I Remember...

Well, I'm not sure if I remember, or whether I remember remembering, or possibly remembering that I couldn't remember...

You see, they tell me I lost my memory, but I can't remember doing it - why or where it happened. Or rather, the events that preceded the fact that I can't remember.

They tell me that things that I should remember, and I think I remember them. I see them in my minds eye, but my memories are shattered when they tell me that Aunt Edna was wearing a red dress - for I remember it as blue. Cobalt blue. I think I don't remember too much that is red anymore. A powdery blue bike, navy pants, Dad's slate blue trucks. But not red.

Yes, I see red, I'm not color blind, nor do I remember being color blind. There are stop signs, stop lights, a lady with a red purse and red shoes I think...I don't remember.

I remember we had orange and white fish in a azure blue aquarium, but the others remember the red-finned sharks that we had. I remember the Prussian bouncy balls that we had as a kid, but others remember the red and white ones. I remember the lapis lazuli bachelor buttons, they remember the red dahlias. I remember the fields of canola, way back when it was still called rape, under the cornflower skies, but they remember Uncle on his red tractor. I remember the steel of the train engine, but they remember the caboose.

They also remember the accident.
They remember the fire engines.
They remember the blood.
They remember the surgery.
They remember the transfusions.

I remember none of this.
I'm just blue.

This short piece of fiction was inspired by several stories that I encountered this week about those that could not remember. I light of the serendipity that has been happening to me lately, though I do not understand my muse, she requested I write it.

This is for Chad, Alice and Eva.

Topsy-turvy week ends on an upnote

I haven't posted for a while, been a little busy with a side project, but this has been a roller coaster of a week. Thanks to a decent life outlook and some good friends, things ended on a great note.

Work has been a little busy and several things that I had been working on didn't work as intended. Projects were interrupted, things were dropped for those that deemed themselves more important than others, who in turn deemed themselves more important than the person that deemed themselves more important then the other, feelings were hurt, tempers were flaired, hackles were raised, insults were spat, names were called.

And then came Tuesday...

Actually, Monday wasn't bad. My son's band Vyralisk played a short but rockin gig for a battle-of-the-bands type show, and even though they believe the promoter kept their set short because they didn't sell enough tickets, some of the other, more mature bands perked up their ears and took notice. In addition, like true rockers, they helped the other bands with equipment, staging, and bringing the audience to a feverish pitch, complete with head banging and moshing. They've made some good contacts and you should probably check the other bands out - In Oath of Hera and Fringe - when they play next or if they come to your town. I also enjoyed Killing Casual, though my son's band wasn't into them as much - okay, they aren't progressive metal, so I understand. Still, I enjoyed them, and they had good stage presence.

In addition, over the weekend a fundraiser for this year's DEDfest went down, with representation from my festival - well, the one I am co-chair of: dEdmonton. Things were a success, money was raised, my props were displayed, and horror and zombie fans got to see a killer flick in full 35mm. The sponsors were plenty, and things went well!

Tuesday was another roller coaster. My text messages alerted me (following iNews880 on Twitter) that an off-duty police office was found dead in the parking lot of my wife's work. They did say it was non-criminal, but I was still a little worried... It looks like the officer in question had some troubles in his life and committed suicide, though they haven't released the details even yet.

Tuesday night was good though as I went to Edmonton's Pecha Kucha Night 4 and saw some really interesting presentations.

When Wednesday rolled around I was looking at my text messages during a break and found an interesting little tidbit. One of my Tweeps (a Twitter friend) received a letter from Rob Zombie's (yes, that one!) lawyers issuing a Cease and Desist. You see, Eric (aka ZombieRiot) is a really nice guy and put together a group of friends that play some Misfit's songs, and new ones in their style. Their band is called ZOMBIE! Yes, all caps, exclamation mark, 'nuff said. The lawyers had a bit of a fit, and in their letter gave poor Eric two weeks to change the name, and he was not allowed to change it to anything that contained the word 'zombie' lest the public get confused with it. Excuse me?

Eric posted on Twitter that this had happened. Before he even had a chance to post the actual letter online, the Twitterverse was alive with condemnation of Rob Zombie himself. Much of it was very harsh, my own comments included. Several of us that follow ZombieRiot on Twitter tweeted repeatedly and I used the hashtag #zombiefail to denote this. Others started using it, others wrote blogs, tweeted, commented on Facebook. This hit home, the Man kicking the Little Guy when all he wanted to do was coexist with him.

It got noticed.

