Guest Post At The Christmas Spirit

My good Friend Michelle of The Christmas Spirit, and tons of other blogs, asked me to come by and talk about some of my favorite Christmas Cards, Edward Gorey fans will love my choices.  Please come on by and check it out.

Happy Mother's Day

I wish all the wonderful mothers out there, a very happy Mother's Day.

Happy Easter

Wishing You And Your Family A Very Happy Easter

Happy New Year! Welcome, 2012!

I Wanted To Wish You All A Safe And Joyous New Year's Eve.  I Hope The New Year Brings You Prosperity And Good Fortune.

Merry Christmas!

I Wanted To Wish You All, A Very Merry Christmas.  May It Be Filled With Love, Laughter, and Joy.

Favorite Fictional Character --- The Grinch

There is nothing more rewarding than a redemption story, especially one that happens during Christmas.  When a character starts off grumpy or even flat out mean, when they hate Christmas and all it stands for, there is always a chance that they can change in time to understand the true meaning of Christmas.  One such character, who does make the transformation, just happens to be one of my favorites.  So with no further ado, I would like to present you with The Grinch.

I lived for this TV special to come on when I was a kid.  I don't think there was a year, at least a year when I had any choice in the matter, that I didn't plop myself in front of the TV and enjoy every second of The Grinch's attempt to destroy Christmas.  As a kid, I'm not sure I fully understood the reason why he hated Christmas so much.  All I saw was someone who was mean and nasty steal presents, Christmas trees, wreaths, and even all the food from the poor people of Whoville.

I don't think I got that he was so bitter and mean, because he was lonely.  At least that's the way I've come to understand it now.  It's the explanation I give to my son when he asks me why The Grinch acts the way he does.  The poor guy has no family or friends to celebrate with.  He has nobody to share the warmth and joy that Christmas brings to the rest of us every year.  All he knows is that he hates is with all his heart and he wants it to go away.

But it's through that attempt to annihilate Christmas that The Grinch comes to understand the meaning of that special day.  Once he has successfully gotten away with all their decorations, toys, and all the food for the feast, he discovers something he never thought would happen.  Christmas isn't about all those things, and the people of Whoville prove that to him.  They still wake up on Christmas morning and because they are all together they still start to celebrate.  They rejoice in the meaning of that day and being together.  Because of that, The Grinch is forced to rethink the whole thing, both mentally and emotionally.  He comes to understand what makes Christmas so special.

It's because of his story that I never let the trappings of the season get to me.  In the years that I've been poor and could barely afford a tree or a few presents, I remember what the season is really about.  It's about family and friends and the things that makes Christmas special.  It's not about the material things.  As long as I can remember The Grinch's lesson, I will always enjoy Christmas to the fullest.

Favorite Fictional Character --- Aaron (The Little Drummer Boy)

Come they told me, pa rum pum pum pum

A new born King to see, pa rum pum pum pum 

Our finest gifts we bring, pa rum pum pum pum 

To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum, 

rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,

So to honor Him, pa rum pum pum pum, 

When we come.  

Little Baby, pa rum pum pum pum

I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum

I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum

That's fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum,

rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum, 

Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum, 

On my drum?

Mary nodded, pa rum pum pum pum

The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum

I played my drum for Hi, pa rum pum pum pum

I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum, 

rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum

Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum,

Me and my drum.

One of the few Christmas specials I never seemed to get into as a kid, was The Little Drummer Boy.  I'm not sure why, maybe because there was no Santa Claus or a red-nosed reindeer.  There was no talking snow man or and pretty Christmas trees.  There just wasn't enough excitement for me.  Now that I'm an adult, this is one that I look forward to every year.  Aaron and his story make me realize that it's not just about the flash and pretty things that makes Christmas special, it's that warm feeling you have when you think about those that you love and the story of that first Christmas night.

When the movie first starts, Aaron is a hurt and angry young man.  Angry at the world for taking his parents away from him, but most of all angry at the entire human race for being responsible.  The only friends he has are the three animals that follow him around.  Baabaa, Samson, and Joshua, the sheep, donkey and camel who dance and play to the beat of Aaron's drum.

When he is kidnapped by a desert nomad to be apart of his traveling show, Aaron goes along with it but quickly loses his temper and tried to run off.  It's through a chance encounter with the three kings that sets Aaron up for an eye opening and life changing experience.  He learns to love and trust again.  He learns that through love, all things are possible.  

Aaron is one of those characters that sticks with me, especially during the Christmas season.  His ability to change into someone he wants to be, is both reassuring and touching to watch. 

This is a clip from the movie, when Aaron is about to play for the baby Jesus.

This is Linda Eder, singing one of my favorite versions of the song itself.

