The Story of the Ghost Story

The Haunted History of Halloween

The Halloween Tree (1993) Part 5

The Halloween Tree (1993) Part 4

The Halloween Tree (1993) Part 3

The Halloween Tree (1993) Part 2

The Halloween Tree (1993) Part 1

Don’t wanna drown in american society...

L7 - American Society

Don’t wanna drown
Don’t wanna be found
This is not my destiny
Oh yeah
No twentieth century casualty
Oh yeah

I don’t wanna watch television
I don’t wanna listen to the radio
I don’t wanna drown in american society

Don’t wanna be rich
Now can’t you see the way they dress
They dress
Well they’re a bloody tax mess
I don’t wanna go to the movies
I don’t wanna listen to the company
Don’t wanna drown in american society

My Whole Wheat Low Cal Turkey Lasagna

Okay, here's what we got inside here:

Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles
Tomato Puree
Ground Turkey
Non-Fat Cottage Cheese
Sliced Mushrooms
Green Peppers
Yellow Sweet Onions
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Garlic Powder
Garlic
Oregano
Basil
Thyme
Pepper
Salt

Regular hi-fat cheese lasagna, fully cooked, will be gooey and melded together: noodles, cheese and sauce, but these elements listed above are low in fat (comparatively), so do not be surprised when the end product is kind of mushy. Maybe I use too much sauce, but I like it saucy and so does my wife.

Next time I plan to try it with an olive oil and lemon sauce instead of tomato.

What can I say my wife loves my cooking and all she has to do is the dishes.

If you try it, please let me know how it worked out for you.

We Got A New Rat!

Freddy

Being well known pet rat lovers, we received a call in late August asking us to adopt a friend of a friend of a friend's pet rat. The present owner was returning to college and his dorm does not allow pets of any sort. At first, he bequeathed the rodent to his elderly grandmother, but she proved to be horrified by the rat's presence in her home. She called our friend for advice. Our friend populates her Chatsworth home with husky, friendly dogs and has several cages of exotic birds she cherishes. Knowing our pet rat history, she immediately contacted us.

Poe and Manny

We'd been rat-less for two years. Manny died in 2009. He's still in the fridge awaiting burial. Sealed in plastic, he's right next to the ice cubes and above the frozen chicken stock. I miss him. I don't look at him or anything, but it affects our ice production.

Diane and I debated whether to take this new rat into our home. The debate did not last long. We agreed immediately. One small problem: the rat's name was "Buddy" and so had been the name of our dearly departed dog, a black dachshund/beagle/pit bull mix whom we once cherished. Both of us knew we'd have to change the name. Even Buddy had been previously named "Snoopy" and there was no living with that cliché. We tried "Benny," but "Buddy" was just perfect. And so it was.

Freddy

I was assigned to drive out into the valley heat to adopt Buddy the Rat. Now I love the valley when it's cool weather, but I avoid it all summer long. Yes, there are exceptions such as friends, funerals, theatre, and a number of excellent restaurants, but they are exceptions. This adoption would be both a suitable and noble exception. Plus, I have air conditioning.

I had already decided to call him "Freddy." We'd never named a pet rat "Freddy" or even "Freddie." Also, "Freddy" was the name of one of my father's best friends. But mostly, it kind of rhymes with "Buddy," so hopefully that could help the new rat make the transition easier. Buddy the Dog did.

I entered our friend's dog and bird house and found respite from the raging heat outside. The dogs were happy to see me, but the birds could've cared less. I found our new pet rat living in a plastic litter box. The previous owner had given the rat the entire apartment to roam in and trained him to use a litter box. So, since leaving his owner, he had been living in his toilet. I couldn't wait to get him home to our huge pet rat cage, nicknamed the "Ritz" by the manufacturer. The Ritz has three levels above the litter with food and water sources above as well. Lots of room to run around and, most importantly, lots of air to breathe.

"The Ritz"

The high walls of the plastic litter box were topped by an improvised cardboard roof. Buddy/Freddy tried a few times to pop through the roof and explore the car, but I caught him and put a heavy object on top to keep it closed. I wasn't ready to play with him. He might have jumped out the window or gotten lost in the car. Not that I couldn't eventually find him, but training or not, he might've pooped all over the upholstery.

