Interesting Fact 57: Screaming Skull

Outside Bettiscombe Manor in Dorset, England, a human skull rests atop a white picket fence.  Some believe removing it from the house results in a blood-curdling scream of anguish.

- H.G. Carlson, Mysteries of the Unexplained  (Contemporary Books, 1994) p. 58

Feb. 6, 2008 19:32

The lady who ran the guest house came and picked me up.  She is an extremely sweet lady.  Right off, she told me how to get to all the monuments, how to get to London, and that she's lived in Paris all her life.  She's kicking her daughter out of her room and letting me sleep there.  Walking to the guest house, we passed a man on his phone and heard him arguing.  She looked at me and smiled.

"I love seeing this.  It's very funny to see people arguing on their phone in Paris.  I love it," she said.

When we arrived at the guest house, I found it was a flat with two rooms and 9 other travelers staying there.  People were asleep on the floor, couch, and hallway.  I was lucky to get a bed.

The lady left to get her son, from somewhere.  I went out to the balcony and looked out.  She entered the flat and stood out with me.  She said I could see the Eiffel Tower from there.  I looked around but saw nothing.  Then, she said it was on the other side of the flat.  She took me and we stood on the other balcony.  It was lit.  I wasn't too excited about Paris, but now, I'm seeing it a little differently.

Sharing is Caring 26: The Conqueror Worm (Poe of course)

Lo! t'is a gala night
     Within the lonesome latter years!
An angel throng, bewinged, bedight
      In veils, and drowned in tears,
Sit in a theatre, to see
      A play of hopes and fears,
While the orchestra breathes fitfully
      The music of the spheres.

Mimes, in the form of God on high,
       Mutter and mumble low,
And hither and thither fly--
       Mere puppets they, who come and go
At bidding of vast formless things
       That shift the scenery to and fro,
Flapping from out their Condor wings
        Invisible Woe!

That motley drama -- oh, be sure
        It shall not be forgot!
With its Phantom chased for evermore,
        By a crowd that seize it not,
Through a circle that ever returneth in
        To the self-same spot,
And much of Madness, and more of Sin,
        And Horror the soul of the plot.

But see, amid the mimic rout
        A crawling shape intrude!
A blood-red thing that writhes from out
        The scenic solitude!
It writhes! - it writhes! - with mortal pangs
         The mimes become its food,
And angels sob at vermin fangs
         In human gore imbued.

Out -- out are the lights -- out all!
         And, over each quivering form,
The curtain, a funeral pall,
         Comes down with the rush of a storm,
And the angels, all pallid and wan,
         Uprising, unveiling, affirm
That the play is the tragedy "Man,"
         And its hero the Conqueror Worm.

- Edgar Allan Poe

Interesting Fact 56: Session 9

The film Session 9 takes place in the actual abandoned mental asylum, Danvers State Mental Hospital.  During filming, actors reported strange things happening to them.  Peter Mullan reported having thoughts of jumping off of the building to see what it would be like, until he snapped himself out of the thought.

-Session 9

Interesting Fact 55: Ghost Chicken

To prove that meat would keep longer if frozen, the scientist Sir Frances Bacon killed a chicken, plucked out its feathers, and stuffed it with snow.  He later caught pneumonia and died.  There have been many ghost sightings at the site of his death, but not the ghost of Bacon.  Instead, many report seeing a headless chicken pecking at the ground with its neck.

- Jonathan Wojcik, "The 7 Most Ridiculous Ghost Stories From Around the World."  Cracked.com, October 31, 2010

Interesting Fact 54: Frequency of Ghosts

Humans can't hear the low tone of 19 megahertz, but we can feel the vibration.  Many hauntings have been linked to this frequency.

- "Trapped Souls."  National Geographic, Haunted Prison

Tom Waits-If i have to go

Interesting Fact 53: Haunted Hotels

You'll find one of the most haunted hotels in America in the Rocky Mountain National Park - the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park.  The Stanley Hotel is most widely known for inspiring Stephen King's horror novel The Shining.  Although the infamous movie was not filmed there, the Stanley Hotel is said to be home to several ghosts.  Rooms 407, 217, 401, and 418 are all reported to be haunted by a variety of spirits.

      If the Stanley Hotel is fully booked, you can try the nearby Baldplate Inn, which is reputed to be haunted by its original owner, Ethel Mace.  An outspoken prohibitionist in life, Mace's ghost has been known to send cocktails flying off tables.

- Beyond Bizarre: Frightening Facts and Blood-Curdling True Tales

Varla Ventura

Interesting Fact 52: Pierced Woman

Elaine Davidson has more than 6,500 piercings, which earned her a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most pierced woman.  She has 500 piercings in and around her genitalia alone.

-"World's Most Pierced Woman Adds to Her Collection,"  The Telegraph, February 23, 2009

Interesting Fact 51: Yawning While Having an Orgasm

Some patients who take the drug clomipramine to treat depression experience an unusual side effect in the form of yawn-induced orgasms.  While rare, both male and female patients experience the phenomenon.

-John Schwartz, "Depression Drug's Side Effect Has Users Aroused," The Washington Post, November 7, 1995

Desire:Under Your Spell

Sharing is Caring 25: If I Had Possession Over Judgment Day [Remastered] ROBERT JOHNSON (1936)...

Sharing is Caring 24: Description

"Crier came around from the back of the camper.  He was a sight.  He was scrawny as a month-old corpse, but didn't have as nice a complexion.  He still had his clothes and shoes, but they seemed to be held together by little more than body odor and hope.  His hair was long and shaggy and thinning.  His beard looked like a nest.  He had the shit-stained blanket in his hand, and he gracelessly tossed it into the grass, an act that gave me some hope.  Humanity was once again on the roll."

-Joe R. Lansdale
At the Drive-In: The Sequel

Interesting Fact 50!: True Faith!

