it's a bit of pot luck, everyone bringing something to the table, in a way it reminds me of the story of "Stone Soup", a lovely fun tale about how everyone can work together to not go hungry.
I am looking forward to it.
I've not had much chance to see any new and delightful Gothic things but I have to admit I'm hooked on "Lucifer" and Tom Ellis well I wouldn't mind seeing him striped to his tidy whities, but don't tell Doyle. But I think the latest episode "A priest walks into a bar..." did give some thought on spirituality and faith, and the fallen angel burning his wings? I do hope the series gets renewed.
I'm still having fun with "Sleepy Hollow" and all the Revolutionary War references and Crane still getting use to the 21st century, Tom Mison does a wonderful job as the 18th century man in a 21st century world and the entire cast works wonderfully together.
Believe it or not my Darklings I'm finally catching up to "American Horror Story" and I started with the first season, yes I had to buy it, no I do not down load HULU or NET Flicks, I'm still an "old-fashioned girl" but the writers do not leave you bored that you almost have to deliberately tear yourself away from putting another disc in to see the next chapter, otherwise you'll never get to sleep.
Will I be going on my wine tour come this Fall? I'm not sure, with so much work to do on the house I don't think so, but then we'll see.
There has been some bizarre things happening of late in the Bay Area, long dead bodies or skulls turning up here and there as well as body parts in the marshes at the southern end of the bay, I think El Nino rains have been uncovering that which has been hidden too long.
And I'm afraid that the shifting to Daylight Savings time has not translated well to Belladonna and Wiener Dog, their time schedule is all mixed up because I think they really go by the sun so they think we are in bed too long, and we really can't argue with them, especially if we don't want accidents in the house.
Christopher my nephew has told me that there are a couple of boys in his class, who want to do the all dress in black and do the "Goth thing" during the Summer months, in a way he likes them because they are excellent creative writers and get good grades, they are not anti-social but he's puzzled by this wanting to "try out" the "Goth Thing" he thinks they haven't a clue what it's all about, when he told me I just sighed and said "baby bats" he said he like to bring them around to my house when I'm home just to talk about literature and such, oh if they only knew what they are in for.
So I said if their parents don't mind and Chris's parents don't mind fine, we'll set up a time. Well I'm curious anyway as to what these young minds think is Goth, and most likely do not have a clue.
Well need to go, my sister is here and is going to treat me to dinner, Doyle says he'll stay home with the dogs, he senses that it's a girls night out anyway.
Later Darklings
Showing posts with label goth things. Show all posts
Showing posts with label goth things. Show all posts
Saturday, March 26, 2016
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Of viewing fashion darkly~~~~
Hello My Darklings,
Just a short post, I still have bills to pay and a check book to balance I'm so glad that Sis will be making dinner tonight.
A friend of mine informed me of a facebook page called Dark Style. I think it can be found at www.facebook.com/thedarkstyle I hope I got that URL right.
Well I went to it and I fell in love with it, I may not agree on all the styles but it was enough to perk up my Goth side.
And well now I better go, but I'll leave you with this wonderful photo from it.
Later Darklings
Just a short post, I still have bills to pay and a check book to balance
A friend of mine informed me of a facebook page called Dark Style. I think it can be found at www.facebook.com/thedarkstyle I hope I got that URL right.
Well I went to it and I fell in love with it, I may not agree on all the styles but it was enough to perk up my Goth side.
And well now I better go, but I'll leave you with this wonderful photo from it.
Later Darklings
 |
| The family that Goths together stays together |
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Of we're having a heat wave and more thoughts on the Boston Bombers~~~
Dear Darklings,
We are having a very serious heat wave here in the Bay Area, it even broke records, 87 degrees where I live.
I have a sprinkler system set on timers, the areas that always have a lot of shade get watered in the early morning, those that have full sun are watered late at night at it's coolest, but I make sure that the water is not wasted, I discovered that my Great Aunt had devised a capture system for any run off, with drains here and there, to collect in a cistern located in the back of the property away from any buildings.
Using a motor pump to pump up that water, the water is reused again to water plants using a hose, especially for those plants that are thirsty drinkers or are in hanging pots or boxes. However I have to make sure that screens are on to keep animals out and I do have to throw down into it a chemical to kill mosquito larvae, I had thought of using mosquito fish but that seemed impractical.
And now they are offering hoses that can shrink and expand when it's filled with water or drained, takes up less space, doesn't kink, easy to use and very reasonably priced.
The house does not have air conditioning, since we are in an area that has only moderate heat during the Summer months, thanks to the natural air conditioning from the Ocean currents and the Bay Fog.
But when it gets hot, out come the fans, we have box fans in the kitchen area, but bit by bit I've been purchasing these Victorian or Edwardian fans that are offered by the Victorian Trading company, they go much better with the style of the house and look period correct. Yes my Darklings, when electricity was put into houses and buildings way back when, electric fans were invented.
On Antiques Roadshow, they even showed a fan that worked on lamp oil, they lit the lamp and the heat went up and rotated the blades, very clever but very dangerous.
I am still following the events on the investigation of the Boston Bombing.
The good news is that the remaining victims still in hospitals will survive, badly damaged and injured by the bombing but they will survive. The wife of the dead bomber is helping the investigation, the 2nd bomber it looks like he will survive as well and has been writing his responses.
And it appears they worked alone, but had been planning more targets. Of course the big question is why.
From what I've been able to understand it appears it was mostly the elder brother's idea and the younger influenced by his brother went along with it. An article appeared in the Christian Science Monitor and the writer said one has to look at the ethic background of where the brothers came from, and how the eldest was influenced when he went back to visit his father for 6 months.
Everyone says they can't believe the brothers did this, there were no signs, but good sociopaths can be very clever to hide their intentions and lead others to their doom. Especially when emotionally and spiritually vunerable.
Look at Jim Jones, the leaders of the Heaven's Gate Group and the Branch Davidians, and look at Hitler when Germany and its people were at its emotional weakest, look at leaders of the KKK, or the Neo-Nazi's. And now Look at Al-Quida, the leaders of the Taliban who create suicide bombers instead of working to educate the young people, find ways of creating a better economy, of bringing jobs and employment to their countries, of finding ways to grow more food, using solar power for energy.
The gifts for creation of a better life, of spiritual progress are all there, but fundamentalists put blinders on and instead destroy. I'm also including fundamentalist christian groups as well, that refuse to understand the changes in the 21st century and the need for complete equality and freedom for men and especially for women.
My sister and brother and I were very lucky to have parents to instill into us those protections to question people and their motives, and to instill into us our sense of self preservation and free will. My sister and brother have passed and are passing those same qualities into their children for only then can we be free of tyranny be it government or religious fanaticism.
And that is something all Goths should work to protect, otherwise you will lose your choice of lifestyle and creativity and expression.
But I also have said, if you have that freedom, you are also responsible to recognize the sensibilities of others, and do not do it for just the shock value but for raising awareness.
Example: there are those that want to practice nudity all the time in public areas, in front of children, because they feel it is their right. I say up to a point---if it is in violation of public health and public exposure laws or offends parents with children, then put your clothes on. But if you are at an event such as a nude beach, or nudist colony that is your right, but at the Gay Pride parade or in a general public area, no one wants to see a flabby "personal appendage" with a lot of old grey hair, or even an erect one. And some ladies no one want to see your chest if it goes down to your knees, even I at my age prefer to keep some mystery about my body.
But there should be art and expression that will make one's mind think, question and say "I wasn't aware of that." That should always be preserved, be it a painting, writing, sculpture, film, photography.
And now my Darklings, it is time for my walk with Ella and little Belladonna, the exercise helps build up my leg muscles and endurance.
Later Darklings,
We are having a very serious heat wave here in the Bay Area, it even broke records, 87 degrees where I live.
I have a sprinkler system set on timers, the areas that always have a lot of shade get watered in the early morning, those that have full sun are watered late at night at it's coolest, but I make sure that the water is not wasted, I discovered that my Great Aunt had devised a capture system for any run off, with drains here and there, to collect in a cistern located in the back of the property away from any buildings.
Using a motor pump to pump up that water, the water is reused again to water plants using a hose, especially for those plants that are thirsty drinkers or are in hanging pots or boxes. However I have to make sure that screens are on to keep animals out and I do have to throw down into it a chemical to kill mosquito larvae, I had thought of using mosquito fish but that seemed impractical.
And now they are offering hoses that can shrink and expand when it's filled with water or drained, takes up less space, doesn't kink, easy to use and very reasonably priced.
The house does not have air conditioning, since we are in an area that has only moderate heat during the Summer months, thanks to the natural air conditioning from the Ocean currents and the Bay Fog.
But when it gets hot, out come the fans, we have box fans in the kitchen area, but bit by bit I've been purchasing these Victorian or Edwardian fans that are offered by the Victorian Trading company, they go much better with the style of the house and look period correct. Yes my Darklings, when electricity was put into houses and buildings way back when, electric fans were invented.
On Antiques Roadshow, they even showed a fan that worked on lamp oil, they lit the lamp and the heat went up and rotated the blades, very clever but very dangerous.
I am still following the events on the investigation of the Boston Bombing.
The good news is that the remaining victims still in hospitals will survive, badly damaged and injured by the bombing but they will survive. The wife of the dead bomber is helping the investigation, the 2nd bomber it looks like he will survive as well and has been writing his responses.
And it appears they worked alone, but had been planning more targets. Of course the big question is why.
From what I've been able to understand it appears it was mostly the elder brother's idea and the younger influenced by his brother went along with it. An article appeared in the Christian Science Monitor and the writer said one has to look at the ethic background of where the brothers came from, and how the eldest was influenced when he went back to visit his father for 6 months.
Everyone says they can't believe the brothers did this, there were no signs, but good sociopaths can be very clever to hide their intentions and lead others to their doom. Especially when emotionally and spiritually vunerable.
