Finally getting things back around to some semblence of ‘normal’ around here.
At some point just after halloween, I got to talking to a friend of mine who had recently begun JK Studio. Now, he may not think himself as the halloween type, but I personally beg to differ.
So, we got to talking. I’m always at a rush to make a mask just in time for Halloween…would he be interested in making one for me?
(and Talia has been talking about being a “Bob” for halloween ever since we got this one from them)
So, that meant we needed a copy of my face…
Being claustrophobic, that’s always…”fun”.
And, we had to do it twice since the first one got messed up. But, finally…
Did one of Kyle as well, to give them more bases to work off for their masks in general.
With those shipped off, we have moved on to my own projects.
I just couldn’t get those Transi tombs out of my head, so we’re going to make one ourselves.
Somehow, some way, Talia managed to bite her finger whilst attempting to devour Oreo’s hard enough to draw blood…and trama ensued.
Talia REALLY does not care for blood. Ever since I was testing the 3d gel, and had colored it red (since we had a plethora of that color), she got rather upset with the ‘blood’ all over my face.
And, this cropped up again as she went through the haunted houses this season. One particular room, COVERED in blood, was always where she wanted me to pick her up. She don’t want anything to do with that.
I really don’t know where this comes from. Both grandparents have dogs, and to my knowledge, he’s never been bit, yet he is still VERY nervous around either of them, and does not often pet, and will flinch if the dog so much as moves at his touch…
Kyle….
Oh, Kyle…
He got his first taste of a ‘real’ horror movie the other night…a sleepless one…
They recently made it available to our PS3 without mailing away for a special disk, and I’ve been in love with it ever since.
Most recently becoming re-acquainted with that hidden gem from my childhood: The Dark Crystal.
I was never a huge fan of it…for a rather odd reason. It just tasted wrong. Yes. Tasted. It’s one of those few films that has the unusual effect of leaving me with a taste. I know it sounds odd…and I can’t explain it.
I don’t know, maybe I was unconsciously tasting podling essence.
But, watching it again after many years of it being forgotten made me appreciate it on a whole different level, but it’s still rather disturbing. Trying to pin down WHY, I’m left to consider the Uncanny Valley…
What’s that, you ask?
The ‘Gelfings’ in Dark Crystal can definitely fall into that ‘valley’.
And, that got me thinking…how do we tap this?
First thought came to costumes.
Think of virtually ANY Halloween icon. They are more or less human, yet have some characteristic that makes them just that much ‘off’. I’ve always told people that to make a good, original, scary costume, you’re best bet is pick a feature and enlarge it, while minimizing others.
Larger eyes, mouth, teeth, etc.
But, really, “the valley” can apply to most things. We create certain expectations for any number of situations, and when something is ‘off’, we begin to get uneasy.
One thing I’ve noticed in my 6 years doing this yard haunt, the first thing I did remains one of those things that tends to make the trick or treaters uneasy. There is no one at the door. No candy, no reward for ringing that bell. Groups will go to the door, and then stand wondering what to do as they see other kids heading out into the yard. Is it right? Is it safe?
What other things can we take just left of center? What other things can we take into the valley?
I was in the mood for a little taste of Halloween.
And, there were several notable treats to seek out back when I was a child. The house that gave out chips. The king size candy bars. The candied apples…
But, for me, the tops was the popcorn balls.
Well, I may not have THAT recipe, but I DO have one heck of a Caramel Corn recipe.
What’s more, it’s the only recipe I have that comes from my dad. He only made it once in my memory, but I was there to record it at the time.
1 can Eagle Brand Milk.
1 cup Light Karo Syrup
1 Cube butter
2 Cup Brown Sugar
Bring Sugar and Syrup to a boil. Add mild and butter, Cook to soft ball. (8-10 minutes)
I sent the boys out to leave them on neighbor’s doorsteps as a surprise. I imagine they’re all curious where it come from, and that makes me smile. A little trick, and a treat. Halloween in March.
The last 2 weekends have seen my wife working on Sunday, which has left me alone to get the kids ready for Church.
It’s always fun to try to get Talia dressed and ready for me. From her normally screaming in the bath “daddy sucks” as I tend to pull her hair a bit too much while trying to untangle it in the wash, on through the same again whilst attempting to make the hair presentable.
Normally, I’ve tried to wash her downstairs whilst Jen is asleep. So as to cause as little disturbance to that sleep as possible. And, she loved the basement bathroom…up till two weeks ago.
From the “no shower downstairs”, and the normal crying because “daddy sucks”, I thought she was just not wanting daddy to do the bathing. But, this morning, “No shower. WITCH!”
It seems Talia is under the impression a witch is living in the basement shower….
Now, I took some time trying to figure out just WHAT she thinks the witch was…and it turns out it’s the exhaust fan over the shower. My best guess is she’s heard the boys telling each other to turn on the SWITCH whilst they shower, and is now convinced that is the witch.
Speaking of the boys…..
Alec has recently become most nervous around the thought of Ghosts.
I don’t fully know where this is coming from. I’ve blamed the wind closing/opening doors on “it must have been a ghost”. But, he also reads plenty of goosebumps books these days. Not sure why ghosts have caught his attention.
Kyle, meanwhile, has picked up a thing for the Gypsie curse after watching Drag Me To Hell.
I’ve never really understood the fear of curses myself.
No, for me, there is that one thing that always scared me. Be it in the form of a movie, or of a ‘documentary’, or book, or news article. The very thought of them would keep me awake at night.
