Countdown to Halloween---#9

I love Halloween; that's a given. It is a holiday I look forward to every year. Therefore, I decided it might be fun to countdown to 10/31 by writing a blog each day, indicating 10 reasons why I'm such a fan.

Blog #9---Candy

Any good holiday is going to have good food, and Halloween is no different. Now, I know there aren't very many "Halloween-specific" treats. (One might argue candy corn, but I won't since it is freakishly-gross!) For the most part, one just eats the same treats they would all year round.

So then, why even bother bringing it up? I mean, if you can eat a Kit-Kat in May, why is October special?

Well, in my opinion, Halloween was the first holiday to encourage the eating of sugary-sweets. Just look at Trick or Treating (a blog I'm definitely going to write later on). The whole point of it is to accumulate treats. It is sad to me that every other holiday now feels they have to rip off Halloween in the candy department. Christmas and Easter are fine on their own, they didn't really need to incorporate candy--- but I guess that's just a lesson in Capitalism for you.

Call it nostalgia, purism, or just my stubbornness, but the best holiday candy is, and always will be Halloween candy. That's all there is to it!

Countdown to Halloween---#10

I love Halloween; that's a given. It is a holiday I look forward to every year. Therefore, I decided it might be fun to countdown to 10/31 by writing a blog each day, indicating 10 reasons why I'm such a fan.

Blog #10---Decorations

I sometimes wonder what exactly I have in common with my parents, as I'm sure most children do. We don't always (clique alert) see eye to eye on things. Our tastes aren't what you'd call "simpatico", if you catch my drift.

However, one trait I know I've inherited, from my mother at least, is the desire to decorate for holidays. Now, I don't do every holiday, because that's a little nutty. To her credit, my mother doesn't either. Some holidays aren't worth it (can we say Valentine's?) Others just aren't very practical (aka New Years). In my book, you should only decorate for the important ones, which, of course, includes Halloween!

Now, since I currently live in a basement, I don't have a lot to work with. Oh yes, there are decorations now, but they're small and not all that interesting. Plus, they're not very scary. If I had my own place and a ton of money to blow, I would turn my quarters into a bonafied haunted mansion! I would do everything in my power to make things creepy, eeky, grody, and all-out spooky, aka The Addams Family, the Munsters, any Vincent Price movie... my house would have it all!

Bottom line is, you've got to decorate. You don't have to go my route, there are plenty of G-rated decorations you can do. Decorating gets you in the spirit of the holiday, so I definitely recommend doing it.

Good Halloween decorations = win!

About Writing...

So, I was just reading this story I think on Yahoo News or somewhere about J.K. Rowling making a big announcement next week. That's cool, but not what I want to talk about. One of the comments someone posted on that story said something along the lines of, "J.K. Rowling is a fraud. She didn't invent that story, she stole it from the movie 'Troll'. She sucks..." etc, etc.

Now, I've never heard of that movie, so I decided to investigate. Apparently, it was a very, very, VERY CRAPPILY-MADE movie of the 1980's. Here is what wikipedia.org says...

"The film begins with the Potter family moving into a new apartment complex in San Francisco. While unpacking, their young daughter Wendy is attacked by a grotesque little creature, who had long ago been transformed from a powerful wizard into a troll. Using a magic crystal green ring, it captures Wendy and possesses her form. After meeting the other eccentric tenants, the family notices Wendy's unusual behavior (roaring, biting, tossing people across rooms), but they attribute her behavior to the stress of the move. The only one that notices something is terribly wrong is Wendy's brother, Harry Potter Jr. (Noah Hathaway)..." (wikipedia.org)

Blah, blah, blah, you get the idea.

Oh no! The character is named Harry Potter! How can that be?

So what? THAT'S the proof that Rowling is a fraud??? Sorry, but I HIGHLY doubt that she saw a crappy, American movie in the mid 1980's and thought, "Hmmmm, I'll rip this off and write about it in ten years." If you go back and read the rest of the plot, you'll see it has very little to do with the books she's written.

Why am I even talking about this, then?

Whenever anyone writes fantasy, they will use ideas that have been used before roughly 96% of the time. Wizards, dragons, fairies, trolls, goblins, vampires (ugh), werewolves, magic... it has ALL been done before!!! That is why I have never really delved into writing fantasy. It is too constricted and a lot of hard work. Don't get me wrong, I admire those who do, I just don't have the talent for it.

As for the name Harry Potter... well, it is a common-sounding name. Rowling has said Harry has always been her favorite male name and she got Potter from a family she knew as a child. I'd be more inclined to believe she copied a name/story if the character was named, say, Katniss Everdeen. How many of THOSE do you see walking around? Exactly.

As a final note, writers are frauds in the sense that every word has been written before (it's called a dictionary... ha ha ha). That's why I think it's neat to make up new words, a la Dr. Seuss, or even Rowling with the word "Muggle".

