OH. MY. GOTH...
it's Marilyn Manson's CAT!

Thanks to Mr. Rush!
what say you..?

too much death...
I don't know about you, but this sudden passing of icons has me a bit flustered...
I think we all need a cute kitty chaser -

There, I feel much better now. By way of Cute Overload, of course.
what say you..?

the sign of 3...
there's an old saying that deaths come in threes.. must be true. The film and television world has been hit hard this week.

Dennis Weaver is the latest to exit the stage. The star of Gunsmoke and McCloud as passed on. Happy Trails to you, Chester Goode. Maybe you, Don and Darren can get together and do a summerstock version of "The Ghost and the Christmas Gunsmoke Story".
Sorry, I'm just getting tired of writing obituaries of people I grew up watching on the tube and the silver screen. I'm starting to feel stupidly mortal.
what say you..?

"it's a clinker..!"
He played Mike Hammer... He played Kolchak the Night Stalker...

but as far as I'm concerned, he will always be "the old man...".
The world got a little smaller and a little less funny when Don Knotts passed away, but it got even smaller and Christmas will never be the same with the passing of Darren McGavin.
His perfect portrayal of everyone's father in A Christmas Story is something to behold; It is such subtle acting that you have to really pay attention to see what a great performance it really was.
So, fare thee well to "the old man". May there be a constant supply of Turkus Americanus, cheap fuses and no hound dogs nor furnaces in that better place.
Thanks. I am missing you already.
what say you..?

Don Knotts...

has passed away at 81. No one played the jittery nerd like he did. As the Deputy Sherrif of Mayberry, Barney, he was able to steal scene after scene without really stealing it; that's talent. I really love watching him in the movies, "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" and "The Incredible Mr. Limpet". I hope TVLand or Nick does a tribute to him, he really made me laugh out loud at times.
I hope he has found peace in the grey isles. I'm sure his talent will sustain him.
what say you..?

ok...
now I have a headache... just spent several hours making pretty linkage headings, revamping the sidebar layout and moving stuff around. What do you think? Too colorful? Not morbid or sullen enough?
Next task is to update the links; get rid of the broken ones, add a bunch of new ones, tidy them up a bit. If I should be linking to you, just let me know, I'll be happy to add you.
Anyone know how to reduce the size of the archive dates in Blogger? They make the page stupidly long. I'd like to have them a lot smaller. The code for them is embedded in the Blogger shell, not in the template. Very frustrating.
Oh yeah, anyone else want to join the group blog? Don't know what it's going to be or where it might head, but what the hell, why not?
Anyway, it's really cold and windy outside, and you know how Stately Sad Old Goth Manor gets in weather like this... I'm going to go crawl into the coffin and shut the lid so I say somewhat warm.
Take care, fellow wanderers. Fare thee well.
what say you..?

20K...

It might not seem like much to some of the heavy hitters who get 20,000 hits a day, but, for someone who was described as "some obscure blogger" once, it means a lot to me. Thank you, #20K from Michigan and thanks to the 19,999 other of you who take the time to wander in and out of here and see what's going on in this crazy world of mine.
Ok, enough of the sentimental stuff, back to laboring in obscurity...
later
what say you..?

haute cuisine...
and other stuff... I'm just hanging around, killing time before I head up to the rink for roller derby practice; just finished a killer dinner - a can of "Creamy Milk Chocolate" Slim-Fast and a banana rolled in crushed walnuts. I'm sure I'll be up at three in the morning paying for that one.
Speaking of roller derby, there have been some changes in the date and place of our first bout of this season; please check our blog page for up to the date info.
Speaking of which, the Penn Jersey She Devils blog page will be replaced by our new fangled web page which is almost finished and ready to be sprung upon the unsuspecting public.... lots of bells and whistles and good stuff.
The current news is that the first bout will be on March 26th and it will be in NEW JERSEY, not Pennsy! YEA!
I've decided to kill off my project of re-editing and posting "blessings...". After taking the time to sit and re-read the entire book, I've come to the conclusion that it is probably the weakest, most boring thing I've ever attempted to write, science fiction is not my genre, that's for sure, so I think I'm going to let it die a peaceful and most deserved death in the bottom drawer of my desk. Maybe Mrs. SOG can auction it off when I finally go four up...
I was thinking of trying to resurrect the old "Goths on fire" team blog page, or something of that ilk. Any of you gothy folk (or non-gothy folk, for that matter) interested in a group blog? Might be fun to pick random subjects and run with them until we run them into the ground, then start on another subject. Or something else. Anyone have any ideas?
Well, I'm going to go have a cigarette and a cup of coffee and hit the road.
Have a wonderful evening, fellow wanderers... fare thee well.

