Day 31

Halloween

Halloween night is finally here! The day started out a bit stressful when the power went out at my house for half the day! But tonight I dressed up as Rapunzel again only this time, I did the version of her where her hair is all braided and full of flowers. It took me 2 hours to do but it was worth it to see the look on the younger trick or treaters faces. Some of the little girls gasped when they saw me and exclaimed "Rapunzel!" I had a Pasqual doll saftey pinned to my shoulder which all the boy trick or treaters kept saying they really liked. I got lots of compliments and it was a lot of fun, seeing that magic feeling for some of the littler kids that I was really Rapunzel brought to life. It made my night that they recognized me and got so excited about it. It made me feel like I wanted to work at Disneyland as a princess there.

After passing out some candy for a while, I went to a friends house for a Halloween party where we danced, ate candy, told stories, and watched the movie, "The Fourth Kind" (super freaky btw). I didn't have a camera so I only had my phone to use to take photos. But it was an amazing night and an amazing month. Thanks again to all who participated with me this month and tuned in to this blog. May the next year bring you joy and excitement, and happy Halloween :)

Song of the Day: Dead Kennedys “Halloween”

Day 30

Wear Something Festive

Wear something festive to work, school, or church. Today I wore these witch earrings from Avon.

Song of the Day: Siouxsie And The Banshees “Spellbound”

Day 29

Series Premiere of Grimm

The fairy tales have always fascinated me in a haunting sort of way cautionary tales usually do, and I"m not talking about the so-called "Disney/happy ending" versions, I'm talking about the real stories how they were originally written. That's why when I saw the previews for a new show called Grimm, I knew I had to check it out. I know, I know, the premiere was yesterday, but since I was occupied all day (i.e. the dance), the Grimm premiere is my day 29. So far I'm loving the premise. Every episode features a case inspired from one of the over 200 Grimm fairy tales in a modern day setting. Oh and p.s. it's filmed near Portland, OR, which is only my hometown! (Portland has been making a name for itself in the film and television industry the last few years, just to brag ;)) I hope it does well because I think it has a lot of promise.

Song of the Day: The Eurythmics "Sweet Dreams"

Day 28

Halloween Dance Take 2

Massive dance. Awesome costumes. Halloween. Go.

We got invited to a MAJOR Halloween dance in Rancho Cordova. It was the biggest party for all Northern CA YSA's. I went as...

 Rapunzel from Disney's "Tangled!"

The process wasn't as hard as you might think. I bought a grip (yes I said grip!) of hair extensions (to go with my newly dyed blonde hair, though some of the pieces were soo blonde that they made my hair look duller in comparison. But you get the gist). And the main dress I borrowed from a friend. It worked out pretty fantastically if I do say so myself.










I knew months ago that I might want to be her at some point this year. Then my friends Vicky and Maggie, and I decided if would be fun to all go as Disney princess's/character. My brother came with us too as a 

lumberjack.

 

Vicky was Cinderella and Maggie was a Muse.

 We had a fantastical time :)

Song of the Day: Michael Jackson "Thriller"

Day 27

 Video Trick

It's 3D
It's awesome!
It's 40 seconds long and totally worth it!

And it's fun for Halloween

Song of the Day: Metallica “For Whom the Bell Tolls”

Day 26

Admire Pumpkin Handiwork 

Today I stumbled upon some amazing pumpkin carvings and I realized what an art form it truly is. I didn't get to carve a pumpkin of my own this year. Sigh. But I love seeing what others can do with their pumpkins. Here are some favorites of mine:    

(for Maggie!)

I don't know how they do it! The Gollum one wasn't one of my favorites but I had to slide it in there to rep my LOTR love ;)

Song of the Day: DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince “Nightmare of My Street”

Day 25

Pirates of Emerson

What is pirates of Emerson you might ask? Well it's only the greatest haunted house attraction this side of the west coast! (no really, it was rated one of the best haunted houses on travel channel). This year was my fourth year in a row going. It's become a tradition that I always look forward to. This year we had 3 Pirates virgins with us. Here's how it all went down:

  http://piratesofemerson.com/

Song of the Day: Kevin MacLeod “Dance of Deception"

Day 24

Scary Stories: "The Hook"

Excerpted from Spooky Campfire Tales

retold by S.E. Schlosser

(This one's a classic)

The reports had been on the radio all day, though she hadn't paid much attention to them. Some crazy man had escaped from the state asylum. They were calling him the Hook Man since he had lost his right arm and had it replaced with a hook. He was a killer, and everyone in the region was warned to keep watch and report anything suspicious. But this didn't interest her. She was more worried about what to wear on her date.

