Halloween Appetizer

Here is my Halloween Treat for all my family and friends who care to watch.  This is a compilation of a bunch of shows that I loved when I was a kid on Halloween.  Some are from when I was not a kid but that doesn't matter.  I hope you enjoy.  Sorry about some being blurry but they are good so you watch.  Happy Halloween. I removed the video player but you can still access it through the link.

Are you Scared of the DarK?

Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society.

Since it is the week of Halloween, I thought it appropriate to talk a little about fear.  We had a game when I was growing up called "Nightmare" in which the players try desperately to go around the board and collect their character keys all while trying to avoid the wrath of the Gatekeeper.  I hated being called a maggot. The game is controlled by a video tape that is playing in the background.  Players race against time in order to beat the Gatekeeper.  At the beginning of the game all players write down their fear on a card and place it in the middle of the board.  Then if you collect all the your keys you are suppose  to go to the middle of the board and face your fear.  Well, actually to win you didn't want to get your fear you wanted someone else so I never really got that part.  The game was rather suspenseful as I recall and I never really liked the paranoid feeling that I got whilst playing it.  But it was a Halloween tradition and in the long run I generally realized I had a good time after it was all said and done.
The reason I bring this up is as stated before is in part because it's Halloween.  It's suppose to be a spooky scary time.  A time when people are suppose to face fear in some respect.  But also I have been think about in great detail lately why I fear the things that I do and how I came to have the fears that I do.  So I thought I would share three.  I have many others but I think that these three are the ones that have caused me the most anxiety.

Did you ever get the feeling that someone was following you?  I think most people feel this way at least once in your life.  The adrenaline starts pumping and you feel your heart will never slow down again.  When I was a younger kid I enjoyed thinking that the moon was following me.  It was a magical feeling that some how you were significant enough to have the moon follow you.  Out of the countless amount of people that it could follow it chose you. That's an amazing feeling. But then I had an experience where I was riding around my nieghborhood on my bike and a car followed me.  I still can remember the eery feeling I had as the car matched pace with my blue bicycle.  I had to lay low in an alleyway for a couple on minutes until they were gone and I could continue my way back home.  I knew they were following me because I went around the block two times in order to check whether they were actually stalking me before I ducked in the alley.  From that time forth, night was no longer a magical time .  The moon was no longer following me and in its place was a dark menacing figure that was after me.  I ran home at night ever since. Even now to this day I make haste when I am walking at night.

I use to love going in Kaybee toys in the mall.  I could get lost in that kingdom of toys and never get bored.  There was a new thing around every turn. My mom would be out shopping which I hated to do with her so I would persistently ask if I could go to Kaybee toys where I could peruse the aisles and just be in toy heaven for a few brief moments.  Again this was a magical time that was soiled by the acts of another.  On one particular day I got an over-zealous employee who creepily announced over the intercom such phrases as "I know what you're doing." and "it's not worth it."  It took me a couple of minutes to recognize that he was addressing me due to the mesmerizing aura permeating the action figure aisle.   In my Teenage Mutant Ninja delirium I left the store way too quickly to not at least appear guilty of his accusations.  But I had done nor thought nothing of the sort.  Kaybee toys was my haven from a tedious day of shopping with mom and now it was ruined.  I don't think I ever went in to the store again without at least my brother with me.  Another incident occured where a store manager followed me out of a gas station and proceeded to question me as to shoplifting from his store after I had just come from paying for some penny candy at the register.  I was angry about this one because he made me empty my pockets and scrounge for a receipt that was not there for my recent transaction.  I got so flusters searching for it which I hadn't recognized that the cashier had not given me one because I spent less than ten cents. He eventually believed me and apologized and I angrily rode my bike off to home.  I can't go into a store anymore without the persistent thought that I somehow might be designated as a shoplifter.  Those cameras are always watching.  I hate those black little objects.  I have never nor never will be a shoplifter.  I'm much to smart to waste my time stealing petty things from stores.  But because of this paranoia I desperately don't want to leave a store without at least having purchased something.  If I happen to leave the store without purchasing anything I have this fear that I will be chased down by some security guard in the parking lot who will try to make me unload my imaginary ill gotten gains.  And if the security alarms on the front doors go off my heart just starts to race regardless of whether I have bought something that he cashier forgot to swipe or it goes off on someone else.  I often have to make it into a joke in order to coup with the anxiety.