In just over 24 hours from receiving the letter, tweeting about it, blogging about it, and slamming Rob Zombie himself for his attitude, something miraculous happened. Rob Zombie called Eric. Personally. And they talked for some time I understand. It turns out that Rob did not know of this, found out about it through the social media connections (like Rob Zombie's Twitter account) and reached out to Eric. Immediately after the call, Eric posted on Twitter that things were all right - Rob Zombie was going to call off the lawyers, the name ZOMBIE! could coexist with Rob Zombie, White Zombie and all the other bands that have zombie in their name, and that Rob Zombie was actually a really nice guy. (note: this is something that I've heard before from others!) The lawyers were just doing what they were paid to do, though they went a little overboard (can you actually trademark the single word 'zombie'? Don't think so, therefore you cannot prevent others from using it...) they were acting on the best interests of their client. Or so they thought.

Okay, this little miracle isn't as big as the atrocities that are happening in Iran, but, this is something that I was able to help out in my own neck of the world. It made my Thursday.

Then Friday. It started out like any other day, and during a break I though about checking one of my other email accounts that I hadn't checked since I started running Windows 7 RC1 at home. In the mass of emails I noticed that some items that I had ordered had come in - my Jello molds in the shape of a hand and a heart! (The brain one was backordered, but that's okay because I already have one, I just wanted a second to use for non-food items like latex or plaster...) so I went and picked them up. When I arrived at Karrie's Kostumes in St. Albert to pick the items up, I found out that they are now an authorized Ben Nye theatrical makeup distributor, and they have and excellent selection in stock! Edmonton and area - if you need theatrical makeup, that is the place to go. They even have mint-flavoured stage blood!

I also used this week's Michael's coupon to pick up some more mold builder liquid latex - 16 oz for $13 after coupon is one heck of a deal, the stuff is usually $24. And once I'm done with the project, I'll post things online.

Things were going good. When I got back to work the project that I was failing on suddenly worked. Made a couple little changes and 'hey, it didn't do that before'. Sometimes that is the best thing to do, when it doesn't work and you slave over it to get it work, find something that is good and successful, and then come back to the original problem with a fresh set of eyes - you'll be amazed at what you see. Alternately, you can show it to your boss/peers and you will notice the stupid mistake as soon as the words leave your mouth. The problem is, they also notice it at exactly the same frickin' time and you look like an idiot...

There was one other good piece of news, but I haven't received it officially yet. Once I do, probably Monday, you'll be some of the first to know - keep an eye on my Twitter and FaceBook accounts.

Don't get Twitter? Maybe you should...

Lately the press has been abuzz about Twitter. Why? First, it's the phenomenal growth that it has achieved in a short time. Second, because they should.

Being a bit of a geek, I signed up for Twitter in late 2008 but didn't see the importance of it at first; it was just a novelty. I could see where it could be useful, but just like Facebook a couple years back, it was more of an experience just to say I was part of the 'in' crowd.

Things have changed.

It became useful. More useful that Facebook or a blog in some cases - though not all.

Twitter is often described as a way to post (or tweet) your status for everyone to see. People then exclaim "Why would I want to know that George is going to the bathroom?" or other inane information. It's true, some of the information is not totally useful, or relevant to you or your life, but lately I've found a surprising amount that is - whether it's knowledge, charity or entertainment. I'm sure that there are other uses too.

In an article in the New York Times Twittering as a Gauge they explain how taken collectively Twitter can be a valuable tool.

Over the 2009 Easter weekend, Amazon found out that it can also be a hindrance, or possibly a notification. Initially called a glitch, and later in the week referred to as a ham-fisted cataloging error, more than 57,000 books (!) were delisted from the main search and sales rankings. I was online and watching Twitter as someone posted a link to an article describing the problem, and mentioned a "hashtag" in their post - a simple way to follow a topic that many people, including those that you don't know, are posting about. This tag was #amazonfail - "fail" being parlance for a failure for a major mistake (check out failblog.org for some prime examples). I passed this information on to my list of followers (people that subscribe to read your posts) and let them know what was going on. Over the course of a couple hours, many thousand people did the same! In addition, people started writing blogs about it, and a major protest was underway.

All in a few hours.

This made people at Amazon sit up and take notice. Suddenly it was called a glitch. This, in turn, made people even more pissed off.

After the weekend, Amazon recanted their glitch and admitted that there was indeed a problem. Was it too late though? Only time will tell.

The previous week protesters also used Twitter, Facebook and other social media tools to rally peers, but to also report what was happening to everyone around the world.