After several consultation calls with friends, she chose a blue outfit in the very latest style and was ready and waiting on the porch when her boyfriend came to pick her up in his car. They went to a drive-in movie with another couple, then dropped them off and went parking in the local lover's lane. The blue outfit was a hit, and she cuddled close to her boyfriend as they kissed to the sound of romantic music on the radio.

Then the announcer came on and repeated the warning she had heard that afternoon. An insane killer with a hook in place of his right hand was loose in the area. Suddenly, the dark, moonless night didn't seem so romantic to her. The lover's lane was secluded and off the beaten track. A perfect spot for a deranged mad-man to lurk, she thought, pushing her amorous boyfriend away. 

"Maybe we should get out of here," she said. "That Hook Man sounds dangerous." 

"Awe, c'mon babe, it's nothing," her boyfriend said, trying to get in another kiss. She pushed him away again. 

"No, really. We're all alone out here. I'm scared," she said. 

They argued for a moment. Then the car shook a bit, as if something…or someone…had touched it. She gave a shriek and said: "Get us out of here now!" 

"Jeeze," her boyfriend said in disgust, but he turned the key and went roaring out of the lover's lane with a screeching of his tires. 

They drove home in stony silence, and when they pulled into her driveway, he refused to help her out of the car. He was being so unreasonable, she fumed to herself. She opened the door indignantly and stepped into her driveway with her chin up and her lips set. Whirling around, she slammed the door as hard as she could. And then she screamed. 

Her boyfriend leapt out of the car and caught her in his arms. "What is it? What's wrong?" he shouted. Then he saw it. A bloody hook hung from the handle of the passenger-side door.

(p.s. does anyone else think the boyfriend in this story is a kind of a douche?)

Song of the Day: AFI "Miss Murder"

Day 23

Watch Home Movies

We all have em, those embarrassing home movies featuring bad haircuts, awkward behavior and outdated fashions. Then again, those things are what makes them so much fun to watch! And let me tell ya, in our house we have some doozies of home movies, like cake taking embarrassing (i.e. the book report video...G, K, A, B, you know what I mean). Well what else can you do but embrace them, and what better a time to bust out the old Halloween footage than this time of year! Here's a old Halloween movie we made on a whim from a few years ago:

Song of the Day: Milton DeLugg “The Whip”

Day 22

Read A Book: The Picture of Dorian Gray

I first heard of the character of Dorian Gray when I was a kid and I saw the movie, "A League of Extraordinary Gentlemen." The movie was fine but what I really liked most about it, was how it used infamous characters from literature and brought them together. Years later, some friends and I were at a used bookstore, and one of them had mentioned that "Dorian Gray" was one really good book. I found a copy and decided to buy it right then and there (in a swanky cool hard copy I might add). I read the book and really liked it as well. It's a somewhat eerie and cautionary tale that at times gets your heart racing. I would recommend it if you ever get the chance. Fun fact, it's the only novels published by famed poet and author, Oscar Wilde. 

Song of the Day: Flyleaf "Fully Alive"

Day 21

Watch an Exorcism Movie

Tonight I watched "Exorcist: The Beginning" with some friends. I have to say, it didn't quite tickle my fancy (actually it tickled me in a way that made me laugh because I thought it was that dumb of a movie). Maybe it was the over the top effects, or the ridiculous story line (there is a scene where a butterfly flies out of this guys mouth and his first reaction on how to deal with it is to shoot himself in the head. Really dude, that's your first thought?) I just did not find the movie to be very scary at all and that disappointed me. The scariest scene for me was when the cross was found upside down behind a priest back. One of my friends and I came to the conclusion that we find the more subtle touches to be more scary and suspenseful rather than obvious monsters and caroonish demons. The more realistic the story line of a scary movie, the more scared I get because I know that there are things out there that can really happen like that. Personally, the scariest "exorcism" movie that I've ever seen was "The Last Exorcism of Emily Rose", a movie full of subtle and scary innuendos and taken-from-real-life accounts of possession and evil spirits at work. But then again I haven't seen a whole lot of exorcism movies, so who knows. What's your guy's favorite exorcism movie and why? I'd be curious to know.