Look at Jim Jones, the leaders of the Heaven's Gate Group and the Branch Davidians, and look at Hitler when Germany and its people were at its emotional weakest, look at leaders of the KKK, or the Neo-Nazi's. And now Look at Al-Quida, the leaders of the Taliban who create suicide bombers instead of working to educate the young people, find ways of creating a better economy, of bringing jobs and employment to their countries, of finding ways to grow more food, using solar power for energy.
The gifts for creation of a better life, of spiritual progress are all there, but fundamentalists put blinders on and instead destroy. I'm also including fundamentalist christian groups as well, that refuse to understand the changes in the 21st century and the need for complete equality and freedom for men and especially for women.
My sister and brother and I were very lucky to have parents to instill into us those protections to question people and their motives, and to instill into us our sense of self preservation and free will. My sister and brother have passed and are passing those same qualities into their children for only then can we be free of tyranny be it government or religious fanaticism.
And that is something all Goths should work to protect, otherwise you will lose your choice of lifestyle and creativity and expression.
But I also have said, if you have that freedom, you are also responsible to recognize the sensibilities of others, and do not do it for just the shock value but for raising awareness.
Example: there are those that want to practice nudity all the time in public areas, in front of children, because they feel it is their right. I say up to a point---if it is in violation of public health and public exposure laws or offends parents with children, then put your clothes on. But if you are at an event such as a nude beach, or nudist colony that is your right, but at the Gay Pride parade or in a general public area, no one wants to see a flabby "personal appendage" with a lot of old grey hair, or even an erect one. And some ladies no one want to see your chest if it goes down to your knees, even I at my age prefer to keep some mystery about my body.
But there should be art and expression that will make one's mind think, question and say "I wasn't aware of that." That should always be preserved, be it a painting, writing, sculpture, film, photography.
And now my Darklings, it is time for my walk with Ella and little Belladonna, the exercise helps build up my leg muscles and endurance.
Later Darklings,
Friday, March 22, 2013
Of Further Updates and being an Elder/Elderly Goth~~~
Hello My Darklings,
Dear Carrie and Kellie Thank you for your concerns and good thoughts, and there were others as well, again Thank You. It really picks my spirits up.
My strength is slowly coming back although I'm still on the weak side for walking, my appetite is also coming back but I cannot stomach much food with three meals a day, so Ella and Louise are breaking it down to 6 smaller meals, which is much easier to do.
My jaw and teeth no longer hurt, and my range of motion has improved, it is good to see that some of the bruising is slowly diminishing, but the worse ones still look ugly but are also getting better, and things don't hurt as bad, although I still get some back spasms.
The massage therapy that was delayed will start next week, several of my friends have been coming by to do things around the garden, and running some simple errands for me, it helps take some burden off of Ella and Louise as well as Doyle and Marie.
Doyle is going to have to go out of town on an assignment for a few days and Marie's client list has increased so that she is coming home later. Louise offers to stay later but really once I've eaten and settled there is no need and the phone is next to my bed, both land line and cell.
The Therapist's said that although there is improvement, because of the Flu there was a little set back in gaining strength so we'll start on that again.
One good thing is that Coralline and her parents will be coming by on Sunday, it will be good to see her again, I just hope she is not too shocked by my appearance. But she has been worried.
Easter is coming a week from this Sunday but all our Easter plans are on hold, we need to be sure I'm over this Flu bug, do not want a relapse. Marie is going to be visiting her children which is good, so it will be just Doyle and me----I told him let's just get Chinese Take Out. But he wants to take me for a drive in my vintage car, just to see things and feel part of life, I think that will be a wonderful idea.
For an Elder/Elderly Goth it is hard being ill, it is frustrating to be so limited and in essence confined, but having support of family, friends and a medical team helps.
A younger (well she's in her 20's) goth friend, who is an artist came by yesterday evening, it was a very nice visit and she asked me that since young people (of her generation) go to Goth clubs and take in the action what would an Elderly Goth do?
I told her that most of the club scene would be too frenetic for those of my age, but to at least take in what the new bands were while watching their alcohol intake, that would not be too far out of line, it is important for an Elderly Goth to realize they are not a 20 something, so trying to act like a 20 something would be ridiculous and silly and off-putting. It's better for an Elderly Goth to inquire with the youngsters what they think of the new bands and their sense of trending.
Doyle and I went to one club a while ago before the accident, he in his tux and I in my evening gown, most places prefer that people stand up so seating was limited but for some reason we were able to get a banquette and low table, seems the club owner thought we'd be more comfortable so we got VIP treatment. We had a chance to talk to some of the young people who wondered who we were and we exchanged opinions on the various drifts of music styles. One young lady was dressed like Little Bo-Peep, she showed us a picture of her and her AK 47, the caption read "O.K. Mr. Wolf now try and get my Sheep" I Loved it!
We made a few connections and I loved discovering several artists and their works. But another thing for some Goths including Elderly Goths is studying Film Noir and being a part of the Art Deco scene, as well as reading and studying written works of goth and horror writers, horror films, Art works, as well and being into things like art and photography.
So the trick is I told Monica, to be aware of the scene, to be in it but be separate from it as well, to be aware that one is much older and that things are not from the 1940's or 50's scene but much younger and to not act like a 20 something but to be your age but to not be disapproving or overly critical but to understand the changes in the scene. To make connections with younger people in a friendly way but to not treat them like children.
She said she wanted to do that because I don't criticize her for her life style and in turn she introduced Doyle and I to her friends and I've helped them as well.
Later.
Dear Carrie and Kellie Thank you for your concerns and good thoughts, and there were others as well, again Thank You. It really picks my spirits up.
My strength is slowly coming back although I'm still on the weak side for walking, my appetite is also coming back but I cannot stomach much food with three meals a day, so Ella and Louise are breaking it down to 6 smaller meals, which is much easier to do.
My jaw and teeth no longer hurt, and my range of motion has improved, it is good to see that some of the bruising is slowly diminishing, but the worse ones still look ugly but are also getting better, and things don't hurt as bad, although I still get some back spasms.
The massage therapy that was delayed will start next week, several of my friends have been coming by to do things around the garden, and running some simple errands for me, it helps take some burden off of Ella and Louise as well as Doyle and Marie.
Doyle is going to have to go out of town on an assignment for a few days and Marie's client list has increased so that she is coming home later. Louise offers to stay later but really once I've eaten and settled there is no need and the phone is next to my bed, both land line and cell.
The Therapist's said that although there is improvement, because of the Flu there was a little set back in gaining strength so we'll start on that again.
One good thing is that Coralline and her parents will be coming by on Sunday, it will be good to see her again, I just hope she is not too shocked by my appearance. But she has been worried.
Easter is coming a week from this Sunday but all our Easter plans are on hold, we need to be sure I'm over this Flu bug, do not want a relapse. Marie is going to be visiting her children which is good, so it will be just Doyle and me----I told him let's just get Chinese Take Out. But he wants to take me for a drive in my vintage car, just to see things and feel part of life, I think that will be a wonderful idea.
For an Elder/Elderly Goth it is hard being ill, it is frustrating to be so limited and in essence confined, but having support of family, friends and a medical team helps.
A younger (well she's in her 20's) goth friend, who is an artist came by yesterday evening, it was a very nice visit and she asked me that since young people (of her generation) go to Goth clubs and take in the action what would an Elderly Goth do?
I told her that most of the club scene would be too frenetic for those of my age, but to at least take in what the new bands were while watching their alcohol intake, that would not be too far out of line, it is important for an Elderly Goth to realize they are not a 20 something, so trying to act like a 20 something would be ridiculous and silly and off-putting. It's better for an Elderly Goth to inquire with the youngsters what they think of the new bands and their sense of trending.
Doyle and I went to one club a while ago before the accident, he in his tux and I in my evening gown, most places prefer that people stand up so seating was limited but for some reason we were able to get a banquette and low table, seems the club owner thought we'd be more comfortable so we got VIP treatment. We had a chance to talk to some of the young people who wondered who we were and we exchanged opinions on the various drifts of music styles. One young lady was dressed like Little Bo-Peep, she showed us a picture of her and her AK 47, the caption read "O.K. Mr. Wolf now try and get my Sheep" I Loved it!
We made a few connections and I loved discovering several artists and their works. But another thing for some Goths including Elderly Goths is studying Film Noir and being a part of the Art Deco scene, as well as reading and studying written works of goth and horror writers, horror films, Art works, as well and being into things like art and photography.
So the trick is I told Monica, to be aware of the scene, to be in it but be separate from it as well, to be aware that one is much older and that things are not from the 1940's or 50's scene but much younger and to not act like a 20 something but to be your age but to not be disapproving or overly critical but to understand the changes in the scene. To make connections with younger people in a friendly way but to not treat them like children.
Monica is one example, I admire her work and have even given her funds when she was between assignments, without any thought of being re-paid, but she did in her own way repay me, she used a photograph of me when I was younger and duplicated it with some variation for a book cover, later she did a full length painting of me and gave it to me, it is very flattering.
She said she wanted to do that because I don't criticize her for her life style and in turn she introduced Doyle and I to her friends and I've helped them as well.
It is a delicate balance and also one has to have trust as well between peoples, and that also there are rules of etiquette as well. In doing that I was able to help Monica and some of her friends become more discerning without being invasive or overbearing. A sort of detached--attachment. Again a balance.
Ella is saying I need to have my lunch before the Therapist gets here, so I will write more later my Darklings.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Of Film Noir and Twisted Minds~~~~
Doyle and I enjoyed last nights Noir film fest, there is something about
the twisted thoughts as presented in the films and by writers of Noir
type books that intrigues me.
The twistedness of the human mind can be unfathomable, into further and deeper depths, perhaps that is why I enjoy such programs as "Criminal Minds" and CSI Las Vegas and New York.