Favorite Ficitonal Character --- Tangerine Bear

Have I ever mentioned how much I love Christmas.  I'm pretty sure I have, but just in case, I'll say it again.  Christmas is my favorite part of the year for so many reasons that I will fill up a few blog posts just naming them.  One of my favorite aspects though are all of the great characters that have been created to tell the story of Christmas.  That's why every December I highlight some of my favorite Christmas characters, characters that make the holiday season that much better.

From the get go, Tangerine Bear has a life that isn't what it was supposed to be.  The poor guys smile got sewed upside down, so when he was placed on the department stores shelves during the Christmas season, nobody bought him to take him home.  He was left all alone of the shelf, even after Christmas had come and gone.  To add insult to injury, he was thrown in a bin and taken to secondhand store, to languish away. 

Once there Tangerine makes a few friends with other toys that are waiting for homes as well.  They are friends that he quickly grows to love.  He even grows to care about the store's owner, Mr. Winkle, who really cares about the treasures in his store and would like nothing more to find them a good home.  Because of that Mr. Winkle puts Tangerine in the window  That's actually how Tangerine got his color and his name, the sun faded him to a peculiar color of tangerine, once his friends noticed that, the name kinda stuck.

As the new Christmas season comes to pass, one customer decides he wants to buy Tangerine.  He seems like a good man, so Tangerine gets really excited that he may actually get a home for Christmas.  Mr. Winkle though refuses to sell the guy the bear.  The customer just wanted Tangerine as a collectors item, it seems teddy bears with upside down smiles, may be worth some money.  Mr. Winkle decides that Tangerine deserves a real home, not to sit in a display case all by himself.

At first Tangerine doesn't know what to think, he just lost his chance for a home.  But events quickly come to pass that makes Tangerine rethink the whole concept of home.  Maybe he has been home this whole time.  He is surrounded by friends who love and support him.  What more do you need to be home.

What I love about this story is the whole idea of creating your own home.  Surrounding yourself with friends and starting your own family.  That home is the place you feel comfortable, loved, and protected.  It's not about the building, it's about those that you surround yourself with.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all have a wonderfully Happy Thanksgiving.

Happy Haulidays!

The great people at Chronicle Books are hosting their Happy Haulidays giveaway once again this year.  For those of you who don't know what that is, it's this great opportunity for one blogger and one of their commenters to win $500 dollars worth of books.  This year they have added in another winner as well, the winning blogger will get to pick their favorite charity to win $500 dollars in books as well.  It's such a great thing that they are doing, now I just need to keep my fingers crossed.

If I win, the charity I chose is Positive Directions.  It's a local charity that assists clients with HIV/AIDS obtain housing, transportation, food, and a varied list of other services.  They also do a great job with HIV/AIDS prevention outreach.  Every year they give out holiday boxes with not only food but other items, such as books.

Not to the fun part, picking the books.  After selecting the books I wanted, the grand total was $494.25.

Non-Fiction:

This Is NPR by various authors

Ramayana by Sanjay Patel

Smart on Crime by Kamala D. Harris

The Anatomy of the Sea by Dr. David Ponsonby and Professor Georges Dussart

Cookbooks: 

Grilled Cheese by Marlena Spieler

Macaroni & Cheese by Marlena Spieler

The Big Book of Breakfast by Maryana Vollstedt

The Big Book of Casseroles by Maryana Vollstedt

The Big Book of Soups and Stews by Maryana Vollstedt

Photography:

Microworlds

Bird by Andrew Zuckerman

Creature by Andrew Zuckerman

The Life & Love of Trees by Lewis Blackwell

Fiction: 

A Time To Run by Barbara Boxer

Blind Trust by Barbara Boxer

The Conductor by Laetitia Devernay

Journals:

Birch Forest Flexi Journal

Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge

My good friend Michelle from The True Book Addict  has a great Christmas blog as well.  The Christmas Spirit is a wonderful year round blog that highlights what I love about Christmas.  Every year she hosts a Christmas reading challenge and I'm happy to sign up once again.

I'll be signing up for The Christmas Tree Level (5 or 6 books) plus the other two side challenges, one about movies and one about kids books.  If you are interested, go on to the sign up post to do just that.

Here are the details in her own words:

• challenge will run from Monday, November 21, 2011 through Friday, January 6, 2011 (Twelfth Night or Epiphany).
• cross over with other challenges is totally permitted AND encouraged!
• These must be Christmas novels, books about Christmas lore, a book of Christmas short stories or poems, books about Christmas crafts, and for the first time...a children's Christmas books level!
• visit this POST for a list of new Christmas books for 2011.  Two books I highly recommend for this season that I have read and reviewed...The Christmas Village by Melissa Ann Goodwin and The Reindeer Keeper by Barbara Briggs Ward (click the titles to read my reviews).