***Oh, my goth... I was running spell check before I posted this and Blogger didn't recognize the word "Pennsy", so it suggested "penis" as a substitute. Gotta love spell checker...
later.

what say you..?

well, well...
I have been honored!
See, laboring in obscurity does have it's rewards!
Thank you randomrabit and the crew at TLAR!
what say you..?

Emelia...
the five year old Goth. Watch the trailer, buy the DVD, help support this guy.
Also some cool Emelia stuff you can buy. This makes Emily Strange look like a piker.
what say you..?

a nightcap...
just a little something to round out your day...
by way of the Flea...

what say you..?

yeah, yeah...
what can I say..? When racing season starts I have to put the gothy stuff away for a few hours every weekend and get out the ol' trucker cap and plunk my weary old ass down and watch as much "go fast, turn left" as I can cram in. And one guy in particular I keep my eye on is Michael Waltrip. That's him with his new ride for 2006. He may not be one of the dashing young media darlings that seem to have taken over the NASCAR limelight these days, but he's one hell of a driver and one hell of a guy. I missed the Busch Series event yesterday, but you be sure I'll be planted in front of the TV at 1:30 today, sandwich, snacks and beer in hand and I'll have a damn good time. Not as good a time as my Bro Doug, he's actually in Daytona this weekend. Damn. One of these years.
Hey, I know... this is a very, very un-goth like activity. Yep, yer right. All I can say is, neither is this. Might be fun creating havoc at the local links, though...
Have a great day. Stay warm.
what say you..?

does anyone else...
ever get so tired of the fear..?
what say you..?

Happy John Frum Day..!

*click the pic to find out more..*
what say you..?

WEEEEEEEEEE..!

Happy Valentine's Day..!
what say you..?

never, ever...
does it fucking end...

I was out Saturday afternoon visiting with a group of very nice, polite, tattooed, pierced and otherwise punked out young ladies, who are starting up a roller derby league in North Jersey. As I was headed home it started to snow a bit and I decided that, before it started on in earnest, I'd head on over to Barnes and Noble for something to curl up with before the fire (Mrs. SOG not withstanding, I might say...) and picked up Stephen King's latest, "Cell". I had read some good reviews of it recently and, since I'm a sucker for zombies and being of that ilk, I thought it might be something I'd enjoy. So, I dropped down a double sawbuck and headed on home through the increasing dusting of flakes. Early in the evening I settled down with my favorite highball glass, some ice and my bottle of Bushmills and started reading. Unlike most of King's works, where he spends three hundred building characters and setting scenes, he delved right into the thick of it by the third page, and, I might add, in a most surprisingly and un-King like splash of gore, that never really ended throughout the book. I finished it last night. I enjoyed it, for the most part, except for three things; three little instances spaced throughout the book, where he just couldn't help himself but trash Bush, the administration and FEMA. Just three little one-line, throw away comments by characters in the book, but pissed me off, just the same. Is there no writer, no actor, no performer who can put aside their particular political leanings (right or left, it's all the same) and just ply their trade for the sake of doing what they do best? This was probably his best work in the past ten years and he ruined it for me by not being able to control his politics. I don't want to plunk down my hard earned money to be preached to by anyone without fair warning. I'm beginning to think that books need warning stickers on them, like the "Adult Content" stickers on CDs. Perhaps something like "Caution: This tome contains bellicose blather of a political nature, that may or may not have something to do with the story, but may insult you just the same. If you are of a sensitive nature or just want something mindless to read to pass away a snowy afternoon, please look elsewhere. If you pay your money, you take your chances". Well, maybe not that wordy, but you get the idea. If I want to listen to the belching of the political pundits, there's NPR, CNN and The NY Times. If I want to read a book about zombies, I want to read about zombies. Nothing more, nothing less.
Anyway, if you have any desire to read this work, especially if you like the undead, and especially if you are a bit nervous about our techno-addicted world, please do. Just be warned.
Have a warm and wonderful evening, fellow wanderers. Fare thee well.

what say you..?

I got your list, right here...

