Trick or Treat

A big yawn came out of my mouth as I stretched to get out of bed. I looked out the window and to my surprise it was snowing! Yes, you read that correctly. There was seriously snow in October. I decided it was too much to process at the moment, so I got up to begin my day. I grabbed my winter coat and headed out to get coffee with B.

Toucan Man, Vampiress, and Zombie

The night was planned, but with snow I just wasn’t sure what would happen. I mean, snow puts a damper on an outdoor house party. Naturally, we sat down and tried to figure out alternative adventures. We ended up deciding to pre-game with a friend (Toucan Man) in Arlington then possibly head to D.C.

B and I

The cold night eventually led us to travel to Adams Morgan where there were tons of Halloween costume parties going on. We ended up at Madam’s Organ Blues Bar and if you were dressed to impress you got in for 1/2 price. Obviously, B and I dressed up. He was dressed as a zombie and I was dressed as a vampire. All in all, to avoid boring details, lets just say the dark night was filled with dancing and fun new memories. 

Happy Halloween fellow bloggers!

What did you do to celebrate Halloween?

Dark Hollow Falls

As Halloween quickly approaches, the weather gets colder. I sit in my room pondering what to do on this chilly, fall day. My room has the perfect view of the woods and the beautiful combination of fall colors. The wind has blown a few of the yellow leaves off of the trees, but it creates a beautiful site as they glide ever so elegantly to the ground.

Leaves at my house.

Just watching the leaves makes me travel back to old memories. I have this fond memory of walking in the mountains alone down a horse path. The site I saw was like something from a painting. The trees were parted and both sides were filled with yellow, orange, and red leaves. As for the ground, well, it was covered in leaves. It seemed so peaceful and for a moment time stopped.

Where is this place I refer to?
The Shenandoah National Park is located near Front Royal. There is a small fee to enter into the park, but I can assure you it is completely worth it. This time of year is pretty quiet, so not too many tourists. The exciting part is looking out at the gorgeous site of fall. It truly is picture perfect. Take a picnic basket with you because there are not many places to eat or get water.

What is my favorite place to hike and sit around?
Once I enter the park I always head straight for this waterfall called Dark Hollow Falls. Sounds enticingly scary for Halloween, right? It is a steep climb up and down, but my suggestion is head past the waterfall and deeper into the woods. This is where you will see picture perfect scenery. Unfortunately, there are no pets allowed on this trail.

Have a safe journey to Dark Hollow and beware of the werewolves that haunt the woods!

Scare Your Pants Off

Due to the Halloween spirit I decided to travel into the world of horror movies. Have you ever found yourself questioning almost every scenario in horror movies?

Even Scream likes to carve pumpkins!

Lets start by breaking down the appeal of the genre. I watch the genre a lot during Halloween because I feel it has enough of a scary vibe to keep the spirit of Halloween going. On the other hand, scientists’ say that psychologically it releases built up or repressed emotions. In my opinion, I think we just love to have the pants scared off of us.

What are key elements in horror flicks?

• There has to be some sort of hero or main victim. Due to this main victim’s decisions many people close to him/her will be killed.
• The main victim must be isolated. The isolation is done mentally and physically (i.e. separate him/her in the woods).
• The main victim will become panic-stricken and will end up in deeper sh*t.
• The main victim ends up backed up against a wall and does not sacrifice him/herself. This leads to the secondary victims to start dying off.
• Usually, the end is when the main victim fights back. Some horror flicks allow the main victim to win while others have no hero and everyone ends up dead.

So what else do I have to question?

Well, recently I watched Scream IV. The movie was cool, but it made me realize in almost all horror flicks:

• There are never any parents at home with their kids.
• Nobody owns dogs.
• People rarely fight back when attacked.
• My favorite is the fact that someone always gets out of the car, which makes the killer’s life easier.

What are some suggestions for films to analyze?

Human Centipede, Scream IV, Black Sheep (weird & funny horror), An American Werewolf in London, Dawn of the Dead, Halloween, and Creature From the Black Lagoon

Why do you watch horror flicks?

