Saturday, July 21, 2007

Halloween Night

I wrote this story around 1983, when I was 10 years old. I would have been in fourth grade. Paragraph breaks have been added to ease reading.


Beware, for tomorrow is October 31st. Halloween night, the worst night of the year! Halloween is a time of zombies, ghosts, and last, but not least, the living dead. Now that you know what to watch out for, let's zap to October 31st. There now, here we are. Sit back, get comfortable, and keep calm, if you can! Ohhhhha-ha-ha-ha!

***

It was October 31st, 1983. It was about 9:04 p.m. My mother had just told me to go to bed. But, I couldn't sleep. I got out of bed and walked towards my closet. I opened it, and stepped in. I turned around and shut the closet door. I sat down on the closet floor and closed my eyes. In a few minutes, I was asleep.

When I opened my eyes, I was in a room unlike any other room I'd seen but quite familiar. The room had one window, one door, one closet, and a table with a lamp, pad of paper and a pen. I walked over toward the window and tried to open it. It opened easily enough, but, when the window was open fully, the room lit up so bright I had to close my eyes. I slammed the window shut, and the light began to dim. I started to walk toward the door. As I heard a loud click, I started running toward the door. It had locked.

I ran toward the table and turned on the lamp. I wrote on the pad, "Help! I am being held prisoner in a room with one window." I put the pen down and picked up the letter. I folded it over as I walked towards the window. I opened it just enough to slip the paper through and shut it before the light got too bright.

I walked over to the corner of the room and waited for something to happen. In a few minutes nothing had happened so I sat down to rest awhile. As I was falling asleep, I was awakened by the sound of wood splintering or splitting. I looked toward the closet to see a bald man with a pale face, bloodshot eyes, and clothing torn to shreds. The zombie was walking toward me with his arms outstretched, ready to strangle me.

I ran to the other side of the room while the zombie said, "You try to escape your fate. You don't like me." The zombie turned around and started walking toward me again. It got closer and closer. Just as it grabbed at my throat, I ducked and ran through his legs toward the window. I stood, back to the window as the zombie screamed and started running toward me. Just as it reached my throat, I ducked and the zombie flew through the window.

After a few minutes of silence the door swung open. I walked slowly toward the door suspecting a trick. As I got to the door, I looked cautiously out and around. Outside the door was a hall that looked like it went on forever. At the end of the hall was a door. I stood looking at the door, wondering how long it would take me to walk down the hall.

I started to run down the hall. I got to the other door in at least a few seconds. I leaned against the door and thought about the hall for a few seconds. Before I turned around the door swung open, and I fell into the room. As I hit the floor, the door slammed shut and clicked loudly. I got up, dusted myself off and looked around the room.

Again there was 1 window, 1 door, 1 closet, but instead of a table in the center there was a bed with a pillow, a sheet, and a blanket on it. I walked over to the closet and opened it hoping not to find a zombie ready to strangle me.

Relieved that I hadn't found anything, I locked and shut the closet door. As I walked over to the bed, I took off my shirt and threw it across the room. When I got to the bed, I took off a candle out of my pocket and placed it on the bed board in case I needed some light. Then I got in bed and dosed off.

I was awakened by the squeak of a door opening. I struck a match and lit the candle. I pulled the blanket up to my chin and looked around the room again. The window slowly opened by itself. A gust of wind blew through the window and snuffed my candle out. I jumped up and stood on the bed looking around frantically.

At the foot of the bed I saw someone or something materialize out of nothing. The thing had a face badly burned and it was swinging an ax at the air. "Wh-who are you? Wh-what are you doing here?" I asked it frantically. The thing groaned back, "I-i am h-here to k-kill you dor the p-p-pain you have c-caused me."

The thing swung its ax at me. I jumped and placed a drop kick at the thing's chin. The thing materialized and laughed like a maniac. I felt the ax singe a few of my hairs. I jumped from the bed and ran towards the closet. I opened the closet and waited. I felt the thing run at me. I dodged and shut the closet door. Then I locked it. I ran over to the door as the creature screamed, "Noooooooooo!" I opened the door and ran down the hall.

This time the hall looked short but was very long. The hall was very damp as if it were underground. At the end of the hall was a spiral staircase. Upon reaching the bottom of the staircase, I saw a bookcase. I walked up to the bookcase and took out a book. The bookcase swung open like a door. Behind the bookcase was a dimly lit staircase. I dropped the book and started to walk down the staircase.

About halfway down the staircase, there was a twelve foot gap, and then more stairs. I backed up a few stairs, then I started to run down the stairs. At the bottom of the first section of stairs, I jumped, hoping to hurdle the great chasm. But, to my surprise I didn't even make it halfway across.

