Dutch matricidal maniacs, evil clowns, molasses, and more!

I've almost finished labeling all my journal comments. Think I went a little overboard in making labels, but I had to have 'em for some of the individuals who cropped up a lot in my journal comments folder. ;) Jon says we'll aim for 9:10 tomorrow... sounds good to me! (he's still not sure if he's going to the dinner tomorrow, but we'll see... Eric says he can drive me, so I'll figure out what's up with that in the morning!)


Today's Dutch Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

A Dutchman has been accused of murdering his mother, flaying her, and then cloaking himself in her skin during a street festival. The 42-year-old, identified only as Roland Z, was held after police in the southern town of Vlaardingen received reports a man was causing a disturbance. He was said to be wearing a strange suit or draped in a flag, and shouting quotations from the Bible. "This man was arrested while he stood attempting to direct traffic," said police spokesman Henry Hambeukers. "He said immediately that he had killed his mother." Investigators found the body of the 76-year-old woman in her apartment. "This man vandalised her corpse after her death. We are not discussing details out of sympathy for the man's mother, and for him too," Hambeukers said. He could not confirm reports the man had a history of mental illness and had joined a Christian cult, but said police were looking closely at his background. Dutch media were filled with gruesome details of the killing. Reports said the man wandered for several hours during the Carnival, a popular street festival in the southern Netherlands. Many thought he was drunk and wearing a costume.

Culled from: Press Association, Ltd.
Generously submitted by: Bill

**********************************************************************

Now, there's a killer who studies the masters!

*******

The Library Eclectica Upgrade

In order to make The Library Eclectica a bit easier to maintain, I've switched it over from my website to an Amazon.Com aStore. I have added my reviews and descriptions wherever possible, so that the aStore is still personalized, and hopefully you'll find it a more pleasant and interesting browse than before. I've also added a number of new categories and I've added most of my book collection to the site as well. If you're looking for a Christmas present for that special morbid person in your life, why not have a browse here?

*******

The Comtesse Reviews...
Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919
by Stephen Puleo

As anyone who follows MFDJ is well-aware, I am a huge fan of non-fiction books. I like to think that what I am reading is "real" - or at least, that the events really happened basically in the manner in which they are relayed. It makes for a much more satisfying experience for me than reading fiction - which I like to call, "Made Up Shit" (MUS). Granted, some people Make Shit Up that is compelling to read, so I'm not knocking the talent inherent in the great fiction authors. For the most part, however, I leave the Made Up Shit on the bookshelf.

Which brings me to the biggest problem that I have with historical non-fiction books. When the main characters of the stories are deceased, the authors can't interview them to find out their innermost thoughts and experiences. Yet, in order to make the story more personal and readable, the authors feel the need to "get inside the heads" of the primary characters, and imagine what they were feeling or saying or doing as certain key events unfolded around them. In other words, they resort to the anathema of non-fiction: they Make Shit Up.

Some writers, such as Erik Larson of The Devil In The White City fame, are very good at this, and can bring characters to life in a believable manner. And then there are writers like Stephen Puleo, whose Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 I just finished reading (well, half-reading, half-skimming). There were times while reading this book that I literally laughed out loud at the ridiculous sentences this guy dreams up.

My personal favorite:

"Martin Clougherty walked home from the Pen and Pencil Club on this damp Wednesday morning with elation and wistfulness as his companions, both tugging at him like lovers competing for his affections." Uh-huh. Is this an entry for the Bulwer-Lytton Contest?

Or how about this beauty?

"The firefighter was close to him, so close that Barry could smell his foul breath." Could smell his foul breath???? Really? Was that documented in an interview somewhere or are you just Making Shit Up again? Or are you assuming that everyone had foul breath in those days? I swear, I was half-expecting to read a sentence like, "As he lay there trapped in the darkness, with the sticky molasses clinging to his head and body, George Layhe passed gas, quickly filling the crawl space with his noxious fumes. It occurred to him that he would rather smell his own gas than the sickly sweet odor of the molasses that threatened to devour him."

I mean, really, why not? If you're just Making Shit Up to spread a short story out to a novel length, then why not at least make it entertaining?

Okay, obviously, this book annoyed me... but it wasn't all bad. The first half of the book, especially the history of the molasses trade and the creation of the doomed, structurally flawed molasses tank, was pretty interesting. The chapters on the molasses flood itself were rather disappointing, however, and the entire second half of the book - about the court proceedings against the owner of the tank, United States Industrial Alcohol - was such a snoozefest that I literally skimmed the final chapters, desperate for the tedium to end.

Since the Boston Molasses Flood has long been one of my favorite eccentric disasters, I was hoping that I would find this book an enjoyable and enlightening read, but alas, the most enlightening thing I learned is that the story that people sometimes tell me, that you can still smell molasses in the neighborhood on hot summer days, is a myth. Pity.

*******

Morbid Mirth Du Jour!

All herald the Evil Clown Generator!

Thanks to Elizabeth for the link.

*******

Urban Exploration!

Cathy writes to tell me about her page on Jim and Tammy Fay Bakker's tragic abandoned Kingdom, Heritage Park.

"See the park that Jimmy built. This is a work in progress, but I've posted about 50 of the 200 pictures. The park was basically an entire resort area (2200+ acres) built by James Bakker. When James ran into some issues, the park was closed and, with the exception of a few minor attempts, was basically frozen in time. Much more info to follow, but check this one out!! (Lots-N-Lots of pics!)"

The site is awesome - thank you, Cathy!

Saskatchewan phone calls, Christmas tree monstrosities, Gmail labels

Man, I'm getting national phone calls AGAIN! As if Manitoba weren't bad enough, now Saskatchewan's getting into it! Whose phone number is 306-425-3101, anyhow? I know nobody living there, anyhow! Corey says I should just pick the phone up, but I don't know if I want to do THAT! At least I did my laundry yesterday, and discovered that there's a new Whirlpool washing machine in the second-floor laundry room which costs $1.75 per load. Hmm... doing laundry is going to get really interesting if the $1.25 washer conks out!

Ah, it's so good that I kinda took the day off today. I got up at 2:10, which didn't leave me much time to check stuff! Sure, I was done checking my email by 2:45, but then my friends pages are always time-consuming if 12 hours have elapsed since the last time I checked it. (but I could have done a placeholder if need be, heh)


Checked blogs: Dawn thinks that whoever would buy this monstrosity of a tree from London Drugs should be shot! I agree... that is NOT a tree! Spoz just has the usual weekender stuff up, starting with the Enigma Bar and complaining about the stinky summer weather there. But it appears to be good times, after all.. threatening people if they didn't get out this weekend, har har.

Steph has a survey of twos up, in which she made comments about our brother and me being her pets (hmph!) and about sisterly inebriation. NO E-PROPS FOR YOU! (on Xanga, you can give people "props" for their post every time you comment) Vivian's made an elf out of herself: she doesn't want to hear about it at church, which is very understandable! She recounts Ikea conversation about Christmas trees, is done with all her assignments, wonders if someone will come online that she enjoys talking to so she can procrastinate worthily (Dawn to the rescue!), and has a Christmas poem up.

Speaking of procrastination... I'm doing just that by creating a squillion Gmail labels for all my saved journal comments, so I know exactly where they come from. I should just do this after I finish this update, heh.

Deleting 600 People, Music Loops, Hostess Twinkie Creme Filling

I just deleted 600 people.... from 662 members to 83. I HAVE THE POWER! :D (hey, it makes the community easier to manage... and I was kinda inspired by Rhett's doing the same in RQ recently)

Also, the radio has been playing two music loops simultaneously since maybe 11:15 or so, if not earlier! Very weird and surreal effect. Ah, Rock 101 is crazy! o_O


Hostess Twinkie Creme Filling

Recently, I've had an opportunity to go back and improve the recipe for the Hostess Twinkie clone. Specifically, I wanted to make the creme filling more stable, using non-dairy ingredients, so that it could not spoil and would be easier to make. Here now, is the much improved recipe, using fewer ingredients than the original clone, and with marshmallow creme as the new secret component. This recipe is for all of you who have supported the site by buying the books, since the cake part of the recipe and mold-making technique is not included here. But even if you don't have the books, I'm sure you can find many uses for this versatile commercial-style creme filling. Hope you like it!

2 teaspoons very hot water
rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups marshmallow creme (1 7-ounce jar)
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Combine the salt with the hot water in a small bowl and stir until salt is dissolved. Let this mixture cool.
2. Combine the marshmallow creme, shortening, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Mix well with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy.
3. Add the salt solution to the filling mixture and combine. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

Dreams about posting pictures of dancing teeth, no skating, Belief-O-Matic

I just got up from a nap because I needed the sleep. Dreamed about posting pictures of dancing teeth somewhere in LJ on Mozilla Firefox. I remember having at least two Firefox windows open, and someone objecting to the pictures of dancing teeth. Too bad, since they went up anyhow!

Just called Auntie Vivian and left a message on her machine to inform her that I won't be able to make it to Awana. More RQ tagging time for me: this is going to be a LONG project, but so worth it! Discovered that I've forgotten the password to 5000survey... I could swear it was one of the three or four that I tried! Maybe I should delete the community, haha.