So people, just chill with calling her a fraud, OK? If you don't like her books or don't want to read them, no one's forcing you. (I hate Twilight, but I don't really care that people like it. I don't think Stephenie Meyer's a fraud either.) If you've ever studied literature, you'll know that most stories share the same themes anyway.

One last thing... to the guy who wrote that Troll comment, why would you admit that you saw that movie? Who's stupid now???

(Oh snap!!!)

Thoughts on Today

At around 10:00 last night I saw the news on yahoo.com

"Osama Bin Laden is Dead" it read.

My first thought was, "What? Holy crap!!!" I turned on the TV, alternating between CNN and Fox News, and got the facts. Yep, it was true.

I've now had about 17 hours to let the news stew in my head. Now I want to write what I think about it.

All in all, it is a good thing. He wasn't a nice dude and certainly did a lot of horrible, despicable things. As far as I understand it, when the Navy Seals found him they gave him a chance to surrender. He would not, so that's when they killed him.

Most importantly, justice has been served. Those who suffered directly from 9/11 will never fully heal, but I know that his death has brought some peace to their lives.

I applaud the military for their bravery and stealth. I even applaud the president and his advisers for their role.

Gasp! WHAT did you say, Steph?

Yes. Obama isn't my favorite person, but as the Commander in Chief he did a good job executing this plan.

However, I don't think I can "celebrate" Osama's death. I am proud of the military and happy that justice was served, but I don't feel right being happy that someone is dead. After all, I'm sure Osama himself was elated when HE watched TV on 9/11. I don't want to be like him. It had to be done and the world is a better place without that man, I will not deny that fact.

Plus, I am a little scared. Osama's followers are probably planning some kind of retaliation. I don't know what'll happen in the upcoming days. The last thing I want is another 9/11. I know that's the last thing ANYONE wants. Also, I'm sorry to say, but Osama's death does NOT mean that the troops can come home. It just doesn't work that way, folks. His death just might mean that the troops have to stay out there a little longer. Yeah, that sucks, but that's how it is.

I'm not going to tell people how to think or to feel. If you feel like celebrating, then by all means celebrate. If you're scared or angry, then that's fine too. These feelings are the luxuries we are fortunate enough to have by living in a free country.

GOD BLESS THE U.S.A.

Enough with the monsters already!

I'm getting tired of hearing the word"monster" so often. I don't mean monsters in technical terms, like "vampires" (though I am pretty tired of those), I just mean the term in a generic form. It seems to have become socially and pop-culturally acceptable to be considered a monster. Kayne West, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj, and Usher have all had lyrics and/or song titles referring to "monsters", and I'm sure there's a lot more. (You could probably even count Katy Perry's song ET. Aliens are sort of like monsters.)

So, why does this bother me so much? Well, just take a look at the Webster definition of the word.

Oh jeez, Steph. You put a def. in your blog? LAME!

mon·ster noun \ˈmän(t)-stər\ Definition of MONSTER
1 a: an animal or plant of abnormal form or structure
b: one who deviates from normal or acceptable behavior or character

2: a threatening force
3 a: an animal of strange or terrifying shape
b: one unusually large for its kind

I get it. Those musical artists like to be "different". They're stars, celebrities, etc. They want to portray themselves as "threatening", "terrifying", "larger than life", and so on. That's very egotistical, if you ask me. I've heard that some celebrities suffer from the "God-complex". This is just a theory of mine, but I think that the God-thing has been played out, so they're going the other route. Either way, it all comes down to the same thing. "We're different, we're terrifying, we're beautiful, but we will destroy you." So, here's the thing, I don't like that mentality. I don't think using the word "monster" sets a good example for young people.

Wow, Steph. You're now going to play the, "kids today..." card?

Yes. Yes I am.

I know that it is hard to feel accepted in the world. I've been there, I totally get it. A lot of kids go goth/emo/whatever the crap it's called nowadays because they feel depressed and like they don't belong. I also know that in their own way some celebrities are trying to help the kids out. Songs like "Beautiful", "We R Who We R", and "Born This Way" give a positive message of, "Hey, I'm okay the way I am. Love yourself..." etc. That's fine. That's great, actually. If kids feel better because of those songs, then mazel tov to them!

What I DON'T like is kids feeling better because they've "accepted" themselves as monsters! To me, that's just like throwing in the towel. "Oh well, I'm a freak of nature. What's done is done."

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Do NOT give in that easily!!! Accepting yourself as a monster does nothing but guarantee a lifetime of self-loathing/depression/anti-social behavior. I don't like the word monster being thrown around as it has been. Kids need to find acceptance in a positive way. Everyone has their issues, but nobody should think that they're a monster.

No one.