To test his faith, Ohtaj Humbat Ohli Makhmudov climbed into a lion exhibit at Ukraine's Kiev Zoo, insisting that God would protect him.  Moments later, a lioness seized his throat and severed his carotid artery.

- Top 10: Stupid Deaths, Askmen.com

My Writing Life: Part 2

Interesting Fact 49: Rabies Outbreak

Experts warn that with a few modifications, the virus that causes rabies could mutate to spawn a zombie apocalypse.  Currently, the virus is transmitted through saliva; however, if it became airborne, the consequences would be disastrous.

-Ker Than, "Zombie Virus' Possible via Rabies-Flu Hybrid?"
National Geographic News, October 27, 2010

Interesting Fact 48: Shocking and a Puppy

During Stanley Milgram's famous obedience study, he discovered that subjects would willingly deliver a painful shock to a partner if an authority figure demanded it of them.  Most disturbingly, two-thirds of subjects continued to shock the victim beyond levels they believed to be lethal.

Shortly after Milgram reported his findings, two skeptical researchers repeated the experiment with a live puppy to ensure that the subjects had not realized Milgram's ruse and simply played along.  Much to their horror, twenty of the twenty-six test subjects shocked the puppy up to the maximum voltage

All of the subjects who refused to shock the puppy were men.  Every woman in the experiment agreed to deliver the shocks.

-"The Top 20 Most Bizarre Experiments of All Time"
The Museum of Hoaxes

Interesting Fact 47: Dog Saliva

Dog saliva contains lysozyme, an enzyme that destroys harmful bacteria.

-Nicole Adams, "Why Would a Dog Lick the Pads of Their Feet?"
June 28, 2010

A Rant: Cliche and Quote

What is it with mediocre quotes people keep repeating over and over, as if it's something new?  Or like they are the only people to have said them and assume no one else has?  Then there are the cliches such as: "Everything happens for a reason."  "
It's all annoying.
It makes me wonder if the common thought process is unwilling to evolve, in the everyday person.
Then again, some cliches can come in handy with stories.  But, I stress SOME, depending on the content.

Ugh.  I'm out.

Fading Away

I've noticed the trend going on.  It seems the farther and farther I've gone from the land of television, I'm beginning to fail in understanding other people's point of view.  It just doesn't make sense.

Jeremy Jay - Nite Nite

Sharing is Caring 23: Beach House - D.A.R.L.I.N.G.

I was listening to this as I was writing a pretty creepy scene. Somehow it made the scene much more creepy. Good times.

Interesting Fact 46: A Hanging

A Woodstock, Ontario structure is adorned with the death mask of Thomas Cook (as a warning to would-be criminals), who was hanged at the building - a former jail and courthouse - in 1862 for beating his wife to death.  The executioner accidentally made the hanging rope too long and Cook was decapitated, his head apparently rolling into the crowd of onlookers.

-Rue Morgue

Sharing is Caring 22: Deerhunter - It Never Stops (album version)

Rejection!: 3

Another letter in the pile.  Stings every time.  Oh well, keep moving.

Rejection!: 3

Another letter in the pile.  Stings every time.  Oh well, keep moving.

Interesting Fact 45: Association of the Dead

Indian officials declared Lal Bahri legally dead in 1976, despite his repeated insistence he was still very much alive.  It took him eighteen years to convince them otherwise, during which time he founded the Association of the Dead for individuals with similar problems.

- Plight of the Living Dead, Time July 19, 1999

Waiting Around...Well, Not So Much.

Not sure where to send my manuscripts out.  Most of the magazines I send them too are closed until Sept. 1st, which isn't too far off.  However, it bugs me that I have to wait.  Then again, I'm not just sitting around typing here, I'm working on other stories.  Anyway, I'm only rambling.  I'm off.

Interesting Fact 44: Blowing Smoke Up One's Ass

In the 1700s, smoke enemas were a popular medical procedure for resuscitating victims of drowning.  The doctor inserted a rectal tube connected to a fumigator into the anus and forced smoke towards the rectum.  Doctors believed the warmth of the smoke promoted respiration, but skepticism about the procedure gave rise to the phrase, "blowing smoke up one's ass."

- Micky Z "22 Weird & Somewhat Useful Bicycle Facts for Staying Green on 2 Wheels"

Interesting Fact 43:Queen Bee and the Honeybee Sex Slave

A newborn queen bee immediately kills all of the other hatched and unhatched queens in the hive.
-Liza Lentini - "20 Thinks You Didn't Know About...Bees," Discover magazine, March, 2007.

In a honeybee hive, drones do not collect nectar or do any work of any kind.  Their sole responsibility is to mate with the queen.
- L. Patricia Kite, Insect Facts and Folklore

Sharing is Caring 21: Entierro en el Este/ Burial in the East

Yo trabajo de noche, rodeado de ciudad,
de pescadores, de alfareros, de difuntos quemados
con azafrán y frutas, envueltos en muselina escarlata:
bajo mi balcón esos muertos terribles

pasan sonando cadenas y flautas de cobre,

estridentes y finas y lúgubres silban

entre el color de las pesadas flores envenenadas

y el grito de los cenicientos danzarines

y el creciente monótono de los tamtam

y el humo de las maderas que arden y huelen.

Porque una vez doblado el camino, junto al turbio río,

sus corazones, detenidos o iniciando un mayor movimiento,

rodarán quemados, con la pierna y el pie hechos fuego,

y la trémula ceniza caerá sobre el agua,

flotará como ramo de flores calcinadas

o como extinto fuego dejado por tan poderosos viajeros

que hicieron arder algo sobre las negras aguas, y devoraron

un aliento desaparecido y un licor extremo.

I work nights, in the ring of the city,

among fishermen, potters, cadavers, cremations

of saffron and fruits shrouded into red muslin.

