it's strange...
how the mind works sometimes. A single word can trigger the most amazing rememberances. I heard the word "dew" this morning and immediatly thought of a great Leonard Cohen song, "Sisters of Mercy". I offer they lyrics here. Buy his music. He is so wonderful.
later.

Sisters of Mercy
Oh the sisters of mercy, they are not departed or gone.
They were waiting for me when I thought that I just can't go on.
And they brought me their comfort and later they brought me this song.
Oh I hope you run into them, you who've been travelling so long.
Yes you who must leave everything that you cannot control.
It begins with your family, but soon it comes around to your soul.
Well I've been where you're hanging, I think I can see how you're pinned:
When you're not feeling holy, your loneliness says that you've sinned.

Well they lay down beside me, I made my confession to them.
They touched both my eyes and I touched the dew on their hem.
If your life is a leaf that the seasons tear off and condemn
they will bind you with love that is graceful and green as a stem.

When I left they were sleeping, I hope you run into them soon.
Don't turn on the lights, you can read their address by the moon.
And you won't make me jealous if I hear that they sweetened your night:
We weren't lovers like that and besides it would still be all right,
We weren't lovers like that and besides it would still be all right.



pearls before swine...

back amongst the living...
for a while, anyway...
Draft night turned out to be a nightmare. After some carefully veiled assurances that Herve was going to be drafted, the teams that were supposed to pick him didn't. I won't go into the details, but the end of the night was, well, I've been at merrier funerals...
After everyone finally left and we cleaned up, it was after two in the morning and I got a few hours sleep and left for Monster Bash at five-thirty Friday morning. I made it to Butler in six and a half hours with only two quick pit stops and walked into the hotel lobby at eleven thirty. After the dissapointment of the previous night, I have to say that stepping through those doors helped me cast off all the ill feelings that were pent up inside me. There, in the lobby, was a life size figure of Tor Jonson, rising from the grave in Plan 9 From Outer Space and I had to laugh. I immediatly ran into Don Reese, the comedian who is a Bash favorite, and he gave me a big handshake and hug and I felt really great after that. Being at the Bash is like being at a family reunion, albeit, a strange one. Everyone you've met in previous years remembers who you are and what you like and greets you by name even after not seeing you for a year. I met up with The Bloodhound, his kids and Micky later in the afternoon and we had such a great time. Lots of great movies, guests, I dropped a small fortune on DVDs, t-shirts and stuff. I got a first edition graphic novel signed by the writers, Bob Tinell and Todd Livingstone, a couple of great guys. I also got a signed print by William Max Miller, noted dark artist and expert on the Mummy. Ate too much, drank too much, slept too little - which is just what you're supposed to do at the Bash. Sunday came much too quickly. I have to, once again, tip my hat to Ron Adams of Creepy Classics for pulling it off, the guy must never sleep. Thanks, Ron!
So, on the Herve front, he was not drafted, but was almost immediatly contacted by the Golden State Warriors to come out for a workout, as they have a few spots on their roster to fill and have great interest in him. I feel sorry for the teams that could have drafted him... in a few years they will be kicking themselves in the ass when they see what a great NBA caliber player he is. Too bad for them.
A few personal notes: Erin, glad to hear your feeling somewhat better, hang in there. Chris and Shana, I promise lots of posts on Goths Just Wanna Have Fun, now that things are starting to calm down at the Manor.
The next thing to do is to concentrate on getting the Penn Jersey She Devils Roller Derby team up and running, stand by for news on that front soon.
Gotta run, Herve is bringing his parents over for a visit tonight before they leave to go back to Africa. I have to go get the black fingernail polish off before Mrs. Sad Old Goth freaks on me!
Oh, just one more thing, I picked up a nice pair of winged dog gargoyle candle holders at the Bash; they've taken up residence on the pump organ in the dining room of the Manor. The Mrs. thinks they are very scary. MWAHHHHHHH-HA-HA-HA!!!
later.
pearls before swine...

