FLASHBACK the 18th century

"bela logosi's dead...undead undead undead"
it's october...time for falling leaves, pumpkin carving, and  scary stories. and nothing is scarier than a vampire. why would anyone be scared of vampires? they aren't real and never were, you say? well...true, sort of. 
no one is quite sure when vampire lore first came into existence, but they have been reported in many cultures and, some say, may even go back to near the beginning of time. the term "vampire" did not become popular until the 18th century, when tales from eastern europe began to find their way west.  the tales led to mass hysteria that sometimes resulted in bodies being staked and people being accused of vampirism. people knew a vamp was around when livestock, relatives, and/or neighbors would die. because, and you know this to be true, nothing and nobody could just die, right? it's always vampires. 
what did a vampire look like? suspected vampires were dug up and described as bloated, and purplish in color. blood would be seeping from the mouth or nose and one eye would be open. the most important thing was the hair, fingernails, and teeth had grown. definitely a sign the person in the coffin might not be completely dead.  we now know that these are all signs of decomposition...but, come on. which story is more fun? ummmm...vampire!!
of course, if we suspect our dinner guest is a vampire, we all know what to look for, don't we?  OF COURSE we do: they don't have a reflection; they hate garlic; holy water fries their skin; they cower at the sight of a cross; and they combust in the sun. okay...that's in the movies. back in the day, they put a virgin boy on a virgin stallion...yep. that's what i said...and lead them thru a graveyard. supposedly, the horse would balk at the suspected vampires grave. and then, of course, they would dig up the grave and find the decomposing body and stake it thru the heart. 
FLASH FORWARD today
people no longer go around digging up graves and staking dead bodies thru the heart. we have doctors give us realistic causes of death. and we don't walk around with an arsenal of vamp hunting gear. we are completely unafraid of vampires. actually, we find them attractive. we find them romantic. we find them irresistible. when bela lugosi portrayed dracula, people were terrified...yeah, i know! who would be terrified of bela lugosi?! even scarier? nosferatu...giving people nightmares since 1922. but, since then, the vampire has become more human, and more romantic. in anne rice's vampire chronicles, the vampires struggle with their need to feed and their desire not to take lives. and, of course, the vampire clan in the twilight series sparkle in sunlight. who could be scared of that? 

                                   

 

                                              

FLASHBACK 1970

  
"this is halloween...everybody scream!!! in our town of halloween..."
i am counting down the days 'til halloween. trick~or~treat is so much fun in oxnard. halloween specials are important, too. its the great pumpkin, charlie brown is my favorite (still is)...but there is also scooby~doo and garfield. at halloween parties, we play "pin the tail on the donkey" and "bob for apples". our costumes are homemade or are a vinyl cover~up with a plastic mask, held on your head with a flimsy piece of elastic stapled to it. yep....i said it was stapled together.
FLASH FORWARD today
gone are most of the halloween specials...kids do still get charlie brown (sorry, i don't count ANYTHING that comes on nickelodeon or the disney channel as a SPECIAL)...and the costumes, though some are still homemade (my preference), are somewhat better quality. no more staples and made of cloth...if you're careful with it, it can last you for years.
but the games! oh the games!! with the invention of the iphone, and other smart phones and tablets, kids have access to a lot of cool halloween games and apps. there are countdowns, coloring books, talking skeletons, and zombie creators...too much fun. here is my review of just a few of these apps (all free and available at itunes):

#1~halloween by schatzisoft games: this app has a simple countdown...no programming necessary. just open the app and it tells you how many days until halloween. it also offers spooky sounds, ringtones, backgrounds for your phone, and halloween trivia. one very cool feature? a costume finder for all ages and genders. want an idea for your 10 year old daughter? just go to the finder. it will give you a list of ideas AND...after you've chosen the best idea...it will take you to google to see where you can purchase, if you don't want to make it yourself...
#2~talking skeleton by sixits, inc: just like the talking cat everyone loves, this skeleton will repeat what you say. you can punch him for no reason (not sure i understand that one), play games with him, and paint his face to your liking. you can even take pictures with him...he is a lot of stupid fun, however...he's a little slow. it takes a minute to navigate thru all his features, and he doesn't open to the talking feature. one thing that is kind of cool, when in talking mode, he puts his hand up to his ear and "listens" to you talk before repeating it. 
#3~halloween coloring book by peep software: for your little ones. this app has tons of halloween pages for your child to color. they can color with their finger...CAREFUL! don't go outside the lines!...or paint (changing the color in one click). it has a zoom feature making it easier to get those tiny images...and tons of colors to choose from. trust me, this keeps toddler and preschoolers busy...
#4~zombiematic camera by second fiddle apps: okay...this app has a few bugs. it doesn't always read the face and shuts down on occasion. but be patient...it's still a lot of fun. you can use pics in your photo library, or take one with the app. the app then detects the face and you can size it to fit exactly...tap infect and the person in the pic turns into a zombie!! ack!!! the only flaw i found is that it seems to only affect the eyes...no zombie mouth or rotting skin. but we have a had a ton of laughs with this app.
#5~pumpkin creations by libii: this app is another one that will keep your little ones entertained. you can change the color of your pumpkin...then you pick eyes, nose, mouth, and accessories. you can even choose a background and candle. it's simple and fun. 
#6~zombie builder by appinthesky.com: i mention this app for one reason...it doesn't seem to work and i don't want you to mistake it for zombiematic. i tried 3 times...taking pics of the bk with the app...and that's as far as i got. i hit "use" and the app froze in the "preview" feature. hopefully they get the bugs fixed soon because this one appears to give me the features zombiematic doesn't. however, i would rather have an app that works.
#7~ghost o meter by adrian 3: okay...okay...this app is really cool. it is simply a meter that detects ghosts. open the app...walk around the haunted place, wherever you may be...and the meter will spike if there is something paranormal around. even if you don't believe it's detecting ANYTHING, this app can entertain for hours in the dark. i know paranormal when i see it and, so far, i have not experienced anything in our new home but....i turned the app on and it stayed steady for about 15 minutes and suddenly started spiking when i got near an antique armoire...does that mean it works? i have no idea...but it's still fun!