My all time fear is pyrophobia.  I have lost so much sleep oer this and if it wasn't for conference talks being on tape and my sister Teri some nights I would have got no sleep as all. I would cringe when the firefighters would come to our school because I knew that for the next little while I would be getting very little sleep at nights.  I wish I could have skipped those assemblies.  What is a new problem spot for me to be on alert about with regards to my house and fire safety?  I watched in horror as the fire crew presented a movie of fires sweeping through a house overtaking all in its path.  I picture my family being consumed by the flames when ever I would close my eyes at night.  I started a nightly routine where I would check the fire danger spots in the home before I would go to bed.  Clear those clothes from around the water heater and while you're at it don't let them be near the furnace either.  Is the oven off?  The list became longer and longer as I my paranoia grew.  Now there can't be clothes on a vent either.  I even got to the point that I was checking each spot more than once per night just to be sure and on especially bad nights I would never stop checking until I crashed some where from sheer exhaustion.  Also if  it was winter outside I would have blankets ready to throw out the window so my family wouldn't freeze in the cold.  It never occured to me that the fire would be plenty of warmth.  My main worry with a fire is that somehow one of my family members would be caught in its blaze and I just couldn't have that.  I had to make sure that everyone was safe.  It was much too big of a job for me at the age that I was to take on.   It also didn't help that Bryan use to light matches right in my face.  Siblings just like to torture each other.  I don't think he ever knew I had such an aversion to it.

So here's the recap.  I hate fire.  I could be type casted as a shoplifter.  And someone is following me.  My fears have wained in their intensity over time which I am grateful for.  I don't think I could subsist on as little of sleep as I sometimes got when I was younger.  The shoplifting one probably will not go away.  I think stores want you to fear shoplifting so those cameras will never stop watching and employees will always be on the look out for the next Bonnie and Clyde.  I don't run as much when it gets dark anymore either.  This is in part because I am quite big and I think I can take care of myself it worse came to worse.  I think we just gradually realize over time that somethings are irrational and we no longer have to fear them quite as much as we did. 
I declare this meeting of the Midnight Society closed.

Riding Refinement.

I have, as of late, joined with my fellow "green"iacs and financially downtrodden individuals to taking part in the local public transportation system. It has led to many some what frustrating and interesting situations. Today, for example I learned that a house near our neighborhood has a secret cock fighting ring. This can not be proven but why on earth would I hear multiple roosters bellowing from a person's garage. I know what Sarah and I are doing this coming weekend. I don't know why this secret excited me so much but I also don't know why Sarah and I spent an hour in my car once with windows cracked, watching three cop cars converge on the apartments across the street to catch some underage drinker or me sitting in the shadows at midnight watching the cops over at naked kid's house solving some domestic dispute. Why is this so fascinating? Why can't I stop myself from trying to find out what is going on? But I'm off topic now.
On these treks up to campus, I have also caught a small taste of what Logan is. The bus has such a conglomeration of individuals that ride the large and ungainly vehicle that many may not expect. Where else can one sit next to your professor or boss, converse with an old high school friend that you haven't seen in years, get verbally assaulted by the twelvies wearing the latest digs from Hot Topic (since when is the president a pop-culture figure), or receive sage advice from bumper stickers plastering the back of an electric wheel chair.
I feel connected with Logan more now that I take the bus on a regular basis. I am now more aware of what is going on in the community because within the walls of the bus not only is there countless gossip to eavesdrop on (as stated before I just can't help myself when it comes to other peoples secrets) but there are multiple signs reminding all to "Vote Today" or invitations to explore other local events. I also witness the driving habits of my fellow Loganites. I just don't know what it is about buses but ever since our honeymoon, I can't help but get mental images of cars careening into the side of the bus. It's a bit terrifying and suspenseful.
Okay you may be wondering what has caused me to decide to ride the bus. Was it money or environment? Come on and take a guess. Both are excellent reasons to switch but I have to say it is principle that caused me to change. With USU charging more for a parking pass this year than they did last year, I just couldn't take it anymore. The B lot parking is already exorbitant. There isn't just a Fall semester pass for the economy lot. And not to mention that USU now is one B lot less this year due to the move of the tennis courts. It's ridiculous. Parking is a precious commodity that was already limited and I just did not wish to take part in their game anymore. So it's the walk to the closest bus stop, drive to Smith's and getting on the bus, bike (Please don't ask. I had derailleur problems that led to a lot of pain), or coax Sarah into being a peach and giving me a ride on up.
I have come to have a fondness for the local bus. It fills my days with rays of sunshine when I take it. I can't help but get off and smile at the experiences I just took part in. Yes, it is frustrating when your bus driver is standing outside the bus making a pass on a girl but it is alright. Bus drivers need love too. Sure the bus should have left ten minutes ago. Maybe we passengers could be more understanding of the bus drivers needs instead of banging on the windows and shouting out profanities to get the bus drivers attention. That is the lesson I have gained while riding the bus.