Under my balcony pass the terrible dead

sounding their coppery flutes and their chains,

strident and mournful and delicate-- they hiss

through the color of poisoned and ponderous flowers,

through the cries of smoldering dancers,

the tom-tom's augmented monotony,

in the crackle and fume of the woodsmoke.

One turn in the road, by the ooze of the river,

and their hearts, clogging up or preparing some monstrous exertion,

will whirl away burning, their legs and their feet incandescent;

the tremulous ash will descend on the water

and float like a branching on the water

and float like a branching of carbonized flowers-

a bonfire put out by the might of some wayfarer

who lighted the black of the water and devoured some part

of a vanished subsistence, an ultimate liquor.

- Pablo Neruda

Rejection!: 2

This one stung a bit.  I don't know why, but I had this feeling that this one would get published.  The others I've submitted, I only hoped would get published.  But this one, this one I thought would get published.  I've been waiting since last November of 2010, and today I received the rejection email.  Nothing but punches coming at me.  Oh well, keep moving forward.

Interesting Fact 42: Anal Worms

Nearly all humans experience pinworms, a parasite that causes itching around the anus, at some point in their lives.  To determine if you have an infestation, have a partner gently touch around your anus with tape while you sleep, when the worms are most active.  They will stick to the tape and should be visible.

Even More Gross Facts You May Have Never Wanted To Know
Associated Content, June 11, 2007

Interesting Fact 41: Screw the News Forecast! Use a Cup of Coffee!

How to predict the weather with a cup of coffee.

1) Take a cup of black coffee (made from beans, not instant.)

2) Drop a lump of sugar to the bottom of the cup.

3) Don't stir or disturb the coffee.

4) Notice where the bubbles gather.

How to read your coffee barometer:

*Bubbles in the middle:  Fine weather

*Bubbles around the rim: Rain or Snow

*Bubbles all over the place: Changeable

- How to Predict the Weather with a  Cup of Coffee
and other Techniques for Surviving the 9-5 Jungle
by: Matthew Cole

Melpo Mene - I Adore You (Official)

Interesting Fact 40: Injestion

11: Number of coins, totaling $1.03, retrieved from the gastrointestinal tracts of nine children at Massachusetts General Hospital over the course of a three-year observational study.  American children and young adults ingest more than 100,000 foreign objects every year.  About 90 percent pass through the body without problems; the rest must be removed by endoscopy or surgery.

Discover - July/August 2011

Interesting Fact 39: The Battle of Bravoll

The Battle of Bravolle in 700 CE featured the greatest assortment of Viking names ever assembled.  Among the combatants that fateful day were such warriors as Thorleif Goti the Overbearing,  Hrolf the Woman-Loving, Odd the Wide-Traveling, Grette the Evil, Hothbrodd the Indomitable, Dag the Stout, Svein Reaper, Harald Wartooth, and Hadd the Hard.

Badass - Ben Thompson

I'm Considering It

So, coincidently, not 1 but 2 people told me today, "Don't ever get married."  The really weird thing about it is, all I did was tell them my name.
Wait!
These two people, I met at two different times.  Neither of them knew each other.
Anyway, I met them, due to work.  The first person, I shook their hand, and they just went on, as the wife walked away.   He then said, "I don't know if you're married or not, and I won't ask, but if you're not, stay that way."
I nodded and said, "Okay."

Then, about 5 hours later, I met a lady.  Again, I introduced myself.  She asked, "Are you married."
I said, "No."
She then went on, "Don't ever get married.  They just want to control you.  They'll change you.  At first, they love you and it all seems hunky dory, but then, bam!  It all changes.  They make you change.  In reality they don't like anything about you.  They just want to turn you into something you're not.  You seem like a nice person, and they'll just make you angry and hateful towards everyone, including yourself.  If there's any advice I can give you, don't get married.  Stay single.  You'll save a ton of money and time, you can go anywhere you want, and do whatever you want."
I then said, "Okay."
Two people in one day?  Seems like it could be a sign.  Maybe...maybe.

Even Less

In the past 4 years, I've managed to get rid of a lot of habits in purchasing things I don't need.  I used to go to movies all the time, spend most of my time going to stores buying things I don't need, and wasting time doing things I didn't need to do.
With daily life getting in the way of the things I love, I figured it was time to get rid of the wasted time, and purchasing habits.  So, little by little, I asked my self every time I did something or bought something, "Do I really need this?  Do I really need to do this?  Is this going to help with my goals?  Or is this just keeping me from my goals?"
If I didn't love it, have a passion for it, and found that it didn't help in any way with my goals, I got rid of it.  Now, I find I'm only surrounded by the things I love and have a passion for.  Books, Writing, Music, Traveling!  Is there anything else?  For me, the answer is no.  Why waste time on things I like, when I could be doing something I love?

Interesting Fact 37: Anne Bonny (c.1720)

Anne Bonny was a crazy-ass pirate chick who sailed across the caribbean destroying anybody who looked at her funny and generally being a vicious, man-killing scourge of the seas, making a name for herself by hacking the arms off merchant sailors, stepping on their necks, and then shooting them out of a cannon face-first into a brick wall.

(Upon being captured and sentenced to hang.)

Once it was revealed that Anne was pregnant with Calico Jack's baby (Calico Jack being her pirate lover), her sentence was commuted and she was released (a common practice for the times).  Before she left jail, she stopped in to pay Jack a visit.  She calmly walked up to the bars of his cell, looked him dead in the eye, and said, "I'm sorry, Jack, but if you had fought like a man, you would not now be about to die like a dog."  Then she turned on her heel, strode out the front door, and completely vanished from history.


Badass - Ben Thompson

Sharing is Caring 20: Cathy Berberian - I Want to Hold Your Hand

Interesting Fact 36: The III

King George III had a disease called porphyria, a hereditary condition that made his urine deep purple.   Among many things, he is the only known king to be officially insane.