keep in mind that, although free, some have features that are only available with an upgrade to the paid version (usually 99 cents).

old school games:

 







new school games:

                      

 

                      

 

fun with zombiematic:

                       

 

FLASHBACK 1988

"this is halloween...this is halloween...pumpkins scream in the dead of night..."
the lil bro is living with me. it's coming up on halloween and time to carve pumpkins. as usual, he thinks he knows more than me and chooses to carve his on his own. okay mr arteest...go for it!! my pumpkin turns out like a proper jack o'lantern should...mangled teeth...triangle eyes...traditional. lil bro's? ummmmmm....it's one gigantic mouth**. really bro? that's all you got? BAM! cardinal wins the pumpkin carving contest.
FLASH FORWARD october 2009
it's my first halloween with the bk. we don't have little kids. we won't have trick~or~treaters. but we need jack o'lanterns. we could go get a kit and be all fancy. but why? we use our imaginations and artistic abilities to create our masterpieces. i go for the traditional. you can go all fancy if you want but, in my humble opinion, a classic works best. the bk decides to do the pumpkin king....jack skellington. after a small mishap with my knife, the jack o'lanterns are complete and guarding our deck.

how to carve a jack o'lantern:

#1~pick the perfect pumpkin. try to find one that is firm and has a clean face.
#2~gather your tools. you can purchase a pumpkin carving kit if you want specialty tools and templates (just because i prefer traditional doesn't mean YOU have to) or use what you have at home:

• newspaper to protect table
• a paring knife
• a serrated knife
• an ice cream scoop
• a large bowl
• pencil or dry erase marker

#3~about 3" from the stem, stab the pumpkin, using the serrated knife. start cutting a circle around the stem, at a slight angle. before completing your circle, make a notch in the back to ensure a secure fit for your "lid".

#4~pull the lid off. it may take a strong pull because it's still attached to the seed inside.

#5~time to get messy. stick your hand inside and pull out all the goopy, sticky guts. place in the bowl, if you want to toast the seeds*. you don't want no stinkin pumpkin seeds? well then...just toss it in the trash.

6~now take your scraper that came with your kit, or an ice cream scoop, and scrape the inside walls. get them as clean as you can...all that stringy stuff can block the light.

#7~cut the glop off the lid

#8~now it's time for your design. if you are doing your own, draw an outline on the face of your pumpkin with the dry erase marker. this makes it easy to see but is easily removed if you make a mistake. using a template? tape it to the face and use the poker tool to poke an outline on your pumpkin.

#8~get out the paring knife and get to carving. follow the dotted line, just like in school. 

#9~now add your candle or pumpkin lighting kit. i still use a candle, but your pumpkin will last longer with the lighting kit, plus no fire danger.

#10~worst case scenario...just paint your pumpkin...

HAPPY CARVING!!

         

                

 

     

 

^pumpkin painting with pipa^

*roasting those seeds but not sure how? this is delicious: clean and dry your 

seeds (approx 30 minutes); preheat oven to 300 degrees; toss seeds in a

small amount of melted butter and a pinch of salt; spread out, in a single layer

on baking sheet; bake for about 45 min or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.

**i could not locate the only picture of mouth o'lantern, however, look closely at 

all the completed jack 'o lanterns above and see if you can pick out lil bro's...