Flipnote

This weekend I decided to take a stroll in the Nintendo DSi shop to see if anything new was available. I haven't checked it in a long time and was delighted to see that they had added a new free application. It's quite a nifty little application that allows you to produce your own flip note animations. Here are some of the ones that I have done in the past couple of days. Enjoy.

This is my first animation that I did in the program.




Here's a shout out to our friends in Cleveland.




And finally since birthday month is coming up I thought that this would be appropriate.



And finally since birthday month is coming up I thought that this would be appropriate.

HAPPEE BIRTHDAE HARRY

On July 30 at exactly six o'clock we celebrated Harry Potter's birthday. He actually was born on the 31st but due to several reasons we were unable to have it on this date. It was very simple this time as compared to what we have done in the past. For the last movie we had a party for each movie on consecutive nights to prepare us for the Order of the Phoenix. Each night was themed around the other movies. This night was very calm with us just playing a few Harry Potter based games and eating some Horcrux cake and ice cream.
Just a little about the cake. It was completely homemade and shaped. Most of the body is made from cake with the head being made from fruity pebble crispies. I forgot to flour the pans of the cakes so I had to do a great deal of frosting and smoothing to get the snake to look this smooth. Sarah helped out quite a bit with the last layer of frosting because I was so tired of it by the time we came to the last layer. I know we should have used fondant but it was quite the accomplishment after it was finished. Most of the other horcurxes were made with gum paste. I had tried doing them all in starbursts before I switched to gum paste because the starburst just wouldn't hold their shape. Hufflepuff's cup, Slytherin's ring and Locket, The Daily Prophet featuring the Headline "The Chosen One", and the snake scales where hand painted with a mixture of food coloring and peppermint oil. Jewels for the ring and diadem were made from hard candy that we had obtained from our Japan trip. Slytherin's locket is the only one at the end that is made from starbursts. It was a great deal of work but we had a time at the party even though it was small.

Half Blood, Full Betrayed

Yes, Harry hold your head in shame. Last November, I came out with a blog displaying my disappointment with Warner Brothers for delaying the Harry Potter movies solely on the fact of money. I also voiced my opinion that I was afraid that I would be disappointed with the changes the writer had made with the movie. Here are a few of the things that I said: The truth is this. They jerked us around. They set a release date and made trailers and sent out the information in all the magazines and then when we Potter maniacs thought all was well they came in like a heartless mistress and ripped our hearts out of chest.
Another things is I afraid that when I finally sit down in the seat on opening night of Harry Potter. I will be disappointed. I was disappointed once when it came to Harry Potter movies and have since that time never really trusted again. This was in the case of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban which is by far my favorite of all the books. I really had a hard time with the movie due to the fact that they left a lot unexplained and that troubled me. I have a feeling that this might happen with this movie because some of the vital Tom Riddle memories will not be making an appearance in the movie. They have also added a Death Eater attack on the Burrow scene which doesn't happen until the last book.
This all held true too this movie as well. I left the theater just a little bit disappointed. I had spent the day before doing an exhaustive internet search on reviews of the movie. I'm glad I did because I knew what was coming. I had found out that some vital scenes at the end of the book had been cut from the movie due to budget and redundancy. SPOILER ALERT. Proceed only if you have seen the movie or don't care to have the news before hand. They cut the battle scene at the end of this book due to the fact that there would be another battle at Hogwarts in the last movie. Not to talk bad about the books but redundacny does happen. Every year follows the same pattern except for maybe the third year. Harry starts at the Dursley's, he then goes to school, they play Quidditch or some other sport activity happens three times, and Voldemort shows up and Harry has to fight him off. Redundancy is inevitable. This is what sarah replied shen I posed this theory to her, "It's like saying I'm sick of these wands popping up in every scene and Who's this Dumbledore guy that's up in everyone's business- redundant. Also, they add a Burrow attack scene which as stated before also happens in the last book- redundant. Needless to say, my general feelings about the show are this. The show took too much time playing up the romances between Hermione and Ron and Ginny and Harry (which was very flat and Ginny wasn't very good) and the teenage hormones (trying to compete with Twilight) and far less time trying to give Harry an understanding of who Voldemort is and what his weaknesses are. This is the whole premise of the book. It is a transfer of the reins from Dumbledore to Harry and if I was Harry and had the respondsibility of killing Voldemort and all I was given was the information that I got from this movie I would be screwed. Another thing that bugged me is that it seemed that they decreased the screen time of some of the Main adult characters and I was led to believe that this was die to budget since that is the only explanation that Warner Brothers has given me to explain why they do anything. I did however enjoy Professor Slughorn. I thought Jim Broadbent did very well. I understand that the movies can't be exactly like the books. It's just a fact that happens even though we wish it didn't. But movie required too much prior knowledge to fill in the gaps that I don't understand how anyone who hasn't read the book could have enjoy it. It would leave me hanging in several spots. The writer, instead of using the book's very easy way of putting the scenes together, decided to do something different and it came across as convoluted. It was like he took scenes from the book, wrote them on a paper, and placed them in a hat (apparently, not the Sorting Hat). He then withdrew them one by one and laced the scenes in a way that kind of destoryed the structure of the film for me. I am excited for the next two movies and my hope is that they make up for the blunder that they have done. They will have to invest a lot of time in the next to explain things they could have just done in this movie. Also, Sarah and I both enjoyed the film until the last twenty minutes where everything just fell apart. They had built up the whole time making us feel that something was going to happen. Which we wanted because the real action scene in the movie was the burrow. What a disappointment. The emotion weight didn't translate from the book to the screen. There was a disconnect. Overall, we hope the next two movies do a better job.

