The Night's Plutonian Shore

The Friday Five... even though it's still Thursday here.

2009-11-06T04:20:30Z

thefridayfive
1) Which one is more irritating- being too hot or being too cold? Hot, definitely. I hate being hot. If I'm cold I can just grab a sweater or a blanket or sit by the heater or hearth. Not so much when you're hot.
2) Were you born in the winter or the summer? Neither. There are four seasons. I was born in spring.
3) What are your favourite foods to eat when you need to warm up and cool down? I don't like to eat when I'm hot. But something fruity and icy is always good. And when I'm cold, I love soup/chili.
4) Which one are you more likely to suffer from- hayfever or flu- and does it run in your family? Both. And yes.
5) You are granted a day of perfect weather whenever you like. What day do you place it on and why? Doesn't matter aside from the stipulation that I don't have to work. The weather, though, should be upper 60s/low 70s and partly cloudy, with low pollen counts and low humidity. And a nice breeze. Autumnal.

Mary Travers, dead at 72; cancer.

2009-09-17T04:23:47Z

RIP, Mary.

PP&M were a huge part of my childhood musical education. I watched the specials on PTV, listened to their music on tapes, records, (and eventually) cds. I learned how to harmonize by singing Peter, Paul & Mary songs with my mom (and Simon & Garfunkel songs, too).

Puff the Magic Dragon - completely innocent, and any relatedness to drug use completely accidental (as far as I'm concerned) was one of my favorite songs as a kid.

I love the way these three people sound together. I love Mary's warm alto voice.

My current mix CD in my car has PP&M's Leaving on a Jet Plane on it. Ma and I just sang along with it this evening.

Video Game Capital of the World

2009-08-17T21:45:26Z

Mostly gone are the video game arcades. Times were, you could plug a couple quarters (or a bunch of quarters) into a machine and go for the gold. Your buddies would gather around behind you, offering an assortment of advice, uncalled-for commentary, and heckling. Or, better yet, you could play Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat and kick their sorry asses into pixelated oblivion. At least, if you were a guy. In crowds of both guys and girls, the guys seemed to dominate the video games, while the girls watched. It was kind of a "guy thing" back in the '80s/'90s.

I remember playing arcade games with friends at the (now long-gone) roller skating rink; and occasionally playing at the arcade in the mall. I couldn't tell you the names of most of the games, but I know if I played them, I'd probably remember. (Actually, I do remember playing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mortal Kombat and Pac Man).

Video games were never really a big part of my life, though. Even though I (unknowingly) grew up in the "video game capital of the world."

Yes, a small Iowa city surrounded by corn fields and soy beans. Home to Radar O'Reiley and Tom Arnold. Video Game Capital of the World, home of Twin Galaxies, hopeful future home of the International Video Game Museum.

The idea of a hall of fame in Ottumwa dates back to the early 1980s, when video games first began attracting large audiences, and virtually every town had an arcade.

Ottumwa seemed a natural fit, having been declared the video game capital of the world. That was due in large part to Twin Galaxies, the Ottumwa arcade that morphed into the official record keeper for video games internationally.

But the idea faded as video games moved out of arcades and into homes.

However, recent movies that track the history of video game competition have renewed interest, and a steering committee is working to make a hall of fame in Ottumwa a reality.

[Walter Day (left), classic game champ Steve Sanders (center) and Billy Mitchell (right).]

Walter Day, Twin Galaxies’ founder, is perhaps the movement’s loudest voice.

“I think if you get down to the core of what this story is all about, it is quite extraordinary,” he said. “It’s the amazing story of a small town trying to change its destiny and become the Cooperstown of the video game industry. It’s a pretty bold move, attempting something that you’d normally expect a major metropolis like Tokyo or Los Angeles to tackle.”

People lined up to take shots at Donkey Kong, Punch-Out, even Space Invaders. They tried some of the earliest game consoles, rows of teens who were born a decade after Pac Man was off the shelves. Players who have never had to ask, “Who is Mario?”

To Judd Saul this was pretty close to heaven. He produced “Frag,” a 2008 film about professional gaming. He was stunned to be asked why he was at the Video Game Hall of Fame launch party, looking like he genuinely had never considered being anywhere else.

“Every fan of something needs a Graceland,” he said. “Ottumwa and the Video Game Hall of Fame is going to be video gaming’s Graceland.”

