Merry Merry

Today wasn't necessarily Christmas-tradition-y, but it something about this evening made the whole day seem cozy. I turned on the Christmas tree lights, and sat in the dark room with Chris and Hallow (Kuroneko Hallow-san, that's Mr. Black Halloween Cat to you), just simply sharing a good moment of silliness and teasing... no tv, no computer, just us and the twinkling of the lights. Though I am sure Hallow didn't appreciate the teasing (I really can never quite tell what he is thinking), I felt like we were celebrating something worth celebrating. Which is, to be specific, us. Us: this tiny bizarre family of mine, happy as clams in our desert island, leagues from our family back home. This is not to say that we don't 100% miss home... but moments like this make living apart a little more bearable.
So hug your kin tonight. Grab a family member and go sit underneath the tree and just BE THERE. It feels amazing.

Merry Merry and Good ol' Bing

Day #1 of December.

You know what that means...

egg nog, Bing Crosby, and one aluminum tree. 

This is CHRISTMAS.

As I rock out to "White Christmas", and tend to my arms, scratched to pieces from winding lights on branches, I try to make some Christmas plans. Mostly, I just want to create some new traditions for husband and me.

I think that tonight is just perfect. Tonight, with the decorating, old musical movie, and macaroons and sweet drinks is perfect and everything magical that I love about this season.

There will be other days to spread the love and charity, etc etc. Thus and henceforth and amen and amen, Day #1 of the season will be an indulgence. Or, at the very least, a day to be cozy.

If you have any amazing Christmas traditions you think I should try-out, please please feel free to tell me about them.

Dances like this make me remember why I love dancing. Excuse me while I rewatch this twenty more times...

Photo Ready

I love gorgeous old cameras.

I want to catch them all like steampunk pokemon.

'Cause...

I gotta catch them all.

(CUE THEME SONG)

ANYWAYS, I need to start taking more photos on film. Any friends want to motivationally-speak me into actually working on this? Any words of encouragement?

 (P.S. I had saved these photos into a misplaced file of images from Tumblr... I can't find where I found them. SO either help me out with the credit, or please please forgive me?)

...The forest for the trees...

I need to take stock in the good things when the good moments are happening, so I can fight off all the Winter that builds up inside me. Oh November, please be good to me.

Thanks, faux Jane Austen.

Miss Austen by Amber Barkley

Hello, November.

It's turning out to be a beautiful November.

Monster Mash #31 HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Dear friends,

 I hope you had a marvelous holiday, with minimal sleeping due to the large amount of partying that you were able to put forth. I hope you ate a bathtub full of reeses and twix, and that your teeth do not hurt too much on this, day one of your newly established diet, because this SHOULD be day one of your diet after eating a bathtub full of chocolate.

 Shame on you. Shame.

Happy Halloween.

Monster Mash #30

VIA The Gonce House

The best holiday all year is almost clocking in... the question is: WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO BE FOR HALLOWEEN???

IT'S ALMOST HALLOWEEN!!!!

Monster Mash #29

Scooby Doo monsters are still pretty frightening, despite always REAAAAALY  being Old Man Jenkins in a homemade costume, doomed to curse those meddlesome kids before being carted off to the local lock-down.

Another word concerning bears...

I am so not ok with this. It is the stuff of my personal nightmares, you just know that three days after this video was shot that dude was found in tatters under that stupid yellow chair.

Monster Mash #28

Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954)

My favorite of the monsters.

Monster Mash #27

Here's to the baddest of the baddies. 

At least in my book.

VIA

No making out with the Lich King. Seriously, ladies. Don't even go there.

Monster Mash #26

Well, I'm still terrified of bears.

So there's that.

Monster Mash #25

"The Angels have the phonebox."
The Weeping Angels by far take the cake as the scariest monsters on Dr. Who.
I can't take real-life statues for granted any longer.

VIA

Ugh, heebie-jeebie worthy. They definitely could take on the Daleks any day.

Monster Mash #24

One-Eyed fellows get such a bad rap.

They're probably not that bad.

They just need shirts. Maybe a dignifying spectacle.

VIA

VIA

VIA

VIA

VIA

Monster Mash #23

Guillermo del Toro’s Pale Man, who only feeds of “the blood of innocents”

Pan's Labyrinth: I loved and hated this movie.

It was beautiful.

And terrifying.

I still can't get the Pale Man out of my nightmares.

VIA

Monster Mash #22

When, and if, I get knocked up, I am going to say this to people:

Monster Mash #21

I am not going to lie. I display this poster in my home more proudly than my wedding photos.

Monster Mash #20

Does anyone else truly miss watching the original Digimon? Someday... in the distant distant future, alien archaeologists and theorists will unearth the first season on VHS and base entire religions off of it's seen force of awesome-ness. Children will be born, and proclaimed to be "digidestined", AND THEY WILL CONTROL THE UNIVERSE.

Or we could just go watch it now... netflix?

VIA

Monster Mash #19

The X from Outer Space (Czechoslovakia, 1968)

Monster Mash #18

I might send this to the next friend who gets an STD. Maybe I could shame them into behaving...?

Monster Mash #17

Photographic Genius by Sarolta Ban

Monster Mash #16

VIA

Monster Mash #15

My friend just posted a link to an article about the photographer Charles Fréger, an artist who developed a very unique take on the mythological "Wilder Man".  This idea is based on the still-practiced pagan traditions and rituals. This mythological monster being seems to take on many forms and interpretations, which is fascinating to me. And well-timed for my Monster Mash theme. I enjoy posting images of different types of ghouls and ghosts, but this one in significantly fascinating for me.

Really, I am an odd duck most the time. You are 100% bizarre yourself. So, enjoy my favorite photos from the article (and be sure to click here to see the rest of these remarkable creatures, brought to you though the imaginings of Charles Fréger).

Monster Mash #14

A good book about some bad/good monsters.

Though I think I appreciate it more now than I ever did as a kid.

Who knows?

I must have been into something other than the Babysitter's Club at one point or another.

Though, once you Babysit it up, you don't go back.

It's... a tragic TRAGIC epidemic

P.S. Where The Wild Things Are is a seriously great  movie, as well. It's equally loud and quiet, if you catch my drift. A good ride. Claire V.B.H. gives it two thumbs up, soooo why not watch this month to celebrate all things Monster Mashy?

Monster Mash #13

OH Dracula... What a hunk. A dream beaux even.

Of course, I mean that in the least sparkly, minimal bad acting, and non-be-sweatered way possible.