Awkward

Today I met this senior citizen, who took a liking to me.  She said she was going to stare at me.  She seemed like she was just kidding, until I realized she was in fact staring at me.  She then said, "I always wanted a son."  She stayed quiet, and then said, "I always wanted a son, just like you."
I then hit the road.

Sharing is Caring 19: The Children's Hour - Best Loved Poems

The Secret Place
By: Dorothy Aldis


Halfway up a certain tree
There's a place belongs to me.
Two branches make a little chair
And I like it setting there.

I like it.
And it's secret too.
No grownup guesses where I go.
And if he should, and climbed to it-
He would not fit, he would not fit!

Interesting Fact 35: Sharks!

Sharks stay calm while listening to AC/DC.

Feb. 3 2008 8:29

I'm on the train now.  I walked around the city for a bit, before I got on.  Just for a bit.  I saw poster for "The Bucket List."  Here it's called "Ahora o Nunca."
After walking around, I went back to the cafeteria, had another cafe con leech and an omletta espanola bocadillo.  I ate half of it.  I sat still thinking about everything, everyone, no one, and nothing.  I can't recall most of my thoughts, to be honest.  I'm waiting for the train to leave.

Interesting Fact 34:That's Love!

In March 2010, a 28 yr. old South Korean man married a pillow.  The body pillow, which has an anime character printed on one side, was dressed in a white wedding dress.  Reportedly, the man takes the pillow out to regular dinners (ordering "her" a meal) and even brought the pillow with him to an amusement park.

The Tree of Life OST | Terrence Mallick | Couperin - Les Barricades Myst...

Indie Films

So, here in the state and city which I currently reside in, I often feel annoyed with theaters.  Why?  Because, they don't  show independent films here.   Or at least, when they do, it's only for a weekend and then they move on.  Luckily this weekend I was able to finally see Tree of Life.  It was such a beautiful film.  As always, Malick's style is amazing.  Each shot could be framed and put on a wall.
What bothered me was when the movie ended, I heard a man gruff and say, "What a load of crap."
Obviously they had not seen a Malick film before.  Obviously they missed the point of the movie.  Sure, there were a few things I feel didn't fit with the movie, but all in all, it was amazing.
And the kids!  Malick really captured childhood.  It brought back a ton of memories.  Each moment the kids experienced being kids, reminded me exactly where I was when I was that age.
Beautiful film.
My whole point is, I can see whey they don't show too many indie films here in this city.  Most people here go for the big blockbuster explosion and screaming films.  So, it seems.  But, I could be wrong.

Interesting Fact 33: All Up in Your Pants

In 2009, a German reptile poacher was arrested in a New Zealand airport after authorities found 44 lizards sewed into pouches in his underwear.

Interesting Fact 32: It's Universal

Assholes know no religion, race, language, or region.  Assholes are the same everywhere.  And, by asshole, I mean jerks, dickheads, bastards, assholes.  They're all the same.

The Cool

This past Thursday was my nephews birthday.  We all went to paintball, with his friends.  When I showed up, he started yelling, "That's him.  That's my cool uncle.  The one I was telling you about."
The kids ran up to me and started talking to me.
"Preston's always talking about you," they said.
It felt very awkward for me, because anyone that know's me, knows I'm far from cool.
Then, they noticed my area down there was protruding BECAUSE I WAS WEARING A CUP, SO AS TO NOT GET HIT BY A PAINTBALL IN THE NUTS.  They started laughing.  When I explained that I was wearing a cup, I started knocking on it with my knuckles making beat.  The boys all started laughing.  I then heard them talking to each other, "You're right, he is cool."
Kind of weird to be considered the cool uncle.

My Exciting Writing Life

This is 3 hours condensed into 11 minutes. Exciting stuff!

Judge

Okay, so I can deal with someone critiquing my work, and I can handle some harsh stuff, but when their point of view is put in, that really pisses me off.  I got back a letter today from a judge.  They put their own opinion in the critique that didn't fit.  Some of the things they had to say was pretty helpful and I took it well, but then their opinion bugged me.  I mean the story takes place in a certain city, who cares what you think about the city.  The story just takes place there.  I don't care if they use to live in the city.  Obviously when they lived there, they had their head up their asses.  Anyway, I'm out.

Nazi Dogs

How Nazi Scientists Tried to Create an Army of Talking Dogs

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By WILLIAM LEE ADAMS – Thu May 26, 3:45 am ET

It's further proof that Hitler was barking mad.

In his new book Amazing Dogs: A Cabinet of Canine Curiosities, Cardiff University historian Jan Bondeson mines obscure German periodicals to reveal the Nazis' failed attempt to breed an army of educated dogs that could read, write and talk. "In the 1920s, Germany had numerous 'new animal psychologists' who believed dogs were nearly as intelligent as humans, and capable of abstract thinking and communication," he writes. "When the Nazi party took over, one might have thought they would be building concentration camps to lock these fanatics up, but instead they were actually very interested in their ideas."

(PHOTOS: The first major art exhibition about Hitler opens in Germany.)

According to the book, scientists envisioned a day when dogs would serve alongside German troops, and perhaps free up SS officers by guarding concentration camps. So to unlock all that canine potential, Hitler set up a Tier-Sprechschule (Animal Talking School) near Hanover and recruited "educated dogs" from throughout the country. Teachers claimed a number of incredible findings. An Airedale terrier named Rolf became a mythic figure of the project after teachers said he could spell by tapping his paw on a board (the number of taps represented the various letters of the alphabet). With that skill in hand, he mused on religion, learned foreign languages and even asked a noblewoman, "Can you wag your tail?" Perhaps most outlandish is the claim by his German masters that he asked to serve in the German army because he disliked the French. Another mutt barked "Mein Fuhrer" when asked to describe Hitler. And Don, a German pointer, is said to have imitated a human voice to bark, "Hungry! Give me cakes!" in German.

