Bats in the Belfry, Cats in the Attic

Thank you, Alice, at [ Alice Lost & The Monster Brigade ] for tagging me! I'm glad to have another excuse to post! Rules Thank the person who tagged you for this challenge and post a link to their blog.  Tag 5 blogs with less than 200 followers.  Wish them to tag more bloggers to help keep this thing going!  5 Things You Need Everyday Although I don't get one everyday, I usually need a nap everyday. I need some creative or reflective alone time in which I can read, write, and think.  I need some time to listen to music. Usually this is in the car. Breakfast! I don't do well skipping that (unless I wake up at lunch time). A little time on the internet. 5 Books You Would Recommend  A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. It's a novel that deals with themes of fate, growth, and personal struggles. The characters are so real, and you won't want to stop reading once you start. The Monk by Matthew Lewis. This is an early Gothic novel...

Toby and Goblins from Labyrinth While thumbing through a copy of Fate Magazine, an article about goblins caught my eye. Goblins are legendary creatures that come in many shapes and sizes. Generally, Goblins are said to be small and ugly, noisy, and have a bit of a mean streak. They are known for their compulsive cleaning, mischievousness, greediness, and occasional baby-stealing (Labyrinth) The Gringott's Goblin Christina Rosetti wrote a poem called, "Goblin Market" Here's an excerpt: Laugh’d every goblin When they spied her peeping: Came towards her hobbling, Flying, running, leaping, Puffing and blowing, Chuckling, clapping, crowing, Clucking and gobbling, Mopping and mowing, Full of airs and graces, Pulling wry faces, Demure grimaces, Cat-like and rat-like, Ratel- and wombat-like, Snail-paced in a hurry, Parrot-voiced and whistler, Helter skelter, hurry skurry, Chattering like magpies, Fluttering like pigeons, Glidin...

Established in 1823, Decatur Cemetery is older than the city of Atlanta itself.  Through the iron gates sprawled pathways lined by stone walls and oak trees. There were monuments of varying sizes and shapes, some worn and peppered with lichen.   Within the cemetery, there are a few mysterious letterbox locations. Letterboxing is a past time similar to geocaching. Participants use riddles to find hidden boxes. Inside the box is a pad of paper that is stamped and dated by the finders. My boyfriend and I trekked through the cemetery to find the hidden boxes. We managed to find one of the three, which was soaked with water. Although we didn't find all, our cemetery exploration proved successful. soaked letterbox, hiding under the tree trunk. Thomas Holley Chivers Upon research, I found that Decatur Cemetery is home to a man named Thomas Holley Chivers. Chivers was a Medical Doctor who became a poet, achieving mild fame at the time. He is famous for his fri...

Noonday Missionary Baptist Church's Cemetery is also known as "Devil's Turnaround." It is located along a little back road in Kennesaw, Georgia, and most of the graves are scattered in the woods. It is easy to miss, but some of the gravestones are visible from the road. The cemetery has graves from the 1860's. I wouldn't doubt that some of its occupants were slaves at one time. Many say the land is haunted by malevolent spirits who hurl objects and make physical contact--shoving, scratching, and even biting visitors. I could understand why any lingering spirits might be upset: These grounds have been terribly neglected. Much of the graves are broken and toppled over. Some are barely visible through the overgrowth of ivy and weeds. People also say the root of the haunting may be related to rumored cult rituals performed on the property. Located right by the cemetery are huge power lines (high voltage transmission lines). I could hear them b...

I mentioned in [this post] back in February that my best friend's father, who owns a photography business, wanted to shoot alter-ego photos of me. Alter Ego photography involves taking two photos of one person portraying different egos and then photo shopping them together. For my photos, I dawned my Jareth Costume and another more feminine outfit I wore to give a ghost tour. I thought the photos turned out well. I even half-joked that I was going to have portrait-sized photos made to put over my mantel when I get a house of my own. I think it would be amusing to have guests over and see their reactions. The piece would be a conversation starter, that's for sure! You remind me of the babe! I move the stars for no one.

Second Wave Compilation, Talking Heads, and SOM all purchased at a used book store Are CD's obsolete? With all of this digital downloading, most people don't even bother with them. Even vinyls (which are technically obsolete) have a vintage charm which CD's currently lack. I have a friend who jokes, "It's 2013. Who listens to CD's anymore?" while knowing full well that I still buy them. It might seem that I have luddite tendencies--I don't use an e reader either. However, I can make some very good arguments for purchasing CD's. Buying your music on compact disks nowadays is really cheap, especially if you know where to look. I tend to shop for them at Goodwill, thrift stores, and used book stores. I found Ministry's Psalm 69 (in very good condition) at my local Goodwill for only $1. Keep in mind, many people pay that much for a digital copy of one song. When I shop for them at my local used book store, the CD's are guaranteed to be i...

I don't think many of you know this, but there was a period of time where I wanted to be an astronomer. I don't say this lightly either. When I was in the fifth grade, for example, I was seriously researching Princeton's Astrophysics program and what it would take to be an astronomer. No normal fifth grader does that, but what can I say other than I've never been "normal," really. Although I've found my calling in writing, I'm still enthusiastic about astronomy. My boyfriend, Ryan, shares this enthusiasm--He is an Astronomer after all! To celebrate the end of this school year, we both took a trip to NASA's Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.  When I was younger, I really wanted to get some basic astronaut training at Space Camp. I didn't realize at the time how expensive it was. As a consolation, since my parents couldn't afford to send me, my dad took me to tour the Space Center years ago. It was just as good as I reme...