happy memorial day...

actually, I took this picture on the Fourth of July about fifteen or so years ago at the restored village of Allaire in New Jersey, but I think it's so patriotic.
pearls before swine...

Happy Birthday...
to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday Sweet and Sour's Goth's Mommy,
Happy Birthday to you!

From all the inmates, beasties and things that go bump in the night at Stately Sad Old Goth Manor!
pearls before swine...

my new favorite Metal Band...

COOKIE MONGOLOID!
who says head-bangers don't have a sense of humor.
pearls before swine...

pizza and beer...
with friends on the patio by the pool tonight, topped of with a nice cigar.
First firefly of the season. Big Dipper overhead. Night sounds. It's the little things.
"mama, here comes midnight, with the dead moon in it's jaws..."
Magnolia Electric Company on the CD player. Dog snoring on the parlor floor, cat curled up on the wingback chair, early summer breeze coming through the window, carrying the scent of the back door garden in with it. I'm all tingly with more sunburn. No bad thoughts tonight. Just full, slightly buzzed and very tired. This is the kind of night that you wish would go on forever...
pearls before swine...

something else to chew on...
little by little, the truth will out...
READ THIS..
pearls before swine...

food for thought...
from Erin:
"Do you think it's 'they' that are waging the psychological war upon us, or is it our own society? What a better way to keep control of society, keep it afraid..."

I would prefer to think not. In my mind, we have been controlled for a long time, not by fear, but by want.
We've be turned into a society of mindless spenders. Bigger, better, newer, the rally cry of wanton greed, fed by senseless desire. George Harrison was right... "I, me, mine..."
I'm off to dinner with good friends right now, so more later.

pearls before swine...

terrorist attacks...
take many forms... see the following lead in paragraph from an article in this morning's New York Times:
"Citing the security of 7 million daily riders, 48,000 employees and its transportation network, New York City Transit yesterday proposed a ban on unauthorized photography, filming and videotaping on city subways, buses and Staten Island Railway trains. The press and businesses or individuals with permits would be exempt."
The greatest weapon of terrorism is not explosives, hijacked airliners or dirty nukes... it is paranoia. They are turning us upon ourselves. They are causing the beginnings of the erosion of our personal freedoms from the inside out, just by dropping hints that they may do something. They are beginning to wage psychological war against us. And it is very, very effective. Wake up, folks. It is the dawning of a new day, in a brave, new world.
And so, the darkness does start to fall...
pearls before swine...

i'm so confused...
I hope that before I drop dead that I can figure out the American psyche. I really don't get it. Some terrorist bastards hijack some planes, crash them into some buildings, killing thousands of innocent people and what happens? We form a committee to investigate why and how Americans are at fault. The government is at fault. The military is at fault. The New York City Police and Fire Departments are at fault. I guess it's my fault, too. And yours... don't think you're getting off easy. We've become a society of self blame. We're too "civilized" to point a finger at those who committed the deed and blame them, we would rather blame ourselves. Speaking figuratively, of course, as I don't hold my self responsible in any way, shape or form for what those maniacs did. Nor do I hold anyone I know to any responsibility, either. Or the government, although I hope this was a bit of a wake up call...
I don't remember reading anything about President Roosevelt blaming America for the attack on Pearl Harbor. He put things in motion to kick the ass of those responsible. He challenged the nation to dedicate itself to setting things right. And we did. And we're trying to now. I don't agree with some of the things that are going on in Iraq, but then again, I'm nice and safe and sound over here, sitting at my computer, exercising my freedom of speech. I'm not five thousand miles from home, sweating my balls off in a hostile environment, where I can't tell friend from foe. Given the same circumstances, I might react in the same way. You might, too. I guess what I'm getting at is, don't let the idiots who think they're running the show influence how you feel about what's going on in the world. Think for yourself. If you don't agree with what they say, let them know. If you do agree, voice your opinion on that as well. Just make sure you speak with your own voice, don't let them speak for you.
And beware of false prophets. And darkness...

pearls before swine...

my kitchen door garden...



pearls before swine...

my favorite goth...
What the fuck?
Where are my underwear? There's gazillions of them in the assorted bags, boxes, tubs and baskets I have...

Not only is nothing marked, and there's too much of this unmarked wasteland, but it's all fucking black!

Blackblackblackblackblackblackblackblackblack and more fucking black....

