Parting is such sweet sorrow...truly.

It's been almost exactly six months since my last post. Yeesh. So much for trying to get back into the swing of things. However, it doesn't look like I'll be returning to this blog again for posting purposes. There's just too much that has changed in regards to blog content and my life in general that renders this blog useless. It was there for a purpose and I am very thankful for all the wonderful people I have met through this avenue. You know who you are. :)

Maybe the blogging world will beckon to me once more in the future? If it does come knocking at my door, then I will answer but I may be unrecognizable for I am a different person now.

Cancel the search party!

Yep, I'm still alive. :)

I never planned on letting my blog fall by the wayside but there it went, slipping away. If you've been a reader of my blog, you'll know that I had to do some revisions to change the direction my blog was going in. Part of it was my decision, part of it was something I was forced to do to protect myself. That started the lack of posts. After that, my life started getting super busy and I never had enough time in the day to post or even check on my fellow bloggers. :(

I finally had some time today and decided to sit down, dust off the blog and start again. I'm still not sure how often I'll be posting and it will never be like it used to be but it's here. Thanks to all of you who wondered where I was. I missed all of you too! I'm sorry for the things I may have missed in your lives while out of commission. I'll be doing my best to catch up on all the blogs soon. Until then...

Spicy Pumpkin Soup

There's a guy who calls himself The Sexy Vegan. He makes videos of himself cooking/preparing vegan dishes and he cracks me up. Now that the stores are starting to get Halloween items in and there are less than a 100 days until my favorite holiday, I figured I'd share his Spicy Pumpkin Soup video. Enjoy!

The Sexy Vegan - Episode #7 - Spicy Pumpkin Soup - watch more recipes and videos

I scream. You scream.

We all scream for ice cream! I was out running errands today and got a craving for the cold confection. Perfect for a warm summer day. I had to go to the grocery store to pick up a few things anyway so off I went. I never keep cold treats in the house and it's been awhile since I actually went down the ice cream aisle. I charged down the aisle past the giant tubs of ice cream and sherbet to get to the section that has the smaller sizes and I about died. Did you know that they make itty bitty servings now?! They even come with their own little spoon! They were only a dollar each and I just had to pick up a couple. I got one Starbucks and one Ben & Jerry's. What you see is what you get for your serving size (pic below). Nutritionally, it's not the best but c'mon, it's ice cream. Not exactly a health food. :)

Be sure to check out Ben & Jerry's Halloween section of their Web site here. You can see their Flavor Graveyard of their "dearly de-pinted", the spooky mansion, pumpkin patch, laboratory, library and more. They really have a ton to look at. In the library, you can read the history of Halloween and there are links to costume and magic shops, real haunts, etc.

Bunny love.

This post started with just a couple cute bunny pictures. Well, cute is good and all but we need scary and creepy too! Enjoy!

Above pictures courtesy of Cute Overload.
Below pictures courtesy of Photobucket.

Sunday Stealing: The Heretic Meme

This meme brought to you by:



1. Who was the last person of the opposite sex you laid in a bed with?

We'll call him "J". Gotta' keep this anonymous, ya' know.

2. Where was the last place you went out to eat?

IHOP

3. What was the last alcoholic beverage you consumed?

Cherry vodka with Sprite. Tastes like Kool-Aid!

4. Which do you prefer - eyes or lips?

eyes

5. Medicine, fine arts, or law?

Depends on the day.

6. Best kind of pizza?

Ham, mushrooms and extra cheese.

7. What is in store for your future?

One never knows. At least not until you consult the cards. hee hee

8. Who was the last band you saw live?

I'm not a big concert person but the last event was Gigantour where Megadeath, Lamb of God, Opeth, Arch Enemy and Overkill played.

9. Do you take care of your friends while they are sick?

Depends on how close of a friend they are. I have before.

10. How many songs are on your iPod?

We don't need no stinkin' iPod.

11. Where is the last place you drove to?

Well, that would have to be home, wouldn't it?

12. Where did your last kiss take place?

A friend's house.

13. What were you doing at 11:59 PM on Monday night?

I was at a friend's house. Not the same friend from above question. :)

14. Are you a quitter?

Not usually.

15. Who was the last person you had in your house?

The UPS guy.

15. What do you think about people who party a lot?

Depends on the type of partying.

16. Does talking about sex make you uncomfortable?

Depends on who I'm talking about it with.

17. What was the last CD you purchased?

Cradle of Filth "Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder"

18. What are two bands or singers that you will always love?

Can't say that there are any that I will always love.