Is Twitter for me?
To find out, try the following. Head on over to TweetGrid. Then, click on the 1X2 symbol. When you get to the new page you are presented with two columns with search bars at the top. Because I live in Edmonton, and I'm interested in Halloween, I'm going to use those as an example. In the top left search box, I type Edmonton OR #yeg and click search. Because Twitter only allows you to use 140 characters sometimes your city name takes up too much room, so people have started using the three-letter airport code for their city as a hashtag - #yeg = Edmonton... This window shows, in real time, any posts that contain the word Edmonton or the hastag #yeg. In the right search box I type #halloween OR #horror OR #zombie to see all the posts with those hash tags. Watch this screen for a while and see if it is something that you might find interesting. Yes, there will probably be posts that you don't care about, but you may find something you like.
Second, go to wefollow.com. The front page contains several categories and many people. Go visit a couple Twitter accounts by clicking on the names of the individuals. Read through their tweets, their bio, and maybe click on the links to their pages - if you find anything that is appeals to your interests, you may want to sign up for Twitter and follow them. If it appalls you - run away...

Like anything, it can be used for good or bad.

So who should use Twitter?

Part of a community

Whether you are part of a physical community, like Edmonton, Alberta, or a group of like-minded people, such as Halloweenies, finding people with similar interests can help you connect with people and/or learn things that you may not have known before

Entrepeneurs

If you are starting a business, you will want people to know about you. Think of using Twitter to post special deals or advance information. Caution: Don't spam or blather incessantly, people will unfollow you!

Like your news or weather up to the minute

I know locally that several media outlets (radio, TV and newspapers) use twitter to report instantly as something comes over their wires. Instantly in many cases. One local newsradio station usually tweets 30-90 minutes before the big TV stations do. Even faster than they are - local Ham radio and scanner enthusiasts. Traffic and emergency frequencies are scanned and things posted on line immediately. I often check a few specific accounts prior to heading out to see if there are any delays I should know about, or roads I should avoid.

You are looking for support

Just like being part of a community, you can find all sorts of support groups and/or individuals on Twitter. As of this writing, I'm not using this function, but whether you are trying to lose weight, have lost someone, are fighting/surviving a disease or have post-traumatic issues, people can help. Seek, follow, ask. Don't be afraid, just ask.

You're a celebrity/celebro-maniac

If you like to follow celebrities, Twitter is another place to get your fix. One word of caution: the "celebrity" that you follow might not be the actual celebrity. They might have one of their assistants tweeting for them, or they might be completely fake. If you are an upcoming or wanna-be celebrity, make sure you register your Twitter account before a fake does. (While you are doing so, make sure you check namechk.com to find out which of the dozens of social media sites your nickname is taken on!)

You love bacon!

There are many memes on the internet, and bacon is currently one of the largest. If you ever want to know whenever anyone talks about bacon on Twitter, just follow @Baconfeed - the search everything and repost anything with the #bacon hashtag. And as long as you just watch, it's cholesterol free.

So, when should you not use Twitter? This article might be helpful: When NOT to use social media. I mostly agree with this article, but with a couple exceptions - you should not use any social media if you are trying to con people, spam people, or be annoying - because I can turn you off! Also, if you are a large business or you fight with your employees, you may not want to actively tweet about things, but you sure as hell want to watch what people are saying about you.

Just look at Amazon...

Careful, those aren't Easter eggs!

Here is an Easter/Halloween prop that I made a while back, but thought it was appropriate this time of year...because those weren't Easter eggs!

Our poor little Easter Bunny had trouble distinguishing regular eggs from those of another, more Alien species. he lost his head and has a bad case of, uh, heartburn?

What possessed me to build something this sinister?

It all started with another prop I wanted to work on - a skull with bunny ears! I looked around and could not find a child's hat with little bunny ears, and the only ones that I had in my tickle trunk were the headband style ones from a Playboy costume - not what I was looking for. So I waited.

The good thing about being a Halloweenie is that anywhere, anytime, all year round, you can find the perfect item that you can warp into a prop. It was just a couple days before Easter when my local department store had their bunnies for 50% off, so I picked up this cute little guy.

I removed the head to use for my other prop and thought, what can I do with the rest of it? (Another Halloweenie trait - almost nothing goes to waste, it just goes into your junk box and gets reincarnated as something that it wasn't intended for in the first place). I had an idea, now just had to find the parts I needed!

Heading online I found that Troll and Toad happened to have a chestburster plush toy. I ordered it, and with the help of some pink socks from the Dollarama and a scrap of fabric from...somewhere, I set off to construct.

I deconstructed the egg, and refashioned another out of the velveteen material, then opened up the egg top to make it resemble the other one. Okay, purists will complain that the top of the egg doesn't match the Alien's egg pods exactly, but it gets the idea across. Something else that comes in handy as a Halloweenie sometimes is just getting the idea across and letting the people's imagination and memory do the work.

