Scary

We make up horrors to cope with the real ones.

~ Stephen King

- - - - -

If I had the time, I might go to a bookstore and move all of the Stephen King books to the true crime section. 

But I'm pretty busy.
 

Demons

 

Circle

It's the circle of life

And it moves us all

~ Elton John & Tim Rice

- - - - -

If a haybale eats a person and a cow eats that hay and a person eats that cow, you know what you have?

Manwiches.
 

Halloween

 

Samhain is a pagan religious festival originating from an ancient Celtic spiritual tradition. In modern times, Samhain (a Gaelic word pronounced "SAH-win") is usually celebrated from October 31 to November 1 to welcome the harvest and usher in "the dark half of the year." Celebrants believe that the barriers between the physical world and the spirit world break down during Samhain, allowing more interaction between humans and the denizens of the Otherworld.

~ The History Channel

- - - - - 

Happy Religious Halloween.

Boo!

Many people in the intellectual elite are very scared of shouting. They insist on very quiet murmurs.

~ Alain de Boton

- - - - -

Phantasm Chicken was always hiding and waiting to inspire terror in the townsfolk. Far less popular than her sister "Wiccan Chicken," Phantasm Chicken assumed the people's preference for her sister was based solely on the fact that her name rhymed. Phantasm Chicken was wrong and not one to take responsibility for her own actions. Trying to inspire terror is more likely to make you unpopular than having a rhyming name is likely to make you popular.

That's just the way it ghosts, Phastasm Chicken.

Cat

But the cat came back, the very next day

The cat came back, and he wouldn't stay away

Meow, kitty, 

Meow, so pretty,

Meow such a pity 

But the cat came back

~ Harry Miller

- - - - -

We used to listen to this song when I was a kid. Basically, it's the story of a man who tries to kill a cat and everything he does to get rid of the cat, but the cat keeps returning. 

(pause)

We used to sing a song about killing a cat when we were children. 

That seems problematic now that I think about it.

 

Freak.

All the freaky people make the beauty of the world.

~ Micahel Franti

- - - - -

We got this game to play on one of our trips to a cabin. We played it. We escaped and won. The game wasn't that scary.

The person with whom I played the game... Well, that's a different story.

Zombie

I expect a zombie to show up on Sesame Street soon, teaching kids to count.

~ George Romero

- - - - -

I try to include gratitude in my life on a regular basis. Like, not that long ago, I had a moment where I was thankful that they didn't have "smell-o-vision" for the show The Last of Us.

 

Smiling

Photo by Kirk Boettcher

A warm smile is the universal language of kindness.

~ William Arthur Ward

- - - - -

Zak: I look creepy.

So, one would suppose that this kind of smile is the universal language of creepiness. 

(pause)

Yep. I imagine that translates as creepy across countries, cultures, and time zones. 

 

Mother-in-Law

When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter -- that's something.

~ Lou Gehrig

- - - - -

 What if instead of "mothers-in-law" we called them "mothers-in-love"?

People would call us dorks, that's what. But at least we'd be grammatically correct because we didn't call them "mother-in-laws" or "mother-in-loves"

Meat

The way you cut your meat reflects the way you live.

~ Confucius

- - - - -

We recently watched the second season of Yellowjackets, which is about a plane crash and cannibalism. Sorry. Spoiler alert. But season one was about that too, so if you're that far behind, I'm not going to be blamed for ruining the show for you.

Anyway, today I was worried because what if human flesh tastes like Lebanon bologna? 'Cause I love that stuff.

Writing

I think of writing the same way I think of practicing for a sport. You can't just show up to the field on game day and expect to be ready to play. You have to put in hours and hours and hours of work in practice, in spaces most people will never see, in order to prepare you to perform well in the game.

~ Clint Smith

- - - - -

There are lots of parts of the writing process I enjoy. I like when you come up with exactly the right word. I like when I write something that makes me laugh out loud - especially when it's on purpose. 

There are a lot of parts of writing that are challenging, too, though. Like horseback writing. I'm no good at that.