Germany's love of dogs may have blinded the Nazis to the outlandish goals of their project. "Part of the Nazi philosophy was that there was a strong bond between humans and nature. They believed a good Nazi should be an animal friend," Bondeson says. "Indeed, when they started interning Jews, the newspapers were flooded with outraged letters from Germans wondering what had happened to the pets they left behind."

Hitler, a well-known dog-lover, had two German Shepherds named Blondi and Bella. He killed Blondi shortly before killing himself in 1945

Interesting Fact 31: Cured

In the 19th century, asylums in England used to strap patients into a rotating machine that would whirl them around the room at high speeds.  The motion of the ride was supposed to calm the patient's nerves.

Sharing is Caring 18: Bloc Party - Talons [ACOUSTIC VERSION]

Sharing is Caring 17: Hell House

She turned and looked around the room.  There was something in it.  What, though?  A personality?  A residue of emotion?  Florence closed her eyes and waited.  Something in the air; no doubt of it.  She felt it shift and throb, advancing on her, then retreating like some unseen, timorous beast.

-Richard Matheson "Hell House"

Sharing is Caring 16: Little Joy - Don't Watch Me Dancing

Love this.

Rejections!: 1

So, today I found out two of my short stories have been rejected.  Won't say which magazines rejected them, but they have been rejected.  One of my short stories, I have just resubmitted elsewhere, and the other, I'm trying to find another place for it.  We'll see what happens.  I am still waiting on another magazine's response.
Good luck to me!

Nicholas Alfonso Diaz

I Was so Bored

It's funny.  As I'm transferring my story into my computer from handwritten papers, I can tell the moments I was sitting there not sure what to write next.  I can even tell how long I was sitting without writing anything.  In the margins are various doodles and houses with x's in them.  You know, when you draw a crude house and an x inside without taking your pen off of the paper and without going over lines that you all ready drew.  There are quite a few pages with houses and doodles littered over the margins.

Sharing is Caring 15: Tomorrow is a Long Time

If today was not an endless highway
If tonight was not a crooked trail
If tomorrow wasn’t such a long time
Then lonesome would mean nothing to you at all
Yes, and only if my own true love was waitin’
Yes, and if I could hear her heart a-softly poundin’
Only if she was lyin’ by me
Then I’d lie in my bed once again

I can’t see my reflection in the waters
I can’t speak the sounds that show no pain
I can’t hear the echo of my footsteps
Or can’t remember the sound of my own name
Yes, and only if my own true love was waitin’
Yes, and if I could hear her heart a-softly poundin’
Only if she was lyin’ by me
Then I’d lie in my bed once again

There’s beauty in the silver, singin’ river
There’s beauty in the sunrise in the sky
But none of these and nothing else can touch the beauty
That I remember in my true love’s eyes
Yes, and only if my own true love was waitin’
Yes, and if I could hear her heart a-softly poundin’
Only if she was lyin’ by me
Then I’d lie in my bed once again

- Bob Dylan

Interesting Fact 30: The Wizard of Oz Was a Remake (Cracked)

We're guessing there are zero-point-zero people reading this who don't know about the multiple award winning classic children's tale of a lion, tin man, flying monkeys and witchslaughter with young Judy Garland in her star-making performance as Dorothy. But a remake? The thing was made in freaking 1939. Were there even movies before that?

Getty
We mean besides pornos.

The Original:

Yep. And a bunch of them were The Wizard of Oz remakes.

All of them are based on the children's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, published in 1900. And by "all of them" we mean there were at least 10 freaking movie versions before the quintessential 1939 film. Perhaps none captured the roiling sexual subtext NOT EVEN REMOTELY found in the book better than the major 1925 silent adaptation by Baum's son Frank Joslyn Baum.

Hold on to your hats, because things are about to get freaky.

Some might even say "nightmarish."

The 1925 version of The Wizard of Oz opens with Dorothy openly flirting with her uncle's farmhands in the days leading up to her 18th birthday. The farmhands in question are played by Oliver Hardy and the self-cast director Larry Semon. Sooo ... the 35-year-old director cast himself as the frustrated suitor of a family farm Lolita. And, yes, his name was Semon. But don't worry guys. The two actors were married in real life, so everything was totally kosher.

A match born in the deepest nightmares of the most composed serial killer.

So a tornado carries Dorothy to the Land of Oz, where the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion characters are introduced. But it isn't really the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion -- it's the horny farmhands in disguise, hiding from Ambassador Wikked and Prime Minister Kruel, presumably while President Badd Guye and Emperor Stok Kharakter Villun were vacationing in Helll. Dorothy is crowned Queen of Oz and marries Prince Kynd (sigh) and decides to stay in Oz forever, because hey, why not?

Meanwhile, the Tin Man turns evil and tries to kill the Lion and the Scarecrow. Then the Scarecrow falls out of an airplane and dies.

Doesn't matter. You cannot kill what dwells within that.

This celluloid travesty bankrupted its studio and shockingly never got a wide release. Which is probably a good thing, considering how much sooner fan fiction would have gotten off the ground if it had.

Read more: 6 Classic Movies You Didn't Know Were Remakes | Cracked.com http://www.cracked.com/article_19190_6-classic-movies-you-didnt-know-were-remakes.html#ixzz1MRo4IT2M

An Introduction

Last night I watched my nephews.  It wasn't the first time I had the chance to watch them while their parents were out.  I thought finally, they're old enough to where I can introduce them to some movies their parents wouldn't.  What did I bring?  I brought "Krull" and "Karas."  Both are very good movies.  Ones a classic (Krull) and the other is anime (Karas).  They liked Karas, but wanted more action.
Then I put on Krull.  I don't know what to say about that.  The youngest liked it, but the older one is used to new movies with way better special effects.  So, he wasn't impressed and didn't care for the story.  I was a little bothered by it, because I grew up with it, and remember the movie being amazing.  Luckily the younger one enjoyed it.

