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...