Jump to content

Selkie

Members
  • Posts

    1,184
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    5

Posts posted by Selkie

  1. [T]he first-season episode of Homicide: Life On The Street, where Bayliss and Pembleton have 12 hours in which to interrogate the key suspect in the Adena Watson case. A single set, 3 actors, and one of the finest pieces of television I've ever seen.

     

    Oh, snap! It's been years since I watched Homicide, but your mention of that episode put shivers down my spine. That was one of the finest episodes on an outstanding show.

  2. Avaunt, I'm so sorry. I'm sure there's no consolation to be had that at least he has the opportunity to know how much he means to people, even those that he's never met.

     

    Sending good vibes that the doctors are wrong, and he has many comfortable and happy years ahead of him....

  3. Mark, it's a shame Halloween isn't more popular on your side of the Atlantic, because in the right company it can be tremendous fun. It's certainly the one holiday I actively "celebrate" rather than "endure." There aren't many adult-friendly holidays - this and Fat Tuesday are the only ones I can participate in without feeling vaguely foolish. There's no real social pressure to observe it or not, no ridiculous family competition over how spent the most money on presents, and almost any type or manner of costuming or decoration is acceptable. One can be as creative or conservative as one chooses to be. I love being able to indulge in my inner horror geek in an insanely public manner No cute smiling jack-o-lanterns and chubby cute ghosties for me - it's all dripping gore, rotting flesh, and an opporuntnity to play masquerade for me. The howls of protest from the Christian right just add to the ambience, and I'll be sad when they finally figure that out and quiet down.

  4. wrongemboyo, it's never too early to think about a Halloween costume! November 1st is not too early to plan for the following year!

     

    I'm probably going to resurrect the Cthulhu costume I made for the May Motor City Comicon. The oh-so-expensive and time consuming mask is broken, but I'm reasonably sure I can make a new one, and hopefully lighter weight one, a lot faster this go round. No one in my neighborhood is going to understand who Cthulhu is, but I can live with that.

     

    My sense of loss over my elderly greyhound Shadowman is going to be expecially acute this year. He traditionally wore a precious Hannibal Lecter costume, and it was always a kick to see how all the little kids knew instantly who he was; most of the adults recognized it, but all the kids did. In case you're wondering, dressing a hound as Hannibal Lecter requires fashioning a man's white shirt into a "straitjacket", a prison ID number hung around the neck, and a white racing muzzle.

     

    Mostly, though , I'm going all out on yard decorations this year. Bob the vampire will be in attendace, as he was last year, and he'll be joined by a new floating 62" ghoul, life-sized grave marker (which will have fresh soil in front of it and a hand sticking out), a nice big skull, and the usual assortment of spiders, bats, and a cauldron full of rubber rats, snakes, frogs, et al. I'm still shopping for a good life-sized skeleton, and think I've found what I'm looking for on eBay. We had intended to have him riding a bicycle, but of course the 'rents threw those away a few days ago without thinking. I'm also eyeing some hatchling vultures.

  5. Favorite Song: Feeling Good by Nina Simone (narrowly edging out her rendition of "Sinnerman")

     

    Favorite Meal: Dark chocolate covered raspberries

     

    Favorite Movie: L.A. Confidential

     

    Favorite Book: Lives of the Monster Dogs

     

    Favorite Short Story: A Midwinter's Tale by Michael Stanwyck

     

    Favorite Single Television Episode: Three Patients, from House (very narrowly edging out "Fool for Love" from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and "Dominoes Falling" from The Shield).

     

    Favorite Single Comic Issue: Planetary #3, Dead Gunfighters

  6. <continuing to derail this thread>

     

    My "nanny" when I was a very young child was an English bulldog named "Beauty", and I have more clear memories of her than I do of my own parents. My parents ran a pet store that faced onto a very busy street, but never had to worry that I'd run out the door. Beauty would prevent me from leaving, and goodnaturedly tolerated being ridden, tugged on, and generally abused by my toddler self. No one intent on hurting me would have dared approach, because she definitely gave off an air of "This is my person, you will not mess with her" vibe when necessary. A few years after she died she was replaced by "Duchess", who was my childhood romp around the neighborhood buddy. OK, so one doctor was ready to report my parents for child abuse after seeing the bruises on my legs from our play time, and there was the one time she almost accidentally strangled me to death, but other than that, she was a terrific pet.