I fell round and down, round and down. Then I hit something. Soon, I blacked out. When I regained consciousness, I saw that I had fallen in a mud puddle. I stood up and looked around. I looked like I was in a cemetary. It was raining and it was very foggy. The fog, rain, and shadows made the gravestones look like monsters. I heard a noise like leaves rustling under someone's feet. I turned around to see a man in torn clothing walking towards me.

He looked alive, but yet quite dead. I turned around and ran into another. I fell down, but I got back up and ran to the side. I ran into another, fell backwards, bumped into another, and fell forwards into a mud puddle. They looked at me with eyes full of hatred and moaned. I sat there and covered my eyes with my hands waiting for them to get it over with.

The next thing I knew I was in my closet screaming. I got up, walked out of my closet and turned on a light. In my hand was a piece of paper folded over saying, "Help! I am being held prisoner in a room with one window." It was all a dream, or was it?

***

Pretty scary story, eh? Oh, before you leave, Happy Halloween! Ohhhhha-ha-ha-ha!

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Booknook Perhapsness

When LibraryThing launched, I signed up, but did nothing. When Shelfari launched, I did the same. When Goodreads launched, I did more, and I'm trying to figure out why.

It might have been because a friend who'd added a lot of books invited me to Goodreads, so when I joined, I added a handful, too. For the others, I was friendless and didn't have that inspiration or model to follow. Now, I have a couple of friends in Shelfari, but no books. And I have one friend who actively used LibraryThing, but no books.

I've put my energy into Goodreads. This introduces a quandary -- and a possible solution.

When this happens, this happens a lot. And in this age of Web 2.0 creativity, the chances of being introduced to similar services in short order increases. What to do? As things are, we must choose. Which platform do we choose? Why? Is it because of how many friends we have there? How many books we've listed? Personal preferences for the features and functions?

The possible solution might be something akin to the Friend of a Friend project. Just as we're struggling with how to keep our social networking service friends lists consistent -- which, honestly, I don't think is all important, we might want to keep our other shared lists consistent.

In the case of books, versus friends, I think the need might be stronger. I haven't taken the time to look into whether the three bookshelf management tools I've mentioned offer list export and import options. If they don't they should. That begs the idea of list consistency so exports and imports can include similar data fields and, therefore, consistency.

Are switching costs so high -- or value of service exclusivity so high -- that this is a bad idea? I don't think so. If I could export and import my lists at will, I'd maintain all services equally. I'd probably, as I suggested tonight to my friend who's a LibraryThing fiend, maintain one predominately and consistently... and then update the others occasionally. There's little downside to anyone following this approach, just upside.

Is anyone working on this? Does anyone else perceive it to be a problem and opportunity? Which one of these services do you use?

Discuss.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Today (A Song Fragment)

I find this handwritten lyric sheet in an old milk crate of zines, comics, and personal papers. The Anchormen never finished or performed this song.


I wake up in the morning
and I go right back to bed
I look into the mirror
and I look like living dead

I don't even want to go outside
I just want to stay inside today
Inside today x3

I'm sitting at the table
and looking at the bowl
It's full of Frankenberry
But I'm feeling kind of full

I don't even, even want to eat
I'm too full of myself and me
Myself today x3

Why oh why -- why is everything
Why oh why -- against me
Why oh why -- I don't know
Why oh why -- I've got nowhere to go
Nowhere to go x3

I look outside the window
and I see you on the street
You've got my necklace on
And you're in your stocking feet

But I don't really, really miss your ???
I've got a bad case of the miss you blues today
Miss you today x3

I hear the doorbell ring
ringing loud and clear
my heart begins its singing
my mind introduces fear

I don't know why, why I think it's you
But I hope that, hope that it's true today
It's true today x3

CHORUS

And now you're in my kitchen
We're cooking up a storm
I think it's pretty bitchen
??? my heart is fiery warm

I don't know if we're missing any spice
But I think that, that it's nice today
It's nice today x3

Monday, July 09, 2007

A Poem for Sunday

Afternoon air smells of smoke
Burning rubber, tarpaulins
If cottonwood were ashy snow
Then dish-filled sinks would crust with ice
New leaves pale, green, and sky hangs gouached
While Bobbie Gentry sings her songs

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Event-O-Dex XXXIII

Wednesday, July 11: Bernardine Dohrn, "Sing a Battle Song: The Revolutionary Poetry, Statements, and Communiques of the Weather Underground" reading, 7 p.m., Bluestockings, 172 Allen St., New York. This book collects the three complete and unedited publications produced by the Weather Underground during their most active period.

Thursday, July 12: Patton Oswalt, 8 p.m., Sound Fix, Brooklyn. From the invite: "The famed funnyman ... makes his ONLY New York appearance of this tour, for his official album release show."