Checked my email, too: Eric says there's no skating tonight, so GOOD! It's dangerous and should never be attempted. :P (for me, anyhow... it's different if you're a hockey player or something)


Belief-O-Matic scores

1. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (100%)
2. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (95%)
3. Eastern Orthodox (88%)
4. Roman Catholic (88%)
5. Orthodox Judaism (88%)
6. Orthodox Quaker (84%)
7. Jehovah's Witness (83%)
8. Islam (78%)
9. Seventh Day Adventist (77%)
10. Sikhism (71%)
11. Bahá'í Faith (62%)
12. Hinduism (59%)
13. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (59%)
14. Reform Judaism (51%)
15. Jainism (50%)
16. Liberal Quakers (42%)
17. Unitarian Universalism (37%)
18. Neo-Pagan (32%)
19. Mahayana Buddhism (32%)
20. Theravada Buddhism (31%)
21. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (24%)
22. Scientology (23%)
23. New Age (21%)
24. Secular Humanism (20%)
25. Nontheist (19%)
26. Taoism (19%)
27. New Thought (15%)

Fruit dreams, insomnia, grape Pocky and other Japanese candy from Grace Anderson (???)

I had a dream in which my brother, sister, friends, and I went shopping for groceries and fruit. But I didn't have much money, so I just tagged along. Then Corey messaged me with "tits" repeatedly over AIM and MSN, so then I turned off the computer. Very weird. I hate it when I can't get to sleep until some insane time like 4 AM. While it may not kill me tomorrow (I should probably call / email Auntie Vivian to tell her I can't make it to Awana on Saturday... or Melia, heh), it probably will on Sunday! Yikes... it's not insomnia, I hope. Time to break out the stuff I usually use? Maybe!

May as well check the mail since I'm up for now... whoa. GRAPE POCKY?! I've never HAD grape Pocky before! Interesting! Also got a postcard from Singapore, which is NOT my first one from there as Dewitta (doublu) thinks. Someone named Grace Anderson (who also sent me the grape Pocky) sent me some "Ramune Morinaga" Japanese candy, plus some Kasugai chocolate gummies in apple / orange / strawberry / grape! I have no idea what her screen name is, though I could check my email... however, none of the emails I have match up to that name! Very weird. o_O So I don't know whose address is on Bay St. in Santa Monica since nobody I know lives there... but Grace and her husband Bruce had / have my address for some reason, even though I've never corresponded with them in holiday_wishes! Bizarre...

Edit: I posted thanks and a question in holiday_thanks. Her LJ name is kyuuketsukirui ... I was misreading the U as an A, and assuming it was her maiden name or something from the way it was written on the post-it note. Heh. She dredged up a link proving that I did in fact ask for Japanese candy... I think maybe I should have searched it out in my Sent Mail folder instead of trying to find "bay" in my correspondence! Ah well, that's one mystery solved... now I can relax instead of being paranoid that random California people are trying to poison me, haha.

You Are 61% Peaceful

You are a very peaceful person. All is good in your world, no matter what's going on. Occasionally you let your problems get to you, but you generally remain upbeat. Your inner strength is inspirational - much more so than you may realize.

How Peaceful Are You?

Someone once told me that she admired my inner strength when I was faced with a certain situation. Maybe I do have it? Heh.

HOSTESS TWINKIES

HOSTESS TWINKIES

Recipe By:
Serving Size: 6 Preparation Time: 0:00
Categories: Cakes

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

1/2 cup Margarine
1/2 cup Crisco
1 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Evaporated milk
1 tablespoon Vanilla

-----CAKE----
3 large Eggs
3 1/2 teaspoon Baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
2 cups Flour
1 cup Milk
1/2 cup Butter
1 1/2 cups Plus 1/2 cup Sugar
Sugar
1 tablespoon Salt

FILLING: Mix together and bake in 13 x 9 pan. Cut cake into sections and layer with cake, filling, and more cake.

Skating at the arena, elves, 2006 Year In Review, violating corpses, goth riddles

Eric just emailed a bunch of us with something to do in lieu of Fellowship on Friday: SKATING AT THE MINORU ARENA?! I don't think it's for me since I'll kill myself doing that. Well, not really... but I still have memories of needing stitches at the hospital (where my mom worked at the time) because I cut my finger on a skate blade during a grade school field trip! So after that, I never really went skating.. except VERY briefly in Gr. 9 on a Timothy Fellowship outing with David Marr and FM. After that, never again. I told him that (which crossed with Rich's reply saying he couldn't make it since he's babysitting his nephews - they're SO CUTE!), and he said: "Please don't kill yourself at all. We may do stuff after so you can join us then, but you are pretty far away from the arena.. so I don't know if you will be able to get a ride. LOL." Note: I am NOT far away from the arena at all.. maybe a five-minute drive, if that! :P

Speaking of emails, Steph just made an elf out of herself. Haha, Elf Yourself indeed! :D (Although if this is some subliminal plot to get Christmas songs in my head, I don't appreciate it! I was there for a grand total of 20 seconds before all the music became too much for me... thank goodness for Neil Young! :P)


2006 Year In Review

Go to your Calendar and find the first entry for each month of 2006. Post the first line of it in your journal as a paragraph, and that's your "Year In Review."

I probably shouldn't be up now, but I just had to update. I shouldn't focus on packing only my books... but that's what I'm doing for now. Corey and I had a discussion about downloading movies and TV shows, now that I can with my fast connection. If any of you prank me today, I'll cut out your hearts and eat them for breakfast!!! The OMGHABERDASHERY person is back, with a new screen name: ChewablePutty. Got a PM back from Carol about the whole "consumer whore" thing. The Milestones dinner was okay... I had a good seafood salad, though! I had an interesting dream last night that involved Jeremy (in his Sunday gear including dark sweater) and Karen Lew in with a group of our friends looking for clues around town. I called Jon (and Eric by extension since they were together) for a while earlier tonight. The Night Market trip was fun: I decided to ask my mom whether she would have gone on the tour if I'd said I didn't want to go, and she believed I was having second thoughts when she'd already booked the trip. Why am I up so early? Yay, I officially survived Snow Dump 2006!

Man, that's one long "paragraph"... if I were writing an entry, I'd PROBABLY split it up into two. o_O


Today's Violating Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

Herodotus was born sometime between 480 and 490 BC at Haliacarnassus (south-west coast of Asia Minor). He travelled to Egypt, Africa and other parts of the ancient Greek world while still a young man, and through his writings he came to be called 'the Father of History.' He died in 425 BC. Here is an interesting snippet from his discussion on Egyptian mummification:

"When the wife of a distinguished man dies, or any woman who happens to be beautiful or well known, her body is not given to the embalmers immediately, but only after the lapse of three or four days. This is a precautionary measure to prevent the embalmers from violating the corpse, a thing which is said actually to have happened in the case of a woman who had just died. The culprit was given away by one of his fellow workmen."

Culled from: Herodotus on Mummification
Generously submitted by: Joe

**********************************************************************

Hmmmmm... I can't help but realize that we don't follow this practice any longer. What do you suppose that means? *scratches chin*

*******

Morbid Merchandise Is On Its Way!

I know I've been promising T-shirts for eons, but thanks to the invaluable assistance of Jen at Juror2, I'm finally going to be able to make the dream real! The shirts should be available for purchase sometime within the next week, so prepare yourselves. I didn't want to spring this on you without ample warning; such excitement must be eased into gently.

In the meantime, please check out Jen's fabulous gruesome stick figure shirts.

I'm particularly fond of the Little Axe Girl, myself...

*******

Morbid Riddle Du Jour!

Joe sends a link to the following brain teaser which has a nice gothic feel to it. It's horribly easy to guess, but I suppose that's not the point, is it?

The queen of death; she crawls on your stairs,
She's always so lonely, no mate in her lair.
Her children, they leave home with such haste
For fear that their blood this new mother will taste.
On silken cord, her daughters await,
For men in their homes meet a similar fate.
Dark as new moon, her crimson belly tells time,
Her mate is passed on, he won't tell of her crime.
If you see the black maiden, you must run in fear
One prick from her needles and pain is quite near.

The answer is here.

*******

Wretched Recommendations!

J.P. has a film recommendation - which also qualifies as a Morbid Mirth:

"I'd like to recommend the Overkill box set of Happy Tree Friends. It contains over 7 hours of mind-numbing goodness, plenty of gore in hand for any morbidity fan! This is a must-buy!"

Certain people and Eric, fake hate, love life, quizzes

What the heck is happening?! Someone just emailed me back to say that he'd assume I'd go with Eric on Sunday, but that he'd be at the Ikea buying a Christmas tree and decorations! How the heck did Eric get to know about this?! (I know... Monday's Committee meeting) If it was that person, I hate him! Maybe not really, but you know what I mean - it's just like when I say I'll kill someone, haha. At any rate, Eric has not been online for a bit to talk about that, so maybe I'll reply to that person later. Might be easier if that person got IM, haha. (or not)

Your Birthdate: September 17

You love being in love... so much so that it's very hard for you to be single. Unfortunately, it's difficult for you to stay in love over time. Too many people intrigue you! Only your true love will be able to keep you interested over time. Number of True Loves You'll Have: 1 Number of Times You'll Have Your Heart Broken: 4 You are most compatible with people born on the 8th, 17th, and 26th of the month.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean For Your Love Life?