Black sheets, pillows, socks, shirts, skirts, curtains, futon pads, makeup, boxes, bags, tubs, everything I own is black. Except my sheets... Those are green... But everything else is black... And even similiar in material... So I open a box and shove my hand into it, not exactly sure what's at the bottom and end up tugging on something that feels like satin or soft cotton or nylon and end up pulling out a sock or part of a curtain or an old shawl or something else...

Bah! It's nearly bedtime... No.. correction.. It's nearly Kit-letter-writing-to-time... yeah.... That time. Also, sign up for a different class since poetry II was cancelled.. Fuckers... That was the pivot point of my entire schedule, too... Fuck, I'll be in the great cosmic mother before you know it...

Sweet and Sour Goth...

she's something...
pearls before swine...

goth lobster...
built my trellis today. sometimes i amaze myself. no plans, just a quick sketch i did at the dining room table a week or so ago. got it all together and it looked like it was going to rain, so i brought it inside and gave it a coat of dark green paint. the lattice will be painted white. should look nice with morning glories and sweet potato vines climbing all over it.
also mowed all the grounds. it was very, very hot, so i took off my shirt. you know, you really can't feel how much you're baking when you're working like that... hence the title. sleeping should be interesting tonight. i wonder where my jar of aloe gel is...
later.
pearls before swine...

well...
after discovering, via the NASA website, that my home was located about forty miles too far east to actually see the ISS ecslipe Jupiter, I went outside anyway to have a look-see. Sure enough, right on time, the ISS gradually grew from a slight speck of light in the darkness to a bright, fast moving spot that was brighter than Jupiter itself, sailing across the darkened heavens in less than a minute before it started to fade and disappear. It was about a finger's width to the northeast of Jupiter. Quite a sight. Interesting to think that there's some folks up there, going round and round, while we scurry around like lost ants down here. I think I should like to try that before I go four-up. Seems like fun.
Downside of the evening was a field goal by the Lakers, with .004 to go, to beat the Spurs by one. Oh, well.
later.
pearls before swine...

Il Trovatore...
is on PBS tonight. One of my favorite operas. Hey! I just realized that PBS not only stands for Public Broadcasting System, it also stands for "pearls before swine"! Hmmmm.....
And, a special friend is posting some wonderful poetry on a new blog... please visit and encourage her to keep it up! Check out Dark Gothique.
later.
pearls before swine...

it's hopeless...
trying to get my Haloscan comments service script to work with this template. I've tried everything. I wrote Haloscan for help, maybe they will be able to figure it out... maybe not.
I butchered the script until Blogger would recognize it. In doing so, I can access Haloscan's service and if you click on "pearls before swine", you can cast your jewels of wisdom before my worthless self. But I won't know you did it unless I check each post's comments everytime I sign on. Most inconvenient, what?
In the meantime, if you live on the Eastern Seaboard of the US, go outside to a dark area around nine thirty. Look for Jupiter. It should be in the southwest. At around nine thirty eight, if you are in just the right place, the ISS will eclipse the planet for a brief moment. Check out Space.com for more info.
have fun...
oh, yeah... have I mentioned that I think Blogger or Googger or Bloggle or whatever the fuck it is these days, really, really sucks?
later.
pearls before swine...

ok...
this is starting to get a lot like teenaged sex... lots of activity, very little satisfaction.
I managed to restore my Haloscan comments, now named "pearls before swine...".
However, I had to delete a good portion of the script to get it to work. Please do me a favor and flood me with comments so I can see if it actually registers multilple outside comments.
thanks, you're swell.

pearls before swine...

ah, Marilyn...

you never cease to amaze me... and he shall amaze you, too, if you click here. Well, maybe not amaze you, but perhaps bewilder...
I have a list of what I consider the most interesting individuals that I would love to sit down to dinner with sometime and he is definitly near the top of that list. Who would you like to break bread with if you had the chance?

yeah, I know...
I'll touch it up a bit tomorrow. I'm tired. This has been a frustrating experience. If you use Blogger and hate their new system as much as I do, please drop them a line and let them know it. It was much easier to fire off a quick blog before. Now it's a chore. But I guess all the little teeny-boppers over in Live Journal and Journal Space will like the way the user interface looks. So much for demographics.
later.

new look ...
minimalist content. no more doo-dads, guest maps, bullshit.
just content. and links. that's it. like it or leave it.

what am I listening to..?
insect noises in the night...

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have I said...
how much I hate the new Blogger interface?

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this sucks...
now all my comments are gone and my template won't accept blogger's new propietary comment code, so that's that.
I will let you know where Sad Old Goth... ends up, but it ain't gonna be here.