Up

There's always a reason to look up.

~ A. D. Posey

- - - - - 

"Look up," said Ernie.

"I AM looking up," said Bert.

"We need to pause and do this more often," said Ernie.

"You're probably right, Ernie," agreed Bert.

They kept looking up. Of course, they were just staring at fluorescent lights while stuck in an antique store.

 

Meat

If you don't eat yer meat, you can't have any pudding. 

How can you have any pudding if you don't eat yer meat?

~ Pink Floyd

- - - - -

Overheard...

Woman 1: She didn't like the meal last night. All they had was meat so --

Woman 2: They own a butcher shop. What did she expect?!

Woman 1: I know, but you know how she is. She --

Woman 2: They sell meat.

Woman 1: I know.

Woman 2: For their livelihood!
 

Place

Find your place on the planet. Dig in, and take responsibility from there.

~ Gary Snyder

- - - - -

And if you take responsibility from under a table, that is kind of smart. Fewer people will see if you mess things up.

DON'T

Do not engage. Remove yourself from the emotional minefield.

~ Liane Moriarty

- - - - -

When I post my blog, sometimes I see how it shows up in my social media feed. This one stood out to me. We all need to take some time and think about the "BIG DO NOTs" in our lives. My BIG DO NOTs include eating certain foods (black licorice, octopus, a bowl of hot canned spinach, etc.), watching movies where the eyes of children or dolls turn black and then spill down their faces, and reaching into someone else's bag (because it could have crumbs in it). Trust me, plenty more things are on this list, but that is a good enough start for now.

Thinking

Sadly, children's passion for thinking often ends when they encounter a world that seeks to educate them for conformity and obedience only.

~ bell hooks

- - - - -

At the same time, Zak thought, "I could definitely no Italy make a bigger fire than that. Maybe tonight. Maybe, indeed, tonight."

Um. Well, so I typed the lines above as a comment on a post my brother made about Zak. What I didn't type was "no Italy." What I don't understand is how the robots decided just to add "no Italy" to my sentence. It isn't even autocorrect. The robots just added "no Italy."

What is that all about robots?

(pause)

I know this post doesn't flow as well as some of my posts do. Let's just pretend that's the robots' fault, too.

Post

In photography, there is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real than reality.

~ Alfred Stieglitz

- - - - -

I wonder if things in photos become more real or if we just pay more attention to them. Of course, maybe the more attention we give, the more distance we have from actual reality which is often focused on busy-ness instead of attention.

I don't know about that, but I do know that I hope we have some peanut butter. 

Lemonade

Siblings who claim to get along all the time are most definitely hiding something.

~ Lemony Snicket

- - - - -

I had this glass of lemonade one time when I went to visit Kirk in Maine. We usually get along well, but not all the time. Like when we're hiding a dead body. Well, we do get along then, but not when we are being interrogated about it later on. Well, we do then, too (allegedly), but not when we tell the story about it later.

Kirks' all like, "Don't tell people about that!"

And I'm all like, "No one is going to think it's real."

And Kirk's all like, "You're stupid. I hate you. Shut up."

And I'm all like, "I don't shut up, I grow up, and when I look at you, I throw up."

And Kirk's all like, "That's mature."

And I'm all like, "I'm mature; you're manure."

And Kirk's all like, "Those don't really rhyme."

And I'm all like, "When you look at them on paper they sorta do."

And Kirk's all like, "You're right. That's weird."

And then we mostly get along again.

 

Clothing

Fashion is instant language.

~ Miuccia Prada

- - - - -

Me: Grover doesn't even wear clothes!

Kirk: Grover CAN dress himself; he just chooses not to.

 

Power

I just like to leave people with a sense of energy, hope, and power that they can survive life.

~ Buffy Sainte-Marie

- - - - -

I'm a lot like you, Buffy Sainte-Marie. I also like to leave people.