A load of bull, this one is... and yet I'm posting the results anyhow. Go figure. :P

Your Life Revolves Around Yourself

There's no chance that you're going to let your guy control you. You've got your own thing going on - and he's lucky to be a part of it. And even though he might pressure you to consider his feelings a little more... He's secretly into how independent you really are.

Does Your World Revolve Around Your Guy?

Completely Straight You are 5% Homosexual!

You're not really gay, at all! You're absolutely dedicated to your pursuit of the opposite sex. You love them and they love you. You're a good little heterosexual. :)

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 4% on Homosexuality

Link: The What Percentage Gay Are You? Test written by SerenFae on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Pursuit? Uh... sure... o_O

Loner - ISFP 46% Extraversion, 26% Intuition, 33% Thinking, 40% Judging

Ahh... the sweet serenity. The utter perfection of all creation. The wondrous beauty of nature. The sweet sparrow singing along in the great orchestra we call life... WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? You're the type of person people always love to mock because they don't believe there's anyone ACTUALLY like you. Do you realise that you ostracise people with your behaviour or is it all subconscious? You're so quiet and reserved, it's almost impossible to get to know you well. When someone finally does, all you want to talk about is grace and beauty and harmony! Ugh. Sure, you "genuinely care for others" and all that rubbish... but when it boils right down to the basics, you take life far too seriously. Throughout the entire test, I bet you were searching for "further clarification and hidden meaning" so that you might improve your pitiful life. And woe and behold if it betrayed your intense values system! You need to STOP smelling the daisies. Believe it or not, logic does have a place in this world... imbecile. ***************** If you want to learn more about your personality type in a slightly less negative way, check this out. ***************** The other personality types are as follows... Pushover - Introverted Sensing Feeling Judging Criminal - Introverted Sensing Thinking Perceiving Borefest - Introverted Sensing Thinking Judging Almost Perfect - Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving Freak - Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging Loser - Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Perceiving Crackpot - Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging Clown - Extraverted Sensing Feeling Perceiving Sap - Extraverted Sensing Feeling Judging Commander - Extraverted Sensing Thinking Perceiving Do Gooder - Extraverted Sensing Thinking Judging Scumbag - Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiving Busybody - Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging Prick - Extraverted iNtuitive Thinking Perceiving Dictator - Extraverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 41% on Extraversion You scored higher than 3% on Intuition You scored higher than 18% on Thinking You scored higher than 23% on Judging

Link: The Brutally Honest Personality Test written by UltimateMaster on OkCupid, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Winnie the Pooh stickers, Christmas cards / notes, cool colorful raver bead bracelets!

Hey, I got good things in the mail today! Carmina (on_the_ground) sent me a Spanish card and some stickers for little Sean. They're mostly Winnie the Pooh-themed, but there are a few winter ones with snowmen and candy canes. She hopes they're good enough - they're not rainbow ones, but they're just as appreciated! (now I need more stickers for my personal use, but that's another story altogether!)

Kaitlin (norsk) included a long note with a drawing of a cool eye and a woman around it. I've had asiago cheese before, the randomosity doesn't matter and is cool, and I always write perpendicular to the margins / at a great slant. (says Eric) She drew the moon and a bunch of stars on the back of the bubble-wrap envelope, and titled it "The Majesty of the Night Sky!" Great tradition!

Ooh, she also included some raver kandi... a beaded bracelet, for the uninitiated. It has red / purple / green / silver stars, yellow / yellow / blue / orange letter squares that spell out "FLAM," and round pink beads! Thanks so much! This is awesome!

Also... every time I hear the Pirates of the Caribbean DVD commercial, I always think they're saying "PYREX!" when they say "PIRATES!" What the heck is wrong with me...

Licking Ovaries / Honey Baked Ham

Now Corey and I are talking about licking ovaries, of all things. Don't ask me how this got started because I'm not even sure, haha!


Honey Baked Ham

Servings: 1

1 (7 lb.) medium smoked pork picnic shoulder (bone in or out)
2 cups sugar
1 cup honey or brown sugar, packed
1 (6 oz.) can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 teaspoon whole cloves

Preparation: Make crosswise slits, 1/2 inch apart, halfway through ham to where knife touches bone. Place ham in deep bowl and barely cover with water. Stir in sugar. Soak at least 2 days in refrigerator. Drain. Place ham in roasting pan, lined with enough foil to wrap completely. Pour honey or brown sugar and orange juice all over pork. Stick cloves all over meat. Wrap tightly with foil. Bake at 200 degrees for 6 to 7 hours or until done, unwrapping and basting occasionally with honey mixture. Unwrap and bake at 450 degrees about 15 minutes for slightly crisp skin.

Migraine headaches, Surrey, large buttocks, beheadings

I called Nina earlier, but she was sick with a migraine headache which made her nauseated... and she also had a really sore throat, so I advised her to take antibiotics if it seriously hurt to swallow. She wondered if I'd been to Surrey lately (nope!), so she thought that I could see her new place and her son Dylan in the New Year. That sounds okay to me, since it's about to get crazy busy here in a week or so with all the holiday obligations!

Corey just emailed me a bunch of prank calls about large buttocks, boobs, Pu-Pu platters, and other things which I won't post here. Very interesting and amusing, heh. Yesterday, he thought I'd bought a car battery / a ninja sword / a potato / an automatic shoe tier / a pretty new dress / a buttplug. All wrong, especially the last one! If I wanted a ninja sword, I could borrow Nathan's mace and Chinese swords. I've never heard of an automatic shoe tier, haven't ever bought just one potato, and would have no use for a car battery or a buttplug! As for the pretty new dress, I could think of uses for that... but haven't bought a dress in a long time, as I'm more a casual kind of person!


Today's Frustrating Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

The beheading axe's partner in crime was the block. At first just any old piece of timber, it soon evolved into a carefully shaped sculpture designed to facilitate the executioner's task. As the victim's throat had to be supported by a flat surface ready for the axe blow, a hollow was scooped out of one side to accommodate the victim's chin, and a similar, though wider, hollow on the opposite side of the block allowed the victim to push his, or her, shoulders forward as far as possible, thereby stretching the neck and increasing the size of the target area. Most blocks were about two feet high, permitting the victim to kneel. Lower ones, such as the ten-inch-high one used for the execution of King Charles I, required an almost prone position, this attitude inducing an even greater sense of helplessness in the victim.

A new block was usually prepared for each execution, the impact of the heavy blows invariably splitting the timber after the blade had passed through the victim's neck. The shock also made the block bounce, sometimes even causing the victim's body to be jolted to one side or the other, both reactions tending to deflect the subsequent blows of the axe.

Culled from: The Book Of Execution

**********************************************************************

I guess the expression, "back to the old chopping block" is kind of inaccurate, since the old chopping block would actually be thrown away after use, so there would be nothing to go back to. Grrrr... I *hate it* when proverbs lie to me!

*******

Morbid Sightseeing!

One of these days, I have to haul my creaky bones over to the Czech Republic to see the Ossuary at Sedlec. Perhaps you may understand why after taking a look at this link?

Thanks to Ashleigh for the link.

*******

Ghastly!

Morbid Visions has a nice collection of ghastly images - and an annoying adolescent attitude to go with it. I can do without the attitude, but the images are worth wincing over.

Thanks to kelshubert for the link.

Audrey kicking Erin out, name concidences, Christmas cards, Eric going, quizzes

Had a weird dream which involved Erin (welfy) being kicked out of her house because she had a cat. The landlady was named Audrey Lee (not the same as the one I know), and was looking in cupboards and drawers for the cat. She knew that there was a cat around named Fubu, and found it in the closet. After that, it somehow shifted to my brother and sister and friends having a big discussion about whether they should go to the church camp or the basketball conference at the same time. Conflicts, indeed... o_O


I read this in my ArcaMax Weird News letter... I like this kind of thing!

N.Y. women discover extreme similarities

NEW YORK (UPI) -- Two women in New York, both named Eileen McLaughlin, met last week and discovered that their similarities extended far beyond their names.

They learned they were both born in Brooklyn Dec. 6, 1960, and have the same professions, wedding anniversary dates -- and even their fathers' birthdays are strikingly similar, the New York Post reported.

Both women entered the health care field independent of one another. Both married during the month of August a few years apart, and their fathers were both born Nov. 12, although in different years.

"It's mind-boggling that Eileen Mary's life has so closely paralleled mine," said Eileen Teresa McLaughlin. "I called my mother and asked her, 'Are you sure I don't have a twin?'"

While most similarities were positive -- such as both women's first child being born on a Valentine's Day -- the Post said the coincidences also included their husbands' drinking problems and abandonment of the women.