David Moreno wasn’t going to argue. He’s a longtime fan of the Nintendo boxing series “Punch-Out,” which just debuted a new version on the Wii. He was happy to plunk down in front of the television and play the original for a few minutes.

“I just like boxing,” he explained. “You might as well play a game where you can bully the bullies back. Any time I feel angry I can play this to get it out.”

Ottumwa’s designation as the video game capitol of the world goes back to the early 1980s. That was when playing a video game meant plunking quarters into a machine in front of people, risking endless razzing from friends if you botched a round of Q*Bert.

The focus faded with the rise of home game consoles like Nintendo and PlayStation and the slow death of arcades. Things stayed dormant through much of the 1990s and the early part of this century. But a series of new films about competitive game playing caught people’s attention, and they each paid tribute to Ottumwa’s role in early competitions.

Those films provided the push to get Ottumwa seriously into the mix again. Now the goal isn’t just publicity, it’s a permanent home for the classic games and the best players in the world.

Billy Mitchell, one of the players likely to find his way in when the hall begins inductions, was on hand when the first public presentation of the committee pushing for the hall started meeting last winter. He was pleased but not necessarily surprised at the mass turnout on Thursday.

“There was 30-40 people [at that first meeting],” he said. “Now there might be 10 times that.”

The estimate might be pretty close, especially given the way people kept coming and going throughout the afternoon and early evening. Mitchell and other gaming celebrities attracted a steady stream of autograph seekers wherever they went in the center. And they always obliged.

The most obvious gamer of those celebrities was Triforce, who wore a 1980s Nintendo Power Glove on his right hand. The name comes from a relic in “The Legend of Zelda,” a game for the original Nintendo Entertainment System. Triforce is a serious gamer and legally changed his name to match the gaming lore.

He wants to see Ottumwa follow through with the hall of fame. The city’s contributions to gaming culture and the origins of competitive video game playing give it the right to host the hall.

“Everything needs a foundation,” he said. “Ottumwa, Iowa is that foundation.”

(source)

More info from the Ottumwa Courier:
here, and here, and here
Ottumwa

MSNBC
EmpireArcadia
fatal1ty(TriForce and Fatal1ty were both at the 08/13 event.)

I'm sure just about everybody has stories from the arcade - feel free to share them.

angiealight @ 2009-08-16T23:47:00

2009-08-17T05:02:49Z

"... the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all."

From Ecclesiastes to Hamlet to 1960s protest songs and 80s country songs to Greek gods... it's amazing where watching Star Trek can lead you.

The Eagle has Landed

2009-07-21T02:34:39Z

Forty years ago today, mankind took its first steps on the moon. I put zero stock in conspiracy theories and naysayers claiming that monumental event to be false.

Thinking of it now, I wonder... have we lost that pioneering spirit? Did it die with the 1960s? Why do we no longer reach forth to new horizons? Why do not return to the moon? Why do we not delve beneath the oceans?

Money of course, would be a factor. As well as the people crying out to take care of "home first." Things will always be expensive; there will be poor always. There has been and will be no time on this planet that there have not been hungry, lost, frightened people. This is not a pessimist sentiment on my part. And it's not that I don't care about the plight of humanity, I do.

There is nothing that currently fires today's society more than a scandal. It's not a scientific discovery. It's not a thing of significant historical import. It's someone else's mess. It's Lindsay Lohan's flagging career. It's a politician's infidelity. It's the stupid, inane, mundane.

When I look back at the accomplishments and events of the 20th century and compare them to today, I'm ashamed of my generation.

We've lost the will to go forth and see what's beyond the next horizon. Maybe we think we are what's beyond the horizon. Well, my friends, we are not. Do me a favor. Step away from your computer. Turn off the lights. Go outside and look at the moon and the stars. Tell me that the idea of leaving this troubled planet isn't compelling.

What's out there? I think, on the whole, we care less about finding it out for ourselves than making up stories about it. It's easier, and a darn sight cheaper to read a novel or see a movie (or for that matter, produce those things) than to actually voyage out amongst the stars.

We've been to the ends of the earth. We've been to the moon. What is there left to find? I think we have only scratched the surface. On a seemingly suddenly optimistic note, I do believe that in my lifetime, we will return to the moon.