October Fun

As I walked outside with my cup of coffee, I noticed an orange leaf fall to the ground in front of me. I picked it up and looked around. It is October and fall is in the air. What should you do to enjoy October? How about you travel back to your childhood years.

1/2 of my family

When I say travel back to your childhood I am not talking about costumes, but pumpkins. Every year my family travels to a pumpkin patch to pick out pumpkins to carve. It becomes an all day event at the Belvedere Plantation. We bring the kids so they can ride ponies, make scarecrows, pet farm animals, enjoy corn mazes, and of course, travel to a field of pumpkins to yank one off a vine!

Me carrying all the pumpkins for $26.99!

There are many farms that allow people to enjoy the festivities of October. The farm my family goes to is located in Fredericksburg, Va. called the Belvedere Plantation. There is a small fee to get in, but the festivities are free. The pumpkins are not over priced and if you carry all you can 3 steps, then you get them for $26.99. I have been stuck carrying all the pumpkins 3 steps for 3 years now.

My advice is don’t be scared to still be in touch with your childish side. Carving pumpkins is a fun activity and when you are done you can bake the pumpkin seeds! Click for a recipe! Remember to take a break from your busy lifestyle and have a little fun!

Do you have any good fall ideas?

The Shadows Of The Past

Have you ever seen shadows lurking in the dark? Do these shadows scare or intrigue you?

Shadows

Andy Warhol has an exhibit that displays his artwork called Shadows. Of course, unlike the creepy shadow that you see on a dark night, the Shadows by Warhol are artistic. For the first time, all of the artwork is hung together at the Hirshhorn in Washington, D.C.  So, exactly how many Shadows are lurking around the Hirshhorn? There are 102 pieces or Shadows that are installed in the donut shaped museum until January 15, 2012.

B and I traveled to the gallery on Saturday to see the installation. B was not as impressed, but I found the two types of shadows that were repeatedly painted to be quite amazing. One word to describe it would be _______. How about you go see it yourself and fill in the blank for me!

What do you think of Warhol’s Shadows?

A Journey Through Time

Time Travel: traveling through time to the past or future

When I was about 10 years old, I remember sitting on the floor watching a black and white film at my Grandpa’s house. I can easily say that this may have been the beginning of my dreams to time travel. The crazy thing is that I can actually travel through time and so can you! Let me guess, you think time travel is a crazy science fiction thing, right? Well, I am here to tell you that you may not be able to travel into the future, but you can travel into the past.

4 Ways to Time Travel:

1.  Movies: Old films provide a window into the past. A few of my favorite films to watch are: The Seven Year Itch, My Fair Lady, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. However, if you are not into old films, then you can try watching Paris at Midnight or The Notebook.
2. Music: I achieve time travel quite often by listening to old music and occasionally having a glass of wine by the fireplace. A few of my favorites that you can check out are Bing Crosby or Cab Calloway.
3. Books: I absolutely love to read during my free time or while waiting for a class to start. A few great authors to check out are Fitzgerald and Hemingway.
4. Art: You can surf the web or go to a gallery and check out art by Picasso, Warhol, Monet, and Dali. If you are interested in time traveling through art, then D.C. has an art exhibit in honor of  Andy Warhol (Click the link for details!).

What is your favorite way to time travel?

Braving the Weather

B parked the car and we stared out the window. The wind was blowing and the rain was falling. The temperature gauge in my car read 50 degrees…time to bundle up and adventure out.

B and I braving the weather.

Crafty Bastards is an event that comes once a year on October 1st, so people are willing to venture into the crazy weather to find one of a kind art pieces (i.e. paintings, shirts, candles). This is not just a festival for art, but also a chance for breakdancing competitions.  (Click the link to check out a video!) The event is free to attend, but you need money for the snacks and art you may be interested in. Keep a budget in mind!

I was surprised how many people actually attended the event due to the weather. Each tent that was set up was crowded with people and many umbrellas. Within an hour, my tote bag was filled with neat things. I went a little over my budget, but it was worth it because I found some great art, a fox shirt, and an owl candle.

What neat things did you find at Crafty Bastards (if you attended)?