I got a lovely Christmas card from Natalie (chibi_blackie) and a cute handmade Christmas card / Finnish Karl Fazer chocolate bar from Taru (tarutar) in the mail today! Thanks! Shannon (tearfulgoodbyes) got my Christmas card, and loved the Tokyo Monster eating Santa's reindeer so much she got a laugh out of it! (I bet Jeremy will, too!)

Curious... now Eric says he is going to the potluck! Maybe his office party got postponed or rescheduled just like Steph's did. Very odd... but at least he can drive me now! Yay for people whom I feel more comfortable to be crazy around! ;)

The first two quizzes below are an old one split into two. Even though I generally never take the old ones, I will this time for some strange reason unknown to myself. :P

You Were Born Under:

You have both a fiery energy and a warm heart. Your charisma and charm makes it easy for you to influence others. Lucky in life, you also have a reputation of being lucky in love. Power-hungry, you are determined to get what you want - no matter what it takes. You are most compatible with a Monkey or Rat.

What Year Were You Born Under?

Lucky in love? I don't THINK so!

You Should Have Been Born Under:

You are totally loyal, faithful, and honest. However, you don't trust others to be as ethical as you are! Straightforward and direct, you really aren't one for small talk. You are a great listener - and an agreeable companion when you're in a good mood! You are most compatible with a Tiger or Horse.

What Year Should You Have Been Born Under?

Your 1996 Theme Song Is: Macarena by Los Del Rio

When I dance, they call me macarena And the boys, they say that I'm buena They all want me, they can't have me So they all come and dance beside me

What's Your 1996 Theme Song?

Haha, that song was definitely an earworm back then!

The Marauder You scored 68 Strength, 53 Guile, 35 Morality, and 68 Survival Rate!

You know what you want and how to get it. Live and let die, Kill or be killed: Words to live by, according to you. It appears to work for you. You can survive just about anything the new world can throw at you. Killing anything that gets in your way. Congratulations.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 92% on Strength You scored higher than 10% on Guile You scored higher than 10% on Morality You scored higher than 43% on Survival Rate

Link: The Post-Apocalyptic Survival Test written by Blair-bot on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

I have mutilated remains in my fridge! (music shuffle meme)

Here's another music shuffle meme from Sara! I'll use Corey's DVD for this one, of course.

Why are you taking yet another shuffle quiz?
Song: Sick of You
Artist: GWAR
Comment: Because I'm sick of a stinky person who eats white toast, and is human filth personified.

What's currently in your fridge?
Song: Battle Lust
Artist: GWAR
Comment: The mutilated remains of those whom I gored in battle to the death!

Your biggest nightmare?
Song: Blank Generation
Artist: Richard Hell and the Voidoids
Comment: Self-explanatory... being born in a BLANK GENERATION!

What place would you like to visit?
Song: Northern Comfort
Artist: Children of Bodom
Comment: Somewhere away from a scythe and my painless soul.

A reason to commit suicide?
Song: Harpsichord
Artist: Switchblade Symphony
Comment: Because a silver-haired lady takes buckets of pills every day. (gee, I wonder why this reminds me of Requiem for a Dream... :P)

Why are we here?
Song: Glue Man
Artist: Fugazi
Comment: Coz our minds are our own town where all our thoughts run aground.

Something you never dared to say to anyone...?
Song: How Soon Is Now?
Artist: the Meatmen
Comment: You shut your mouth! How dare you say I go about things the wrong way?!

One thing the world really doesn't need?
Song: Adina
Artist: Rancid
Comment: Urban blight and roofs caving in.

What's your biggest unfulfilled wish?
Song: Whether Eagles Dare
Artist: Sloppy Seconds
Comment: Omelets of disease, and germicide mouths seducing glands!

If you could invent something, what would it be?
Song: Burning
Artist: Fugazi
Comment: I shall invent burning in my eyes, and lips that are sucked empty. Yikes.

The last thing you say before you die?
Song: Sailin' On
Artist: Bad Brains
Comment: I'm moving on, and I'm not playing this game of strife any longer!

What's your destiny?
Song: One Who Feeds
Artist: Genitorturers
Comment: Suckling fluid that calms from a purifying breast. o_O

What do you do when you're alone in an elevator?
Song: Hellfudge
Artist: Lard
Comment: Think about fundamentalist preachers and their scandals in the name of the Lord.

Why do people go fishing?
Song: Rock N'Roll Never Felt So Good
Artist: GWAR
Comment: So they can have sex with quadriplegics and kill them later.

What would you do with your slaves?
Song: California Über Alles
Artist: Dead Kennedys
Comment: Make them be controlled by the master race, then kill them off via organic poison gas.

Is there a man on the moon?
Song: Stay Out of My Dreams
Artist: Type O Negative
Comment: He committed incest unknowingly.

What does hell look like?
Song: Zyklon B-Movie
Artist: the Subhumans
Comment: A cinema with blood on the floor where people die via gas that rises up from under the chairs.

About what would you like to write a book?
Song: Here Comes The Sun
Artist: Voodoo Glow Skulls
Comment: A long cold lonely winter. Yeah, I don't think so!

The best thing ever is...?
Song: Germ-Free Adolescents
Artist: X-Ray Spex
Comment: Being ultra-clean with antiseptic, deodorant, Listerine, and disinfectant!

Why did the chicken cross the road?
Song: Chaos
Artist: ohGr
Comment: Because it was tired of listening to random words strung together as nonsense.

Why do you listen to music?
Song: In The Shadows
Artist: Children of Bodom
Comment: I'm standing against death, and dreams of horror / war!

What do you do when you're alone and nobody's watching?
Song: Braineaters
Artist: the Misfits
Comment: Eat brains for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Why are other people so stupid?
Song: The American In Me
Artist: the Avengers
Comment: Because of war in the USA... "ask not what you can do for your country," indeed!

Last thing you ate?
Song: None But The Brave
Artist: GWAR
Comment: Delis, buses, and a midget named Joe.

Why is grass green?
Song: Megalomaniac
Artist: KMFDM
Comment: Because of refuse, terrorism, sabotage, piracy, chaos, and underground counterculture.

Your phone is ringing, but who's on the other end?
Song: Die Die My Darling
Artist: the Misfits
Comment: Your ex-lover whom you hacked to death! Run far away!

What should you stop doing?
Song: Just Like You
Artist: Ministry
Comment: Begging for quarters and trapping people? Meh, not so much THAT, nope.

A word of advice to the readers of this quiz?
Song: The Robots
Song 2: Drop Drawers
Artist: Kraftwerk
Artist 2: GWAR
Comment: Get a bunch of robots to be your mechanical slave workers.
Comment 2: Pull down your pants, NOW!

Kind ride offers, murder and ghosts, Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix

Hmm. A certain person noticed on the potluck Evite that I wasn't sure if I could get a ride to the event. (well, no... Jon may not be going, and Eric's definitely not!) So he said that he could give me a ride if I just tell him my address.... uh, he IS aware that I live in Richmond, right?! (luckily it's central Richmond and not boonie Richmond, but I digress) If I take him up on this, I'll be there early since he has to be there at 4:30 to help set up. (I just might, the crazy person...) He'd better not be referring to me as the "hot girl" he'd be bringing to counteract Alan's "hot girl" (Tracy?), haha. Intriguing discussion, as Phil said in his reply to say he wasn't coming.

Thank goodness a certain other person doesn't know about this, or else she'd have a field day! Eh, I do have a new bent Bathroom Reader for company... I'm not sure how it got wrinkled and beat-up by spending a few hours in my backpack. It's almost enough to make me return it and buy another one! I mean, the book's appearance isn't that bad, but it certainly isn't "store-bought" condition! Oh well, maybe I can get an early ride home from church with Eric... though I certainly won't be bringing anything to the potluck, heh. It's a kind offer, of course! :) (so why does it mean more than it should? who knows... :P) I forgot to tell him about the buzzer thing, but he can just call me from his cell phone, so it's no biggie. :P


Today's Frustrating Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

A Japanese office worker whose mother died from brain damage after he tied her up with a dog collar to stop her borrowing money from loan sharks walked free from court in December, 2004. Hidenori Mizukoshi, 36, was given a three-year jail term, but saw it suspended for five years after the court in Fukuoka, southern Japan, acknowledged his frustration over his 62-year-old mother's spending. Mizukoshi beat his mother in the head and legs on May 20 after she refused to stop borrowing to pay for her compulsive love of pachinko, the Japanese pinball game, and travel. Mizukoshi then put a dog collar with a chain leash around her neck and tied her to a propane gas cylinder in a storage room for some eight hours before she was admitted to hospital. He pulled the chain so tight that his mother died from brain damage one week later. Prosecutors had demanded five years in prison for him, but the court showed understanding for Mizukoshi. "It runs counter to morals and is violent and malicious," presiding judge Masayoshi Takahara said of the crime. "But his mother's debt problem over many years was so serious that there is room for sympathy for his struggle to repay the debt," he said.

Culled from: Source Uncredited
Generously submitted by: Katchaya

**********************************************************************

So, I take it that money is more valuable than life? Now I finally understand modern society!

*******

Morbid Sightseeing!