We've had that giant leap; it's time for one more small step.

angiealight @ 2009-07-18T13:13:00

2009-07-18T18:16:21Z

Go take a look at this flickr set: 21st century warning signs :D

My allergy medication is really bringing me down and making it hard to get going in the morning. I take it usually around 11:00 PM, about an hour or two before bed. I also have been having strange dreams with this antihistamine. And my head is sore and congested. Ugh. It's Iowa allergy season. Can't win.

photo + article: Migrant Mother

2009-07-17T23:21:05Z

(By Thelma Gutierrez and Wayne Drash
CNN)
MODESTO, California (CNN) -- The photograph became an icon of the Great Depression: a migrant mother with her children burying their faces in her shoulder. Katherine McIntosh was 4 years old when the photo was snapped. She said it brought shame -- and determination -- to her family.

"I wanted to make sure I never lived like that again," says McIntosh, who turns 77 on Saturday. "We all worked hard and we all had good jobs and we all stayed with it. When we got a home, we stayed with it."

McIntosh is the girl to the left of her mother when you look at the photograph. The picture is best known as "Migrant Mother," a black-and-white photo taken in February or March 1936 by Dorothea Lange of Florence Owens Thompson, then 32, and her children.

Lange was traveling through Nipomo, California, taking photographs of migrant farm workers for the Resettlement Administration. At the time, Thompson had seven children who worked with her in the fields.

"She asked my mother if she could take her picture -- that ... her name would never be published, but it was to help the people in the plight that we were all in, the hard times," McIntosh says.

"So mother let her take the picture, because she thought it would help."

The next morning, the photo was printed in a local paper, but by then the family had already moved on to another farm, McIntosh says.

"The picture came out in the paper to show the people what hard times was. People was starving in that camp. There was no food," she says. "We were ashamed of it. We didn't want no one to know who we were."

The photograph helped define the Great Depression, yet McIntosh says her mom didn't let it define her, although the picture "was always talked about in our family."

"It always stayed with her. She always wanted a better life, you know."

Her mother, she says, was a "very strong lady" who liked to have a good time and listen to music, especially the yodeler named Montana Slim. She laughs when she recalls her brothers bringing home a skinny greyhound pooch. "Mom, Montana Slim is outside," they said.

Thompson rushed outside. The boys chuckled. They had named the dog after her favorite musician.

"She was the backbone of our family," McIntosh says of her mom. "We never had a lot, but she always made sure we had something. She didn't eat sometimes, but she made sure us children ate. That's one thing she did do."

Her memories of her youth are filled with about 50 percent good times, 50 percent hard times.

It was nearly impossible to get an education. Children worked the fields with their parents. As soon as they'd get settled at a school, it was time to pick up and move again.

Her mom would put newborns in cotton sacks and pull them along as she picked cotton. The older kids would stay in front, so mom could keep a close eye on them. "We would pick the cotton and pile it up in front of her, and she'd come along and pick it up and put it in her sack," McIntosh says.

They lived in tents or in a car. Local kids would tease them, telling them to clean up and bathe. "They'd tell you, 'Go home and take a bath.' You couldn't very well take a bath when you're out in a car [with] nowhere to go."

She adds, "We'd go home and cry."

McIntosh now cleans homes in the Modesto, California, area. She's proud of the living she's been able to make -- that she has a roof over her head and has been able to maintain a job all these years. She says her obsession to keep things clean started in her youth when her chore was to keep the family tent clean. There were two white sheets that she cleaned each day.

"Even today, when it comes to cleaning, I make sure things are clean. I can't stand dirty things," she says with a laugh.

With the nation sinking into tough economic times and analysts saying the current economic crisis is the worst since the Great Depression, McIntosh says if there's a lesson to be learned from her experience it is to save your money and don't overextend yourself.

"People live from paycheck to paycheck, even people making good money," she says. "Do your best to make sure it doesn't happen again. Elect the people you think is going to do you good."

Her message for President-elect Barack Obama is simple: "Think of the middle-class people."

She says she'll never forget the lessons of her hard-working mother, who died at the age of 80 in 1983. Her gravestone says: "Migrant Mother: A Legend of the strength of American motherhood."

"She was very strict, but very loving and caring. She cared for us all," McIntosh says.
source

Celeb-deaths

2009-06-26T00:43:09Z

Ok, so probably everybody knows about Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett both passing away today. (And Ed McMahon yesterday or the day before.) I was at work today, and didn't know until I got home.

He was never a huge musical influence in my life, but - like a good chunk of America - he was a definite presence.

That is the Michael Jackson I will miss. The musician and showman of the 70s and 80s. What a sad life he had.