Song of the Day: Charlie Daniels Band "The Devil Went Down to Georgia"

Day 20

Halloween "Monster Eyes" Manicure

Hello again folks. Today I decided to get creative (and girly) and give myself a Halloween manicure. I made this one up as I went and will explain the step by step process for how to recreate it yourself.
Here's what you will need:
 

• Black and red nail polish
• Cuticle sticks/nail filer
• Clear topcoat polish
• Nail polish remover/paper towel

Begin with a clean slate (that means nails of course) and paint on two coats of black nail polish, making sure to let each coat cry thoroughly.

Next take your red polish and dip a few drops onto a paper plate or towel. Take your cuticle tool (or even nail filer, though just a heads up, the nail filer is more difficult to use), and drop on the upper right center of your first nail. Picture where you would imagine eyes to be! In a swift swooshing motion, flare the drop to its outer corner. This will create that slanted eye look that you often find glowing from shadows in cartoons and movies. Repeat the drop and swoosh as I like to call it, on the left side of the same nail. And wallah! You have two lurking red eyes. Do this for each nail until your whole hand is finished. Let them fully dry then add a clear top coat for a polished look.

 

It's pretty simple! I hope my instructions are clear enough; maybe I'll make a video tutorial if there is enough interest. Hope you enjoy :)

Song of the Day: Meg and Dia "Monsters"

Day 19

Read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

This one is such a classic and catches the essence of the season so perfectly. It was written by Washington Irving in 1820. The Disney film as a kid use to both scare and fascinate me.

You can read the actual story in it's entirety here at:

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/41/41-h/41-h.htm

 

(Sleepy Hollow Farm)

Song of the Day: Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Heads Will Roll"

Day 18

Corn Maze

Okay, I know I did this last year, but it's too good of a tradition to not blog about twice :)

It's the great pumpkin!

In the maze

 Train ride :)

Song of the Day: Jem "They"

Day 17

Day 16

The Walking Dead Season Premiere

I...

love...

this...

show...

I never really got the whole zombie thing. In fact, I thought it was downright corny, not scary. But around this time last year, my friend Eric told me that they scared them more than any other fictional monster. He said their numbers in large groups and their mindless lack of control and brutal need to kill was what made them so eerie. Around this time I kept seeing commercials for this new show coming out, "The Walking Dead." Since I was doing 31 days, I checked it out.

I was not disappointed.

It was the most realistic zombie footage I had ever seen that made me feel a fear for these "walkers" that I had always underestimated. I've been a fan ever since and I would very highly recommend it. Season 2 premiered today and it too did not disappoint. It's such a good show because it's both, stand up in your seat scary, and very well written.

I always want more of it.

Song of the Day: Rob Zombie "Dragula"

Day 15

Halloween Dance

I love Halloween (duh). I love to dance. Combining the two was day 15 this year when I went to a Halloween dance put on by my church's YSA group. And what did I go as you might be wondering? I went as Sally from "The Nightmare Before Christmas!" It's no secret from those who really know me how much I love Jack and Sally and that whole movie. And when my ambitious plans to go as x-men characters with my friends fell through at the last minute, Sally's song kept playing in my mind (literally it was stuck in my head all the night before). It was the perfect alternative. Alas I didn't have the costume and wouldn't have bought one if I could. I found that all the Sally costumes available for purchase to be too bright and cartoonish for who Sally really is. So the day of the party my mother and I went out for the hunt, for anything that I could morph into my favorite "rag doll." Goodwill and Johann's provided neat finds for a base dress and fabrics that I intended to sow onto it. I only had a few hours to put it together so I didn't get to perfect it as much as I would have liked. But everyone really seemed to love my realistic interpretation (I don't mean to brag but I was quite impressed with myself!). Here's how it all went down:

All I did for the make up was combine white and blue face paint and applied it all over my body. I used liquid eyeliner for stitching and applied fake doll lashes to my top eyelids.

Everyone's costumes were fantastic!

Scenes from inside the amazing homemade haunted house...

  ...and it's scary scarers

The friends and family...

                           

And yes we like to dance!

 

At the end of the night we went to out to dinner. Costumes and all :)

Song of the Day: Danny Elfman "Sally's Song"