Soox has a Canadian morbid sightseeing tip for us:

"I just got back from a trip to Victoria, BC, and was pleased to discover a wonderfully morbid treat while I was there: the nightly Ghostly Walk tour. Who would imagine that such a picturesque little town as Victoria is as amazingly haunted as it is? For an hour and a half, we trailed our guide through the streets. We learned tales of love gone wrong and horrible, horrible murders from Victoria's steamy past. You can get something of an idea of the tour at their website, and discover the past. For the most part, I was somewhat creeped out by the stories, but was skeptical about the presence of ghosts in the area, at least currently. However, at the end of the tour, we went into a building that even the guide was uncomfortable with entering. While we sat around the room listening to the stories of hauntings that had occurred there (no one knows why the place is so haunted), I began to feel a tingly, uneasy sensation on the side of my neck and my ear on the side of me facing the door into the room where most of the activity occurs. My girlfriend, sitting next to me, felt a similar sensation on her neck and shoulder on the side facing away from me. She thinks that something came up behind us and put its hands on our shoulders.

"Whether we actually had a brush with a ghost or not, the stories and places on the tour were fascinating and I certainly recommend the tours if you should find yourself on the west coast of Canada looking for something to do."

*******

Morbid Trinket Du Jour!

Here's the perfect gift for that obnoxious teddy bear collector in your life: Teddy Scares!

Thanks to Evonne for the link.


Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix

Categories: Copycat, Salads, Dressings
Yield: 1 pint
Powder Mix
15 2" square saltines
2 cups Dry minced parsley flakes
1/2 cup Dry minced onions

2 tablespoons Dry dill weed
1/4 cups Onion salt
1/4 cups Garlic salt
1/4 cups Onion powder
1/4 cups Garlic powder

Salad dressing
1 tablespoon Mix
1 cup Mayo
1 cup Buttermilk

Put crackers through blender on high speed until powdered. Add parsley, minced onions, and dill weed. Blend again until powdered. Put into bowl. Stir in onion salt, garlic salt, onion powder, and garlic powder. Put into container with tight-fitting lid. Store at room temperature for 1 year. Makes 42 1-tablespoon servings.

TO USE MIX - Combine mix, mayo and buttermilk. Yields 1 pint.

Supposedly rude comments, postcards, hard drive, HAPPY FEET

What the?! Someone left me a comment in my inbox intimating that she thought one of my comments to her posts was rude. While I can understand that, I was really trying to make gentle fun of her typo since she made it sound like her mom was killed in the future. ("Your mom was killed in the future? Whoa, baby.") I know having a parent killed must be devastating, but I guess text does have certain limitations! She said that she's writing a journal, not a mass media publication... and doesn't need a proofreader. Hey, I understand we all make mistakes... I try not to correct my friends' slip-ups TOO much, but this was really begging for it in an amusing way. Black humor is fine by me, but maybe it's too dark for her to get. I know murder isn't funny, but I wasn't making fun of THAT! She even mixed up "post" and "comment" when she said that the "post" was very rude, and she'd be deleting it soon. I could apologize, but I've learned not to step on people's toes when it comes to that. Wouldn't do any good anyhow, since she's a newbie to my list and wouldn't get my brand of humor. Enough of that, and on to the events of my day! (but if you want to bug me about that, go ahead?)

Today, I bought far too many postcards considering their eventual price, then later noticed some neater ones at Chapters where I was killing time / going to the washroom. Oh well, maybe sometime next year! Before I bought the postcards, I mailed everything off to various places. (including Singapore, England, and Finland) I also bought some chips and Arizona Red Apple green tea with ginseng / honey to serve as a quick snack / dinner, some citrus shampoo and conditioner from Loonie Plus, four different dragon bookmarks (plus a bookmark with the Chinese character for "love" on it) and the latest Bathroom Reader (Uncle John's Curiously Compelling Bathroom Reader #19) from Coles, and the thing I've been waiting for!

Yes, I finally got the hard drive from Hard Drive Dude. I got to the Skytrain station with time to spare, so got out a book to read. After a few minutes, some dude in a leather jacket who looked kinda like Deren (erislover) came up to me and asked whether I was Leslie. Yup, so he said that he was Tim, the hard drive person. I believe he thought I wasn't with it as he had to confirm who I was! Haha, not quite losing it yet! After he said that I could email him if I had any problems hooking it up (and said all I had to do was hook it up) and thanked me, we went our separate ways.

I stopped off at Chapters for a brief while before going off to Silvercity. So many shiny books... which of course I can't buy! If I stay home for some time, I should be fine as far as money goes this month anyhow! I'm sure Eric will be VERY impressed to learn that his birthday present of a Chapters giftcard went toward the purchase of a Bathroom Reader, haha. (and also that I thought my phone was on during Friday evening when it was really OFF!)

Got to Silvercity at 6:30, and had time to finish my green tea and chips before I saw my grandma looking around for me. I hailed her down: she offered to buy me popcorn, but I told her it wasn't necessary. Mom was parking before she bought tickets, so we waited for her. HAPPY FEET was so cute and interesting! (I should tell my brother that his girlfriend might like it, but I don't know her as yet!) Penguins - yay! Grandma thought Mom wasted her money on her ticket since she couldn't understand it, but at least didn't say that to her. Afterwards, we all went to Tsim Chai for wonton mein and jellyfish with duck legs. Mom says Alan and Liz are coming back on Monday, but are staying at a friend's house till Thursday since they know Jon has exams till next Friday. I know he has papers and stuff to do because he indicated that on his Evite reply of "maybe." The lack of Fellowship on Friday just might help him with doing that, haha.

Massive Movie Meme

I just called my mom and left a message on the answering machine to TELL HER that I'd meet her at the movie theatre instead. If she tries calling me back to discuss it, she'll be out of luck as I won't be home. HAH! (I have stuff to mail, postcards to buy, and quick food to get as my "dinner"... I don't need the stress of getting to Steveston in 90 minutes from where I'll be!)

Here's another massive movie meme from Tracey...

From the following list, number every movie you've seen at least once all the way through. If you number more than 70, you have no life. (or so says the originator of the meme)

Only 23... I'm not surprised!

(1) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(2) Grease
(3) Pirates of the Caribbean
() Boondock Saints
() The Mexican
() Fight Club
() Starsky and Hutch
() Neverending Story
(4) Blazing Saddles
(5) Airplane
(6) The Princess Bride
() Young Frankenstein
() Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
() Napoleon Dynamite
() Saw
() White Noise
() White Oleander
() Anger Management
() 50 First Dates
() Jason X
() Scream
() Scream 2
() Scream 3
() Scary Movie
() Scary Movie 2
() Scary Movie 3
() American Pie
() American Pie 2
() American Wedding
() Harry Potter & the Philosopher's / Sorcerer's Stone
() Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
() Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
() Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
() Resident Evil 1
() Resident Evil 2
() The Wedding Singer
() Little Black Book
() The Village
() Donnie Darko
(7) Lilo & Stitch
() Finding Nemo
(8) Finding Neverland
() 13 Ghosts
() Signs
() The Grinch
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre
() White Chicks
() Butterfly Effect
() 13 Going on 30
() I, Robot
() Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
() Universal Soldier
() A Series Of Unfortunate Events
() Along Came Polly
() Deep Impact
() Kingpin
() Never Been Kissed
() Meet The Parents
(9) Meet the Fockers
() Eight Crazy Nights
() A Cinderella Story
() The Terminal
() The Lizzie McGuire Movie
() Passport to Paris
() Dumb & Dumber
() Dumb & Dumberer
() Final Destination
() Final Destination 2
() Halloween
() The Ring
() The Ring 2
() Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
() Practical Magic
() Chicago
() Ghost Ship
() From Hell
() Hellboy
() Secret Window
() I Am Sam
() The Whole Nine Yards
() The Day After Tomorrow
() Child's Play
() Bride of Chucky
() Ten Things I Hate About You
() Just Married
() Gothika
() Nightmare on Elm Street
() Sixteen Candles
() Coach Carter
() Bad Boys
() Bad Boys 2
() Joy Ride
(10) Se7en
(11) Ocean's 11
() Ocean's 12
() Bourne Identity
() Lone Star
() Bedazzled
() Predator I
() Predator II
(12) Independence Day
() Cujo
() A Bronx Tale
() Darkness Falls
() Christine
(13) E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial
() Children of the Corn
() My Boss' Daughter
() Frailty
() Best Bet
() How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
() She's All That
() Calendar Girls
() Sideways
() Mars Attacks
() Event Horizon
() Ever After
(14) Forrest Gump
(15) Big Trouble in Little China
() X-Men
() X-2: X-Men United
() X-3: The Last Stand
() Jeepers Creepers
() Jeepers Creepers 2
() Catch Me If You Can
() The Others
() Freaky Friday (old)
(16) Freaky Friday (new)
() Reign of Fire
() Cruel Intentions
() The Hot Chick
() Swimfan
() Miracle
() Old School
() The Notebook
() K-Pax
() Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
() Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
(17) Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (AND the extended edition, too!)
() A Walk to Remember
() Varsity Blues
() Hitch
() The Fifth Element
(18) Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace (Elizabeth dragged me to see this twice in cinemas!)
() Star Wars, Episode II: Attack of The Clones
() Star Wars, Episode III Revenge of The Sith
(19) Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope
() Star Wars, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
() Star Wars, Episode VI: Return of The Jedi
() Troop Beverly Hills
() Swimming with Sharks
() Air Force One
() For Richer or Poorer
(20) Trainspotting (we billed it as a "family movie," hahaha... let's just say our mom wasn't impressed after seeing 20 minutes of the movie!)
() People Under the Stairs
() Blue Velvet
(21) The Sound of Music
() Parent Trap (old)
() Parent Trap (new)
() The 'Burbs
(22) The Terminator
() Empire Records
() SLC Punk
() Meet Joe Black
() The Nightmare Before Christmas
(23) The Silence of the Lambs
() Sleepy Hollow
() I Heart Huckabees
() 24 Hour Party People
() Blood In Blood Out
() The Virgin Suicides