Friday, July 13: "Lenin For Your Library?" book launch and discussion, 7 p.m., Orchard, 47 Orchard St., New York. From the invite: "The project Lenin For Your Library? began in Spring 2005 when Yevgeniy Fiks sent one hundred copies of Imperialism the Highest Stage of Capitalism by V.I. Lenin to the addresses of major global corporations (Gap, Coca-Cola, General Electric, and IBM among many others) with an enclosed letter, offering the book as a donation to the corporate library. Out of one hundred copies sent, fourteen were acknowledged with "thank you" letters. Seventeen were returned with letters stating various reasons for rejection (focus of library collection, policy of not accepting gifts or donations from private individuals, est.). The fate of the remaining sixty-nine copies remains unknown. ... The original 31 letters received from the corporations will be on display at Orchard during the event."

Sunday, July 22: Peter Kuper and Kevin Pyle reading, 7 p.m., Bluestockings, 172 Allen St., New York. World War 3 Illustrated co-editors unveil their latest graphic novels, "Stop Forgetting to Remember" and "Blindspot."

Monday, July 02, 2007

Video-A-Go-Go-Away IX

Fast Company Videos

1. Out Takes
RealTime New Orleans
December 1998

2. Fast Company
Holiday Video
December 2000

3. Fast Talk

4. Fast Company Presents Jim Collins Live: Good to Great

"Imagine you have three circles, and your task is to find the intersection of all three. One circle is what you are absolutely passionate about. The second is those things you were genetically encoded to do. The third is what people will pay you to do. The secret, then, is to find the intersection of all three." -- Jim Collins

"Can that which is good or mediocre ever change itself to become great?" -- Jim Collins, RealTime Phoenix

"To me, entrepreneurship is about carving a path that is so idiosyncratically you that it fits you like a glove." -- Jim Collins, RealTime Phoenix

To continue the conversation, go to www.fastcompany.com/fasttalk/goodtogreat
For more information on RealTime and other Fast Company events, visit www.fastcompany.com/live
To order additional copies, visit www.fastcompany.com/store

The following is a presentation given by Jim Collins at RealTime Phoenix on October 31, 2000. Jim Collins operates a management-research laboratory in Boulder, Colorado and is coauthor of "Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies." His new book, "Good to Great," will be published shortly by HarperBusiness. More information about Jim Collins and his work can be found at www.jimcollins.com.

Sponsors for RealTime Phoenix: Discover, HP. MarchFirst, Sony, Steelcase

Video-A-Go-Go-Away VIII

The Best of Flipside Video
#1
Live!
Circle Jerks
Bad Religion
(New Improved Re-release)

VHS
H-Fi
60 mins.

Live in L.A./1984!

Bad Religion:

Damned to Be Free*
Along the Way/Frogger*
Drastic Action
Fuck Armageddon/New Leaf
Bad Religion/Politics
Voice of God Is Government
Latch Key Kids/Slaves

Circle Jerks:

I Just Want Some Skank
Beverly Hills/Operation
Leave Me Alone/Coup d'Etat*
Junk Mail/Stars and Stripes*
Behind the Door
Wild in the Streets*
Red Tape/Wasted
Backs Against the Wall
Question Authority
Political Stu
Letter Bomb/In Your Eyes
Murder the Disturbed
Under the Gun
When the Shit Hits the Fan*
Parade of the Horribles
I Don't Care/Live Fast Die Young
Put a Little Love in Your Heart*

(*Not included on previous release)

All rights reserved. Copyright 1995 Flipside Video. Made in USA!

Send S.A.S.E. for a catalog of videos, CDs, mags, etc.

Flipside, POB 60790
Pasadena, CA 91116

Video-A-Go-Go-Away VII

Trolleys of New England
Volume Two
Southern New England


Trolleys in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island
From films taken between 1936 and 1962

A Production of the
Seashore Trolley Museum

63 Minutes
B/W & Color

This video presents many of the trolley lines that ran in southern New England during the 1930s.

We start at New Haven, Connecticut to see the open cars in Yale Bowl Service in the 1930s. We head north to Hartford to see trolley operations in the capital city before conversion to buses in 1941. Check out an unusual freight move on the Glastonbury line. We also stop in New Britain in 1937 for the last day of streetcar operations.

We proceed north into Massachusetts for visits to Springfield, Worcester, Boston and New Bedford. We also see operations of the American Car Sprinkler Company, the Pullman-Standard Car Manufacturing Company, the Grafton and Upton Railroad and the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway.

We then pay a brief visit to Providence, Rhode Island for a look at trolley operations there in the 1930s.

This video features black & white and color film in 8 and 16 mm., accompanied by music and narration.

This program runs for approximately 63 minutes.

This program is produced for the New England Electric Railway Historical Society Inc., owner and operator of the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine.

(c) 2000, NEERHS, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
No portion of this program may be used without the expressed written permission of the NEERHS.