And Farrah was before my time, although I did watch Charlie's Angels reruns on occasion.

Ed McMahon I mostly remember from "Bloopers and Practical Jokes" and the Publisher's Clearinghouse commercials -- and, of course, from The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

And it's like the NYC blackout of '77 over at ohnotheydidnt and ontd.

Fraggle Rock Comics!

2009-06-25T02:35:35Z

EXCLUSIVE: ‘Fraggle Rock’ To Be First (Of Many) Jim Henson Company Comics With Archaia Press

This week, Archaia Comics and the Jim Henson Company confirmed rumors of a potential partnership between the two creative companies, and offered official word that the pair would be publishing new comic book series and graphic novels based on popular properties like “The Dark Crystal,” “Labyrinth” and “Mirrormask.” And while this news on its own should be enough to excite fans of Henson’s varied and much beloved library, the pair also offered Splash Page readers the exclusive announcement regarding which property will be the first to hit shelves.

“‘Fraggle Rock’ is going to be the first book that we launch,” Archaia’s Director of Development, Stephen Christy, told MTV News. “We’re launching with ‘Fraggle Rock’ and other titles will be forthcoming.”

The “Fraggle Rock” news has been the stuff of rumors since Christy posted a cropped image on Twitter last month and hinted that the quickly identified image from the popular Henson property had something to do with the publisher’s “next big announcement.”

According to the Jim Henson Company’s Director of Publishing and Development, Joe LeFavi (who will serve as story editor on all the books), the titles coming out of the partnership will not be adaptations, but instead involve original stories based on existing Henson properties or new, co-branded properties. And as he points out, the comics-first move represents a major change in the company’s perspective.

“For the first time ever in Henson’s history, we’re going to be creating original stories in print first,” explained LeFavi.

The biggest reason for the change, according to LeFavi, is the restriction-free creative environment offered by comic book medium.

“If a Henson fan has ever wanted to see a $500 million dollar Henson movie, you can see it in these books,” he said. “That’s the potential for print: you don’t have to worry about any of the constrictions, any of the budgets. You just have to focus on telling the story right.”

However, LeFavi said the partnership wasn’t intended to simply test the waters for new or old properties looking to make the jump to the screen, as is the case with so many other publishing partnerships lately.

“They would ideally exist on their own,” he said. “We’re </b>not using publishing as some back door to selling film and television rights. We’re a storyteller, and we’re getting into this for the opportunity to tell more and better stories.”</b>

With Henson properties covering a fairly wide age range (”Mirrormask” and “The Dark Crystal” tend to skew a bit older than “Fraggle Rock,” for example), Christy and LeFavi both promised that the properties wouldn’t be homogenized or toned up or down to reach a certain demographic. In fact, they offered a “definite yes” when asked if properties that tend to resonate with an older demographic would continue to be more adult-oriented than, perhaps, “Fraggle Rock.”

Possibly most intriguing about the deal, however, is the emphatic “no comment” Christy offered when asked if any of the original creators associated with certain Henson properties might be involved in the comics. Would noted comic book scribe Neil Gaiman be involved with “Mirrormask” comic, for instance?

“The wonderful thing about the Henson company over the course of its entire history is how direct a relationship the creators of the actual material had with the finished product that the fans saw,” said Christy. “We’re a creator-owned company. We always look to build a property starting with the creators.”

“I’ll just say that we want to keep that tradition alive, and I think people will be very excited when we announce the creative teams for books that we’re publishing,” he added.

MTV (of all places)

angiealight @ 2009-06-18T21:18:00

2009-06-19T02:21:25Z

The Jetsons Movie

Not gonna lie, I love this crap.

angiealight @ 2009-06-17T22:15:00

2009-06-18T03:22:05Z

Twitter Goes Green For Iran

"If you've ever tried to validate Twitter's existence to a bunch of haters who keep insisting that Twitter is full of useless people tweeting about how they're making a sandwich, you now officially have something to shove in their faces. For those of you who don't follow the news, here's a quick recap:

...Most importantly, Twitter users around the world became intimately aware of a complex political situation about an incredibly important place, from the perspective of the people within Iran's borders. When the opposition party started to use green, the traditional color of Iran, to represent their cause, Twitter users stepped up, hundreds tinting their avatar pictures with green to indicate their support."

By the way don't be shy, twitter with me.