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what am I listening to..?
my head hitting my monitor

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one last attempt...
at posting with the new blogger interface. it ate three last night. if this doesn't work, blogger and i will soon part company.
later

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what am I listening to..?
the birdies chirping in the trees on the manor grounds...

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Van Helsing...
is a blast. Went to see it with the wise and wonderful Bob and all I can tell you is, care not what the "learned critics" say, you will have a good time. If you're a fan of the classic Universal monster movies, you can have fun looking for all the little tributes that are hidden in the movie. If you're a fan of graphic novels based upon the classic characters, you'll love this. Hugh Jackman is great fun to watch camping it up to the hilt. Great music. Great CGI. And if you're into Goth clothing, check out Dracula's wardrobe. I've gotta learn how to sew...
later.

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what am I listening to..?
house sounds...

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the further decline of America...
can be seen here...

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what am I listening to..?
peals of thunder, off in the distance!

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they're at it again..!
check out Chris' and Shana's newest venture, De'Ath Manor!

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what am I listening to..?
king crimson - "Beat"

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Hurry up, George, apologize...


Or they won't let our servicemen and servicewomen stay in their country, getting killed trying to protect their freedoms. While you're at it, maybe you should apologize for America building the World Trade Center, I mean, they were in the way of those hijacked airplanes, you know. Same with the Pentagon. Shame on America for putting that building there. You can't take the blame for that farm field in Pennsylvania, though you really should say you're sorry for the antics of those hijacked passengers, I mean, no true American would think about trying to wrest control of a hijacked airplane away from those poor Middle Eastern fellows. And, hell, George, what about toppling a regime that murdered hundreds of thousands of it's own people, invaded it's neighbors and helped terrorist organizations with money and safe harbor? Why, we Americans have one hell of a nerve doing such business, don't we?
Oh, and let's not forget to beg forgivness for what those stupid American soldiers did when they got captured by the Iraqi's, getting their bodies, limbs and faces in the way of their Iraqi captor's boots and truncheons. God, what were they thinking? And George, please make sure you do extra pennance to make up for those civilian contractors who had the absolute nerve to not only be murdered in the street, but incited the crowd enough to mutilate, burn and display their bodies. What kind of rabble-rousers are we Americans, anyway?
George, the best thing to do, I think, is this: tell them you're sorry and you'll take all your toys and go home now, so they can sort it all out between themselves without the ugly Americans stepping their toes. Then come home and find the silly bastards who started this crap by abusing the Iraqi prisoners and prosecute them to the fullest extent of military and civillian law, which is what they do deserve. No one, under any circumstances who calls themselves an human being should ever behave that way and get away with it. Then, why don't you come on over to my place and hang out for a weekend? We can have a few beers, some barbeque and talk about some shit in our own country that could stand some apologizing over and let's get started on straightening some of that out, ok?

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what am I listening to..?
spring rains...

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change is coming...
soon...
I'm in one of those moods. The present doesn't suffice. The past seems more dreary then the weather outside. The future, which is the one thing over which I can exhibit a modicum of influence, is uninteresting... I feel like all I can do right now is dig deep into my bag of sighs, which, these days, seems to be bursting at the seams. On nights like this I wish the manor was big enough to have one of those long, dark hallways, filled with portraits of unknown ancestors and dusty, dark old furniture... heavy, somber drapes over rain etched windows... I would pace, in the dark and quiet, listening to the echo of my steps and the wind beating against the glass... lost in thoughts of nothing. I need to brood.

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what am I listening to..?
it's Sunday, so it's NASCAR!

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May Day...
came and went with no celebrations at all. I'm falling down on the job. So, today I'm quaffing a sufficient amount of Guiness to more than make up for it... maybe I'll go out later and do the dance...
It's windy as heck around here and threatening thunderstorms. Everything turned green overnight, it seems. The lilacs are in bloom, the iris' are full of buds and the perennial beds are doing their thing. It's almost time to plant the annual beds. The fern beds in the woodland garden are full of fiddlenecks and the wild violets are all blooming all over the place. The hostas are really fulled out already and even the crape myrtle is full of little leaves. It will be a beautiful summer around the manor, me thinks!
We're going to open the pool next weekend and get a jump on the midnight swimming sessions. I sanded and varnished all the wood outside furniture. Next weekend I'm making a neat gothic trellis for the the back wall of the house and planting some moon flowers and hop vines. Also picking some more stuff for the herb garden, I actually found some patchoulli! I love this time of year.

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