2004 NBA Draft night...
we have a housefull of people; college ball players, an NBA player, an NBA agent, friends and family. Everyone is nervous as hell. We're waiting for Herve to show up with his parents, who came over from Ivory Coast for the occasion. He hasn't seen them eight years. I can't wait to meet them. His agent is being very tight lipped about things, so we're all in the dark about what might happen. Keep your fingers crossed for Herve! More updates later as things unfold.
later.
pearls before swine...

Monster Bash...
starts this Friday in Butler, PA, just a short zombie shuffle from Pittsburgh, home of The Night of the Living Dead! I'll be leaving right after the draft party to drive all night to get there, with laptop in tow, so I can bring you up to the minute reports of all the ghoulies and ghosties I encounter! I'll be hooking up with The Bloodhound, his spawn Matt and William and the Mickster there as well. The way The Bloodhound and I figure, we will be getting about four hours sleep the whole weekend, so it will be The Weekend of the Living Dead for us! You can also check out the happenings on line at:
www.creepyclassics.com
If you love the classic horror films and great people, this is the place to be. It's almost like the Addams Family reunion! There's been a larger influx of gothies each year so it's even more interesting in the wee hours...
Well, I'm starving, so it's off to the larder to find something to kill and eat.
later.

pearls before swine...

only a few more days...
until the 2004 NBA Draft! All the inmates at Stately Sad Old Goth Manor are keeping all fingers, toes and other assorted appendages crossed for Herve! He's so nervous about the whole thing that he doesn't want to go the the draft at Madison Square Garden in NYC, so we're having a draft party for him at home. His Mom and Dad are coming over from Ivory Coast for the occasion! I'll try to blog as things unfold during the night. Stand by for news on that front...
pearls before swine...

A Merry Solstice...
to one and all.
pearls before swine...

what the hell...
are they up to now? The Bloodhound and I are moving ahead with our latest adventure! Here's a hint: What has eight wheels, an attitude and goes round and round? Give up? Click HERE!
We're havin' fun now!
later.
pearls before swine...

redneck goth...
spent saturday afternoon and night at the local short-track with my brothers in law, watching modifieds, pickups and a bunch of past and present NASCAR drivers having a hell of a good time goin' round and round! foot long hot dogs, lots of beer, the smell of fuel and burning rubber, noise, noise, noise and great company. we had a blast. i wouldn't mind making it a regular once a month thing with those two, they're a pisser to hang out with. how about it boys? boogity, boogity, boogity!
pearls before swine...

the power of prayer...
must be working... thanks Chris and Shana!
I spent yesterday morning ripping down the old kitchen ceiling in preparation of installing the new tin ceiling. Apparently the local mouse population had been using the kitchen as a freeway into the other areas of the house, as I had to contend with it raining mouse crap all over the place. Not a nice thing. I will need to put some blocking between the rafters that hold the upstairs floor to prevent them from doing so again. I also need to do some major rewiring. When I ran new electric lines to the rest of the house, they had to go through the kitchen ceiling and since I was putting in a drop ceiling, I just ran the cables along the bottom of the beams. Now that I'm going to put a plywood base up there to attach the tin panels, I need to drill holes through the beams to run the cables. Not a real big deal, but a setback, none the less. It also turns out that there is a heating duct where I want to put the new ceiling fixture, so that will be interesting to wire. So, off to the hardware store I go to get some cable, junction boxes, wire nuts... and a fire extinguisher... hey, you can't be too careful!
later

pearls before swine...