It Might Get Loud

2009-06-14T01:10:19Z

Jimmy Page, Jack White, and the Edge.

It Might Get Loud - limited release, August 14.

meme time

2009-06-12T23:17:12Z

You’re a 90’s kid if....

You remember watching:
[x] Kenan and Kel
[X] Doug
[x] Ren & Stimpy
[x] Pinky and the Brain
[x] AAAAAAAH Real Monsters!
[X] Rockos modern Life
[x] Animaniacs
[x] Gargoyles
[x] Hey Arnold
[] Out of the Box
[] Bear in the Big Blue House
[x] You’ve ever ended a sentence with the word "PSYCHE!"
[X] You just can’t resist finishing this . . ."In west Philadelphia born and raised..."
[x] Step by Step
[x] Family Matters
[x] Dinosaurs
[X] Boy Meets World
[x] Full House
[x] The Magic School Bus
[X] Wishbone
[x] Reading Rainbow
[x] Ghostwriter
[X ] Batman the Animated Series
[x] Aladdin
[x] Ninja Turtles
[x] Ghost Busters

You watched the original cartoons of:
[x] Rugrats
[X] Wild Thornberrys
[x] Power Rangers

When everything was settled by:
[x] rock paper scissors
[x] bubble gum bubble gum in a dish
[x] miss mary mack

You collected:
[x] Beanie Babies
[] Pogs
[ ] Pokemon cards
[x] Carebears
[ ] Silver dollars

You remember:
[x] When it was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons
[x] Reading Goosebumps
[] When kick ball was something you did everyday
[x] You used to listen to the radio all day long
[x] just to record your FAVORITE song of ALL time on a tape.
[x] You remember Super Nintendos and Sega Genisis
[x] You remember The Original Game Boy
[x] You always wanted to send in a tape to America’s Funniest Home Videos...but never taped anything funny.
[x] When Yo-Yos were cool
[x] Those Where’s Waldo books.
[x] Eating Warheads and Splashers Gushers
[X] You remember Ring Pops
[X] If you remember when everything was "da BOMB!"
[x] If you even know what an original walkman is
[x] You remember boom boxes vs. CD players.
[x] Making those little paper fortune things, and then predicting your life with them
[x] You had at least one Tamagotchi, GigaPet, or Nano, and brought it everywhere you went
[x] All your school supplies were "Lisa Frank" brand
[x] Everyone watched the WB
[] When everybody knew all the Pokemon by heart.
[x] the Macarena
[x] "Talk to the hand"
[X] When digimon was still on.
[] You went to McDonald’s to play in the playplace and it was still sanitary.
[x] Before the MySpace frenzy
[x] Before the Internet & text messaging.
[x] Before Sidekicks & iPods
[x] Before PlayStation3 or X-BOX 360
[x] Back before X-box, period
[x] Before Spongebob.
[x] When light up sneakers were cool.
[x] When you rented VHS tapes, not DVDs
[x] When gas was $0.95 a gallon.
[x] When you recorded stuff on VCR
[x] You had slap bracelets
[x] You actually played outside until it was dark
[x] Way back before we realized all this would eventually disappear

"Post this if you smiled at least more than 5 times. And if you remember at least half the stuff on here."

Re-post with the year you were born: 1980.

I really want to watch Rocko's Modern Life. I loved that show. And I remember when gas was less than 90 cents a gallon.

angiealight @ 2009-06-09T23:30:00

2009-06-10T04:41:37Z

Brigadoon has once again returned to the mists. We had good turnouts for each performance (between 400-500 each night). I took lots of pictures of the (beautiful) set. The costumes were fabulous. We had standing ovations Saturday and Sunday. I met/got better acquainted with people, spent time with old friends. It was a lot of fun.
*****

The past couple days, though, I've had "intestinal difficulties" to put it delicately.
*****

Saw Gran Torino tonight - Clint is still the baddest badass there ever was.
*****

I've been reading creepy stories over at sf_drama. I was going to go have a shower, but I think I'll just stay in bed, pull the covers over my head. And keep my feet from hanging off the edge. Because, you know, spooks like to grab feet and ankles and other things that hang off the sides of things. And heads that aren't covered by blankets. Not that I necessarily believe in that sort of thing, but... I have an overactive imagination already...
*****

poof

2009-06-01T03:17:02Z

Woah, way to fall off the posting wagon, huh?