Freddy

Freddy is home with us now. He lives in the Ritz between our desks and has a full view of the television as well as each of us. For the most part, he toilets in his cage, but we've found a few errant poops beneath my desk chair. He rests in my hands, atop a towel for sanitary safety sake, receiving my massages. He crawls up my arms and rests on my shoulders. He crawls behind my head from shoulder to shoulder. He returns to my hands and gets the neck rubs he cherishes. Freddy is our new pet rat.

Sunday Night Dinner

 Salmon baked in olive oil, tequila, and thyme.

Wild Rice, steamed.
We usually eat brown rice. No more white rice.

 A nice Chardonnay for me.

A margarita with fresh SQUEEZED lemon and lime juice for the wifey. 100% Blue Agave, mandatory.

 Some crudite. Cauliflower with hummus.

Sunday night dinner.

Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None (2005) - Trailer

Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None is the title of a 2005 point-and-click adventure game developed by AWE Productions and published by The Adventure Company for Microsoft Windows. It was the first in The Adventure Company's Agatha Christie series. The game is a detective murder-mystery; it begins with nine people, including Patrick Narracott, the playable character, who meet and journey to the fictional Shipwreck Island. There, two additional onscreen characters are introduced, and the story then follows the events that unfold.

And Then There Were None retains most of the basic plot elements of Agatha Christie's novel of the same name, with the major differences being the inclusion of the playable character, Patrick Norracott, and the creation of a range of possible endings. In order to further the connection between the game and its source material, Christie's novel is included in the North American release of the game.

Reactions to the game were mixed, with many reviewers polarized in their opinions: some calling it a good adaptation of the novel; others, an extremely poor adventure game. Several reviews harshly criticized the game's character design and graphics as being archaic and outdated, whereas others praised aspects such as character dialogue and an immersive story.

A Wii version of the game was released in February 2008. It features several motion-sensitive actions, made possible with use of the Wii Remote, such as digging and turning.

Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None was followed by a second game, Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express; also based on a Christie novel, but with a plot unrelated to that of the first game.

Batman: Arkham Asylum (2009) - Walkthrough

Batman: Arkham Asylum is an action-adventure stealth video game based on DC Comics' Batman developed for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. It was developed by Rocksteady Studios and published by Eidos Interactive in conjunction with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game were released on August 25, 2009 in North America and August 28, 2009 in Europe, and the PC version was released on September 15, 2009 in North America and on September 18, 2009 in Europe. The game is also available via download on Steam.

Arkham Asylum, written by veteran Batman writer Paul Dini, is based on the long-running comic book mythos, as opposed to most other Batman games, which are adaptations of the character in other media besides the source material. The Joker, Batman's arch enemy, has instigated an elaborate plot from within Arkham Asylum, where many of Batman's other villains have been incarcerated. Batman investigates and comes to learn that the Joker is trying to create an army of Bane-like creatures to threaten Gotham City, and is forced to put a stop to the Joker's plans. The game's main characters are voiced by the actors from the DC Animated Universe, namely Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, and Arleen Sorkin reprising their roles as Batman, the Joker, and Harley Quinn, respectively. The game is played as a third-person perspective action-adventure game with a primary focus on Batman's combat abilities, his stealth and detective skills, and an arsenal of gadgets that can be used in both combat and exploration.

The game received high praise from critics, earning a 92% average on GameRankings, a game aggregator. The game also holds a Guinness World Record for 'Most Critically Acclaimed Superhero Game Ever', with an average score of 91.67 from reviewers. Several awards were given to Arkham Asylum, including a Spike Video Game Award and the Best Game BAFTA Award. A sequel, Batman: Arkham City, was announced at the 2009 Spike Video Game Awards. On May 11, 2010, a Game of the Year version of Arkham Asylum was released in the United States. This edition includes four new challenge maps and is packaged with a pair of glasses which may be used to play the game in 3D on any regular 2D television, using TriOviz, a new kind of anaglyph image technique.

Dead Space (2008) - Walkthrough

Dead Space is a survival horror third-person shooter video game, developed by EA Redwood Shores (now known as Visceral Games) for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game was made available on Steam on October 20, 2008. The player takes on the role of an engineer named Isaac Clarke, who battles a virus-like alien infestation which turns humans into grotesque monsters called "Necromorphs", on board an interstellar mining ship named the USG Ishimura.

A sequel, Dead Space 2, was released on January 25, 2011.

James Bond 007: Nightfire (2002) - Walkthrough

James Bond 007: NightFire is a first-person shooter video game featuring the character of the British secret agent James Bond and a sequel to Agent Under Fire, published by Electronic Arts in 2002.