For information on the Seashore Trolley Museum or our other video titles, please write to the Seashore Trolley Museum, P.O. Box A, Kennebunkport, ME 04046-1690, or telephone the Museum at (207) 967-2712. On the Web visit www.trolleymuseum.org

$24.95

Video-A-Go-Go-Away VI

Teenage A Go-Go

Teenage related television show openings/closings, clips & commercials from the 60's and early 70's.

Hullabaloo (Brylcream)
Rice Krispies (Partridge Family)
Cover Girl (Susan Dey)
Ultra-Bright (Farrah)
Kool-Aid (Monkees)
Happening '69 (Cover Girl)
Beech-Nut Gum (Four Seasons)
Summer Blonde
Code 10
Secret Agent (Pillsbury)
Score
Old Spice
Groom & Clean
American Bandstand '64
7-Up
QT
Clark's Teaberry Gum
Tammy
Margie
Karen (Coke)
Gidget
Patty Duke Show (Breck)
Raisin Bran (Pixie, Dixie & Mr. Jinx)
Ipana
Where The Action Is (Bit-O-Honey)
Twister
Great Shakes
Pepsi
Intermission
Pepsi
Vespa Motor Scooters
Coke
Sprite
Intermission
Hollywood A Go-Go
Ultra-Bright
Funyuns
English Leather
Shivaree
Rice Krispies (Monkees)
Ultra-Bright (Maud Adams)
Swingin' Together
Breck Shampoo (Patty Duke)
Cover Girl (Dorothea McGowan)
Monkees (Kellogg's)
Slickers
Eyelighter
Shindig! (Str-dex)
Sea & Ski
Something Else (American Dairy)
Wildroot
Where The Action Is (Closing)

Running Time: 1 hour

I think I got mine from Cool Stuff Toys and Videos.

Video-A-Go-Go-Away V

Dame Darcy
The celebrated artiste is now appearing in
Turn of the Century
May we suggest you attend?

The House of Luxury

Join Meatcake cartoonist Dame Darcy at the strangest variety show of all time on Turn of the Century. With ghosts, frying feet, crooners, doppelgangers, and cryptic film making, this cult hit program from late night NYC will pull your leg and twist your mind with its delirious vision of Victorianism run amok. Turn of the Century is relentlessly bizarre -- and relentlessly fun!

"Dame Darcy -- (her) Turn of the Century obsessions make her the cutest and cuddliest corpse that's ever walked the earth." NY Press

A Thrilling spectacle direct from Gotham!
You must be witness to this fracas!

Dame Darcy

reputed scion of the assassin booth
and artiste long associated
with the comic series

Meatcake

now starring in an amusing program of
high stepping action you will not forget!

Hi Jink

of a most extraordinary nature via that
marvel of today ie television!

Cartoons

suitable for both gents and the ladies
no touts or rough sports need attend!
Miss her feats and friends at your own

Peril!

See the dolls living and otherwise!
For those with a taste for fancy goods
A non pareil of song, burlesque and mayhem
from the latenight NYC variety show
"Turn of the Century"!

Will you dare too look?

Running time: 90 minutes
(c) 1997 Dame Darcy
Produced by Blessed Elysium
Published by The House of Luxury
Manufactured in the U.S.A.
Cover Photo: Rustyn Birch
Package Creative: Devon!
Package Production: Amy Hayes
For quantity discounts contact:
The House of Luxury,
Box 763. Lyons, CO 80540
To order single copies send
$21.95 to: Dame Darcy, Box 730,
New York, NY 10009

ISBN: 1-56455-2756

Handwritten on tape shell:

Turn of the Century
"Best of"
Vol. 1 & 2
Dame Darcy (c) 1997

Video-A-Go-Go-Away IV

A film but Alistair Banks Griffin and Sean Sullivan

Dear Julia,

A darkly comic tale of a man standing on the edge of sanity...

VHS

Boyd Soloman (Christian De Rezendes) believes he can fly and is eight floors above a street intending to prove it. Based on the highly acclaimed graphic novel by Brian Biggs, "Dear Julia," is the story of how he got there. Boyd's vivid memory of the past and shaky comprehension of the present give clues to the events that lead him to the edge: his childhood, his parents, and a particular trip to the country where everything began to go terribly awry.

An Influence Machine production
in association with Top Shelf Productions
present Dear Julia,
staring Christian De Rezendes, John Los Michael Grando
based on the original graphic novel by Brian Biggs
produced by Sean Sullivan and Alistair Banks Griffin
directed by Alistair Banks Griffin

(c) 2001 Influence Machine Productions. All rights reserved. Art and design copyright (c) 2001. Influence Machine Productions, 248 McKibbin St. #1G, Brooklyn, NY 11206. email:agriffin90@hotmail.com

iPhones Are Better Than Babies!

When my coworkers had to choose between meeting our boss' newborn infant -- or checking out the new iPhone -- the choice was clear.