     

    Pity they have so many health problems, and die so inconscionably young. I'd never have another one for that reason, but I have only the fondest memories of ours. Fortunately my greyhounds - a breed which contains more than a little English bulldog blood - have much the same tmperment in much more structurally sound bodies.

     

    </derailment>

  7. Nice try, sethos, if you think I'm going to let you get away with the flimsy excuse that they're not available in your country, think again. I'm sure some American STH member could arrange to spend your money by shipping one to you :D

     

    Off to play with my Sideshow Vampire Spike that just arrived. It's a wonderful sculpt, and I can't wait to set him up in the window on Halloween - preferably biting the neck of some other hapless toy.

  8. The Constant Gardener is a quiet film for smart people. I liked it a lot, perhaps the most of anything I've seen this year. I've rarely seen non-linear storytelling handled as well as it was here, and for once, it's a trick that added a lot to the mood of the film. Some good acting all around, even if I did occasionally want Ralph Fiennes to open up a bit.

     

    Good stuff.

  9. sethos, thanks for the update. You saved me some hunting around this weekend, although I don't think the money saved on gas will even begin to outweigh the additional amount I'm going to wind up spending on dragons. Plural. Deep in my heart, I know I'm not going to stop with just one.

     

    I'm working on my first custom figure, spending time and effort that really should be applied to any of my in-progress original sculptures that are lying around the house. The custom is faster and frankly more fun right now, so I'm going with that.

     

    ... and laughing at the Planetary/Buffy the Vampire Slayer crossover taking place on my kitchen table. The (live) cat looks thoroughly baffled, and has learned to stay well away from Jakita (who falls over if you look at her cross-eyed).

  10. I <heart> the FSM! That's one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time.

     

    However, after forwarding the information to a friend, he pointed out that the FSM may be more sinister than he first appears"

     

    Has it occurred to anyone that FSM bars an uncomfortable resemblance to a certain Elder One who would prefer that we hadn't arisen from the primordial ooze?

    Indeed, what dreams may come to one for whom death itself has died?

    And what amusements flicker through a mind in its repose in drowned R'lyeh

    than to triflingly toy with minds of men.

    Offering them visions of benign horror, of delectable monstrosity.

    Humans gladly give their worship to any power they perceive or imagine

    while that which was before, and will be again, waits.

    If for a time the vision is of prehensile pasta, the end is no less certain.

    And flesh is made more savory when its fear is dulled by silliness.

  11. spiderlegs, is there any chance of a STH donation drive for the efforts there in Dallas? I agree that "organized" takes too long, and AFAIK nothing has been set up to take care of the refugees they've sent to my area (most of whom were, as best as I can tell, sent to Chicago to pick up connecting flights to other cities, rather that to be taken care of).

     

    Tell us what to send and where to send'em, and I'm sure there'd be quite a response. I now regret having donated most of my stuff to Salvatian Army a month or so back, but I'm sure I can scrounge up some clothing to send.

  12. JW, my hear goes out to you and your family. If there's anything we here at STH can do, just say the word, 'k? I have firsthand experience with how generous the posters here can be, and I know we're all aching to help.

     

    ________

     

    The next time anyone in the U.S. government talks about how this disaster couldn't have been predicted, please, click on this link and note the date.

     

    _________

     

    sethos, to answer a question you asked earlier on this thread, it's true that no one in NOLA refers to the city as "The Big Easy." That moniker is (was?) applied only to a music festival, never the city as a whole.

  13. Well, on the other hand, I am insanely jealous of *you* now, 'cause you've met CSM and I probably never will.

     

    I guess we're even then :biggrin:

     

    CSM in person is exactly as I expected her to be. She's friendly and pleasant but reserved, yet at the same time clearly operating in her own world. I mean that as a compliment, really I do. At the back of Dream Sequence (IIRC) she talks about "hearing voices" - I suspect she means that literally. By no means is she spacey, crazy, or odd, just in her own world, which is probably more interesting than the one the rest of us live in. If you lined up a group of comic creators and had to guess which one wrote Finder, you'd pick her out in an instant. Her companion, whom I suspect is the "Cat Boy" she's mentioned a few times, is definitely the more outgoing enthusiastic showman type. Both of them recognize me the instant I walk up to their table, which never ceases to amaze me. It's a crowded convention, I'm never there for long, and I'm just not that memorable!