The latest that has appeared is "The Following", I'm going to Tivo it (record it) for viewing later, I don't want Coralline or Miranda exposed to such darkness yet, their minds are still young and they have enough to deal with from school and peer interaction. Of course one cannot protect them all the time, but one can help with giving them a course of action and to be open with trusted family members.
But "The Following" can show how twisted individuals can brainwash people into horrible acts, it reminds me of the Jim Jones cult and the Branch Davidians and the Heaven's Gate people, how they willingly committed suicide. One must be careful to never surrender one's own personal will and life choices to another. That is one powerful thing that my parents taught me. The vampire stories are even analogies of surrendering one's will to another, something that I realized at an early age, especially thanks to my Father with his wise words to me.
But for now Doyle and I are going to the next series of film showings at The Castro Theatre, I am looking forward to it.
Later Darklings,
Friday, November 16, 2012
Family, relatives and "Coralline"~~~~
Well Darklings,
My 3 day weekend did not go quite the way I was expecting. Not that I had anything really planned, Doyle has an assignment, which will be intensive, so I won’t be seeing him very much, I thought I was just going to do a few things and generally putter around.
But Friday morning at work(Just at the start of the 3 day Veteran's Day weekend), I got two phone calls that changed a few things. I was planning on going to “load up” on Duraflame logs and tea lights (easy to do anytime) but first I got a phone call from my sister and she’ll be flying in Monday evening, a bit sooner than expected but still I’m very happy about it.
Resourceful Sis, managed to get a flight out to Texas and from there to Las Vegas, where she stayed for the weekend enjoying the hedonistic sights of “Sin City”, sort of a mini-vacation. Then she hopped a flight out Monday evening to my local airport, so I had the fun of picking her up at about 8 p.m. and getting her settled into my home, I really didn’t mind and the timing was good since I had Monday off as a holiday (Veteran’s Day).
But things got a little complicated for me, because the 2nd phone call was from my Brother he of the 3 jock boys, sports enthusiast wife and very quiet daughter. I’m sure you can see where this is going, but if not I’ll fill you in.
I’m an Auntie, and one calls upon Auntie’s when the “married with children” have their backs to the wall or have what they perceive is a “changeling child” Auntie’s are the hidden super hero’s, they come through in times of crisis---well at least the one’s I know do.
My brother and his wife are nice people, but they love their sports, their boys love sports, their daughter (who they were hoping to be a boy) hates sports and considers those who play sports and get a lot of money as idiots---except for Joe Montana. Why he is the exception I have no idea.
She is 10 years old and thinks of sports as the “bread and circus” of the 21st century Modern Rome, I am inclined to also think that way, but I have to admit I do love Professional Bull Riding (I always cheer for the Bulls), and Alright for those who think that is a sin---then I’ve sinned but I’m not going to apologize. I’ve seen professional Portuguese Bull Fighting without blood letting and I am amazed by it. Trust me Darklings, the Portuguese Bull Fighting done here in the U.S. is done without blooding and is darkly Gothic, darkly beautiful and ritualistic. It is also a part of my ancestral heritage.
My niece loves music mostly classical, ballet, and saw the recorded version of “Phantom of the Opera” which she considers her favorite musical and Opera (well she is Only 10), and has seen the “Twilight Movies” much to her parents objections (they thought she was seeing a Disney movie with a friend).
So she is a changeling child.
Anyway there were several big sports events coming up this last weekend that they wanted to attend but their daughter set up such a “howl” that there was no peace in their home, until my brother remembered me.
So I had Carol, whom I’ve started calling “Coralline” for the weekend, which worked out in several ways, she needed to do both a reading and writing assignment for the weekend, the reading assignment was easy, her folks dropped her off on my work doorstep 2 hours before I got off work on Friday, with her bags in tow. ***sigh*** (I do love my brother but with his wife, it has to be on her schedule)
I apologized to Coralline because I still had to work and was concerned she’d be bored but she said she has a reading assignment and needed to do a report on it, and had to check over her math homework which she had initially finished in her free time period at school. So setting her up in my area to do what she needed to do, she was content.
She is a remarkably self possessed child, gets mostly A’s with a few B’s in school she’s in an accelerated course and is reading at the 8th to 9th grade level with full comprehension. Her math is at 7th to 8th grade level and constantly improving, her science is at 8th grade level, she is like 10 going on 80, wise and sad at the same time and mildly frustrated at her immature brothers, and her sports addicted parents.
I can understand in a way, I mean my Dad liked sports he could watch a football game, was mildly interested in baseball, and basketball, but it was not the defining thing in his existence, mostly it was a way for “the men folk” to gather around watching the game on the old black and white T.V. and discuss the mis-fortunes of the world.
My brother played football in high school and college and got hooked, seriously hooked. Sometimes I and my Sister have wondered if he didn’t get switched at birth, however Mother assured us that did not happen.
I and later when my Sister came on the scene, well we had a few playmates our age but we never really felt comfortable with them, they seemed so “childish”, I guess being around grownups a lot can affect a child, but for my Sister and I it was a good thing. Later in our teens we developed a few friends our age, but again not many.
By the time my brother came around, there were lots of kids his age, and he never seemed to think beyond when he could go out and play kick-ball or something with his pals. Amazing what a difference 8 years can make.
My niece Carol aka “Coralline” seemed to be in the same situation as I and my sister, close by there were no girls her age, but plenty of boys her brothers ages and it wasn’t easy making friends in a highly competitive accelerated education classes.
So I had Coralline for the weekend and she has been tagging after me all this time, I wasn’t sure how she’d take to an Auntie who is an Elder/Elderly Goth, I informed her that the basic rule is “My House, My Rules, Homework comes first, and I need to know from your parents what you can and cannot do.” She was very willing to go along with that especially the minute she saw my house from the outside, the first words she said was “Wow!” And took to the house both inside and outside like a duck to water, even Belladonna was happy for the extra attention.
She stood in awe in front of the portrait of my Great, her Great-Great Aunt and said to me “I don’t think I’ll ever be as beautiful as her” so over dinner I told her the story of the ugly duckling who became a swan, and showed her pictures of me and my sister as children, just like her, unformed, shapeless, in pigtails, no hint of any kind of beauty.
And then as a sort of game I showed her how her beauty will develop, pinning a dress to fit her that was a perfect color for her completion and doing some light make up, and dressing her hair I showed her that in time she would become a very beautiful young lady. I told her to always remember that as she grows up, but that it’s perfectly alright to be a 10 year old girl and to have fun as a 10 year old girl.
She almost hated taking off the makeup but I informed her that part of her beauty routine was to always be clean which meant washing her face and brushing her teeth morning and evening, and other beauty things that a 10 year old can do.
She enjoyed her weekend with me and then meeting her other Auntie as well, her writing assignment was “How I spent my 3 day weekend”. It was to be done in a diary format; she said her class mates were going to be jealous. I asked her why and she said “None of them have a house that is from that movie “The Addams Family”, except with less cobwebs.
While we were waiting for my Sister’s flight to arrive at the airport, my niece asked me a lot of questions about my childhood, and I discovered through her questioning that she is going through the same type of difficulties as I went through. Granted the stresses of today are different from when I was growing up, but the issues are pretty much the same.
I gave her the “Cliff Notes” version and told her to file away what I’ve said in her mind and write down any further questions to ask me, because there was more than what I gave her in the condensed version.
She asked me if she could wear all black and I suggested to her that at her age it would be best to go with dark blue, purple, deep greens and the occasional red. She hated the cutesy baby girlie things her mother bought her, and I said she was still too young to try and look sophisticated and to enjoy being a young girl. I told her a splash of pink was fine, and when combined with black can look very nice. She asked me to ask her mother if I could take her clothes shopping in the next few weeks (right after Black Friday which I dread), but I couldn’t refuse. But I told her that I would need to get an idea of what was already in her wardrobe and we could go from there. So like two conspirators we made our plans.
I know her Mother, my sister-in-law, she comes from a family of sports enthusiasts, when I’ve tried to talk to her about music, literature etc., she always manages to bring the conversation back to sports. When she talks about her children she always has a lot to say about the boys and their achievements, when it comes to her daughter she says that she’s happy she gets good grades in school and is never a problem but hates sports and my sister-in-law has admitted to me in a recent conversation that she doesn’t understand her daughter and has no idea how to really deal with her.
I suggested to not force sports on her as her interests were in another, more artistic direction. And “Corallines’” Mother keeps asking where did that come from, well Duh! Look at her Aunties….***sigh*** I did tell you that I ‘like’ my sister-in-law.
Then again she gets so wrapped up in the boys’ lives that it seems she doesn’t have time to spare for her daughter. I think this is something I’ll need to talk to her about in depth. Even for an Elder/Elderly Gothic Auntie there are boundaries and I need to see what they are.
When my Sister and I dropped our niece off at her parent’s house we made arrangements with her parents for her to spend the Thanksgiving break with us, even though we’d be at my brother’s for Thanksgiving Dinner, which promises to be very interesting. I told her we would see about the Christmas break.
She asked her parents if they could watch the first “Addams Family” movie for their movie night and they said “Sure, why not” since her brothers had been choosing the movies for the last 2 months, all sports oriented or the “Jackass” movies.
My brother and sister-in-law do not suspect what is slowly developing for their youngest. If nothing else my niece finally felt she wasn’t an outsider in this family, that they were the outsiders and we (my niece, sister and I) were “perfectly normal”, “Crematorium” Kitchen and all.
I do know this ‘Coralline’ is thinking like my sister and I did when we would make plans to do our brother in, only she has to contend with 3 brothers who are older. The good thing is I told her that it would be wise to stop the planning, that when her brothers are grown up they could become useful in many ways. She had not thought about that, which made me smile.
And now she has met her other Auntie whom she has heard about but never met until now. My sister and I think this is going to be “a good thing.”