No Fellowship, time crunches, computer dreams, 2006 Monthly Survey, quizzes

Hey, there's no Fellowship on Friday due to the Christmas dinner on Sunday which I may not be able to make it out to! Add possibly not making it out to Awana on Saturday, and I'll have a REALLY chill weekend, heh. Works for me, haha... I may even have time to get together with Nina this way, heh. No feeling bored and superfluous for church Christmas things like what happened last year, either! (I always said I shouldn't have gone, but I did... oh well :P)

Why I agreed to possibly make it out to HAPPY FEET tonight is a Cluster thing. Not sure if I'll make it to the townhouse in 90 minutes from where I'll be. Bleh... maybe if I insist on making it to Silvercity instead? Let's see... it could be doable that way, yes. Maybe I'll do that, then. Less stressful, although I'll have to head out earlier to mail some stuff out. Good thing I got up earlier than I thought I would. DAMN TIME CRUNCHES!!! *explodes*

Then again, I had a weird dream which involved my mom trying to get me to sleep in the same bed as my grandma. Someone gave me some computer equipment and told me to plug it in behind a curtain, so I did. Then they told me to look for "WTF" and other things on the hard drive. My mom was NOT pleased about this, and she threatened to make all our lives miserable. So we booked it somewhere else, and had to plug in the computer tower again. Then we looked for those things on the computer again, only to find that it had been taken over by old MARIO-style Nintendo games. After playing those for a while, the dream kinda ended. Bizarre.


Year-End 2006 Survey, by Month

JANUARY

1. Who kissed you on New Year? Nobody.
2. Did you have a New Year's resolution this year? Not really.
3. Does it snow where you live? On the odd occasion.
4. Do you like hot chocolate? Yes!
5. Have you ever been to Times Square to watch the ball drop? No.

FEBRUARY

1. Who was your Valentine? Shut up.
2. When you were little, did you buy valentines for your whole class? Yes, I remember doing that.
3. Do you care if the groundhog sees its shadow or not? Not really.
4. Any specific music for February? Nah.

MARCH

1. Are you Irish? Not at all.
2. Do you wear green on St. Patty's Day? No.
3. What did you do for St. Patty's Day in 2006? Nothing.
4. Are you happy when winter is pretty much over? Yes.

APRIL

1. Do you like the rain? Yes.
2. Did you play an April Fool's joke on anyone this year? No.
3. Do you celebrate 4/20? Pothead humor is NOT for me. Surprising when you consider I live in this city, haha.
4. Did you love the month of April? Probably not.

MAY

1. What's your favorite kind of flower? Not sure I have one.
2. Do you like the spring? Yes.
3. Finish the phrase: "April showers": Bring May flowers.
4. What is the first color you think of when you think of Spring? Green.

JUNE

1. What year did / will you graduate from high school? I finished school in 1994.

JULY

1. What did you do on the Fourth of July? Recovered from yet another townhouse dinner with Vivian S., Terrence, and my sibs. Beer was involved, of course. Also sighed over a certain person's lameness in personal emails.No, I didn't do anything for Canada Day either!
2. Did you go on any vacations during this month? Not unless you count Summer Conference as a vacation.
3. Do you blast the A/C all day? No, I don't have it.

AUGUST

1. Did you do anything special at the end of your summer? Not really, unless you count Ben's farewell at the beach.
2. What was your favorite summer memory of '06? See above.
3. Did you get a sunburn? No.
4. Did you go to the beach a lot? Once or twice.

SEPTEMBER

1. Did you attend school / college in '06? Nope.
2. Do you like fall better then summer? Meh, they're about equal.

OCTOBER

1. What was your favorite Halloween costume? N/A.
2. What's your favorite candy? Chocolate.
3. What did you dress up as this year? Nothing.

NOVEMBER

1. Whose house did you go to for Thanksgiving? My mom's.
2. Do you love stuffing? Depends on how it is made.
3. What are you thankful for? Friends and family... and good deals! (I'm Asian, mmkay? :P)

DECEMBER

1. Do you celebrate Christmas? Yes.
2. If not, what do you celebrate? N/A.
3. Have you ever been kissed under mistletoe? Nope.
4. Get anything special last year? Candy's hockey books were the best gift of the year, heh.
5. What do you want this year? Stuff with dragons, or good books.
6. Do you like cold weather? No.

You are cordially invited to the wedding of Leslie ~and~ Jack Black

February 26, 2017 at 4 PM

Location: Disneyland

'What will your wedding invitation look like?' (QuizGalaxy.com)

Amusing Top 10 Lists / Hershey PayDay Candy Bar

Top 10 Dirtiest Names in Sports... hahaha! Thanks, Nick! I remember Vivian S. was discussing Albert Pujols with us once... and we've all heard of Dick Trickle / Ron Tugnutt. Hehe, too amusing!
Top 10 Dirtiest Names in Sports: The Sequel Haha, this was amusing too!
Top 10 Most Racist Commercials
Top 10 Ways to Tell the World You Hate Bush
Top 10 Strangest Baseball Deaths Read about #9 a couple years ago now.
Top 10 Worst Ways to Come Out Haha, politics and rap!
Top 10 Sorta Famous People With Really Famous Names Milton Bradley, oh yes.
Top 10 Deadliest Places to Dump (am forwarding this to sister, brother, and Eric... hahaha!)
Top 10 Reasons Why I'm Drug-Free Lots of Youtube videos here.


Hershey PayDay Candy Bar

In December of 1996, Hershey Foods snagged the U.S. operations of Leaf Brands for a pretty penny. This added several well-known candies to Hershey's already impressive roster, including Good & Plenty, Jolly Rancher, Milk Duds, Whoppers, Heath, and this delicious peanut roll... which we can finally clone at home. The center is sort of a white fudge that we can make by combining a few ingredients on the stove, then getting the mixture up to just the right temperature using a candy thermometer (you've got one, right?). Once cool, this candy center is coated with a thin layer of caramel, then quickly pressed onto roasted peanuts. Looks just like the real thing! This recipe will make eight candy bars. But it's up to you to make the dental appointment.

Centers
1/4 cup whole milk
5 unwrapped caramels
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon peanut butter
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

20 unwrapped caramels
1 1/2 teaspoon water
2 cups dry roasted peanuts

1. Combine all ingredients for the centers, except the powdered sugar, in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir often as the caramel slowly melts. When the mixture is smooth, add 3/4 cup of powdered sugar. Stir. Save the remaining 1/2 cup of powdered sugar for later.

2. Use a candy thermometer to bring the mixture to exactly 230 degrees, stirring often, then turn off the heat.

3. When the temperature of the candy begins to drop, add the remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar to the pan, then use a hand mixer on high speed to combine. Keep mixing until the candy cools and thickens and can no longer be mixed. That should take a minute or two.

4. Let the candy cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it can be touched. Don't let it sit too long - you want the candy to still be warm and pliable when you shape it. Take a tablespoon-size portion and roll it between your palms or on a countertop until it forms a roll the width of your index finger, and measuring about 4 1/2 inches long. Repeat with the remaining center candy mixture and place the rolls on wax paper. You should have 8 rolls. Let the center rolls sit out for an hour or two to firm up.

5. Combine the 20 caramels with the 1 1/2 teaspoon of water in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir often until the caramels melt completely, then turn off the heat. If you work fast this caramel will stay warm while you make the candy bars.

6. Pour the peanuts onto a baking sheet or other flat surface. Using a basting brush and working quickly, "paint" a coating of caramel onto one side of a center roll. Quickly turn the center over, caramel-side-down, onto the peanuts and press gently so that the peanuts stick to the surface of the candy. Paint more caramel onto the other side of the roll and press it down onto the peanuts. The candy should have a solid layer of peanuts covering all sides. If needed, brush additional caramel onto the roll, then turn it onto the peanuts to coat the roll completely. Place the candy bar onto wax paper, and repeat with the remaining ingredients. Eat when completely cool. Makes 8 candy bars.