No Winner

So, I found out I didn't win a competition.  It wasn't a surprise to me.   It's definitely not the first competition I didn't win.  So, I move on to the next.

Sharing is Caring 14: Spaceships!

Sleep

Every muscle in my body is killing me.
This past weekend was an inspiring and motivational weekend, but tonight I just can't find the energy to do much.  I edited one page.  Just one.  
This past weekend gave me much more hope than I had before.  Some days, I have to say, I feel I'm kidding myself with this writing thing, but then I meet a few people I don't know and they give positive feedback.  I think I'm on the right track.  I just have to keep moving.

Interesting Fact 29: The Dark Eyes of London

The Dark Eyes of London (1940) starring Bela Lugosi was the first British horror film to be given an "H" rating.  "H" stood for "Horrific" and meant that no one under sixteen would be permitted into the theatre.

-Rue Morgue July 2007

Sharing is Caring 13: Dream

"Dreaming.  Either one does not dream at all, or one dreams in an interesting manner.  One must learn to be awake in the same fashion: either not at all, or in an interesting manner."

-Freidreich Nietzsche

Interesting Fact 29: A Good Nightmare

When Stephen King had writer's block while working on his novel It, he had a nightmare about leeches inside of discarded refrigerators.  He says he woke up and knew immediately that that was where the novel was supposed to go.

Sharing is Caring 12: Triolet on a Line Apocryphally Attributed to Martin Luther

Why should the Devil get all the good tunes,
The booze and the neon and Saturday night,
The swaying in darkness, the lovers like spoons?
Why should the Devil get all the good tunes?
Does he hum them to while away sad afternoons
And the long, lonesome Sundays? Or sing them for spite?
Why should the Devil get all the good tunes,
The booze and the neon and Saturday night?

A.E. Stallings

Interesting Fact 28: Dead Man's Hand

In poker, a pair of aces is referred to by the term "Dead Man's Hand."  When Wild Bill Hickock was killed - shot in the back - he was playing poker, and in his hand he held two aces.

Interesting Fact 27: Cat of Death

(I realize the title might be a little misleading, but I like it.)

Oscar, a cat in a Rhode Island nursing home, can sniff out death among the elderly patients.  Normally antisocial, Oscar will jump onto a patient's lap and nuzzle the person if he senses the end is near.  The nursing staff have come to trust the cat's judgment, and call family members to tell them to make preparations when they spot a patient being nuzzled by Oscar.  So far the cat has accurately predicted 24 deaths.

I realize this is more of a story than a fact, but it's still interesting.

Sharing is Caring 11: The Last Beat of My Heart

In the sharp gust of love
My memory stirred.
When time wreathed a rose,
A garland of shame.
It's thorn my only delight.
War torn, afraid to speak,
We dare to breathe.

Majestic, imperial a bridge of sighs.
Solitude sails in a wave of forgiveness
On angels wings.

Reach out your hands,
Don't turn your back.
Don't walk away.
How in the world can I wish for this,
Never to be torn apart?
Close to you 'till the last beat of my heart

At the close of day,
The sunset cloaks
These words in shadow play.
Here and now, long and loud
My heart cries out.
And the naked bone
Of an echo says,
"Don't walk away."

Reach out your hands
I'm just a step away.
How in the world can I wish for this,
Never to be torn apart?
Close to you 'till the last beat of my heart.

How in the world can I wish for this,
Never to be torn apart?
'till the last beat.
Till the last fleeting beat of my heart.

- Siouxsie and the Banshees

Adios

Don't make this harder than this has to be.  I have to move on.  It's not you it's me.  I must say good-bye, dear alcoholic beverage.  (I pour all of it away.)
No more drinking.  Seriously...at least for a long while.

Very Cool!

I met the greatest old guy today.  Somehow we got to talking about books.  It kind of made me a little looking forward to grow old.  I want to be that cool.  I was telling him about Joe Hill, when he interrupted me.  He then gave me four huge boxes of sci-fi books!  Apparently he never met anyone that likes books as much as he does.
I'm very happy.  I just need the time to read them all.

Interesting Fact 26: Behind the Leafy Curtain

Feeling saintly for picking up all-natural laundry detergent?  Ironically, your next move will probably be more self-interested.  A study in Psychological Science found that whereas people act more altruistic after exposure to green (vs. conventional) products, they behave less so and are more likely to cheat and even steal after purchasing the planet-friendly variety.  That's because you earn moral "credit" by buying green items, says Nina Mazar, a researcher at the University of Toronto.  "Next time you are in a conflict-of-interest situation, you're more likely to do the selfish thing, because you've earned yourself some slack."

By the same logic, a Prius purchase actually might give you license to do more pleasure cruising, or an Energy Star sticker might lead you to toss in more frequent, skimpy laundry loads.  Says Markman: "Whether you actually succeed at conserving the environment by buying green is an open question."

Psychology Today
March/April 2011

Destination: Unknown

The sky seems to be deceiving me.  Is it the limit?  Hmm...not quite sure.  However, my options seemed to have dwindled with a bit of motivation.  Call me crazy, but I think it would be best to get out this rut.
Then there are the traveling options, some plans seemed to have fallen through, but the only plans that went right were the ones I didn't make.
So, let the chips fall where they may.  I'll be traveling some place I've never been.  Something new.  That sounds like a good idea.  Next destination to visit: Unknown.

Nicholas Alfonso Diaz

Interesting Fact 25: Population NY

There are a lot of people in NYC.  Seriously, no joke, there are a lot of people in NYC.

Interesting Fact 24: Whistle

Humphrey Bogart is buried with a whistle.  He'd given to Lauren Bacall during the filming of To Have and Have Not, their first movie together.  She dropped it into his casket right before he was buried.  It's inscribed, "If you want anything, just whistle."