Here's my seven, Jim.
These have hit the turntable/CD player/i-pod within the past seven days, all more than once;

1. Seventeen - by Ladytron; My second favorite tune on the new CD by the super techno-dance group, actually contains some heady lyrical content, albeit, repeated quite often.
2. Permafrost - by Frolic; Spacy, gothy, shoe-gazer stuff, but Kelly O'Brien's vocals come with high-powered heart drill attached.
3. Soulville - by Ben Webster; my all-time fav tenor sax blower. makes you want to sit in a Jersey gin mill, sip a cold one out of an old, weathered pilsner glass and work your way through a pack of humps while you lament that lady you let slip through your fingers.
4. LOTR - The Fellowship of the Ring soundtrack - by Howard Shore; what can I say? I was born in the wrong reality. This takes me to the right one.
5. Royal Garden Blues - by Bix Beiderbecke; young man with a horn. syncopated jazz at it's best, from the beginning of it all.
6. John Henry Split This Heart - by Jason Molina and the Magnolia Electric Company; see #3 above, but substitute the parking lot of an abandoned steel mill, a six of Iron City and the sunset. Same lament, though.
7. Radiant Warmth - by Mari Boine; semi-traditional Såmi joik. Don't ask me to explain it, just find it and listen to it. It will do things to you, if you let it.

This is fun. Maybe I'll do a list of seven albums I would bring with me on a long, long journey. And another list of seven that take me way, way back to more innocent times.
Like Jim, I'm not going to tag anyone, got bit on that before. Just run with it if you want to. Have fun.

what say you..?

he who laughs last...
you know what the difference is between us and them? We know now to laugh at ourselves.

click the pic to see what's had me is stitches all morning.
well, it's not just that we know how to laugh at ourselves... we do have superior firepower, too.

what say you..?

Waaaaa..!

via Yorkshire Soul.
what say you..?

ahhhh...
I feel much better now... we will now return to our regularly scheduled program...
what say you..?

you must excuse me...
and indulge me for falling off the wagon here; I know I said I've sworn off all the political stuff the 2006, but I've been seething over this and figured I'd drag out my soapbox on this in-auspicious occasion.
This is Filamentous Algae, known in the common tongue as pond scum. It is, although basically innocuous, scorned by those who ply the waterways or make their living off them. It is held in such low esteem that the common name, pond scum, is often used as an adjective, particularly when describing a person or persons of less than reputable behavior. However, even this does not describe those who used the solemn occasion of the late Coretta Scott King's funeral to spew their hatred for the current administration and President Bush, in particular. The President's presence at the service did not even deter such low life characters as Bill Clinton, Joseph Lowery and Jimmy Carter to use the event as a platform to belch forth their vile remarks. This behavior defies description, rationalization or the slightest nod of understanding. These three characters have shown themselves, once again, to be below any level of self respect that one can imagine and a fair representation of the underlying attitude of their followers - they have no shame and will tread upon anything and anyone, dead or alive, to spread their message of hate. They are less than pond scum. They are self serving, hate mongering assholes without bound, each and every one of them. And they are not worthy of me spending any more of my good time on them here and now.
I was going to disable the comments because I really don't care what any left wing fucktards have to say about this or about me, but go ahead, have some fun, because I really don't give a shit.
Have a nice day.
consider the source...

ZZZZZZZZZ...
Shhhh... don't wake up kitty. She's still suffering the effects of that dozer cum Super Bowl event yesterday. More like the sleeper bowl. Not that I wasn't glad to see Pittsburgh win, although I could have endured it going either way, but, as usual, hype and spectacle of the surrounding commercials and halftime show eclipsed any excitement the game should have held for me. Maybe I was just a bit jaded by spending the afternoon watching two killer basketball games; you just can't beat being 3 points down, 2.2 seconds left and you're inbounding the ball and have one, just one chance to get it to your specialist, your surgeon, your behind the arc guy. And you do it and damn, it's OT! Nothing compares to overtime in basketball. None of that nansy-pansy, first one who scores wins crap. You play 5 and you play it like the first 48 and you run that 94 feet like you mean it. Anyway, I guess the football game was fun, I won twenty five bucks in a pool, I drank beer, ate wings (and a killer brie fondue with fresh blueberries and raspberries - now, there's bounty for you!). Halftime, though, left a little bit to be desired - the band sounded pretty good, considering the surroundings and sound system available to them, but Mick - you know, there were days when the girls used to throw their dainties to him on stage; I was hoping that at some point one of them might have pity on the poor guy and toss their asthma inhaler up there - geez, he sounds like he should take a vacation at the iron lung resort. Maybe it's time to call it quits.
Gotta run, folks, time to head to the rink for derby practice. Fare thee well.

what say you..?

R.I.P. Grandpa...
One of the great character actors of all time has passed on to the next role.