Sushi drives / Toddler with both legs bitten off by a bear / Serial killer bios

Aww, these sushi USB drives / flash drives / jump drives are so cute! (reminder from Corey: a USB port is the rectangular physical place where you plug it in, like an electrical socket that's shaped differently)


Today's Health-Giving Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

A two-year-old toddler has had both his legs bitten off below the knee by a caged bear in northern Vietnam. Pham Van Hung was playing near the cage of a 200-kilogram Malayan sun bear when the animal dragged him into the cage and mauled him. The family kept the bear to harvest the animal's bile, considered a health-giving tonic in Vietnam and other countries where traditional Eastern medicine is practiced. "Hung's family found him as he was being attacked by the bear, and it had already snapped off the kids' legs from the knee down. They had to try very hard to get him out of the cage as the bear went mad at that time," said a police officer who spoke on condition of anonymity. All across Vietnam, thousands of bears are illegally kept in tiny cages for their owners to harvest their bile. The intensely bitter, dark green bear bile is usually added to rice whisky and drunk as a tonic for the liver and blood. "This should be a lesson for every family raising bears for gall, as the business is booming in many places now," the police officer said.

Culled from: dpa
Generously submitted by: Katchaya

**********************************************************************

The gall of that bear!! *groan*

Actually, you know this one pisses me off. Poor bear. I don't think I'd cope very well in Asia...

*******

Morbid Sightseeing!

Dick has a morbid sightseeing recommendation: The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras, NC.

"The pounding breakers relentlessly beat against weary ships as sea-faring souls search in vain for salvation from the angry sea... The waters off North Carolina's Outer Banks entomb thousands of vessels and countless mariners who lost a desperate struggle against the forces of war, piracy and nature. The Graveyard of the Atlantic, with one of the highest densities of shipwrecks in the world, holds some of America's most important maritime history. More than just a collection of artifacts, the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum is a premier cultural attraction for the Atlantic Seaboard and one of the finest, most innovative maritime facilities in the nation."

*******

Morbid Link Du Jour!

John sends a link to a collection of serial killer bios.

That serial killer bio collection sounds like JUST MY THING! :D

Nineteen spam emails in Gmail?!

Note: LJ Friends' Kinkiness Memegen, by tracydarlin.


I usually only get one or two spam emails every time I check my email. Now I have NINETEEN of the damn things in my Gmail spam folder?! They're mostly from from Japanese people, too... sometimes the ArcaMax or Morbid Facts stuff gets mixed up in there, but such is not the case today! How are all these people finding my email address? I probably don't wanna know...

Hey, the snow is melting / being washed away by the rain.. and it'll be all gone tomorrow! Sweet! Even though it'll be back to grey skies here, it's still okay for doing what I need to do. ;)

At least my mom thanked me for the editing job I did on her letter. Man, the original contained a lot of errors! She admitted she has my passport, and informs me that she'll be driving Grandma to Safeway for Seniors Day. I have other plans tomorrow, and I also need to save money! So now I gotta look for leather jackets with white paint stains on 'em... good thing my pink flambé jacket is distinctive enough if I miss the dude at 4:45 or 5!

Christmas letters, return to sender, sunflower chocolate balls, hard drives, worms

Haha. My mom wants the three of us to "edit, add, or delete" a Christmas letter so she can send it to "oversea" friends. While I'm sure we wouldn't add the letter, deleting it might just incur her wrath! ("But you told us to delete it....") Of course I know what she really means... it was just amusing! It's like what she says to us from time to time: "You sometimes always *insert action here* " Pick one or the other, since "sometimes always" kinda sounds like an oxymoron! (reminds me of what was on the radio yesterday: "I kinda really like it"... my sister turned to me and asked how that was possible!)

Hmm. Darren Morrison's birthday / Christmas cards got sent back to me! ("Return To Sender: Doesn't Live At Address") I guess I'll send him a quick email to see where he's at now. If he doesn't respond in a few weeks or so, I'll just have to conclude that it was a good five-year (almost) friendship. *sigh* But I did get something else in the mail: chocolate sunflower seed balls from Singapore from Dewitta (doublu). At first, I saw "SUNFLOWER SEEDS" on the package and wondered what was going on! But then I read the rest of the package, which explained things.

At least Hard Drive Dude says tomorrow afternoon or evening works for him. The overnight rain washed away some of the snow, so I don't have to worry about that or any body issues! All I have to do is make sure that I don't give him a time that's TOO late, although traveling in the dark won't be THAT much of a concern if the snow's melted. Eh... I'm thinking that perhaps 3-4 PM would be good, at Broadway? That DOES have a lot of a certain bad element, but I know that station... better than going all the way out to 22nd Street! Or perhaps it should be Waterfront? Whatever has an elevator or stairs, I guess... I do NOT do well on escalators!

I had a weird dream which involved (among other things) going to my computer in the middle of the night to discover a blinking orange Trillian message from Hard Drive Dude, giving me directions on taking the LEFT stairway at a certain Skytrain station. Then somehow, a bunch of my friends and little kids showed up to say that we shouldn't have contact with one of my friends anymore. The reason for that was quickly apparent: Teunis had little green and brown worms of dirt all around him, and we were very afraid of them! We went across a school field to sanctuary, and prayed for his soul. Very bizarre!

10 Words Everyone Should Know / Heinz 57 Steak Sauce

Random Wishes: This morning at service, I shook hands with a few people including Jeremy and Randal. Heck, I even shook Liz's hand. I should talk to Randal at some point, but I dunno. It's too rushed whenever I see him. Oh well. At lunch, Steph was documenting the Yaletown Brewery for Alan and Liz on her digicam. For some reason, I wish I'd asked her for a picture of me and Jeremy so Alan and Liz could remember us, but there will be plenty of time for that. (especially if we go for SLB at Shanghai Wind!) Liz loved how everything in our life has a code name: me as Sarne (Jeremy laughed when Steph got to the part about how our parents can't pronounce it, so they call me SEAN!), Jon as Flime or Ug / Ugfart, Steph as Bain (only to Mom), siu long bao as SLB, Grandma as Big G, etc.

Corey told me to download CPUZ, which says that I have DDR SDRAM. It also says that I have PC3200 stuff, which only he understands out of the two of us, heh. He tells me that I have decent memory, but not nearly enough of it (I know!), and also that it's quite common and not very expensive relatively. "So buy one stick of 512MB DDR PC3200 RAM, and your computer will probably run pretty smoothly compared to now. More than that would be better, but you can keep the stick you already have, and that plus the 512 should be decent.. looks like about $50 will do that for you. That's US$ though, so I don't know what they'll charge in Canada... "


10 Words Everyone Should Know

British novelist Evelyn Waugh once said, "One forgets words as one forgets names. One's vocabulary needs constant fertilization or it will die." Encarta editors picked some of their favorite words to nourish your vocabulary. Some of them you may even use.

1. Defenestrate: "throw somebody or something out of window: to throw something or somebody out of a window (formal or humorous)"

It is quite entertaining to defenestrate paper airplanes.

2. Garbology: "study of waste materials: the study of a cultural group by an examination of what it discards"

Garbology might be a good career choice for dumpster divers. Recycling may make the job of future garbologists extremely difficult -- they'll have less to study.

3. Digerati: "computer experts: people who have or claim to have a sophisticated expertise in the area of computers, the Internet, and the World Wide Web"

Not too long ago, computer expertise was considered nerdy. These days, many people strive to be among the digerati.

4. Antipodes:
1. "places at opposite sides of world: places at opposite sides of the world from each other, or the areas at the side of the world opposite from a given place"
2. "opposites: two points, places, or things that are diametrically opposite each other"

One could say that Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli and Warren "Potsie" Weber are antipodes.

5. Hallux: "first digit on the foot: the big toe on the human foot, or the first digit on the hind foot of some mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians (technical)"

The ballerina had her hallux insured for $10 million!

6. Otiose:
1. "not effective: with no useful result or practical purpose"
2. "worthless: with little or no value"
3. "lazy: unwilling or uninterested in working or being active (archaic)"

Will email render traditional letter writing otiose? Let's hope not.

7. Cullet: "glass to be recycled: broken or waste glass returned for recycling"

Don't forget to take the cullet out to the curbside, and be sure to put it next to the trash, not in it.

8. Pellucid:
1. "clear in meaning: easy to understand or clear in meaning (formal)"
2. "transparent: allowing all or most light to pass through (literary)"

The police officer's warning was pellucid: Drivers must go the speed limit in the school zone.

9. Borborygmus: "stomach rumble: the rumbling sounds made by the movement of gases in the stomach and intestine (technical)"

If you lay your head on someone's stomach, you are likely to hear borborygmus.

10. Expropriate: "take away something belonging to somebody: to take property or money from somebody, either legally for the public good or illegally by theft or fraud"

The thief's goal was to expropriate the ladies' jewelry.

I recognize seven of these words, and I like how my favorite word is #1 on the list. :D


Heinz 57 Steak Sauce

In the late 1800s, Henry John Heinz established the slogan "57 Varieties," which you can still find printed on Heinz products even though the company now boasts over 5700 varieties in 200 countries. Today, Heinz is the world's largest tomato producer, but interestingly, the first product for the company that was launched in 1869 had nothing to do with tomatoes; it was grated horseradish. It wasn't until 1876 that ketchup was added to the growing company's product line.