at the end of the first quarter...
the score is:
Stately Sad Old Goth Manor's Kitchen Wall: 2
Sad Old Goth, The Dark Prince of Home Renovation: 0
I spent a good hour the other night removing the damaged sheetrock and prepping the old plaster wall behind it and cutting a new piece of sheetrock to fit. I measured for a new wall socket (might as well since I'm doing wall surgery anyway), double and triple checked the fit and called it a night. I came home tonight, got the drill and drywall screws ready and got ready to apply some heavy duty, fast drying construction adhesive to the plaster wall, pop in the sheetrock and run a few screws in to hold it tight until the adhesive set up. I cut the end off the tube of adhesive at the suggested thirty degree angle, just where it would apply the suggested one quarter inch bead of adhesive. I put the tube in the caulking gun and, when I put just a slight, barely any pressure on the trigger, a glob of adhesive shot out, landing in the sink. Even though the manufacturer says it is not for use with non-porus surfaces, it bonded rather well and quite instantly with the stainless steel. Wasted a good fifteen minutes cleaning that mess up. So, then I got around to running the bead of adhesive on the plaster sub-wall. "Why scrimp?", I thought, and applied the entire tube. I let it set up for a few minutes so it would be a little tacky. This, I thought, would help prevent the sheetrock from sliding down behind the kitchen counter backsplash until I ran the screws in. I went to put the patch in place and... the fucker would not fit! I had it in place at least six times the other night while I was fitting it and it slid in and out with ease. Now, however, the sheetrock has mysteriously grown too large to fit the hole. Granted, there was a certain amount of wrangling to get it in place previously as it has to fit under a cabinet and slide down behind the backsplash, but the other night I was practically doing it with my eyes shut. By now, there are strings of adhesive hanging everywhere. It's on the kitchen counter top; it's on my hands; it's in the hair on my arms; Quick! What to do? Why, take the utility knife and start hacking away at the patch until it fit again, all the while getting more and more adhesive all over the place. I finally got it in and ran a half dozen screws into it to hold it into place overnight. By this time I had uttered almost every oath that I could think of and invented a few more. I had plans to do more tonight, but decided that was a portend of things to come. I put my tools away, cleaned up the mess and am now sitting here, writing this embarassing story while taking swigs on a beer and pulling glue out the hair on my arms. Shit, that really, really hurts...
And so, gentle readers, I shall now draw the curtain of charity across this sore scene and go have another beer.
Remember, anything worth doing is usually not, but it is worth paying someone to do it for you.
later.

pearls before swine...

just in case...
you're interested in keeping score, it is:
Stately Sad Old Goth Manor's Kitchen wall: 1
Sad Old Goth, the Dark Prince of Home Renovation: 0
I tried this evening to carefully, deftly remove the gorgeous, handmade Czechoslovakian tiles that served as a backsplash behind the sink, stove and counter next to the stove. They've been glued up there about twelve years. I was more interested in doing little or no damage to the sheetrock rather than the tiles. I thought that, by scoring the top paper layer of the sheetrock at the top and bottom of the tiles, that I could peel the paper layer off with the tile, leaving no damage behind. Well, I didn't get the aardvark I wanted for Christmas, either. I now have a one foot by four foot section of wall that looks like Saddam's living room after a visit by the Marines... So, tile removing work has halted. I'm going to have to cut out the ruined sheetrock, put in a patch, tape and spackle and then proceed with painting. I'm going to leave the balance of the tiles on the walls and put the press tin backsplash right over it, with some nosing to cap off the gap at the top of the tile. This will set me back at least three days.
Nothing is easy...

pearls before swine...

public service announcement...
a feature has been added, temporarily, above the archive section of the sidebar.
stay informed. make your own choice. vote.
thank you.
pearls before swine...

i'm back...
I know, you're thrilled.
I went outside and, rather than smoking a cigarette, smoked a pipeful of some wonderful herbal smoking mixture that I obtained from the local herbalist. It is a mixture of interesting things that is based upon the traditional smoking mixture of the native americans of the plains, of which I am, partially, descended. I am one sixteenth Blackfoot. My father was one eighth Blackfoot. He looked it. I do not. I inherited the love of the natural world that seemed to escape him. I feel lucky for that. I wish he had known that spark. He might have wanted to live longer. I shall say no more.
Oh, shit, I think I'm going to try to get profound here. Sorry...
I think that, the older I get, the more I live within the Yin-Yang. I think that, without any influence on my behalf, I have come to realize that I need to appreciate the things I don't like, in order to further like the things I do. The need for balance is incredible, almost disturbing. I love the dark. However, I can't fully appreciate the dark without knowing what can be seen in the light. I love the quiet, but can't appreciate the quiet without knowing what the noise I hate is. I love letting my fantacies run amok, but the realities are what make them as special as they are. I stand still while I move, I run without moving. I think without thinking. I just am. I think that herbal smoking mixture does more than taste good.
I think I need to drop this subject...
I wish I had another bottle of wine. I wish I had Allan Rickman's wardrobe from the Harry Potter films. I wish I had something interesting to say...
I'm going to give it up, I think. Listen to some music. Sit in the light of a single candle and stare off into the darkness at the edge of the light... you can't imagine what dances there...
Sorry for boring you. Have a wonderful night.