A Serious Conversation

Today, I had to leave work to buy some parts for my automobile.  As I left, I stopped a co-worker, and this is what was said, in a very serious tone:
Me:   Hey, do you want to get your tools out of the car?
Him: Why?
Me:   You might need them.
Him: Oh, yeah, you might not come back.  You're probably not coming back.  And what if the world ends,    
         and zombies take over.  I'll need my tools.
Me:   Yeah, well, either way, without your tools, I think there are guns in the shop and bullets in the      
          cabinet.
Him:  yeah, I saw those there.
Me:    Either way, if the zombie apocalypse happens while I'm gone, I'll come back for the guns, and pick  
          you up and then we'll go back to my place for my Gloc and bullets.
Him:  Oh, wait, let me grab some duct tape.  You always need that.
Me:    Okay, I'll be back.  And don't forget, aim for the head.

Interesting Fact 23: Birth Pains

In some primitive societies, it was believed that a father endured as much birthing pain as a mother.  Therefore, to discover the paternity of a baby born out of wedlock, all a village had to do was see which man groaned in pain when the mother started giving birth.

Sharing is Caring 10: John Dies at the End by David Wong

Here are a few of my favorite lines from this great novel.

"And watch out for Molly.  See if she does anything unusual.  There's something I don't trust about the way she exploded and then came back from the dead like that."

"And then the Jamaican guy pulls out the sauce.  'It be opening doors to other worlds, mon,' he says.  We made him do it first, saw that he didn't die.  It seemed to make him pretty happy and then - Dave, the guy I know, didn't really see this, but the guy shrunk himself, made himself three feet tall.  We all laughed our asses off, then he was back to normal again."
"And you still tried that shit?"
Are you kidding?  How could I not?"


"Son, the greatest trick the Devil pulled was convincing the world there was only one of him."

"At this point two elderly security guards in parkas, the guys who normally work the front desk at the plant, asked John to step behind the tape. John claims that here he told the guards that he could not speak English and when that failed to persuade them, he faked a violent seizure. I am unclear as to the purpose of this part of his plan. John flung himself down and began rolling around in the snow, thrashing his limbs about and screaming “EL SEIZURE!!! NO ES BUENO!!!” in a Mexican accent."

Sharing is Caring 9: The Emperor of Ice Cream

Call the roller of big cigars,
The muscular one, and bid him whip
In kitchen cups concupiscent curds.
Let the wenches dawdle in such dress
As they are used to wear, and let the boys
Bring flowers in last month's newspapers.
Let be be finale of seem.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice cream.

Take from the dresser of deal,
Lacking the three glass knobs, that sheet
On which she embroidered three fantails once
And spread it so as to cover her face.
If her horny feet protrude, they come
To show how cold she is, and dumb.
Let the lamp affix its beam.
The only emperor is the emperor of ice cream.

Wallace Stevens

Interesting Fact 21: Fantastical Sun

10,000
Temperature, in degrees Fahrenheit, at the sun's surface.  The core, a giant nuclear reactor, operates at 27 million degrees.  Strangely, the corona, the sun's outer atmosphere, is much  hotter than its surface, surpassing 1 million degrees.  A study published in January offered a possible explanation, showing that jets shooting out from the sun's surface contain gas that is even hotter than previously realized.

600 Million
Amount of hydrogen fuel, in tons, that the sun converts to helium and energy through nuclear fusion every second.  That is the equivalent to the weight of all the coal burned in the United States in seven months.  At 4.5 billion years old, the sun has burned through nearly half its hydrogen fuel supply.

4X10 the 23rd power
Total power output of the sun, in kilowatts.  In 2009 researchers at NASA estimated that 45 percent of theta solar energy reaching Earth is absorbed or reflected by our atmosphere.  Earth's surface absorbs or reflects the rest.

11
Duration, in years, of a typical solar cycle, natural variations in the number of sunspots and flares that affect solar irradiance levels on Earth.  Sunspots, marked by dark areas on the sun, indicate a strong magnetic field.  Solar flares are powerful explosions at the star's surface.  The current cycle began in 2008, and a NOAA panel predicts it will peak in May 2013.  In past, large solar flares have caused blackouts and disrupted communications on Earth.

1,000,000
Speed, in miles per hour, of the solar wind, a stream of charged particles flowing from the sun in all directions.  A mission called Solar Probe Plus, slated to launch before 2018, will dive into the sun's atmosphere to study how the wind achieves its astonishing speed.  In September NASA selected the instruments, including a telescope and a particle counter, that will make the unprecedented journey.

by Jeremy Jacquot
Discover

Sharing is Caring 8: Horribly Ineffective Pick-Up Lines

Horribly Ineffective Pick-Up Lines

* How'd you like to gain 165 pounds for about six minutes?

*Is your father an astronaut because I sure am horny.

* Drunk yet?

*I may not be the best looking guy in here, but I'm the only one talking to you.

*They just called last call, and I'm out of options.

*My apartment is being fumigated.  We should screw.

*Quick while my wife's back is turned!

*Your name must be Daisy because I sure am horny.

*So, are you the fat friend or what?

*Anybody else live here with their parents?

*Personally, I found The Fountainhead to be a bit pedestrian.

*I designed Bruce Campbell's website.

"Make Love!*
*the bruce campbell way"

-by Bruce Campbell

First Week

So it's been a week and already I was stabbed in the stomach, literally.  Under my belly button, across it, and over the top.  As if someone gave up on x-ing it out.

Interesting Fact 20: Pig Sex

A pigs orgasm can last up to 30 min.

Interesting Fact 19: Spoil the Dead

In colonial Pennsylvania, it was custom upon the death of the lady of the house to shake up a bottle of vinegar and to turn any barrels, crocks, and jars of stored foods upside down to prevent the deceased from spoiling them.