FLASHBACK 2006

"lol smiley face...lol smiley face" my uncle~granddaddy passed away. what is an uncle~granddaddy, you ask? well. when YOUR widowed grandma marries her widowed brother in~law, you will understand. so, anyway, back to my story...my uncle~granddaddy passed and i was devastated. he was one of the greatest men you could ever know. my friend sends me a text "i'm so sorry about your uncle~granddaddy...lol". wait? what? lol? why is she "laughing out loud"? i ask her why she sent lol? and what does she think it means, exactly? "it means 'lots of love', doesn't it?". bahahahahahahahaha!!!! NO!!!!! bahahahahahahahaha!!! 
FLASH FORWARD 2009
the bk and i are in a long distance relationship. in 2009 it's pretty easy. there is email. there are nightly phone dates. there is the chat function on facebook. and, most importantly, there is texting. with texting you can be in contact. all day. everyday. we are at our respective jobs, texting about our upcoming visit. the bk is full on yelling at me. "WE ARE GOING TO DOC'S". fine. we'll go to doc's. but why are you yelling at me? "I'M NOT YELLING AT YOU". yes. yes you are. "WHY DO YOU THINK I'M YELLING AT YOU?" ummmmm....because you are typing in all caps? that kind of means you're yelling. "no. if i was yelling i would do this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!". 
FLASH FORWARD 2011
a new friend is having a party. we want to go, but we know we will be surrounded by strangers and we are curious if another friend is going. i send a text "will you be at blah blah blah's tonight?". the response? "i certainly hope so! lol". oops. i sent that text to blah blah blah!!!
FLASH FORWARD early 2012
queenie and i are texting back a forth. she is going to see bird and boogie. i tell her to hug them for me. uh oh! auto~correct changed it to HIV. i told queen to HIV them for me!! ugh!
FLASH FORWARD today
not that i don't, occasionally, use an lol or lmao, but mostly i spell everything out now. the days of "text speak" are coming to a close now that iphones and droids allow for more that 140 characters. but caps lock? it is still an important tool for me. i use it a lot in my texts, tweets, facebook statuses, and even here, in my blog. i don't use it to yell at people. i took jamie's advice and use my exclamation points. after all, that was why they were invented, right? i use the caps lock to emphasize a word or phrase.  because i want you to hear me talking as you read this. why not just use quotation marks? because quotation marks are for dialog and only D~BAGS use quotation marks when they are trying to "make a point".
some things you should know about texting:
#1~be sure you know what an acronym means before you send it. sending lol to someone who just lost their uncle~granddaddy is NOT cool. unless your name is lisa, and then i will forgive you because i understand that you had no clue what you were saying.
#2~if you use all caps all thru your text, you ARE yelling at people. stop it. unless, of course, you mean to be yelling at them. 
#3~proof read your text before hitting send. we have gotten so lazy about our spelling. and why not? auto~correct will check it for us. no need to pay attention. but auto~correct has to guess what you were trying to spell. so take the time to read thru it before you wish HIV on someone.
#4~and, by far, the most important!! make sure you are sending the text to the right person!! imagine if i had sent blah blah blah a text that said "blah blah blah is such a d~bag!". 
HAPPY TEXTING!!

             

 

^watch auto~correct: i would never wish HIV on anyone and i'm fairly^

certain bridge would never call me a homo!

^the bk having fun with emjoi^

FLASHBACK october 2007(?)

"if i'd known you were coming i'd have baked a cake..."
i love pumpkin. i love pumpkin everything. pumpkin ice cream. pumpkin bread. pumpkin coffee. pumpkin pancakes. pumpkin ale. pumpkin. pumpkin. pumpkin. when ALL the other kids on the planet are blowing out candles on their birthday cake, i'm blowing out the candles on my birthday pumpkin pie! and pumpkin pie was my very favorite of all things pumpkin....that is...until i discovered the cheesecake factory pumpkin cheesecake! 
FLASH FORWARD september 2009
the bk is not much on sweets. but, like me, he has an immense love of all things pumpkin. i tell him of my love of pumpkin cheesecake and how it's only available from mid-october thru december. boo! why can't i get it year round? "we need to run to the store". ummmm...why? i hate the store. "because i need cream cheese, graham crackers, a can of pumpkin, and springform pans". wait? what? within a few hours, the bk is enjoying a pumpkin ale and putting a pumpkin cheesecake in the oven. it is delicious. it is my new favorite dessert in the history of desserts. ever. 
FLASH FORWARD today
today is national pumpkin cheesecake day. i'm not exactly sure why we must celebrate only one day a year. i think it should be pumpkin cheesecake day everyday. to celebrate, you COULD go to a local bakery. or a grocery store. or the cheesecake factory. and get yourself a a pumpkin cheesecake. but i highly suggest that you follow this simple recipe, and make your own!!

HAPPY BAKING!!

BK'S PERFECT PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE RECIPE

3/4 cup melted unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 3/4 cups sugar 
1 teaspoon salt plus 1 pinch 
2 lbs cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups sweetened whipped cream
1/3 cup chopped pecans

make sure rack is in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. brush a 10 inch springform pan with some of the butter; stir remaining butter into graham cracker crumbs with pecans, 1/4 cup sugar and pinch salt. press mixture onto bottom, and up sides, of pan. make sure to pack tightly. bake 15~20 minutes, until golden brown. beat cream cheese with a mixer until smooth. add remaining 2 1/2 cups sugar and beat until just light, scraping down sides of bowl and beaters as needed. beat in the sour cream, then add pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, 1 tsp salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves and beat until just combined. pour into cooled crust. bake about 1 hr and 45 min, or cheesecake is set but center is loose. open oven door slightly, turn off oven, and let cheesecake sit in oven for about an hour. remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.run a knife around the edge of the springform pan and refrigerate at least 8 hours, but preferably overnight. 

enjoy!!