Tomato is also an important ingredient in this tangy steak sauce. But you'll find some interesting ingredients in there as well... such as raisin puree, malt vinegar, apple juice concentrate, and mustard. And don't worry if your version doesn't come out as brown as the original. Heinz uses a little caramel coloring in its product to give it that distinctive tint. It's just for looks, though, so I've left that ingredient out of this clone recipe. Besides, I've found that the turmeric and yellow mustard will help get this version close to the color of the real deal.

Raisin Puree
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup water

1 1/3 cup white vinegar
1 cup tomato paste
2/3 cup malt vinegar
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon yellow prepared mustard
2 teaspoons apple juice concentrate
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon turmeric

1. Make the raisin puree by combining the raisins with the water in a food processor or blender. Blend on high speed for 1 minute or until the puree is smooth. Measure 1/4 cup of this puree into a medium saucepan.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth.
3. Turn heat up to medium-high, and bring mixture to a thorough boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 1/2 hour or until thick. Let sauce cool and then refrigerate it in a covered container for at least 24 hours. Makes 3 cups.

Naps / RAM / Church explosions, board games, corpses sitting upright

I had a nice two-hour nap earlier, so I'm a little more refreshed now. Corey's now telling me that I should take care of the fan / memory RAM issues first before getting the hard drive, but there's no time left to dilly-dally on that one! Not that I *was* doing such a thing, of course... I just hope the rain comes on Monday! ;)

This old-time radio show I'm listening to has references to a Doctor and the TARDIS. Must be a Doctor Who thing... at least I think so.


Today's Explosive Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

On August 18, 1769, huge quantities of gunpowder were being stored at the church of Saint Nazaire, in the northern Italian city of Brescia, when a bolt of lightning set fire to the church. Soon after, the powder magazine exploded, killing some three thousand people and demolishing all the buildings in the surrounding area.

Culled from: The Pessimist's Guide To History

**********************************************************************

Morbid Link Du Jour!

Looking for a morbid board game to play with your friends? Here's a website that lists a few of them. I personally quite like the sound of Gloom.

Thanks to Elizabeth for the link.

*******

"My Uncle's Brush With Morbidity" by BK

"This brush with morbidity is really my uncle Jay's story. He works as a locksmith, and this incident occurred during the mid-eighties. A local funeral home contracted him to change their locks, and he was working at five in the morning while it was still dark out. Almost every door in that building had a lock, and only my uncle and his co-worker were there at the time. One room had a light burnt out, so they were working in semi-darkness with only flashlights and the light from the hall outside the door. It was the perfect set-up... two men alone in the morgue in the dark. As Jay tells it, from across the room there was a 'thud' and the upper half* of the lid of a casket flew open as the corpse within bolted straight up into a sitting position (the lid wasn't fully shut). Jay's co-worker soiled himself and fled down the hall. My uncle realized it was just the effects of the brain and nerves decomposing, but nonetheless he had to finish the lock in that room with a corpse sitting erect not ten feet away, eyes wide open, 'staring' at him. His cowardly and humiliated companion had by this point returned and they scrambled to finish the lock and then, as Jay puts it, 'got the Hell outta there.'

*in the US, most casket lids are divided through the middle forming an upper and a lower lid. The lower lid is usually closed and the upper opened during a viewing of the deceased.

I am way too polite... / Dinners galore / Deal deadlines

Even if the cranberry flavor at Dragon Ball is powdered, it's still better than powdered / fresh taro! Matt (jarethshair), Deborah (depine1pssets) and Nyssa (giggles_19) got my Christmas cards recently: a good thing!

I was running late this morning, but so were my sibs / Alan / Liz. We talked for a while in the car about our family nicknames and in-jokes. Alan and Liz are going to Victoria tomorrow to visit some friends to extend their layover here, so they'll be gone for a week before coming back here for another week. The day after they fly out to Toronto, Harmony comes here for Christmas. Busy, busy! We should take Alan and Liz to Shanghai Wind, for sure!

At church, we originally all sat together with Jeremy, but Daniel asked Steph to do the Powerpoint, so she sat a row up from us. Sheena and Steph found out from Rich's announcements that they were selling tickets to the ESC Christmas dinner on the 22nd. Later, Steph was complaining about it to Dylan, who told her that all she had to do was lose a bunch of tickets like he did once! (of course, she probably won't do that!) Jeremy, Jon, Nathan, and I shared a bunch of laughs from the sermon... as well as an "Ewww..." moment when we heard someone had been left for dead with their head dangling from their body!

I gave Jeremy his Christmas card after service, and decided to take my cues from him when he thanked me: I didn't say anything back. Guess I shouldn't feel obliged to politely say "You're welcome" every time someone thanks me for something, haha. Darn childhood conditioning! (not to say that being polite is BAD coz it isn't... it's just less trouble to not say it at times? heh) He took my Communion cup and added it to his and Jon's - Dylan didn't see Jon handing him those three cups at first, aiya. A bunch of people took the 2007 church calendar: Jeremy thought it was like a Western calendar (it's been that way ever since they started doing those a few years back), and remarked on the list of holidays in the back. It WOULD be pretty sweet if we lived in Australia, what with all those holidays they have! (now he also knows the holidays in Singapore / China / other places like that too!)

After taking the long / slightly icy way around to the back parking lot (I wasn't about to attempt the ramp!), I gave Sheena her Christmas card while she was talking to Christon and Karen about shopping and various Christmas dinners. The David Fellowship one is on the 10th, the ESC one is on the 22nd, and there are other parties and such to keep in mind! (Steph IS going to Fellowship on Friday, since her work party got moved to Wednesday) Chrystal was amazed at the number of birthday card / Christmas card envelopes in my knapsack: some are for mailing, some are for giving out, and some have cards I haven't really written in yet! She thought that would be heavy since the pocket was full of stuff: not really, but I know I should watch how much I carry!

After watching Jeremy deliberately slide around on icy patches and talking to people, I elected to go inside to the toddler Sunday School. Turned out that Auntie Fonda and Auntie Tracy weren't there last week, either: Auntie Bessy told them to stay home, heh. Little Sean talked to me, even though I can't understand almost all of what he's saying... definitely in his own world, but he DID say "train" when he was playing with one! He even let his hand rest in mine for a bit, which is touching when you consider his challenges. Amanda told me to go away and "no take!"... sure, kid. o_O

After that, I went to the Yaletown Brewery with Steph / Jon / Alan / Liz / Ricky / Jeremy / Dylan / Christon / Karen. We discussed bargaining, inflated prices, the weather, four haircuts in a few months ("just cut it as few times as possible!"), various kinds of pizza (I helped pass Jeremy's plate for pizza at the other end of the tables a couple of times - he thanked me for that, too), the hot weather in Malaysia compared to here, Liz needing to warm up near the fireplace, NFL football in the New Orleans SuperDome, etc. There was a specially-labeled BREW KETTLE, which drew Jeremy's attention right away, heh. He also touched my water glass and Ricky's Coke glass to determine whether his beer glass was warmer: it was. Good times there, as usual.

After that, our car went to MEC for a while because Alan and Liz were looking for winter gear. Jon had to teach Jonathan at 4:30, so went to a coffee shop beforehand. We looked in the kids' section, the clearance area, and the underwear section! Some clearance / regular prices were expensive: $110 or $455?! I haven't been there since summer 2003 when I got a knapsack from them, and the only other time I was there had to be in summer 2001 with Eric's family before Fellowship once. Good times, with a nice green jacket for our efforts. Alan and Liz bought a hat each, one with a pom-pom (Alan's splurge at $17, while his girlfriend's was $6!)... I think Liz also bought a jacket. I waited for Steph while she looked for those two sometime later: I know the chair was right next to a plant, but I didn't care. Steph even took a picture with her camera phone, heh. After that, Steph took me home before they all went to Old Navy / Winners to look for more stuff. There were a lot of policemen at the synagogue this afternoon, and we wondered why: Hanukkah events? She can always ask Vivian: last year, Hanukkah started on Boxing Day, which is the latest it's ever started! (the Maccabi Games this summer had a lot of security, too!) Hey, it's gonna rain and wash away the snow... good!

I got home to find that the hard drive dude had issued me a deadline of Tuesday before he offers the 300GB deal to someone else, which is pretty understandable. It HAS been a while, and I'd have had it by now if it weren't for the snow and stuff generally working against me. Guess I'll be going out sometime on Tuesday, since I can't let that deal slip through my hands even though it could be argued that I could use the $100 myself! (I'll also be glad not to be carrying it around in my front coat pocket anymore, just as Jon was glad when he finally dropped off the Darfur cheques and monies to MSF after the "Grouse Grind three times in a day thing" that he and Jer did: what if that had been stolen / lost?!) Speaking of computer stuff, I didn't get a chance to talk to Eric today about the computer case / where to take the thing in to look at the motherboard chipset fan thing. He had other plans than the Yaletown Brewery, so maybe sometime this week on MSN or something! Oh, and it now occurs to me that I forgot to arrange a ride for Saturday with Richmond people. Maybe during the week... if not, I'll see.