Later Darklings.
My 3 day weekend did not go quite the way I was expecting. Not that I had anything really planned, Doyle has an assignment, which will be intensive, so I won’t be seeing him very much, I thought I was just going to do a few things and generally putter around.
But Friday morning at work(Just at the start of the 3 day Veteran's Day weekend), I got two phone calls that changed a few things. I was planning on going to “load up” on Duraflame logs and tea lights (easy to do anytime) but first I got a phone call from my sister and she’ll be flying in Monday evening, a bit sooner than expected but still I’m very happy about it.
Resourceful Sis, managed to get a flight out to Texas and from there to Las Vegas, where she stayed for the weekend enjoying the hedonistic sights of “Sin City”, sort of a mini-vacation. Then she hopped a flight out Monday evening to my local airport, so I had the fun of picking her up at about 8 p.m. and getting her settled into my home, I really didn’t mind and the timing was good since I had Monday off as a holiday (Veteran’s Day).
But things got a little complicated for me, because the 2nd phone call was from my Brother he of the 3 jock boys, sports enthusiast wife and very quiet daughter. I’m sure you can see where this is going, but if not I’ll fill you in.
I’m an Auntie, and one calls upon Auntie’s when the “married with children” have their backs to the wall or have what they perceive is a “changeling child” Auntie’s are the hidden super hero’s, they come through in times of crisis---well at least the one’s I know do.
My brother and his wife are nice people, but they love their sports, their boys love sports, their daughter (who they were hoping to be a boy) hates sports and considers those who play sports and get a lot of money as idiots---except for Joe Montana. Why he is the exception I have no idea.
She is 10 years old and thinks of sports as the “bread and circus” of the 21st century Modern Rome, I am inclined to also think that way, but I have to admit I do love Professional Bull Riding (I always cheer for the Bulls), and Alright for those who think that is a sin---then I’ve sinned but I’m not going to apologize. I’ve seen professional Portuguese Bull Fighting without blood letting and I am amazed by it. Trust me Darklings, the Portuguese Bull Fighting done here in the U.S. is done without blooding and is darkly Gothic, darkly beautiful and ritualistic. It is also a part of my ancestral heritage.
My niece loves music mostly classical, ballet, and saw the recorded version of “Phantom of the Opera” which she considers her favorite musical and Opera (well she is Only 10), and has seen the “Twilight Movies” much to her parents objections (they thought she was seeing a Disney movie with a friend).
So she is a changeling child.
Anyway there were several big sports events coming up this last weekend that they wanted to attend but their daughter set up such a “howl” that there was no peace in their home, until my brother remembered me.
So I had Carol, whom I’ve started calling “Coralline” for the weekend, which worked out in several ways, she needed to do both a reading and writing assignment for the weekend, the reading assignment was easy, her folks dropped her off on my work doorstep 2 hours before I got off work on Friday, with her bags in tow. ***sigh*** (I do love my brother but with his wife, it has to be on her schedule)
I apologized to Coralline because I still had to work and was concerned she’d be bored but she said she has a reading assignment and needed to do a report on it, and had to check over her math homework which she had initially finished in her free time period at school. So setting her up in my area to do what she needed to do, she was content.
She is a remarkably self possessed child, gets mostly A’s with a few B’s in school she’s in an accelerated course and is reading at the 8th to 9th grade level with full comprehension. Her math is at 7th to 8th grade level and constantly improving, her science is at 8th grade level, she is like 10 going on 80, wise and sad at the same time and mildly frustrated at her immature brothers, and her sports addicted parents.
I can understand in a way, I mean my Dad liked sports he could watch a football game, was mildly interested in baseball, and basketball, but it was not the defining thing in his existence, mostly it was a way for “the men folk” to gather around watching the game on the old black and white T.V. and discuss the mis-fortunes of the world.
My brother played football in high school and college and got hooked, seriously hooked. Sometimes I and my Sister have wondered if he didn’t get switched at birth, however Mother assured us that did not happen.
I and later when my Sister came on the scene, well we had a few playmates our age but we never really felt comfortable with them, they seemed so “childish”, I guess being around grownups a lot can affect a child, but for my Sister and I it was a good thing. Later in our teens we developed a few friends our age, but again not many.
By the time my brother came around, there were lots of kids his age, and he never seemed to think beyond when he could go out and play kick-ball or something with his pals. Amazing what a difference 8 years can make.
My niece Carol aka “Coralline” seemed to be in the same situation as I and my sister, close by there were no girls her age, but plenty of boys her brothers ages and it wasn’t easy making friends in a highly competitive accelerated education classes.
So I had Coralline for the weekend and she has been tagging after me all this time, I wasn’t sure how she’d take to an Auntie who is an Elder/Elderly Goth, I informed her that the basic rule is “My House, My Rules, Homework comes first, and I need to know from your parents what you can and cannot do.” She was very willing to go along with that especially the minute she saw my house from the outside, the first words she said was “Wow!” And took to the house both inside and outside like a duck to water, even Belladonna was happy for the extra attention.
She stood in awe in front of the portrait of my Great, her Great-Great Aunt and said to me “I don’t think I’ll ever be as beautiful as her” so over dinner I told her the story of the ugly duckling who became a swan, and showed her pictures of me and my sister as children, just like her, unformed, shapeless, in pigtails, no hint of any kind of beauty.
And then as a sort of game I showed her how her beauty will develop, pinning a dress to fit her that was a perfect color for her completion and doing some light make up, and dressing her hair I showed her that in time she would become a very beautiful young lady. I told her to always remember that as she grows up, but that it’s perfectly alright to be a 10 year old girl and to have fun as a 10 year old girl.
She almost hated taking off the makeup but I informed her that part of her beauty routine was to always be clean which meant washing her face and brushing her teeth morning and evening, and other beauty things that a 10 year old can do.
She enjoyed her weekend with me and then meeting her other Auntie as well, her writing assignment was “How I spent my 3 day weekend”. It was to be done in a diary format; she said her class mates were going to be jealous. I asked her why and she said “None of them have a house that is from that movie “The Addams Family”, except with less cobwebs.
While we were waiting for my Sister’s flight to arrive at the airport, my niece asked me a lot of questions about my childhood, and I discovered through her questioning that she is going through the same type of difficulties as I went through. Granted the stresses of today are different from when I was growing up, but the issues are pretty much the same.
I gave her the “Cliff Notes” version and told her to file away what I’ve said in her mind and write down any further questions to ask me, because there was more than what I gave her in the condensed version.
She asked me if she could wear all black and I suggested to her that at her age it would be best to go with dark blue, purple, deep greens and the occasional red. She hated the cutesy baby girlie things her mother bought her, and I said she was still too young to try and look sophisticated and to enjoy being a young girl. I told her a splash of pink was fine, and when combined with black can look very nice. She asked me to ask her mother if I could take her clothes shopping in the next few weeks (right after Black Friday which I dread), but I couldn’t refuse. But I told her that I would need to get an idea of what was already in her wardrobe and we could go from there. So like two conspirators we made our plans.
I know her Mother, my sister-in-law, she comes from a family of sports enthusiasts, when I’ve tried to talk to her about music, literature etc., she always manages to bring the conversation back to sports. When she talks about her children she always has a lot to say about the boys and their achievements, when it comes to her daughter she says that she’s happy she gets good grades in school and is never a problem but hates sports and my sister-in-law has admitted to me in a recent conversation that she doesn’t understand her daughter and has no idea how to really deal with her.
I suggested to not force sports on her as her interests were in another, more artistic direction. And “Corallines’” Mother keeps asking where did that come from, well Duh! Look at her Aunties….***sigh*** I did tell you that I ‘like’ my sister-in-law.
Then again she gets so wrapped up in the boys’ lives that it seems she doesn’t have time to spare for her daughter. I think this is something I’ll need to talk to her about in depth. Even for an Elder/Elderly Gothic Auntie there are boundaries and I need to see what they are.
When my Sister and I dropped our niece off at her parent’s house we made arrangements with her parents for her to spend the Thanksgiving break with us, even though we’d be at my brother’s for Thanksgiving Dinner, which promises to be very interesting. I told her we would see about the Christmas break.
She asked her parents if they could watch the first “Addams Family” movie for their movie night and they said “Sure, why not” since her brothers had been choosing the movies for the last 2 months, all sports oriented or the “Jackass” movies.
My brother and sister-in-law do not suspect what is slowly developing for their youngest. If nothing else my niece finally felt she wasn’t an outsider in this family, that they were the outsiders and we (my niece, sister and I) were “perfectly normal”, “Crematorium” Kitchen and all.
I do know this ‘Coralline’ is thinking like my sister and I did when we would make plans to do our brother in, only she has to contend with 3 brothers who are older. The good thing is I told her that it would be wise to stop the planning, that when her brothers are grown up they could become useful in many ways. She had not thought about that, which made me smile.
And now she has met her other Auntie whom she has heard about but never met until now. My sister and I think this is going to be “a good thing.”
Later Darklings.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Gothic Charm School, Sisters and Pimps~~~~~
Dear Darklings,
I’m sure some of you have come across this book and the attendant web site, but if you haven’t then I certainly recommend it, especially for all you lovely Baby Bats.
Alright for the very few that aren’t aware of this site it’s called “Gothic Charm School” and the Mistress of Ceremonies and well known Lady of Manners is Mistress Jillian Venters.
She wrote the book “Gothic Charm School: An essential guide for Goths and those who love them” I believe you can still purchase it at Amazon.com.
For Halloween etiquette check out this page www.gothic-charm-school.com/charm/?p=21 for the rules for Halloween, so very important my Darklings, so very important.
Now if the above link doesn't work I'll post the web site on my links page.
But a book like this can help young Baby Bats to begin to negotiate the Goth life and can help parents understand some of the difficulties that young people are going through and parents cannot say they didn’t go through it, they did but back then there were other stresses, other pressures.
