Thrifted Finds

This past weekend, Anthony and I went to Volunteer Park. The weather was much sunnier than we expected so we wandered around and took pictures.

There were a decent amount of people in the park, but we didn't go to the places they were. Instead, we struck out on our own, exploring where no one was.

I got this sweater just a week or so ago at the thrift store. I looked at it twice before I picked it up. Generally speaking, I don't do a lot of sweaters without buttons (I'm always so cold that being able to close the sweater is a good thing!) so I wasn't sure if I would actually wear it. But I love it! I've worn it three times already since buying it and there's a chance I'm going to try to incorporate it into my Halloween costume.

 

 

6 Nights of Horror - Army of Darkness

As I've mentioned in a previous post Anthony and I have been hosting a weekly event called, Six Nights of Horror. It's basically a weekly movie night where we introduce a new horror movie to our friends for the six weekends that lead up to Halloween.

I've been having a blast, and it seems our friends have been too!

I've decided it would be a good idea to blog about each movie we watch. Since I just had this idea, I'm already a bit behind, so I'll have to post double time to catch us back up to the present!

The first weekend in our Six Nights of Horror we watched a Sam Rami/Bruce Campbell classic, Army of Darkness.

How do you NOT want to watch a movie with a poster like that?!

This movie could really be argued to be more of a horror comedy, but there are plenty of spooky elements that keep it from firmly landing it in that category. We thought it would be a good idea to start out the series with a film that would be fun for people to watch and would help them ease into things. Army of Darkness was the perfect choice.

I hadn't seen Army of Darkness in a good long while. Once upon a time I actually owned the collectors set that came in it's own book of the dead. But I'm getting ahead of myself...

Army of Darkness is the third installment in a series called The Evil Dead, directed by Sam Rami, staring Bruce Campbell. In Army of Darkness our hero, Ash, has been sucked into a time portal that has sent him back to 1300 AD. He lands in a village tormented by evil forces. After a bumpy start with the locals, it is discovered that Ash is the savoir spoken of in prophesy who can find the Necronomicon. The Book of the Dead.

Aww! It's so cute when it's sleeping...

Why would anyone want a book that looks like that you might ask? Well, the Necronomicon has the power to dispel all the evil spirits that have been plaguing the village, finally allowing them peace.

Ash runs into a little problem when he finally finds the Book of the Dead. He forgets the magic words he's supposed to say and accidentally releases an army of skeletons dead set (heh heh) on storming the castle and taking over the village!

Is it too weird that I think they're kinda cute?

The film ends with an exciting battle between good and evil, the 14th century and the 20th century, alive and dead. Do the good people of the village triumph? Does Ash ever get home? You'll have to watch the movie to find out.

I have to say that this was the best choice to begin our movie marathon. Everyone was laughing and having a great time, even those of us who have seen the film many times before. There was at least one exclamation from a new viewer of, "this is my new favorite movie!" That's the mark of a good film, it keeps both new viewers and returners equally entertained.

It would be my suggestion to watch the whole series starting with, The Evil Dead, and working your way to Army of Darkness, but we learned that it's not necessary. The evening that we watched Army of Darkness we had one viewer who had only seen part 1 and another who hadn't seen any of the films at all, and they were able to follow along just fine.

And who wouldn't want to follow Bruce Campbell?

It seems that Army of Darkness can stand on it's own just fine. It's a horror movie classic that will give people joy for years to come.




:: Edit ::

People often ask me where I find all the movies that I watch. Sometimes I do rent films online. Let's be honest, it's convenient, and when you live in a rainy city like this one sometimes a very specific kind of laziness can over-take you.

However, much more often I visit my local video store, Scarecrow Video. It's one of the most amazing, comprehensive film rental stores I have ever seen. If you live in the Seattle area I highly suggest you rent from there. If you don't live in the Seattle area, do some research! Go to your search bar and find a local video store near you. Let's keep our local business alive, eh?

"July is for Living"

July has always been one of my favorite months.  The weather turns warm, the days are long, and everything seems possible.

There are a million little things that make me think of July and a ton of traditions that come with it.  One July tradition that I can never miss is watching Rear Window with Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly.  The first time I watched that movie as a youngster was in July.  The film is also set in the middle of a sweltering New York summer.

 

If you've never watched Rear Window, I truly suggest it.  A photographer is stuck in his apartment after an accident that has left him in a full leg cast.  With his nurse and girlfriend as his only visitors he find himself spending quite a lot of time watching the neighbors out his window.  Then, one night, he sees something he shouldn't have seen...

The suspense, the dialogue, sexy Grace Kelly, there are a million reasons to watch this film.  Try watching it this July and see what I mean.

 

 

 

 What are some of your favorite summertime movies to watch?

Honestly...WTF

Some more wonderful d.i.y. tutorials from the good folks at Honestly...WTF.  I stumbled upon their website and have been dreaming of doing some crafting ever since.

Here are my three favorite projects and links to the tutorials!

Friendship

Hexnut Bracletes

Pom Poms

I'm going to be visiting the craft store very soon...I can just tell.

warhol time

I recently found a bunch of pictures from a workshop on an Andy Warhol piece that never happened.  The whole evenings work was a culmination of each individual performers character studies thus far.  Blah, blah, blah.  Anyway, that's not really the point.  The point is that these long lost pictures are effing beautiful so I thought I would share!

  

:: the good ol days ::

Family Adventures

Last week Anthony's moms were in town.  We spent nearly their entire trip visiting exciting places we had never been before!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Some of my favorite moments included seeing wolves!  And exploring a beach I had never been to.  There are so many more pictures and adventures to relate, but those will be fore a other time!

At Home Tourism

Anthony and I have family in town for the next 5 days.

