Now that Halloween is behind us, I thought that it would be fun to introduce you, gentle reader, to a very British autumnal celebration – Bonfire Night (aka Guy Fawkes Night). Every year on November 5th, bonfires are lit – from small backyards to large community affairs – and fireworks set off, to commemorate an unlucky would-be terrorist and his part in The Gunpowder Plot of 1605. “Whaat?” I hear my non-British friends cry, “Explain please!” Oh, all right then! Sit back,… Read more »
Here’s Johnny…!
For the final post in my “Halloween” series; I thought that I would discuss the three movies which I think are among the scariest of all time: “The Wicker Man” (1973); “Poltergeist” (1982) and, Stanley Kubrick’s horror masterpiece, “The Shining” (1980). Maybe I’m just getting old, but in the days before CGI, film-makers really had to work to make their movies authentically scary. You couldn’t just put an actor in front of a green screen and ask them to emote terror against… Read more »
Grave Discoveries
It may seem odd to some, but I have always found cemeteries to be calming and relaxing places. No matter how noisy the traffic on the outside, as soon as you step over the threshold all sound becomes muted, as if in reverence. When I was growing up, my home was not always the most peaceful or relaxing place, and many a weekend afternoon, I would walk the 10 minutes or so to the nearby graveyard to wander, or just sit and… Read more »
Bengh-nasty!
If you know anything about me at all, you will have ascertained that I lean somewhat Left of Center, politically, and therefore I am firmly in the Hillary or Bernie camp with regard to next year’s Presidential election. With that being said, I feel that I need to speak plainly to my fellow (Bad Word Alert!) Liberals with regard to voting in non-Presidential elections: VOTE, GOD DAMMIT!!! GET YOUR LAZY ASSES OUT THERE AND DO YOUR CIVIC DUTY!! The result… Read more »
The World of Edward Gorey
If you have ever tuned into to watch the “Mystery!” series on PBS, you are likely familiar with the art work of Edward Gorey. The distinctive pen and ink drawings in the introduction set the tone for the mystery to come. As well as being a prolific, award-winning artist, Gorey also published numerous illustrated (often wordless) books, generally with Victorian or Edwardian settings. He also won an award for best costume design at the 1977 Tony’s for his work on the Broadway production of… Read more »