I've been in a phase, I guess, for a while. A not talking phase. And I've been busy working on the play. And occasionally at my job. So yeah. Play. Work. That's about it, really. I've been meaning to write, I really have, but...

Work, play, work, play. Empty, refill. Rinse and repeat.

Pretty much it.

Brigadoon (the play - musical, actually) is going well. This is show week. Things are coming together, finally.

Work is work.

I've been watching Avatar the Last Airbender. I was bored, and it was on Netflix's watch instantly thing, so I watched it. And I'm watching the last episode of the series right now. I didn't expect to like it. But I do. (Appa is just so cute!)

I'm rusty at this. Out of the habit. I'll be back tomorrow, though.

Laters, 'gators.

r.i.p.

2009-05-05T19:44:03Z

Oh damn...

Dom DeLuise - dead at 75.

He was so good. So good. I think my favorite movie he was in is the Don Bluth animated film, The Secret of NIMH. I remember laughing so hard at Jeremy the Crow. Still do. And there's All Dogs go to Heaven. And Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Smokey and the Bandit II. Cannonball Run. The Muppet Movie. An American Tail.

Coincidentally, I've been watching SeaQuest again on Netflix, and watched the episode with Dom and his sons Peter and Michael just last night.

He was singular. Unique. Seemed like a sincerely sweet guy.

Hotel Canterra

2009-04-28T21:05:52Z

In Edmonton, Alberta, there is a hotel called the Canterra, off of Jasper Avenue and 109th Street. During the night, go here and ring the doorbell. Should you be let in, look to see who the guard on shift is. If the man looks in his mid twenties, yet the hair on his head and face both are white as snow, take a seat beside the security desk. If it is any other guard on shift, leave and return in a week’s time.

Here you must wait. The guard will say not a word, nor answer any questions you may ask. He hears you, but he will not respond. He will only give you a sad look, as if knowing something terrible awaits. When the time is 2:52 AM, the guard will rise to perform a patrol of the building. Follow him only on this patrol – if you follow him at any time before 2:52 AM, you will be forcefully removed from the hotel, and lose your chance.

Say not a word as you walk the halls behind the guard. He will check that the rooms are all locked, as well as patrol the stairwells. When you both reach the 5th floor, you will notice that it is remarkably colder than the last four. Yes, the floor is deafeningly quiet – it is normal. When the guard secures all the rooms on the floor, you will both stop at a door that seems much older than any other door you’ve yet seen in the hotel. This is room 512. Only this particular guard has access to this room, Take note of the key of which the guard uses to unlock this door – it will be important later.

At this point, the guard will open the room for you and allow you to pass through. It will be quite dark, but do not yet be afraid – the worst is yet to come. Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and step through the doorway. Do not open them until you hear the door close behind you, for seeing the transition can be maddening.

It will be almost unbearably hot, here. You will find yourself in a long hallway with numerous turns. There will be thirteen doors lining this hallway – do not open any of them. Take note which door has a splash of white paint on it, this will be critical soon. When you reach the end of the hallway, you will find yourself in the living room of the suite. In each corner of the room you should see a tall figure, each with burnt flesh. They should all be sitting on the floor, hugging their legs with their heads upon their knees and facing their respective corner. Their fingers will be chewed away until their tips are nothing but sharp, boney talons. Do not address these figures; do not touch them: they are Her guardians.

In the centre of this room, there She should be. She will be sitting in an old, ragged reclining chair. It is impossible to say how She will look, for Her appearance changes for everyone. She should, like her guardians, be asleep. Do not awaken her from her slumber.

For now, you have time to rest. There will be food and drink set out upon the coffee table in front of Her, and you are welcome to it. Do not partake in the pie, however, for it will numb your legs.

Should you be so bold, take a look outside the window. It will resemble a hellish version of the avenue which the hotel is on. The buildings will be burnt-out husks of their former selves, the river valley beyond will be dry and cracked. Fire will appear to be on the horizon, and the ever-burning sun will resemble blood set ablaze. Should you stay for hours on end, you will find no reprieve from the heat – there is no night here.

Now, look to the streets – you will find the same figures there as the ones in the room. They, however, are awake – shuffling, screaming and wailing from their back maws. They have no eyes in their sockets, but by some twisted means they can still see. Take care not to attract their attention, for they will follow you back to our world and this venture will be for naught.

When you are ready, stand before Her and speak clearly these words: “Save me, Mother, please.”

Say nothing else and wait. You should start to hear Her breathe.