I’d have to say that I was lucky in many respects, having positive support and re-enforcement from my family, but once in a while my Mother or Granny would come up with a “zinger” about something, and their remark would catch me completely off guard but also remind me how really “with it” they were.
Prime example----a number of years ago when my Mother was still alive, we went the City, I think we were hunting for a wedding present and finally decided it would be easier to get a gift certificate for the future couple at a nearby store where they were registered, trust me Darklings, so much easier than trying to guess if they have a toaster or not.
As we sat on a bench to rest in old Union Square park surrounded by so many wonderful stores to give a shopaholic an overload, and come to a final decision, Mother looked up and saw a young man dressed in a dark blue shirt and tan jeans that had a red patch right were the zipper goes, Mother turned to me and asked “Is that a stain or is he advertising?”
I have to admit her remark did catch me off guard but I did take a look and said to her “It’s not a stain,” and she replied very straight faced “Well he doesn’t have much to advertise either”. When she said that I whooped with laughter and did my best to get it under control, but it was hard Darklings, trust me it was hard.
When we got home I had to share this with my younger sister, and we both were rolling around in laughter, sweet but straight laced Mother making a remark like that, of course Dad had to ask why we were laughing so much and we told him, he looked at us and also began to laugh but he got himself under control very quickly and said “You have to be careful with Mother, she can be ‘deadly’”. When our younger brother came home from playing with his friends, he couldn’t understand why we looked so silly and shrugged it off as “girl stuff”, and went into the Kitchen looking for something to eat.
Which brings me to my sister, brief bio on her, I adore her, her verve and nerve, she married soon after she graduated from college and worked part time, had two lovely children now adults, one child is married with one child her own and another on the way, the other is engaged. But my sister did divorce when she found out that her husband of 15 years was cheating on her--- with another man--- so they had a quiet divorce and set things up so the children would not be a financial burden, and surprisingly are still friends at the insistence of her ex-husbands’ boy friend. When the children were grown enough for her to work full time she found a job that is the best of many world, something she enjoys doing and gets paid for it and travels a fair amount.
My sister called me Monday evening, I’m glad and relieved that she is safe from the storm on the East Coast and we had a wonderful talk, she’ll be coming into the area from just before Thanksgiving to just after New Years, usually she looks for a very short term rental or one of those Hotels for business visitors, but she asked me if I didn’t mind putting her up for the 6 weeks or so that she’d be here.
I asked her why was she switching from her usual pattern and she replied that one of the places she’d stay at is undergoing extensive renovation, one other had increased its rates, but she’d heard from colleagues that the service was not up to par, and at one other place that she stayed at she felt unsafe as the neighborhood had changed quiet a bit. There were others but she just didn’t have the time to check them out.
I told her she could stay with me and we’d agreed that she’d pay me the increase difference in the utilities usage and also for any food should she eat at home, this is something that I know she would do anyway, because she’d write it off as a business expense and other arrangements, since she knew that I had a very crazy schedule especially around the holidays. And I felt it would be good to see her when we could between her assignments while she was here.
As a matter of fact I suggested to her that it might be good for her to use my home as her home base of operations from now on, since I had plenty of bed rooms, that way she didn’t have to worry about putting things into storage or finding a short term rental all the time. One of the bedrooms that I have is empty and she can set up her “housekeeping” there.
She liked the idea and said we could work the details out when she arrives; I’ve noticed with her over the last few years that she had become more and more Goth in outlook as well, cultivating the darker side and darker nature of life, perhaps its her work, but I do know that when she learned I had inherited our Great Aunt’s house she was thrilled beyond belief.
During our phone conversation she reminded me of the time we spent over at Grandma’s house when our family home was being fumigated for termites and that motel that was next door to Granny’s.
Oh that was an uproarious adventure.
I had just started college taking a summer class and my sister just completed her 2nd year of high school, our brother was in the 8th grade and looking forward to starting high school the next year. Dad had gone into the basement one day because of a hot water heater problem and noticed sawdust, and not the kind from sawing wood. Upon closer inspection by a professional it was pronounced that we had been invaded by termites, and on one side of the house it was bad.
The only way to get rid of them was to “tent” the house and do a serious fumigation, what a nightmare that was, every spare minute that we had when not doing homework was spent in moving things out and over to grandma’s, as much clothing as possible, towels, bedding, food and personal toiletries, boxes of things. We were glad that my sister and brother just started their Summer break and I was only taking one college course for the Summer.
What could not be moved was going to be washed so we were to be evicted until at such time it was safe to return.
It was for almost a month, so for us children we were camping on the floor of the living room, my doing homework on the dinning room table and Mother keeping peace so our brother would not pester us as younger brothers like to do. There were times he could be such an annoyance. But in a way my sister and I enjoyed it, it was sort of a long term “sleep-over”, we only wished we didn’t have annoying little brother around, how many times he came close to being drowned in Grandma’s ornamental fish pond he’ll never know. My sister and I would think of “fiendish” ways to get rid of him, which we never carried out, but it was fun thinking about it.
It was sort of seeing “Wednesday Addams” with her brother “Pugsley” just before she was going to pull the lever on the electric chair, but never carried out, it was a scene that we both could relate to.
Next door to Grandma’s house was a motel, it had off street parking as well as parking under the building, so instead of it being a 2 story building it pushed it up to being 3 story, the only saving grace was the fact that there was also a parking lot that was wide enough to have a lot of space between the motel and the house, but it could be an annoyance.
During the month we were there a pimp in his fancy convertible pimp-mobile would drop off several of his “girls” then after a few hours would come by, pull into the parking lot and honk the horn of his car so they’d come out either at 11 p.m. or Midnight, it was getting very annoying.
It being a Saturday night my Sister, Mother, Granny and I were doing our “beauty routine”, our hair was up in pink sponge rollers so we could sleep on them, our faces covered in beauty masks to tighten up our pores, the masks were made of a blue mud like substance slowly drying on our faces, painting our nails and dressed in our night gowns. I remember I was dressed in a dark blue filmy baby doll night gown with a short filmy matching robe. We were having fun while Dad and my brother stayed out of the way, Friday and Saturday were the two evenings my brother could stay up late and they were watching “Creature Features” that night.
We were upstairs in Granny’s bedroom, her windows overlooked the roof to her laundry room, and we could have an excellent view of her back yard and the parking lot to the motel. As a matter of fact more than once we’d climb out of those windows to pick the fruit off of the apple tree that grew on the other side of her house, but we had to be careful because the roof on the laundry room sloped slightly downward.
And that evening, once again the Pimp in his pimp-mobile showed up and started honking his horn, after dealing with this for several weeks and I knew Granny had been dealing with it for months, I grabbed Grandpa’s old double barrel shot gun that Granny had mounted on a rack on the wall in the hall, the shotgun didn’t work any more as the firing pins were very worn down.
Here was I just mad as hell about this annoyance, in my dark blue baby doll night gown and robe, wearing pink sponge rollers in my hair, a blue mud pack on my face and pink fuzzy-wuzzy slippers on my feet (I had not done my pedicure yet).
I went to the windows climbed out and slowly walked on the roof to the edge that overlooked the parking lot, I could hear Mother saying to me “What are you going to do?” and my sister saying “Be careful.”
I could see very clearly the pimp and his car with the convertible rag top down so you could clearly see them in the car; two of his girls were getting in with the third lagging behind.
I yelled out “Get your Ass and your cheap girl’s asses out of here and don’t come back!! Otherwise I’m gonna put a extra hole in Your Ass!!!”, I shouldered the non-working shot-gun to my shoulder as if I knew how to use it and the Pimp and his girls looked up and they all screamed at what must have been the sight from hell with a shot-gun.
The pimp gunned his car back wards and hit a concrete pole doing some serious back end damage, his third girl was running to the car losing her high heeled platform shoes and yelling at him “Don’ leave me!!!” she jumped in the back seat of the convertible head first and as the pimp spun his car around and hit the front end of his car on the same pole, her legs were waggling in the air and one could see she was not wearing any underwear, the car left rubber tire tread marks on the road as he took off with the girls ducking down fearful that I might shoot at them. (which I couldn’t shoot anyway)
The temporary tenants of the motel and the motel manager came out and saw what was causing the commotion. I heard some laughter as they took in the scene.
After the pimp and his girls took off down the road, I carefully went back to the windows and climbed back in while Dad and my brother came running up the stairs to see what had started the ruckus and saw me calmly putting the old shotgun back on the rack in the hall. Mother and Granny explained to Dad what I had done while my sister was laughing so hard she fell backwards onto Granny’s bed.
Dad looked at me, then at the shot gun, looked at me again, then back to the shot gun, finally he turned to me and said “I think that Pimp was more afraid of what you looked like instead of the shotgun.” And he and my brother who was laughing and saying “wait till I tell my buddies about you!” went back down stairs to finish “Creature Features.”
At first I was puzzled by Dad’s calm remark until I took a look in the mirror and saw what Jeff Foxworthy calls “The Creature From the Cold Cream Lagoon”, and found myself laughing along with everyone else.
That Pimp and his girls never did come back.
There were some other adventures which I’ll tell about another time.
Later Darklings
I’m sure some of you have come across this book and the attendant web site, but if you haven’t then I certainly recommend it, especially for all you lovely Baby Bats.
Alright for the very few that aren’t aware of this site it’s called “Gothic Charm School” and the Mistress of Ceremonies and well known Lady of Manners is Mistress Jillian Venters.
She wrote the book “Gothic Charm School: An essential guide for Goths and those who love them” I believe you can still purchase it at Amazon.com.
For Halloween etiquette check out this page www.gothic-charm-school.com/charm/?p=21 for the rules for Halloween, so very important my Darklings, so very important.
Now if the above link doesn't work I'll post the web site on my links page.