Al Lewis, who is best remembered as Grandpa Munster, passed away today. He was also in the old TV show "Car 54, Where Are You?", also starring Fred Gwynne, who also played Herman Munster, and lots of Broadway, Hollywood and other television productions. Always outspoken and flamboyant, never ignoring the role that made him a fan of millions, he was a pretty cool guy. 1313 Mockingbird Lane will never be the same. You can read more and get info on sending your respects here.
Give 'em hell, Al, where ever you are and thanks for all the laughs.
what say you..?

oh, my...
oh, bother... *sigh*... What a world, what a world...
the only good thing going right this moment is that I have a full bottle of Bushmill's at my left hand, my favorite highball glass at my right and a ready supply of chipped ice. Not bad fare for a Friday evening, I suppose. It's still a half hour before the Sixer's game comes on, I'm listening to David Sylvian and I have absolutely nothing of interest to say. No odd stories to relate, no tall tales to unwind upon your unsuspecting minds, no mindless wit; my muse is on holiday, me thinks. That's ok, everyone deserves some time off now and then. Tomorrow will be a busy day for me; I have to make the usual Post Office and recycling run in the morning, head off to the art supply place for some double sided tape, then come home and install the last bit of molding in the kitchen. Some nice beaded 1/2" x 3/8" stuff to seal the gap between the top of the sink counter backsplash and the tin panels on the wall. I will use the tape to adhere it to the formica and silicone sealant to adhere it to the tin. That should work. Then off to the lumber mill for some red oak and a pair of antique style table legs so I can put together a frame with the two legs to support the portion of the work area counter top that has no cabinet under it. It's been held up by two 1 1/2" dowels for years and they no longer look right. The space under that part of the counter is where we keep the food and water bowls for Sheba, the Hound from Heck. Sadly, I don't know how much longer she is going to be with us, she's been slowly failing over the past year. She's still pretty alert and active, but she is very, very old and, well, the inevitable is probably not too far off. Ugh, I really don't want to think about that right now. Back to the kitchen; I have to reframe the door between the kitchen and the dining room and then, when the weather gets warmer, build a set of extra tall cafe doors to install there; tall enough to visually divide the kitchen from the dining room, but short enough so, when closed, Sheba and the current population of cats can get underneath it. I was thinking of beveled glass inserts with some sort of graphic sandblasted into them, something from the transitional period between Victorian and Art Deco. Should be a challenge to find something appropriate, but that's what the internet is for, isn't it? One problem I've been wrangling with is that in the dining room, which is pretty much a style I call mildly depressing Victorian jumble sale, has deeply carved and fluted trim around all the windows and doorways, while the kitchen has pretty clean, rounded edge Deco style trim; I have no idea how to handle that transition within the width of the framing that separate the two. Any suggestions? The cafe doors themselves can be oak on the dining room side and white on the kitchen side, so, no matter if they are closed, or opened in either direction, they will compliment either decor, but I really don't know how to handle the framing. Anyway, not too much to be done after that, just some more molding work on the shelf that I put up to hold the over the range microwave and some little decorating odds and ends. Oh, crap. I forgot about the shelf over the service counter. I can knock that in a day. Some creative scroll saw work and a little router action and that's all there is to that. I'm also going to make some racks that attach to the bottom of that shelf to hang wine glasses so when, oh cripes, back to the dying dog portion of our show, we no longer need the have the food and water bowls there, I can install my much coveted after mini wine refrigerator. No more trudging to the wine cellar, I can crawl on my hands and knees right into the kitchen for another bottle. Hmmm, maybe I should make that cafe door a little shorter so I can squeeze underneath it myself. Don't want to risk personal injury when I'm in my cups...
Ok, enough of this endless ramble. I'm going to go make myself something to nibble on for the game, then resume thrashing the life out of this bottle of whiskey.
You have a wonderful evening.
(you might notice that this was posted at ten thirty, I actually wrote it around six thirty and only now has blogger started behaving itself and let me publish it. Very frustrating...)
what say you..?

the world...
is a lesser place today...
You know, I really, really love cats. I got an email today from my bro Doug, with the sad news that his family cat, Bristol, had to be put to sleep yesterday. Bristol showed up at our back door about thirteen years ago or so. She had a massive infection in her eyes and we took her to a shelter. They had to remove both her eyes, rendering her blind. My wife's sister took her in from the shelter and gave her a loving home. She spent her life surrounded by humans who loved her and she was really something. She knew her way around the house, never shyed away from anyone who payed attention to her and returned all the love and attention everyone lavished upon her. Who could ask for more? I'm very sad to hear of her leaving us, but, at the same time, very happy that she was surrounded by such wonderful people who made sure she was well taken care of, and allowed her to live a long, wonderful life.
Bless you, Bristol.
what say you..?

oh, well...
you know, it stuff like this that give us odd folk a bad name.
what say you..?