• Levels:

            --Candy Cane:  read 1 book
            --Mistletoe:  read 2-4 books
            --Christmas Tree:  read 5 or 6 books (this is the fanatic level...LOL!)

          Additional levels:

            --Fa La La La Films:  watch a bunch or a few Christmas movies...it's up to you!

            --Visions of Sugar Plums:  read books with your children this season and share what you read

          *the additional levels are optional, you still must complete one of the main reading levels above the most important rule?  Have fun!!!

• I will have a review linky posted as a page the day the challenge starts.  You will find it at the top of the right sidebar.
• Sign up in the linky below (link to your post with your reading list...you can change up your list during the challenge...I just want to be able to stop by to welcome you and see what you plan to read).

Happy Halloween

I Hope Everyone Has A Safe And Fun Halloween Night!

Favorite Fictional Character --- Frederick Loren

This will be my last Halloween Favorite Fictional Character post for they year, and I think it would be a sacrilege to not have a Vincent Price character at some point.  The problem is he had so many awesome roles that deserve the attention.  Last year I posted about Dr. Phibes, a character he played in two movies.  This year I wanted to go with a more human, relatively speaking, villain.  One of my all time favorite movies is the 1959 version of The House on Haunted Hill.  Vincent Price plays the main villain of the piece, Frederick Loren.

Frederick Loren is an eccentric businessman, with a mean streak a mile wide.  He probably killed his first 3 wives and it looks like he's on his way of getting rid of his fourth.  He has rented a old haunted house, with a very violent past,  to throw her a birthday party, but he didn't invite any of her friends.  Instead he invited 5 complete strangers and offered them $10,000 to spend the night.  The only hitch is that the electricity will be turned off and all the doors and windows will be locked after midnight.  Anyone who is still alive will get the money.  Of course, the demented man had a reason for inviting each of the people he did.  He plays a sick game in the movie, one that he makes sure to win.

What I loved about the character is the sheer genius of the man.  For those of you who have not seen the movie, I don't want to ruin it for you, but I have to tell one key point of the plot in order to gush about the character.  He is able to take a situation, where he was the intended target and turn it around.  Instead of being the victim (which he deserved to be) he got the people who were trying to get him.  And he did it in such a way, that they had no clue.  The were in the middle of celebrating when the tables get turned, loved it.

There are times when I want the bad guy to win, this movie is one of those cases.  Though I must say, there is more than one evil person involved.  I think Vincent Price, as usual, brought such a quiet menace to the role that as a viewer I loved to hate him.  I relished every minute he was on screen.  If you haven't seen this movie and his performance as Frederick Loren I would highly encourage you to do so.  Skip the remake.

I managed to find the full movie on youtube if anyone is interested.

The 3rd Annual Top 10 Sexy Vampire List

I've done this last for the last two years, so how could I pass it up this year.  It seems there is a never ending supply of eye candy when it comes to vampires.  Be they men or women, some gorgeous actors have taken on a role involving fangs and blood.  If you are even a bit curious to see who made the list in 2009 and 2010, please be my guest and go gaze on some undead beauty.  As far as this year, let me introduce you to ten of the hottest vampires around.  But be careful, you may find yourself offering your neck or other place for them to sink their teeth.

THE MEN

Mick St. John, as played by Alex O'Loughlin in the TV show Moonlight.  I'm a sucker for a sexy private eye, there is just something so intriguing about the job.  If you need a private dick to help you out, I'm sure Mick would be glad to lend a hand.

Dracula, as played by Dominic Purcell in the movie Blade: Trinity.  Dracula is a character that should ooze sex appeal, this version does that in spades.  All the other vamps want his blood so they can walk in daylight, here's hoping that if they all look like this, that they succeed.

Aaron Gray, as played by Adrian Paul in the movie The Breed.  Aaron is trying his hardest to stop a war between vampires and humans.  He's in league with a hunky human cop, trying to figure out why a vampire killed a human and if that has anything to do with a virus that can wipe out all the vampires.  It would be a shame for a vampire that looks like this to die any kind of death.

Cash, as played by Channon Roe in the TV show Kindred: The Embraced.  Cash is the Toreador Primogen of Los Angeles and this guys likes it rough.  He wears leather, rides a motorcycle, and is very in touch with his primal side. 

Marius de Romanus, as played by Vincent Perez in the movie Queen of the Damned.  For a man who is over 2000 years old, Marius is looking better than ever.  He is the kind of man that can sweep you off your feet, enchant you with his art, and make you forget the rest of the world even exists.

THE WOMEN

The Countess, as played by Lauren Hutton in the movie Once Bitten.  Being 400 years old is starting to wear on The Countess a bit.  She needs to find a virgin to feed off of in order to stay looking this good.  So if any of your are in the L.A. area, I would advice you to make sure you don't remain a virgin much longer.