At this point, one of two things will happen. Remember the key which the guard opened this room with? Should She place that same key on the table in front of you, count yourself lucky. Should She, however, place a different key upon the table, you will need to give Her an offering. A knife that was not previously on the table will now be present. The blade will be rusted, bloodied. Take this knife, and sever a finger, placing it beside the key. Wait.

If She places the same key as the guard’s on the table, you may take it and leave. If not, remove another finger. This will only occur a maximum of four times before the right key will be produced.

Once the key is in your possession, She will once again return to Her haunted slumber.

Now pay attention, for you only have a short amount of time. The Guardians will be stirring, now. Slowly they will rise from their sleep and turn in towards the room to face you. If they see you, they will slaughter you. Run. You have 10 seconds before they will fully turn from their corners.

Remember that door with the white splash of paint? That is the door you will need to use to remove yourself from this hell. If you hear screaming from behind you, the guardians are fully awake and are coming. You don’t have much time. Find the white-marked door, and get out!

You will find yourself inexplicably outside your own home, exactly a week after you entered the hotel. Keep the key on you at all times, wherever you go.

One day in the future, distant or near, a ragged old door with the number ‘777’ will appear wherever you happen to be. Use the key and open this door immediately. Leave anyone with you behind.

Wherever it leads, it will be far better than what is about to happen to this world.

creepypasta

mutant!

2009-04-26T20:43:29Z

Check out this mutant dandelion that was growing in my back yard:

It's like four of them stuck together! But it's one solid stalk! And like two heads! Weird! I took it with my camera phone.

you're a friend and a confidant...

2009-04-26T05:25:55Z

Oh no - Bea Arthur died today (4/25)! She was 86 and died peacefully at home. golden girls post.

last.fm for books

2009-04-23T17:24:07Z

Ok, so I just read this boingboing article. bookarmy

I've signed up. You should too. :D Now if there were just one of these for DVDs...

Cleopatra's Tomb Found?

2009-04-20T22:31:24Z

"April 20, 2009—Cleopatra and Marc Anthony are likely buried together in one of three sites at an ancient temple, archaeologists announced in Egypt Sunday. Digging starts next week."

click for video

Whether or not the remains are actually Cleopatra and Mark Antony, I think that's pretty cool. I want to be an archaeologist. The Indiana Jones kind, not the stuck-in-a-lab kind.

inconstancy, thy name is angie.

2009-04-16T22:17:17Z

I've been in "recluse" mode recently, sorry. Nothin' bad, nothin' good. Rehearsals for Brigadoon have been fun thus far. It's just been choral work. I think choreography will start soon.

I'm getting a hair cut next week, and have little to no idea what I want. Short and retro. Maybe bangs? Fuss must be minimal.

It's been nice here recently. Finally.

I need to get a dress for my cousin's wedding. Nothing looks good on me. Bleh.

Hope everyone's doing okay out there in lj-land.

Watchmen photo

2009-04-04T03:13:39Z

Just sayin'. Here I am being all superficial and giggly about a complex work of literature and art.

weird

2009-04-01T03:59:01Z

Via BoingBoing - Musical Anatomy Way cool. Go take a look.

Also:

Kind of want. I'd wear them with dark blue jeans/dark trousers.

angiealight @ 2009-03-31T22:18:00

2009-04-01T03:27:39Z

I've had dreams two nights running.

The night before last, I had a kind of fun dream. I don't remember much of it, but I remember there were several people besides myself, and we all had balloon type things we flew around with. I mean, they were sort of like parachute canopies, but made of rubber or something, and when you blew into them (lifting your head and blowing air upward), you'd rise. I remember gliding from building to building. I don't remember what or whom we were evading.

Last night, I had a dream about a group of people (and myself) being trapped in a bank or something, and a shadowy bad guy killer type. It wasn't really a bank, it was like a giant house. And I remember I had hold of a bundle of money, and that's what the figure was after. He may have injured people, but we kept evading him. There were two kids with us. Eventually, I tricked him by leading him into a room that he then searched, we ran around for a while, split up, and I took the kids back to that one room. There was a secret room/passageway. I rejoined the others, who may have been finally cornered by the villain. I was tired of running away, so I held my ground as shadowy bad guy approached. I threw down the money and said "here, have it - just don't hurt anyone. And I woke up.

Now that I think about it, I think I need to make sure my bills are paid... :/