Well, it happened again. My pumpkin vines are dead. This is the third or fourth time that I have tried to grow my own pumpkins, only to have the vines get a milky, white haze right after flowering and slowly die out from the roots. Another season of no pumpkins from Highbury Pumpkin Patch... Sad!
Anyone have any ideas on how to avoid this?? I tried watering less this time around and still no luck.
Oh well, looks like I'll just have to do it the old fashioned way. Luckily, the local grocery store is having a $2.99 sale on all pumpkins today! Grab a cart full of pumpkins and a six of some tasty pumpkin ale and call it a day.
Also, tomorrow is October 1st and we all know what that means: Countdown to Halloween!! 31 posts in 31 days, all in celebration of all things All Hallows Eve!! I have another big bunch of posts ready to go. Stop by daily starting tomorrow and let's get ready for Halloween!!
I have been listening to the digital download copy I got along with the vinyl purchase and I've been really impressed with every track. Not so much dark and foreboding, but more melancholic ambient with this release. I'm not very meditative, but I have been able to relax deeply and fall asleep to these tracks nightly.
And now when I spin the vinyl, it's actually a bit different. I was hoping for a bit more richness in the vinyl and it does not disappoint. You can hear so many more layers with the vinyl and it has a much fuller, deeper low end. This vinyl version will be my go-to whenever I'm working away in my office, and I REALLY recommend a vinyl copy if you happen to have even a decent turntable.
This is the first dark ambient release on vinyl that I have added to my collection (and the first release on vinyl from Cryo Chamber). If other vinyl releases offer more complexity and richness over their digital counterparts like this one does, it surely won't be the last!
Time to clear those DVRs! Thought Catalog just posted the list for Turner Classic Movies' October classic horror schedule and it is pretty amazing (hopefully they don't mind me posting the whole list here, but I've added imdb links for each film so that you can get a brief synopsis of any that you haven't seen before):
Wow. That's a lot of really great, classic horror films playing throughout the entire month. The folks over at TCM really put together a fantastic list that will keep me watching all month long. I guess now there's no reason to go over to the Freeform Channel and hold my nose while they play Hocus Pocus 56 times in a row...
I came home from a long weekend trip to the unfortunate news that iconic horror illustrator Basil Gogos had died. While the news wasn't completely shocking (his health had been declining for some time), it was still saddening. I had tried to meet Gogos at two previous horror conventions, only to have him cancel both due to his poor health.
Last night, I had set up a quick photo shoot to honor Gogos, only to have my computer crash and delete all of the photos. This was getting worse by the minute!
So, I only have the original scan of my prized Basil Gogos autographed "The Mummy" Topps trading card that I had won in a contest back in 2010...
And had I had the chance to meet Gogos at either of those two cons, I would have had him sign my well-read copy of his book, Famous Monster Movie Art of Basil Gogos. This book showcases his iconic, richly illustrated portraits of classic movie monsters, most of which graced the covers of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine during the 1960s and 70s.
Iconic horror director and composer John Carpenter's newly re-recorded theme for his classic 1983 film, Christine, set to a brand new video. But this time, the driver of the cherry red '58 Plymouth Fury isn't Arnie Cunningham...
Each year, the much-anticipated pumpkin beers seem to start appearing on our local grocery store shelves a bit earlier. This year, it was mid-August...
As a self-confessed beer afficionado (snob), I have a rigid rule about my pumpkin beers in that I absolutely will not begin drinking any before September 1. The delicious pumpkin, cinnamon and spice flavors just don't taste right until you sip them on a cool evening, evoking thoughts of the crispness of the approaching Fall season.
So as soon as the calendar switched to September, I could hold out no longer and made my way to the waiting store shelves full of new and classic pumpkin beers. I perused the ever-growing selection to choose from, making mental notes on which beers have yet to face our annual "Drunken Jackos Rating Scale," a HIGHLY scientific pumpkin beer review and ranking system.
I've had many a pumpkin beer face the Drunken Jackos Rating Scale throughout the years, but one of my all-time favorites continues to be Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale. So it was the obvious choice to initiate this year's pumpkin beer season. Upon it's original review, Punkin Ale received an outstanding "4.5 out of 5 Drunken Jackos," and upon first taste now I believe it still holds up. A truly delicious way to start the season!
Be sure to check back soon, as I already have a fridge full of new pumpkin beers lined up, ready to face the dreaded Drunken Jackos Rating Scale. And as we count down the days until All Hallow's Eve, I'll be popping the caps and giving reviews from a beer-snob-slash-Halloween-fiend's point of view. Cheers, my fellow pumpkin heads!
The first of September. The Halloween season begins now! Time to grab a pumpkin beer, get into the garage and knock out some props. Good luck, fellow haunters! We only have 60 more days...
A cold, weathered hand pierces the rust-laden earth of a late autumn night. Reanimated decay becomes the evening's guide. Masked faces bask in the fiery glow of a jack-o-lantern's illumination. A lifeless finger points the direction toward the next porch-lit house. For this is the night of ghouls and goblins and tricks and treats. This is the night of Hallowe'en...