But a book like this can help young Baby Bats to begin to negotiate the Goth life and can help parents understand some of the difficulties that young people are going through and parents cannot say they didn’t go through it, they did but back then there were other stresses, other pressures.
I’d have to say that I was lucky in many respects, having positive support and re-enforcement from my family, but once in a while my Mother or Granny would come up with a “zinger” about something, and their remark would catch me completely off guard but also remind me how really “with it” they were.
Prime example----a number of years ago when my Mother was still alive, we went the City, I think we were hunting for a wedding present and finally decided it would be easier to get a gift certificate for the future couple at a nearby store where they were registered, trust me Darklings, so much easier than trying to guess if they have a toaster or not.
As we sat on a bench to rest in old Union Square park surrounded by so many wonderful stores to give a shopaholic an overload, and come to a final decision, Mother looked up and saw a young man dressed in a dark blue shirt and tan jeans that had a red patch right were the zipper goes, Mother turned to me and asked “Is that a stain or is he advertising?”
I have to admit her remark did catch me off guard but I did take a look and said to her “It’s not a stain,” and she replied very straight faced “Well he doesn’t have much to advertise either”. When she said that I whooped with laughter and did my best to get it under control, but it was hard Darklings, trust me it was hard.
When we got home I had to share this with my younger sister, and we both were rolling around in laughter, sweet but straight laced Mother making a remark like that, of course Dad had to ask why we were laughing so much and we told him, he looked at us and also began to laugh but he got himself under control very quickly and said “You have to be careful with Mother, she can be ‘deadly’”. When our younger brother came home from playing with his friends, he couldn’t understand why we looked so silly and shrugged it off as “girl stuff”, and went into the Kitchen looking for something to eat.
Which brings me to my sister, brief bio on her, I adore her, her verve and nerve, she married soon after she graduated from college and worked part time, had two lovely children now adults, one child is married with one child her own and another on the way, the other is engaged. But my sister did divorce when she found out that her husband of 15 years was cheating on her--- with another man--- so they had a quiet divorce and set things up so the children would not be a financial burden, and surprisingly are still friends at the insistence of her ex-husbands’ boy friend. When the children were grown enough for her to work full time she found a job that is the best of many world, something she enjoys doing and gets paid for it and travels a fair amount.
My sister called me Monday evening, I’m glad and relieved that she is safe from the storm on the East Coast and we had a wonderful talk, she’ll be coming into the area from just before Thanksgiving to just after New Years, usually she looks for a very short term rental or one of those Hotels for business visitors, but she asked me if I didn’t mind putting her up for the 6 weeks or so that she’d be here.
I asked her why was she switching from her usual pattern and she replied that one of the places she’d stay at is undergoing extensive renovation, one other had increased its rates, but she’d heard from colleagues that the service was not up to par, and at one other place that she stayed at she felt unsafe as the neighborhood had changed quiet a bit. There were others but she just didn’t have the time to check them out.
I told her she could stay with me and we’d agreed that she’d pay me the increase difference in the utilities usage and also for any food should she eat at home, this is something that I know she would do anyway, because she’d write it off as a business expense and other arrangements, since she knew that I had a very crazy schedule especially around the holidays. And I felt it would be good to see her when we could between her assignments while she was here.
As a matter of fact I suggested to her that it might be good for her to use my home as her home base of operations from now on, since I had plenty of bed rooms, that way she didn’t have to worry about putting things into storage or finding a short term rental all the time. One of the bedrooms that I have is empty and she can set up her “housekeeping” there.
She liked the idea and said we could work the details out when she arrives; I’ve noticed with her over the last few years that she had become more and more Goth in outlook as well, cultivating the darker side and darker nature of life, perhaps its her work, but I do know that when she learned I had inherited our Great Aunt’s house she was thrilled beyond belief.
During our phone conversation she reminded me of the time we spent over at Grandma’s house when our family home was being fumigated for termites and that motel that was next door to Granny’s.
Oh that was an uproarious adventure.
I had just started college taking a summer class and my sister just completed her 2nd year of high school, our brother was in the 8th grade and looking forward to starting high school the next year. Dad had gone into the basement one day because of a hot water heater problem and noticed sawdust, and not the kind from sawing wood. Upon closer inspection by a professional it was pronounced that we had been invaded by termites, and on one side of the house it was bad.
The only way to get rid of them was to “tent” the house and do a serious fumigation, what a nightmare that was, every spare minute that we had when not doing homework was spent in moving things out and over to grandma’s, as much clothing as possible, towels, bedding, food and personal toiletries, boxes of things. We were glad that my sister and brother just started their Summer break and I was only taking one college course for the Summer.
What could not be moved was going to be washed so we were to be evicted until at such time it was safe to return.
It was for almost a month, so for us children we were camping on the floor of the living room, my doing homework on the dinning room table and Mother keeping peace so our brother would not pester us as younger brothers like to do. There were times he could be such an annoyance. But in a way my sister and I enjoyed it, it was sort of a long term “sleep-over”, we only wished we didn’t have annoying little brother around, how many times he came close to being drowned in Grandma’s ornamental fish pond he’ll never know. My sister and I would think of “fiendish” ways to get rid of him, which we never carried out, but it was fun thinking about it.
It was sort of seeing “Wednesday Addams” with her brother “Pugsley” just before she was going to pull the lever on the electric chair, but never carried out, it was a scene that we both could relate to.
Next door to Grandma’s house was a motel, it had off street parking as well as parking under the building, so instead of it being a 2 story building it pushed it up to being 3 story, the only saving grace was the fact that there was also a parking lot that was wide enough to have a lot of space between the motel and the house, but it could be an annoyance.
During the month we were there a pimp in his fancy convertible pimp-mobile would drop off several of his “girls” then after a few hours would come by, pull into the parking lot and honk the horn of his car so they’d come out either at 11 p.m. or Midnight, it was getting very annoying.
It being a Saturday night my Sister, Mother, Granny and I were doing our “beauty routine”, our hair was up in pink sponge rollers so we could sleep on them, our faces covered in beauty masks to tighten up our pores, the masks were made of a blue mud like substance slowly drying on our faces, painting our nails and dressed in our night gowns. I remember I was dressed in a dark blue filmy baby doll night gown with a short filmy matching robe. We were having fun while Dad and my brother stayed out of the way, Friday and Saturday were the two evenings my brother could stay up late and they were watching “Creature Features” that night.
We were upstairs in Granny’s bedroom, her windows overlooked the roof to her laundry room, and we could have an excellent view of her back yard and the parking lot to the motel. As a matter of fact more than once we’d climb out of those windows to pick the fruit off of the apple tree that grew on the other side of her house, but we had to be careful because the roof on the laundry room sloped slightly downward.
And that evening, once again the Pimp in his pimp-mobile showed up and started honking his horn, after dealing with this for several weeks and I knew Granny had been dealing with it for months, I grabbed Grandpa’s old double barrel shot gun that Granny had mounted on a rack on the wall in the hall, the shotgun didn’t work any more as the firing pins were very worn down.
Here was I just mad as hell about this annoyance, in my dark blue baby doll night gown and robe, wearing pink sponge rollers in my hair, a blue mud pack on my face and pink fuzzy-wuzzy slippers on my feet (I had not done my pedicure yet).
I went to the windows climbed out and slowly walked on the roof to the edge that overlooked the parking lot, I could hear Mother saying to me “What are you going to do?” and my sister saying “Be careful.”
I could see very clearly the pimp and his car with the convertible rag top down so you could clearly see them in the car; two of his girls were getting in with the third lagging behind.
I yelled out “Get your Ass and your cheap girl’s asses out of here and don’t come back!! Otherwise I’m gonna put a extra hole in Your Ass!!!”, I shouldered the non-working shot-gun to my shoulder as if I knew how to use it and the Pimp and his girls looked up and they all screamed at what must have been the sight from hell with a shot-gun.
The pimp gunned his car back wards and hit a concrete pole doing some serious back end damage, his third girl was running to the car losing her high heeled platform shoes and yelling at him “Don’ leave me!!!” she jumped in the back seat of the convertible head first and as the pimp spun his car around and hit the front end of his car on the same pole, her legs were waggling in the air and one could see she was not wearing any underwear, the car left rubber tire tread marks on the road as he took off with the girls ducking down fearful that I might shoot at them. (which I couldn’t shoot anyway)
The temporary tenants of the motel and the motel manager came out and saw what was causing the commotion. I heard some laughter as they took in the scene.
After the pimp and his girls took off down the road, I carefully went back to the windows and climbed back in while Dad and my brother came running up the stairs to see what had started the ruckus and saw me calmly putting the old shotgun back on the rack in the hall. Mother and Granny explained to Dad what I had done while my sister was laughing so hard she fell backwards onto Granny’s bed.
Dad looked at me, then at the shot gun, looked at me again, then back to the shot gun, finally he turned to me and said “I think that Pimp was more afraid of what you looked like instead of the shotgun.” And he and my brother who was laughing and saying “wait till I tell my buddies about you!” went back down stairs to finish “Creature Features.”
At first I was puzzled by Dad’s calm remark until I took a look in the mirror and saw what Jeff Foxworthy calls “The Creature From the Cold Cream Lagoon”, and found myself laughing along with everyone else.
That Pimp and his girls never did come back.
There were some other adventures which I’ll tell about another time.
Later Darklings
Friday, October 19, 2012
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
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
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Only 31 Days to Halloween~~~~
Yes Darklings,
Halloween is only 1 month away, but why wait for just one day to celebrate when you can celebrate for the entire month.
And how does one do that? You may ask.....
Well Darklings, I had been reluctant to ask Doyle but he surprised me by going on line to find out what sort of Halloween events would be coming, and there are a lot.
Of course one can have a party which is just wonderful, but also a lot of work.
Decorating your abode is another, but if you are living the Elder/Elderly Goth style you are just shopping to add to your furnishings. However for me every 5 or 6 years I need a new skeleton, what is left of the old one's becomes pieces for my Haunted Graveyard.