     

    Here are some terrible scans of the few pages of OA I own. All of that delicate linework is totally lost in these images, but they're the best I could do at the time.

     

    http://www.spinningtheinfiniteswitch.com/i.../Finder24-2.jpg

     

    http://www.spinningtheinfiniteswitch.com/i.../Finder21-8.jpg

     

    http://www.spinningtheinfiniteswitch.com/i...s/Finder2-i.jpg

     

    Hmpf, have you read the volume of Queen & Country that she illustrated, and if so, what did you think of her artwork on it? It's the one book of Q&C I haven't read yet (drat) but I saw some of the pages at a past convention and it looked very bland, and not at all her usual style, but I don't knw whether what I saw wa a representative sample. Thoughts?

  14. Hmpf, I am insanely jealous that you've read Rescuers already. The highlight of attending WizardWorld Chicago is always meeting CSM and buying the latest TPB (and often a piece of OA), but even though the convention's only about a fifteen minute drive from home I missed it this year.

     

    Wah! Methinks it's time for me to order it online.

  15. Gee, Keeyah, aren't you a big help in my efforts to restrain my spending? :biggrin: The conspiracy grows!

     

    Sadly for my wallet and overstuffed shelf, I am planning on buying that water dragon as soon as I find one. My local Spencer Gifts had discounted all the series one dragons they had in stock, but that was the one they didn't have. I'm sorely tempted to pick up at least one of the others, but was in a hurry so managed to restrain myself.

     

    My friend who got me into toy collecting is hunting up a water dragon for me this weekend, so I'm sure I'll have one shortly. Og help me. I'm half-tempted to find myself an Angel action figure to go with it, so the character can finally slay a dragon....

  16. sethos, you just had to post those pictures of the McFarlane dragons, didn't you? Didn't you? Now I know the truth - you're part of the plot to drain my wallet with action figures! I've been on a terrible spending spree as of late, and trying to cut back. Now I read this thread - which I've been resisting from day one as I knew the effect it would have on my finances - and see that water dragon. Drat. Drat drat drat.

     

    I'm doomed. There is not one square inch of display space left in this house full of expensive antique figurines and statues. Is it the ninteenth centruy porcelain that's got me excited today? No, it's the little plastic dragon. And thtaat BtVS library playset that's coming out in a couple of months.

     

    Someone stop me, please! (Especially before I spend even one more minute on Sideshow's web site...)

  17. Red, good luck on your romantic adventure! I've done the internet/long distance dating thing, and enjoyed it a lot.

     

    ____________

     

     

    Is there any more enjoyable holiday for adults than Halloween? Well, OK, other than maybe Mardi Gras, is there a more enjoyable holiday for adults? I think not. There's certainly no shopping experience I enjoy more. I want it all. The bloody eyeballs. The severed limbs. The grave markers with images of skeletal gargoyles. A vampire bride for Bob. Life sized skeleton cast from real bones. Bats the size of pterodactyls. Everything. All of it. I'm having wicked, wicked fun planning this year's celebration.

     

    Even in the absence of Bear. :icon_cry:

  18. Just a quick check to see if anyone from the board's planning to attend. I may be traveling to MI sometime in October to see some friends and their new weanling foal, and if there's any interest in a get-together that weekend I could probably arrange my schedule to accomodate.

  19. With all this talk of skinnydipping, I must ask my fellow American midwesterners: does it suddenly feel like autumn where you live? The temperature dropped from "sweltering" to "time for the trenchcoat" overnight. I feel a strong urge to prepare the Halloween decorations and repair the Cthulhu mask, for Og's sake. I know it's technically only August, but my critters and my weather witch body are all telling me it's not only fall, it's late fall.

     

    Is this a Chi-town thing, or are MI, OH, and all the rest experiencing the same phenomenon?

     

    Off to eBay to purchase some severed limbs and giant rats....

×
×
  • Create New...