With some other fabric I made a tube - a sock with the toes cut off - from the chest to the neck, added a little blood, inserted the chestburster and called it a day. Okay, took a couple days because I'm not a great seamstress, but it works...








So, hope you all have a happy, hoppy Easter this year! Just be careful what you eat, mmmkay?

A New Arrival in Edmonton

My alter ego and other friends over at HalloweenEdmonton.com have posted an invitation to a meeting about organizing a new Halloween Festival in Edmonton, Alberta.
View the post on HalloweenEdmonton.com or download the invitation itself.
I also hope to see some of you that are in the Haunter-tainment industry there. This festival will use existing resources - many which have appeared on HalloweenEdmonton.com in the past - to create awareness that they exist. Other than here, nobody has a place where all the Halloween happenings in Edmonton and are are noted. This is a great idea whose time has finally come - there is a new arrival in Edmonton and I personally can't wait to see what it grows into!

Not quite Dead(monton) yet!

Here's something interesting, not only are/were we the City of Champions, Edmonton is vying for a new title - Deadmonton.

Originally it was used as a derogatory term - some people see this city as boring, and we do have one of the highest murder rates in the country, especially by firearms. It was even printed on shirts showing an AK-47 along with it.

This is a different approach, and we're taking the name back - sort of like the "Take Back the Night" marches that happen (ummm, do they still happen?). We want to become Deadmonton, the Horror capital - turn it into a BRAND. Thanks to Christian Nelson. And a BIG thank you to Derek Clayton. Thank you!

Read what Scott McKeen of the Edmonton Journal has to say on the subject:
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/columnists/story.html?id=f31b6523-296d-40ef-9197-4b17f280bb2f

Then today I received an email via my HalloweenEdmonton.com website from Kenn Bur, a Co-Chair of the Connect2Edmonton group. Connect2Edmonton is a non-partisan community of people who love Edmonton, and wish to promote it to the rest of the world. Currently in their forums they are having a discussion about the McKeen article, about Christian Nelson's involvement, and also from Derek Clayton of the Deadmonton Horror Film Festival - who wanted to promote a larger Halloween festival in the city. Looks like he might get that wish!

Personally, I'm not concerned with who claims the rightful title, and as possession is a large part of the law (just ask Linda Blair!), The Deadmonton Horror Festival will be the original in my hearts. Fortunately, Derek and Christian seem to be on the same path - it's not important about how or who, it's just important that we claim the title back from its derogatory terms and make this the best damned festival the city has ever seen. Hey, we are a festival city, why not put us on the map for another one!

I encourage all of you out there to head on over to Connect2Edmonton and mark your support for this festival:
http://www.connect2edmonton.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=9491&highlight=deadmonton

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Halloween Fun and Frivolity

Well, my season is almost over...those of you who know me know that I prefer Halloween to any other season, even with this crazy and unpredictable Canadian weather! Well, it's only a couple more days until I start planning for next year!

It's not over yet though. Even though I was part of a group that entertained more than 1000 people last weekend (at Fort Edmonton Park's Spooktacular), I have been too busy to get photos of that all together because there is sooooo much still going on.

Last weekend also saw the Deadmonton Horror Film Festival and a Zombie walk and prom by the River City Zombie Committee - neither of which I attended, sadly.

This week is seeing some home decorating and last minute creation - pumpkin carving, costume for my son, building Eddie from Iron Maiden (though I've passed the face sculpting on to some others), and then...what to wear to work on Friday?

One of the others at work came up with the idea of Corporate Pirates - wear a suit, eye patch, bandanna and hook. That's cool I thought, being a Pastafarian and appreciative of Pirates in general (yes, even Depp did a good job, but enough of the films already, and enough of placing pirate costumes everywhere!!!). Yes, waring a suit AND being a pirate would be fun, and I was joking that I needed a wooden leg.

I seem to be currently attached to mine, but should I ever befall a tragedy that necessitates the removal I would ask for a wood-grain prosthetic. Of course, I'd also try and make one as seen in "The Ruins", just for Zombie Walks! So how can I make a wooden leg?

Head on over to Instructables.com and see!
http://www.instructables.com/id/How_to_make_a_fake_wooden_leg/

I'll post some pictures in the future and let everyone know how things went.

Experiments in Intestinal Fortitude

This Thanksgiving (or Columbus Day for my American Friends) weekend gave me a chance to experiment with creating entrails to use in a Halloween scenario I am doing at Fort Edmonton Park. Today I got a chance to post my experimental findings in the Garage of Evil Forums.

Warning, this might be stomach turning to some...

Experimental Intestines at Garage of Evil

Enjoy