So to start the fun, 6 weeks before Halloween take out your decorations and see what is still usable and what has become tacky, tired or simply "died".
From there start planning your decorations both inside and out, mostly outside, now some people I know start planning and building their new outdoor Halloween display almost a year in advance. That is really getting into the "Spirit".
Next see where during the week Halloween will fall, this year it's in the middle of the week, Pooh!! Very difficult to have a Halloween party especially if you have to go to work the next day, but you still can have one on the weekend before---Halloween is always the most fun if it falls on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday. Sunday is good too but still one has to "rise and shine" for the next work day.
Next watch for the bargains in candy and load up.
Prep the ground where you are going to do your outside decorations, and the first weekend of October or the last weekend of September start getting things ready. Now this year if you start this weekend you will have 5 weekends to prepare for Halloween.
Place all the non-destructible things in your outdoor display, test the lights for maximum effect. And go from there to see what else to add.
Then visit your Spirit Store or Party Warehouse or go online to the Fright Catalogue or Grandin Road to see what you might want to add.
If you are going to have a party, plan your menu and send out invitations.
What I have done so far is I've gone to the Spirit Store and purchased a few things for my outdoor display, including an evil care taker and a hopping spider, I'm considering the Werewolf to have inside the graveyard. I also purchased plates and shot glasses.
I am going to have a party for a few friends on Halloween mostly finger food, and we'll hand out candy to the children and watch a few good classic horror films, I only go all out when Halloween falls on a weekend, but during the week I plan on it being simple.
Now if you are not handing out candy and are not holding a party there are things and events one can go to or take in, PEERS is having their annual Bal Du Vampires but it will be held the weekend after Halloween, which is fine just in time for the Days of the Dead.
The ghost Town of Columbia is having a ghost walk one weekend and a paranormal event another weekend which Doyle and I will be going to.
Find out which charities or functions are holding "Haunted Houses" locally the most important one to go to is presented by "The Pirates of Emerson" Doyle and I plan to go during the week.
Fine out if there are "Dead Tours" or "Cemetery Tours" in your city or near by, plan on having a haunting Bar-B-Que with deep fried Bat Wings, and Black Velvet Cake, and dark liquids, see if you can hire a fortune teller to tell fortunes at your party, or a magician or a story teller to tell ghost stories.
Let your imagination run wild, Halloween is where if you have been repressing it, is a perfect time to let your inner Goth out, sometimes community theater's will present during this time a spooky play---even if it's creaky---go to have fun.
Do something spooky, haunting, and Halloween each weekend, wear skull and bat jewelry at work, now is when it's perfectly all right to wear that black nail polish with little skulls or ghosts on your nails.
The night or two before Halloween go around town to see what other people have done for decorating, take pictures as well.
And then, all you Muggles out there, you will find your inner Goth and once you go to that particular "dark side" don't bother to come back, be free to be creative, to soar, to be a bit quirky and expand your horizons, and become beautiful.
As for me, well we went to our local Spirit Store and I'm starting things already. I've bought a dozen shot glasses that say "poison", "deadly", "Toxic", "arsenic".
And a candy gift store that I love to go to called "Gaslight Emporium", opened up with a special party with all their Halloween gifts, and I bought a top hat decorated with a small skull and black veil, black roses and feathers, a lovely sign that said "Haunted House, Welcome" , some lovely spider jewelry, and decorated bottles with signs that say "skull powder", "spider eggs", "venom", and apothecary jars that say "Belladonna", "Hemlock", and "Arsenic", I think I'll use them to hold coffee, Sugar and cookies in the kitchen. I think the one that says skull powder will be perfect to hold pepper, as a matter of fact one can buy these labels that have bizarre names for drinks---I'm thinking I might use that for a few things, but carefully add what the real ingredients might be.
A number of magazines and books and booklets are on sale now with ideas for decorating and cooking and I saw a recipe for Black Velvet cake with a white cream cheese frosting and I mean the cake is black, not chocolate but black. I will see if I can find the recipe for you and post it. The top of the frosting was decorated with a spider web design which I thought was perfect.
Oh one can go on and on with wonderful things Darklings and this is the time to do it.
And now I must go, Doyle is refusing me to cook dinner, I'm not a bad cook but he said that he wants to eat out tonight so we can enjoy the full moon.
Time to Howl, Darklings
Halloween is only 1 month away, but why wait for just one day to celebrate when you can celebrate for the entire month.
And how does one do that? You may ask.....
Well Darklings, I had been reluctant to ask Doyle but he surprised me by going on line to find out what sort of Halloween events would be coming, and there are a lot.
Of course one can have a party which is just wonderful, but also a lot of work.
Decorating your abode is another, but if you are living the Elder/Elderly Goth style you are just shopping to add to your furnishings. However for me every 5 or 6 years I need a new skeleton, what is left of the old one's becomes pieces for my Haunted Graveyard.
So to start the fun, 6 weeks before Halloween take out your decorations and see what is still usable and what has become tacky, tired or simply "died".
From there start planning your decorations both inside and out, mostly outside, now some people I know start planning and building their new outdoor Halloween display almost a year in advance. That is really getting into the "Spirit".
Next see where during the week Halloween will fall, this year it's in the middle of the week, Pooh!! Very difficult to have a Halloween party especially if you have to go to work the next day, but you still can have one on the weekend before---Halloween is always the most fun if it falls on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday. Sunday is good too but still one has to "rise and shine" for the next work day.
Next watch for the bargains in candy and load up.
Prep the ground where you are going to do your outside decorations, and the first weekend of October or the last weekend of September start getting things ready. Now this year if you start this weekend you will have 5 weekends to prepare for Halloween.
Place all the non-destructible things in your outdoor display, test the lights for maximum effect. And go from there to see what else to add.
Then visit your Spirit Store or Party Warehouse or go online to the Fright Catalogue or Grandin Road to see what you might want to add.
If you are going to have a party, plan your menu and send out invitations.
What I have done so far is I've gone to the Spirit Store and purchased a few things for my outdoor display, including an evil care taker and a hopping spider, I'm considering the Werewolf to have inside the graveyard. I also purchased plates and shot glasses.
I am going to have a party for a few friends on Halloween mostly finger food, and we'll hand out candy to the children and watch a few good classic horror films, I only go all out when Halloween falls on a weekend, but during the week I plan on it being simple.
Now if you are not handing out candy and are not holding a party there are things and events one can go to or take in, PEERS is having their annual Bal Du Vampires but it will be held the weekend after Halloween, which is fine just in time for the Days of the Dead.
The ghost Town of Columbia is having a ghost walk one weekend and a paranormal event another weekend which Doyle and I will be going to.
Find out which charities or functions are holding "Haunted Houses" locally the most important one to go to is presented by "The Pirates of Emerson" Doyle and I plan to go during the week.
Fine out if there are "Dead Tours" or "Cemetery Tours" in your city or near by, plan on having a haunting Bar-B-Que with deep fried Bat Wings, and Black Velvet Cake, and dark liquids, see if you can hire a fortune teller to tell fortunes at your party, or a magician or a story teller to tell ghost stories.
Let your imagination run wild, Halloween is where if you have been repressing it, is a perfect time to let your inner Goth out, sometimes community theater's will present during this time a spooky play---even if it's creaky---go to have fun.
Do something spooky, haunting, and Halloween each weekend, wear skull and bat jewelry at work, now is when it's perfectly all right to wear that black nail polish with little skulls or ghosts on your nails.
The night or two before Halloween go around town to see what other people have done for decorating, take pictures as well.
And then, all you Muggles out there, you will find your inner Goth and once you go to that particular "dark side" don't bother to come back, be free to be creative, to soar, to be a bit quirky and expand your horizons, and become beautiful.
As for me, well we went to our local Spirit Store and I'm starting things already. I've bought a dozen shot glasses that say "poison", "deadly", "Toxic", "arsenic".
And a candy gift store that I love to go to called "Gaslight Emporium", opened up with a special party with all their Halloween gifts, and I bought a top hat decorated with a small skull and black veil, black roses and feathers, a lovely sign that said "Haunted House, Welcome" , some lovely spider jewelry, and decorated bottles with signs that say "skull powder", "spider eggs", "venom", and apothecary jars that say "Belladonna", "Hemlock", and "Arsenic", I think I'll use them to hold coffee, Sugar and cookies in the kitchen. I think the one that says skull powder will be perfect to hold pepper, as a matter of fact one can buy these labels that have bizarre names for drinks---I'm thinking I might use that for a few things, but carefully add what the real ingredients might be.
A number of magazines and books and booklets are on sale now with ideas for decorating and cooking and I saw a recipe for Black Velvet cake with a white cream cheese frosting and I mean the cake is black, not chocolate but black. I will see if I can find the recipe for you and post it. The top of the frosting was decorated with a spider web design which I thought was perfect.
Oh one can go on and on with wonderful things Darklings and this is the time to do it.
And now I must go, Doyle is refusing me to cook dinner, I'm not a bad cook but he said that he wants to eat out tonight so we can enjoy the full moon.
Time to Howl, Darklings
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Vampire Wine and other dark things~~~~
Darklings~~~
I’ve been having fun searching on the internet for Gothic indulgences and if you really want to go all vampy then check out Vampire Wine at www.vampire.com, not only Vampire Wine, but vampire coffee and vampire chocolate, well chocolate is considered the “food of the gods”.
And I never thought one could find a gothic/vampire web site to cover these “little” things like dishes, glass wear and such but sometimes it’s nice to be surprised and the web site for items from books to plates to furniture is www.vampirerave.com, when you get there go to the “database” for those subcategories for food, drink, furniture and such.