19. Which of the seven deadly sins are you guilty of?

Do you really need to ask? :}

20. How is your last ex doing?

Not sure. They are ex's for a reason, ya' know.

Michigan's Otherside

I've been pretty busy lately so not much time to post here but I thought I'd pop in real quick to let you know that a blog post I wrote got published on a Web site called Michigan's Otherside. If you're interested in the paranormal, check out their site. To see my blog post on their site, click here. Purty cool, huh?


The below info was taken from the Michigan's Otherside Web site. They are symbols you may see while in a cemetery. Thought you fellow graveyard walkers might be interested.

Dove - The dove is a very common animal symbol, mostly because of its Biblical meaning. Usually holding an olive branch which refers to Noah from the Bible. Also a symbol of purity and peace.

Willow Trees - Grief, sorrow and immortality.

Closed book - Many represent the bible but they can also stand for a life completed.

Curtains - Passing into another existence. Protection.

Broken Column - Life cut short and life coming to an end. A very popular symbol in cemeteries in the 19^th century.

Praying Hands - Christian symbol.

Lambs - Innocence. Usually found on the graves of children and babies.

Flowers - Flowers have been used in burial ceremonies since the early days of civilization and before. Flowers have always held a soft spot in people. Their beauty and fragility is a symbol for life and love.

Fingers pointing up - A symbol of the soul rising to heaven.

Hands shaking - Matrimony. Sometimes there is one masculine hand and one feminine hand. Look at the sleeves of the hands. If there is no difference in the sleeves, then the hands are a symbol of being greeted into heaven or saying good-bye from earth.

IHS and IHC - Many times these letters are seen connected with each other. IHS comes from the first three letter of Jesus’ name using the Greek alphabet: Iota, Eta, Sigma. IHC stands for the same thing, but is Roman.

Broken branches - Life cut short.

Tree stumps - Life cut short.

Dead Spider

I've been window shopping lately and came across another Etsy shop that caters to those of us with spooky tastes. The shop is called Dead Spider - Curios and Dark Art. Here's a preview of what you'll find there. Head on over to check out the rest!

Macabre Magnets - $8.00

Witch Curio Potion Bottle Labels - $7.00

Premium Cauldron Stock Witch Potion Labels - $12.00

Strange deaths.

Now That's Nifty has done it again. They have a blog post with strange deaths from the last thirty years. Here are just a few entries.

This guy won my heart over...

1981: David Allen Kirwan a 24-year-old attempted to rescue a friend's dog after it fell into Celestine Pool, a hot spring at Yellowstone National Park on July 20, 1981. Despite numerous shouts from bystanders, Kirwan dove headfirst into the pool but was unable to save the dog. After managing to swin back to shore, he was helped out of pool, where his injuries became apparent - the exposure to the 200oF (93oC) water of the hot spring resulted in third-degree burns to 100% of his body and had also blinded him. After being led to the sidewalk, Kirwan reportedly stated: "That was stupid. How bad am I? That was a stupid thing I did." When one of Kirwan's shoes was removed, all of the skin came off with it. He died the next day at a Salt Lake City hospital. Although there have been at least 19 deaths due to scalding at the Yellowstone, this was the only known case where someone died after deliberately jumping into one of the park's hot springs.

I remember seeing a show about this...

1986: Over 1,700 people were killed almost instantly near Lake Nyos in Cameroon when a mass of approximately 100 million cubic metres of carbon dioxide that had collected at the bottom of the lake due to seepage from geothermal sources was suddenly released on August 21, 1986. The gas cloud immediately settled (carbon dioxide is heavier than air) and covered an area of up to 12 miles (20 km) from the lake, killing all oxygen-breathing life almost instantly - although the nearby vegetation, which consumes carbon dioxide and releases oxygen, flourished afterwards.

We all have our wishes...

2001: Bernd-Jürgen Brandes from Germany was voluntarily stabbed repeatedly and then partly eaten by Armin Meiwes (who was later called the Cannibal of Rothenburg). Brandes had answered an internet advertisement by Meiwes looking for someone for this purpose. Brandes explicitly stated in his will that he wished to be killed and eaten.

Untamed Menagerie

I came across an Etsy shop called Untamed Menagerie a week or so ago and bookmarked a bunch of cool things to show you. Unfortunately, I'm just now getting around to posting and half of what I was going to show you has sold out! Good for them, bad for us. Check out their shop anyway though cuz' they're bound to make more and it's very reasonably priced, in my opinion.

The Intrusion - $18.00

Oktapous - Sold Out

Carpe Noctem - Sold Out

A Lady Ought - Sold Out