Interesting Fact 18: (Rennes Edition By: Elisabeth) Quick Cooking

Do you know why the chinese wok was invented?  It was make because of lack of combustibles!
they had to cook very quickly so they could use the less combustibles possible...that's also why chinese food is cut into bite sized bits!!!!!
The wok allowed to heat a lot and keep all the vitamins and good virtues from the food... :p

Interesting Fact 17: Death by Gooch! (Tuesday Rennes Edition)

If hit hard enough in the gooch, you can die.  Death by gooch...awsome.

Interesting Fact 16: The Rent Stays the Same (Compliments of Hannah)

If the flat you live in has stayed in your family since before WWII, then the rent stays the same as it was before WWII.

- Hannah

Ready

Today was a cleansing day.  I packed a suitcase full of necessities, until I realized it wasn't needed.  I then packed my old backpack full of clothes and it all fit perfect.  Pretty weird.  I was expecting to use the larger case.  Not that big of a deal.

Today I was tired all day.  The day was pretty exhausting cleaning everything.  This is lame.
I'm out.

Interesting Fact 15: Grapes!

The phytonutrient resveratrol in red grapes and red wine counters aging the same way calorie restriction does.  Both activate a family of enzymes, sirloins, that slow the body's metabolic machinery and offset the damage of a high-calorie diet.

- Current Biology

Interesting Fact 14: They Know

Metacognition - the ability to think about your thinking - has now been shown in monkeys, dolphins, and rats.  Monkeys can assess how hard a memory task will be for them and wager food accordingly.  In other words, they know when to hold and when to fold.

- Matthew Hutson, Psychology Today (August 2007)

Interesting Fact 13: The Shinning (I know how I spelled it)

In the filming of the Shining, Stanley Kubrik and friend William Friedkin purposely tormented actress Shelly Duval on set, and somewhat convinced the rest of the crew to follow along, to help Duval get into character of a tortured wife and mother.  As a result, Duval became sick and lost a lot of hair while filming.

What to Say?

It's an odd feeling to walk into a room full of strangers and find out someone, who just left, was talking about you.  This is someone close to you.  This is someone you would think wouldn't do this.  This is someone you thought gave a shit about you.

Sharing is Caring 7

"Symbols shmimbols.  Sure they're important but...Well look at Ahab's whale.  Now there's a great symbol.  Some say it stands for god, meaning, and purpose.  Others say it stands for purposelessness and the void.  But what we sometimes forget is that Ahab's whale was also just a whale."-

- Stephen King.

From "House of Leaves" by Mark Z. Danielewski

Oh, Yet Another Injury

It seems as the days come closer and closer to my departure I'm injuring myself.  I stepped on some invisible rock yesterday, my ankle turned at an angle it shouldn't and I nearly fell.  I heard three pops and a sharp pain shot up my leg.
"Shit," I said.
I can still walk, and I'm still leaving, damn it!

Interesting Fact 12: The Horror Frog!

The "horror frog" is a hairy frog native to Cameroon that can break its own bones, causing them to puncture its toe pads, in order to form makeshift claws when in danger.

The Pain

Damn it!  I crushed my right index finger.  Now, yet again, I will not be able to play the cello for some time.  And, typing like this is a pain in the ass.

Strange Talk

The other day I was chatting with a co-worker.  Now, they use quite a bit of slang in their talk, and it throws me off sometimes.  This last time it threw me off, I had to laugh.  They were telling me about a friend they had problems with, and when I asked them if they still talked to this friend, they replied, "Naw, we squashed our beef."
Yes, I laughed, because, though I use some slang, I sure as hell haven't used nor have I heard of this type of talk.  It was insane!  I mean are kids these days really saying things like this, or did this person just make his own slang up?  Either way, it was pretty damn funny.  We squashed our beef.  Great stuff.

Sharing is Caring 6

Crazy people who are judged to be harmless are allowed an enormous amount of freedom ordinary people are denied.

- Katherine Peterson, Jacob Have I Loved

Interesting Fact 12: A Few For Nature

Thirty-two of the 42 known species of bats live in Texas.

More than 2,000 plant species contain cyanide.

Azaleas and rhododendrons contain andromedotoxin, a toxin that can cause nausea, paralysis, and even death.

A Short Story

Today, I made a fool of myself, yet again!  I read a short story to a group today, and realized how bad it is. First off, originally this short story was very long, but then I had to cut out over 5,000 words for a competition.  I always had a problem with it, and couldn't figure out why.  Then I changed it from first person to third.  It was a big difference for the better.  Then today, as I read the story aloud to a writers group, I realized all the errors and how bad the story is.  I was very embarrassed.  I even stayed behind, after everyone left, and asked the leader of the group if I was kidding myself.  Yeap, I always asked that.  He said no, but knowing what I'm capable of, he was disappointed in that story.
I need to re-work this story and make it original.  As it stands, it's crap.

Nicholas D.

Angry!

This person held onto my story.  I gave them options of when I can meet them and where, so I could get my story back.  They are not working with me.  Shit!  I'm getting angry.  They claim they are going to give it back on the next meeting, but I want it before I leave.  I'm growing angry.

I must go and drink.

Interesting Fact 11: Stay Clean, Wash Your Hands

I guess this would fall under "Facts," and not "Fact."  Here they are:

Percentage of doctors' NECKTIES that harbor disease-causing bacteria: 48.

Every year in the U.S., 1.7 MILLION hospital-acquired infections cause 99,000 deaths.

Percentage of patients with invasive MRSA infections who die from it: 17.

Percentage increased of MRSA INFECTIONS since 1995: 867.

Percentage of health-care workers who do not clean their hands properly: 60.

Time needed to scrub away bacteria with hand soap: 20 seconds (like singing "Happy Birthday" twice).

- Popular Science
November 2010 Issue

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacterial infection that is highly resistant to some antibiotics.

Mayoclinic.com