Make your own Countdown Clocks

My Trip Down the Mountain

A couple of weeks ago Sarah, Shannon, Brian, and I decided to go down the canal since Shannon and Brian would be moving out to Cleveland and this might be the last time they could go. It was indeed a very good day for a trip down the canal and I was excited to go. My excitement out weighed my judgement because I should have seen the signs that it was going to end in tears.
Here is a list of signs that this wasn't going to be a good canal ride:
1- Couldn't find tubes due to garage being cleaned recently
2- Couldn't find pump to fill tubes so I could check for holes at home.
3- Went to store to buy pump that was on sale and have to go to customer service because cashier doesn't want to do her job and check the sale price.
4- After an half an hour we still have only one tube filled which was filled already. We attribute the failure to the cheap pump.
5- Go to partake of free air at Foothill gas station. We find that it is no longer free and is also busy.
6- Proceed to 7-eleven because we don't want to go cross town. We find that air is 75 cents now
which we pay for three times. Results- Still have only one tube filled due to the rest having holes.
7- Go to Shopko to purchase tube repair kit. I was unable to locate the much needed glue kit so had to settle for a cheap non-glue kit.
8- Patch a few tubes and go cross town to Chevron to partake in free air. Halfway during the tube refills Man takes nozzle from us to fill his tires. We promptly tell him we are not finished and he promptly takes over. After a few minutes we just let him fill his tires and wait to finish our tubes. Results: Two tubes filled one with a patch. Also, Sarah gets sprayed by one tube due to patch not holding.
9- Decide to buy one tube. Total tubes now: two for us one with a patch, one from Shannon and Brian and one recently purchased one.
10- Keyless entry to my car placed in Shannon and Brian's car at First Dam.
11- Get to drop off and find that patched tube has deflated. Shannon and Brian agree to share the big recently purchased tube.
12- I leave them at drop off and park car 100 feet up road. I lock my key in my car and walk back to find them walking towards me. Sharing of tube had failed.
13- Brainstorming session- Hitchhike back down or I walk while the rest ride down the canal. The last suggestion was mine and due to everything else and my stubborness I won't back down and this is the decision that we take.
14- I walk for forty minutes and decide I am tired of walking on numb feet and uneven canal bottom. Brian offers tube and I find it difficult to ride due to not being able to maintain my balance. I get fed up and start looking for a way down.
15- Brian and I decide to go down together we send word with another group to tell Sarah and Shannon that we went down and not to wait.
16- Brian and I make our way down the mountain with me taking the lead. Initial problems: numb feet and flipflops for hiking boots . Encounters: A huge rock that I put my trust in and it takes me down the mountain for a ride, a rusty piece a metal jutting out mountain a few feet from where I stopped after rock slide and a lone deflated tube (apparently others had problems as well). Last twenty feet are too steep to walk down so we have to slide along with rocks which was enjoyable until we started to stop. Results after descent: My legs bloodied and scrapped from huge rock ride and the rock grinding me against the mountain and back of swim trunks ripped baring my butt. Luckily shirt covers this hole.
17- Brian and I walk back to First Dam and meet Sarah and Shannon.
18- Sarah and Shannon have one tube explode as soon as they reached the pull out for trail at First Dam.
19- I take a shower and spend the next forty five minutes pulling gravel from my leg.
20- Fancy Sandwiches that Shannon and Brian made for lunch had the bag open and got wet from melted ice in cooler. We cook them in oven to salvage them. They were delicious regardless.
And there you have it the perfect way to enjoy a tubing experience with friends. I have learned and relearned a few lessons from it. First, listen to my wife because she didn't want to go all day long and tried to find some other activity for us to do so we wouldn't have to. And second, Don't be stubborn enough to notice that when your having a bad day don't press your luck.