007: NightFire was developed by Eurocom for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, and Xbox video game consoles. Gearbox Software developed the game for Windows using the GoldSRC engine, which Aspyr later re-released for the Mac. The computer versions are substantially different from the console versions, featuring different missions and a modified story line. In 2003 Electronic Arts released NightFire for the Game Boy Advance this time developed by JV Games.

The game marked Pierce Brosnan's fourth appearance as James Bond before the release of his fourth and final Bond film Die Another Day, however, in the video game, his likeness was featured, but not his voice, which was provided by Maxwell Caulfield.

Scratches (2006) - Walkthrough

Scratches is a mystery and horror adventure computer game by game developer Nucleosys. Scratches is the first commercial adventure game ever to be made in Argentina.

Plot

The game tells the story of the Blackwood estate on the outskirts of Rothbury, a small rural town in Northumberland, England in 1976.

Originally owned by James T. Blackwood in 1963, the house is passed to Christopher Milton after Mr. Blackwood is accused of murdering his wife. A couple of days later, Mr. Blackwood dies of a sudden heart attack though some in the town rumor he might have committed suicide. The police decide to close the case seeing there is no further evidence left. Furthermore, shortly after acquiring the house, Christopher Milton inexplicably disappears in 1970 leaving no visible trace.

The player assumes the role of the house's next inhabitant, Michael Arthate, an author seeking seclusion to work on his next book. He moves in only to find that the house still echoes its horrible past quite literally as scratches are heard all around, particularly in the basement and fireplaces, and soon becomes more interested in researching the house's history than his writing.

Last Visit

In the Director's Cut edition of the game, a sidequest called "The Last Visit" continues the narration from where Michael had fled. A reporter is sent immediately before the Blackwood Manor will be destroyed. The place has become a scene of ruin; full of looting, vandalism, and graffiti.

Silent Hill 3 (2003) - Walkthrough

Silent Hill 3 is a survival horror video game published by Konami for the PlayStation 2 and developed by Team Silent, a production group within Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo. It is the third installment in the Silent Hill series and a direct sequel to the first Silent Hill game. It was released in Europe on May 23, 2003, Japan on July 3, 2003, and in North America on August 6, 2003, and was ported to the PC later that year. A remastered high-definition version of it is due for release for the PlayStation 3.

Set seventeen years after the events of Silent Hill in which Harry Mason defeats the god of the town cult and is given a baby girl to care for, Silent Hill 3 focuses on Heather, a teenage girl who finds herself being drawn into Silent Hill's alternate reality. She discovers that the cult plans to use her to birth their god, and becomes caught in a conflict within the cult.

Silent Hill 3 was mostly well-received by critics, especially in its presentation, including the environments, graphics and audio, as well as the overall horror elements and themes that are continued from past installments.

James Bond: Quantum of Solace (2008) - Walkthrough

Quantum of Solace is a first-person shooter (third-person shooter for PlayStation 2) video game based on the films Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360. The game was released on October 31, 2008 in Europe and November 4, 2008 in North America. The game's release coincided with the release of Quantum of Solace. The game is the first James Bond title published by Activision; the company acquired the video game licence to the James Bond franchise in 2006. The game was released on multiple platforms and was developed by four different companies: Treyarch, Eurocom, Beenox, and Vicarious Visions. It is powered by the Call of Duty 4 game engine.[6] It is also the first James Bond video game to be released on a seventh generation console as well as the first to feature Daniel Craig's voice and likeness, as well as those of Eva Green, Judi Dench, Mads Mikkelsen, Olga Kurylenko and Mathieu Amalric.

American McGee's Alice (2000) - Walkthrough

American McGee's Alice is a third-person action game released for PC on October 6, 2000. The game, developed by Rogue Entertainment and published by Electronic Arts, is set in an alternative universe of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Alice was designed by American McGee and features music composed by Chris Vrenna.[1]

The game is based on the id Tech 3 engine first used in Quake III Arena. A PlayStation 2 port was in development but was canceled. A sequel, Alice: Madness Returns, was released June 14, 2011. Downloadable ports of the game for PS3 and Xbox 360 were also made to coincide with the sequel's release as a free download with brand new copies.

Set years after Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, the game features an older, more cynical and macabre incarnation of Alice.

"Save All Your Lovin' For Me" - Brenda Lee