Boardwalk

(Under the boardwalk) Out of the sun

(Under the boardwalk) We'll be having some fun

(Under the boardwalk) People walking above

(Under the boardwalk) We'll be falling in love

Under the boardwalk. Boardwalk.

~ Arthur Resnick and Kenny Young

- - - - -

(Under the boardwalk) We'll be covered in sand

(Under the boardwalk) While I'm holding your hand

(Under the boardwalk) There are sand fleas and mice

(Under the boardwalk) This really isn't too nice

Under the boardwalk. Boardwalk.

Lily

Dogs like to know what is expected of them.

~ Barbara Kingsolver

- - - - -

When Lily doesn't listen, and I get frustrated at her, she looks at me as if to say, "What the hell is your problem?!"

MY problem, Lily, is that I don't like you jabbing me in the kidney with your pointy claw paws. That's what. And don't say, "I'm just a dog; I don't know what your kidneys are." It's true, but it would freak me out if you said it.
 

Art

Color is my day-long obsession, joy, and torment.

~ Claude Monet

- - - - -

Today's blog is written by guest blogger, my brother. This is how he captured the artistic endeavor I led Zak on during my most recent visit to Maine...

Zak: Aunt Shel... will you draw some pictures for me?

Michelle: Of course!

- a few moments later -

Zak: Uh... do you even know what art is?!

(In my defense, I do this thing where I draw part of something and give it to the kid to finish the picture. I guess I didn't tell him that. Just like he didn't tell me he was going to X the eyes out of everything when he finished the drawings! Even the one of the lightbulb.)

Fog

To find truth, one must travel a dense fog.

~ David Dweck

- - - - -

If truth is in the fog, then are lies in the sunshine? I have seen people lie in the sunshine. I have seen them lie in the fog. 

Stupid liers. 

Pants

I just wore pants because they're comfortable.

~ Katherine Hepburn

- - - - -

If you are a liar and your pants catch on fire, I hope they aren't important pants. Like pants that make you feel connected to someone. You don't want to burn those pants because there's no going back after you do that. We should all be careful of burning britches.

Squirrel

Rarely does one see a squirrel tremble.

~ Zadie Smith

- - - - -

I was thinking about music from beforetimes. I remembered the group "Squirrel Nut Zippers." When I typed it in to search for them, it was corrected to "Squirrel Butt Zippers." I didn't click to see what results that would actually give me. I suspected what I saw would make me uncomfortable. Undoubtedly, however, not as uncomfortable as such a thing would make the squirrel.

Communication

Much unhappiness has come into the world because of bewilderment and things left unsaid.

~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky

- - - - -

Also, I never would have guessed when I was an infant that I would learn how to spell Dostoyevsky, but I have learned that. Just now, I saw his name on a web site, and I knew when they left the Y out that it was wrong.

Also, I didn't know the word "Dostoyevsky" when I was an infant. Or what spelling was, for that matter.

FUN

Cleanliness is not next to godliness. It isn't even in the same neighborhood. No one has ever gotten a religious experience out of removing burned-on cheese from the grill of a toaster.

~ Erma Bombeck

- - - - -

 In case you can't read it, this sign says, "the FUN is not over." It is referencing the fact that after your car wash, you can still use the free vacuum cleaners at the car wash.

Fun.

Books

(screen shot from publisher website)

Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance.

~ Laurie Halse Anderson

- - - - -

One time I was scrolling through a catalog of a publisher's listings, I came across the image here. 

Given the current climate of books and education and what we can and can't let children read... 

Just wait until the book police get wind of this...

 

Enjoy

We don't want to endure life; we want to enjoy it.

~ Vance Vaucresson

- - - - -

Dogs are the best. They play when they want to, rest when they want to, enjoy good food (or sometimes almost any food), they are good listeners. Okay, not all dogs. Some dogs are unpleasant. But dogs don't overthink things like people do. I kind of figure that people who are unpleasant overthink things instead of focusing on listening and being in the moment, and enjoying things. Or course, some unpleasant people don't seem to think at all, which is a different kind of problem.

Mostly, I just really like dogs.