pearls before swine...

let it rain...
life in a bag... i reach into it and pull out...
nothing special. and that's fine with me...
we went to the movies this afternoon to see The Day After Tomorrow. Great sfx. Sappy story. Gross leftist/radical-enviromentalist overtones. Luckily, Dennis Quaid was able to rise above that and put another good acting job under his belt. I really like him as an actor. I really enjoyed him in Enemy Mine and Frequency. Highly underrated talent. He could have pulled off Harrison Ford's role in the Raider's trilogy, in my opinion. I wonder if he was offered the role?
On a lighter note, I have the better part of a bottle of Frey red table wine in me, so pardon me if I wander a bit. Sometimes I forget to take advantage of what this blog is really for, sometimes I try to get a bit too profound. I am not a profound person. I'm pretty much just a regular guy. I just happen to have long hair, wear black, odd clothes and wear black fingernail polish (as occasion warrants) and have a slightly dark and definitly tilted perspective on things. I spent most of the day running stupid errands, designing a new tin ceiling layout for our kitchen and watching an Addams Family marathon on TV Land. I took Sheba, the Hound from Heck for a walk. I chased the ever burgeoning family of wild rabbits out of the garden. I worried about what my daughters were doing and if they were ok. I paid some bills. I cleaned Tiger the Cat's litter box. I worried about my wife driving to and from her high school's graduation in the rain. I looked at myself in the mirror and realized that I'm getting old, which is ok. I don't mind taking stock of that once in a while. I live a good life. I appreciate everything and everyone around me. I don't mind staring mortality in the face once in a while, it's a good thing to do... it concentrates the mind. I drank alot of coffee. Smoked a cigar. I looked in the refrigerator fifteen or twenty times to see if there was anything interesting to eat, or is something magically appeared since the last time I looked... nothing did.
Went to the movies with Cathy after she got home. Spent most of the movie looking at her out of the side of my eye, thinking about how beautiful she is. Remembered that the first movie we went to see together was A Clockwork Orange. Came home, cracked this bottle of wine and here I am. It's cold and dreary outside. It feels more like October than June. I like October. I was born in October. Maybe when I die, it will be in October. It's a good time of year to begin and end things. Sort of halfway between the end of the current year and beginning of the new year.
I'm going to take a short break, go pee, pour some more wine and smoke a cigarette... I'll be back later.



pearls before swine...

and...
today is our 27th wedding anniversary. I just can't imagine putting up with me for all those years... thanks, Slim, I really love you.
pearls before swine...

good bye, mr. president...

all in all, you were a pretty up-front guy.
pearls before swine...

interesting commentary...
on the South African goth scene...
thanks, Darchangels.
pearls before swine...

tit for tat...
so, Erin's posting pictures of goth in the making...
for your amusement and amazement...

Sad Old Goth... circa 1972.
This is right before I left for San Diego and the fabled love affair with "she who lived over the luncheonette...".
maybe this was a bad idea...


pearls before swine...

damn it...
my computer is all fucked up again. all the web pages are twice the size they normally are. this happened once before... I had to hose the hard drive and re-install the operating system and Windows in order to fix it. this blows.
on the up side, Herve is home from NBA Draft camps for a few days. He surprised us by showing up at Cathy's sister's Memorial Day party on Sunday. It was fun, having him, my daughters and their boyfriends all together and partying. He heads back tomorrow for more workouts with more teams. June 24th is coming up fast.
I'm on the verge of burnout. I hope I can hold out until the end of the month; NBA Draft at Madison Square Garden on the 24th, then drive all night to Pittsburgh for Monster Bash! Three days of classic horror films, old friends and new ones. It's always a great time.
Just finished dinner. Summertime dinners are interesting - hot dogs, steak, mashed potatoes, pepper shooters and Murphy's Irish Stout. URRRRRRRRRRRP!
Gotta run, the Pacers and Pistons are on. Gotta suck up on B-Ball while I can.
later.
pearls before swine...