Elisabeth Nodosheen, as played by Ingrid Pitt in the movie Countess Dracula.  The bloodthirsty countess has no problem bathing in a tub of virgin blood.  I could show you the picture of her doing just that, but I would have to place a warning on the blog.

Katrina, as played by Grace Jones in the movie Vamp.  The owner of a strip club, Katrina rules her little kingdom with a iron hammer.  She's a tough, dominating woman who doesn't take kindly to being told no.  Her raw sexuality puts her into a class all her own.

Cym, as played by Phina Oruche in the movie The Forsaken.  Cym follows Kit wherever he goes.  She is his lover and his strongman and will do anything for him.  She's tough, sexy, and just a little scary.  If you happen to run into her, run the other way.

Nyssa, as played by Leonor Varela in the movie Blade: II.  Nyssa is a take no prisoners kind of gal.  She's handy in a fight and know her way into a man's heart.  She is destined to rule the vampiric world someday, now she just needs the right man by her side.

10 Giant Monsters Whose Feet You Should Avoid

I had a lot of fun with these lists in 2009, but for whatever reason, I only did one last year.   I've been watching a lot of monster movies for another project and for whatever reason, quite a few of them had some really LARGE monsters in them.  Most of them I had met before, for a few this was the first time they sent me running.  I thought I would share some of these monsters of ginormous size, mainly so you know to run the other way if they ever visit your town.

The Kraken, from the 1981 version of Clash of Titans, will never bother any of you who happen to be landlocked.  It's those of you who live on the coastlines that need to worry about this one.  Then again, he only devours virgins, so at least you now how to prevent him feasting on you.

The giant mutated ants from the 1954 classic Them! aren't going to raid your picnic for your packed lunch.  They have something a little bit larger in mind for their midday snack.  Don't know if they make Raid cans big enough for these guys.

Sadly, if Cthulhu show up, there isn't a damn thing you can do to save yourself.  This alien dark god who has been lying dormant in the Pacific Ocean is going to wake up one of these days.  Hopefully it's well after I'm already gone.

The "impossibly tall creature" from the 2007 movie, The Mist, is just one of many creatures that came from another dimension because the military was playing around with things they shouldn't have been.  It's not only  the biggest, it's also the ugliest.  A hard feat to achieve given the circumstances.

Poor Nancy Archer, the star of the 1958 classic, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman.  She has everything a girl could want, well maybe she doesn't.  What this wealthy heiress has, is philandering husband, who would like nothing better than Nancy out of the way.  When she encounters an alien in the desert and is transformed into the 50 Foot Woman, her husband and his mistress better watch out.  If she shows up, let her know where Harry is hiding, and tell her to stay away from power lines.

You can take all your stupid remakes and give me the original King Kong any day.  This 1933 classic is still the only one I will watch.  I know I'm supposed to feel sorry for him, and I do.  But if it comes down to him trampling your city or him taking a rather large concrete dive, if you are smart, you will go with option 2.

The only air powered force of destruction to make this list is Rodan, the aerial frienemy of Godzilla, who will make an appearance later on.  This flying terror made his debut in 1956, starring in his own movie, aptly titled Rodan.  He has been on the side of good and chaos in the past.  But either way, if you see him flying above your neighborhood, just remember one thing.  No matter where he goes, cities get destroyed.

I know Cloverfield is one of those movies you either love or hate, I love.  Either way, the idea of an adolescent monster rising from the oceans and wreaking havoc in New York City is just awesome.  He has no agenda, no goals in life.  He's a scared, hurt kid who doesn't understand what's going on.  The fact he takes out most of city, bites the head off The Statue of Liberty, and kills hundreds of people is just a bonus.

Godzilla, the biggest example of a monster who can't make up his mind.  Sometimes he's good, fighting other monsters.  Sometimes he's bad, leveling cities with his feet, tail and fire breath.  Either way he's a lot of fun to watch, though I don't think I'll be moving to Japan anytime soon.

The hilarious hit of 1984, The Ghostbusters, brought the wonderfully cute Say Puff Marshmallow Man.  The fact he could crush you beneath his gooey foot and may end up putting you on a stick over the campfire, made him even cuter.  If you run into him and don't have a rather large bonfire going, run the other way. 

Happy Labor Day

Happy Labor Day Everyone!

Happy 4th of July!

I HOPE EVERYONE HAS A HAPPY AND SAFE 4th OF JULY

Happy Father's Day

I Wanted To Say A Quick Happy Father's Day To All The Fathers Out There Who Are Doing Everything They Can To Take Care Of And Inspire Their Children.

Happy Mother's Day

I Just Wanted To Wish All The Mothers Out There, A Happy Mother's Day.  I Hope You Have A Day Filled With Love And Joy.

Happy Easter Everyone

I Just Wanted To Say That I Hope You All Have A Wonderful And Happy Easter