I love when people I know come to Seattle because it gives me the chance to go see all the sites I never give myself time to see.

 

Today we're going to Northwest Trek, a wildlife preserve south of Seattle.  There we'll get to see much indigenous wildlife of the area.  It sounds like it's going to be fun.

Not to mention this is what will be in the back round the whole trip.

Now let's just hope the weather holds out.

Artsy Fartsy Crafty

This looks like a fun craft project for an evening in!

Check it out!


:: Edit ::


Ooo.  And here's another one.

It's gonna be a long night of crafting, I can tell already.  Hurray!

I Love This Image

(source)

30 Day Song Challenge

So a while ago I stumbled upon one of those Facebook phenomenons that just takes you over.

"The 30 Day Song Challenge" is a series of questions about your favorite, least favorite, ect., ect., songs. The gist is that you are supposed to post one question along with it's corresponding youtube video.

I asked some of my friends to play along with me, and it turned out to be a really fun experience for all of us.

Here is the complete list from my 30 Day Song Challenge, and quite a few of the videos.

Warning! I tried to be as honest as I could be with these questions. This resulted in some mildly embarrassing song choices in some categories. I encourage you all to play the challenge this way, it's so much more fun!

Without further ado a month's worth of music choices...

***

#1 Your favorite song - I can't really pick one, but here is one of my favorites.



Day 2 - Your Least Favorite Song - Tom Waits, "The Heart of Saturday Night." I know that this is gonna be controversial, but I really, really don't like this song. Sorry to all those who will lose faith in my taste in music.

Day 3 - A song that makes you happy - I love the talking heads in general, nut this song always makes me smile.



Day 4 - Name a Sad Song - This song was written by my great grandfather, and although "O Brother Where Art Thou" kinda made it less sad, the original will break your heart. Unfortunately there are no youtube videos of him singing it, but this version is pretty good too.



Day 5 - A Song that Reminds You of Someone - The Books, "Tokyo." I knew this one was gonna be hard, so I went with the very first thing that popped in my head. It was this song and the memory of driving with Claire Elise in OH so many years ago.

Day 6 - A song that reminds you of some place - David Bowie, "Queen Bitch." My sophomore year apt. with Leigh Missld. We listened to a lot of Bowie in that big ol' yellow building.

Day #7 - A Song that reminds you of a certain event: This will always remind of WET's party where Satori did a rock band cover of this song and I revealed my Alanis Morissette impersonation to Seattle.



day 8 - A song you know all the lyrics to....



day #9 - A song you can dance to - Stevie Wonder, "Superstitious." Yeah drivin around LA with Lauren Ashley Carter doing some fly ass head dancing.

Day #10 - A song you can fall asleep to - Mary Poppins, "Feed The Birds." I don't know if I could anymore, but my mom used to sing this to me every night.

Day #11 - A Song from my Favorite Band - Here comes Queen again, but they really are my favorite. If you haven't heard this song (and most people haven't) I highly suggest it.



day #12 - A song by a band you hate - Garth Brooks. He just makes my skin crawl. Yick.

Day 13 - A song that is your guilty pleasure - Adam Lambert, "What do You Want From Me." I love this song. It's not my usual, but that's why it's a guilty pleasure!

Day 14 - A song that people would be surprised to know you like - Huey Lewis and The News, "The Power of Love." I was never a die hard Huey Lewis fan, but after having to sing it every night in "Artifacts of Consequence" I can't help but enjoy it.

Day 15 - A Song that describes you. I'm not sure that this song describes me very well, but it is weird, and I have been described as such before.



Day 16 - A Song you used to love but now you hate - Jet, "Are You Gonna Be My Girl." So I never really loved this song. But I never changed the channel when it was on the radio. In fact, I kinda liked it. But, now it makes me effing crazy.

Day 17 - A song you hear on the radio - The Beatles, "Get Back." I don't listen to the radio too too often, but when I do I feel like The Beatles are following me. I guess that's what comes from being the best band ever or something...

Day 18 - A song that you wish you heard on the radio. I love this band and I love this song.



Day 19 - A Song from your favorite album. Sorry to get a little angsty on everyone. This album is sad, but such a masterpiece. Listen to it from beginning to end to get what I mean.



Day 20 - A song you listen to when you're angry - Peter, Bjorn, & John, "Nothing to Worry About." This song always makes me happy.

Day 21 - A song you listen to when you're happy - Dirty Projectors, "Cannibal Resource."

Day 22 - A song you listen to when your sad - Sufjen Stevens, "Casmir Pulaski Day."

Day 23 - A song you want to play at your wedding. I'm not much for traditional weddings, so I would kind of love to have just a big ho down. This song is kinda new to be a wedding pick, but I gotta say it's won me over.



Day 24 - A song you want to play at your funeral - Jack White's Version of..."Mother Nature's Son." It was the first song my dad taught me to play on guitar, so I can't shake this one.

Day 25 - A song that makes you laugh - Chromeo, "Mammas Boy."

Day 26 - A song you can play on an instrument - Cee Lo Green, "Fuck You." This is a really easy song to play, but it's so effing good.

Day 27 - A song you wish you could play. I've been working on this one, but I always get my timing off. I love this.



Day 28 - A song that makes you feel guilty - The Heartless Bastards, "All This Time." Because I literally never saw them play. :-(

Day 29 - A song from your childhood. My mom had the 45 of this song and we would put it on and dance to it. It was my jam at two years old.



Day 30 - Your favorite song this time last year. We were in the middle of "MOAM" rehearsals at this time last year and Adam and I were choreographing the high school dance sequence to this song. I had no other option but to let myself love it, cause it was playing all-the-time.



***

Give the 30 Song Challenge a try. I think you'll have as much fun as I did.