You can have tons of fun checking things out, however there are some “dead” links but on the whole I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
And now to go off topic----I’m back to cosmetics and fashion again Darklings, it seems that the dark cranberry and burgundy colors for lipstick seems to be a bit of a rage, and Chanel has come out with a new perfume “Coco Noir”. I have not smelled it yet, when I come across it I will let you know.
In the latest In Style makeover magazine it seems that these 4 colors are in for Fall and frankly perfectly wonderful for Goth beauty---Burgundy, Gold, Emerald and White, yes White Darklings is the new “black”, of course Gold looks wonderful with black, wine, creamy white or emerald.
As I said Burgundy is the new lip and nail color but avoid the browner tones of it. Nars lip gloss in “Rouge Tribal” and Maybelline’s nail lacquer in “Dressed to Kill” are very wicked looking, for gold look to Yves Saint Laurent nail color in “No. 29” and Guelain’s “Radiance” with 24kt gold as a perfume, a bit expensive but Darklings you are worth it in all your Dark, Dark Glory.
Estee Lauder’ nail color in “Viper”, a wonderful snaky green shimmer has me thrilled and will look smashing with my emerald green velvet dress and matching cape with purple velvet lining (yes a bit much but perfect for going out). If you are going for the whites either creamy or dead winter white go with Dior’s nail polish in “No. 115” but be careful to not make yourself look like a corpse, just ethereal, this is where you have to be careful with your facial makeup Darklings.
I have to admit I fell in love with the emerald green embossed leather bag with the resin tortoise shell top accents by Tory Burch, you can find it at Bloomingdale’s, but be sure you plan to keep it for a long time, frankly with it’s classic styling it will never become dated and I know for sure it will become a mainstay in my purse collection. (yes, I managed to buy it)
I had grabbed my August 19, 2012 New York Times magazine the “In Style” section from the Sunday New York Times to read and “devour” during my vacation and I was pleased to see, as in the September Vogue magazine, more corporate Goth styles, so my wardrobe will never be out of style. Frankly it never is, but those filmy Edwardian styles from Victorian Trading Company I just adore, including the Black Velvet Opera Coat which I ordered, perfect for a chilly winter evening.
But there is one other catalogue worth ordering or even going on line and that is the Pyramid collection at www.pyramidcollection.com I was so excited to get it and I have to be very, Very careful Darklings or I’ll max out my credit cards. So much to choose from ***sigh*** So I will add these three web sites to my links page and you can have the fun of being pulled in this direction or that direction of decisions, decisions.
I have to admit I managed to plan to return from the first half of my vacation right when our local community had a Vintage Fashion Fair, and I found some lovely little things just right for an Elder/Elderly Goth, like a box of black handkerchiefs with white flower edging, just perfect for a funeral. And beautifully embroidered black gloves that go up half way toward the elbow, perfect for my ¾ sleeve leopard print coat (faux fur Darklings, faux fur), and another darling hat in gray with a darker gray trim. I am still looking for the perfect hat to go with my 1950’s faux fur leopard print coat.
But now Darklings my little Belladonna is demanding my attention, Mommy has been away too, too long, two times too many, and I have to admit I missed her too, so the next time I plan on a vacation I will look for pet friendly places, as it is only right, perhaps I can look into those “pet companion” vests, then she can never be denied her right to be with me.
Leaving you will all my ideas and links, remember when you plan for a vacation be sure to save, save, save, that way you will not break your budget, even though I have a good income with these difficult times, I am careful with my spending. And although it sounded like I spent a lot of money I had saved up for it for nearly two years to be able to have this indulgent time. And it was worth it.
Just as it was wonderful to return home although being on vacation for over 3 weeks was very, very special. Sometimes one really needs just to get away from things. I think I don’t need to mention what I’m referring to.
I have no need to talk about politics or the ways of the world my Darklings, having seen it all I am not a bit surprised. So if my trip seemed hedonistic, selfish, and self serving it is because in my work I have seen a lot of unhappiness and dealing with stresses.
I have discovered that I can only control what I can immediately control, I cannot control the world, but with what I can control I will do my best to make my part of the world a little better. I rescued Belladonna from a horrible starving death. I will make my voice heard at the voting booth. I will donate to those charities that help others, and on Halloween I will give out candy and make my front yard suitably frightening to children especially to those for whom that is the only free entertainment they can get. I check on my elderly neighbor and help her out, even if she did think my Great Aunt was odd and that I am just as odd, but we do get along.
But in doing that and more, one needs to decompress, and for that I saved up my money to do it. Do I feel guilty? Except for having to leave Belladonna with her sitter, otherwise---NO, I deserved it. And for an Elder/Elderly Goth that is quiet alright.
So remember, save you money for those fantastic memories, Darklings. I wish you to Have Fun.
Later Darklings.
I’ve been having fun searching on the internet for Gothic indulgences and if you really want to go all vampy then check out Vampire Wine at www.vampire.com, not only Vampire Wine, but vampire coffee and vampire chocolate, well chocolate is considered the “food of the gods”.
And I never thought one could find a gothic/vampire web site to cover these “little” things like dishes, glass wear and such but sometimes it’s nice to be surprised and the web site for items from books to plates to furniture is www.vampirerave.com, when you get there go to the “database” for those subcategories for food, drink, furniture and such.
You can have tons of fun checking things out, however there are some “dead” links but on the whole I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
And now to go off topic----I’m back to cosmetics and fashion again Darklings, it seems that the dark cranberry and burgundy colors for lipstick seems to be a bit of a rage, and Chanel has come out with a new perfume “Coco Noir”. I have not smelled it yet, when I come across it I will let you know.
In the latest In Style makeover magazine it seems that these 4 colors are in for Fall and frankly perfectly wonderful for Goth beauty---Burgundy, Gold, Emerald and White, yes White Darklings is the new “black”, of course Gold looks wonderful with black, wine, creamy white or emerald.
As I said Burgundy is the new lip and nail color but avoid the browner tones of it. Nars lip gloss in “Rouge Tribal” and Maybelline’s nail lacquer in “Dressed to Kill” are very wicked looking, for gold look to Yves Saint Laurent nail color in “No. 29” and Guelain’s “Radiance” with 24kt gold as a perfume, a bit expensive but Darklings you are worth it in all your Dark, Dark Glory.
Estee Lauder’ nail color in “Viper”, a wonderful snaky green shimmer has me thrilled and will look smashing with my emerald green velvet dress and matching cape with purple velvet lining (yes a bit much but perfect for going out). If you are going for the whites either creamy or dead winter white go with Dior’s nail polish in “No. 115” but be careful to not make yourself look like a corpse, just ethereal, this is where you have to be careful with your facial makeup Darklings.
I have to admit I fell in love with the emerald green embossed leather bag with the resin tortoise shell top accents by Tory Burch, you can find it at Bloomingdale’s, but be sure you plan to keep it for a long time, frankly with it’s classic styling it will never become dated and I know for sure it will become a mainstay in my purse collection. (yes, I managed to buy it)
I had grabbed my August 19, 2012 New York Times magazine the “In Style” section from the Sunday New York Times to read and “devour” during my vacation and I was pleased to see, as in the September Vogue magazine, more corporate Goth styles, so my wardrobe will never be out of style. Frankly it never is, but those filmy Edwardian styles from Victorian Trading Company I just adore, including the Black Velvet Opera Coat which I ordered, perfect for a chilly winter evening.
But there is one other catalogue worth ordering or even going on line and that is the Pyramid collection at www.pyramidcollection.com I was so excited to get it and I have to be very, Very careful Darklings or I’ll max out my credit cards. So much to choose from ***sigh*** So I will add these three web sites to my links page and you can have the fun of being pulled in this direction or that direction of decisions, decisions.
I have to admit I managed to plan to return from the first half of my vacation right when our local community had a Vintage Fashion Fair, and I found some lovely little things just right for an Elder/Elderly Goth, like a box of black handkerchiefs with white flower edging, just perfect for a funeral. And beautifully embroidered black gloves that go up half way toward the elbow, perfect for my ¾ sleeve leopard print coat (faux fur Darklings, faux fur), and another darling hat in gray with a darker gray trim. I am still looking for the perfect hat to go with my 1950’s faux fur leopard print coat.
But now Darklings my little Belladonna is demanding my attention, Mommy has been away too, too long, two times too many, and I have to admit I missed her too, so the next time I plan on a vacation I will look for pet friendly places, as it is only right, perhaps I can look into those “pet companion” vests, then she can never be denied her right to be with me.
Leaving you will all my ideas and links, remember when you plan for a vacation be sure to save, save, save, that way you will not break your budget, even though I have a good income with these difficult times, I am careful with my spending. And although it sounded like I spent a lot of money I had saved up for it for nearly two years to be able to have this indulgent time. And it was worth it.
Just as it was wonderful to return home although being on vacation for over 3 weeks was very, very special. Sometimes one really needs just to get away from things. I think I don’t need to mention what I’m referring to.
I have no need to talk about politics or the ways of the world my Darklings, having seen it all I am not a bit surprised. So if my trip seemed hedonistic, selfish, and self serving it is because in my work I have seen a lot of unhappiness and dealing with stresses.
I have discovered that I can only control what I can immediately control, I cannot control the world, but with what I can control I will do my best to make my part of the world a little better. I rescued Belladonna from a horrible starving death. I will make my voice heard at the voting booth. I will donate to those charities that help others, and on Halloween I will give out candy and make my front yard suitably frightening to children especially to those for whom that is the only free entertainment they can get. I check on my elderly neighbor and help her out, even if she did think my Great Aunt was odd and that I am just as odd, but we do get along.
But in doing that and more, one needs to decompress, and for that I saved up my money to do it. Do I feel guilty? Except for having to leave Belladonna with her sitter, otherwise---NO, I deserved it. And for an Elder/Elderly Goth that is quiet alright.
So remember, save you money for those fantastic memories, Darklings. I wish you to Have Fun.
Later Darklings.
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