Happy Halloweentober!

It's that time again, the most perfect time. Autumn is a most special season, but spring has always been my favorite simply because it removes the residual emptiness and cold of winter. It redresses the trees (I'm a big fan of trees, for some reason), grass turns green, the warm air fights back against the bone-chill cold. The world becomes alive again.

But nothing can match the beauty of autumn and Halloween. The leaves turn many shades of reds and browns and orange and yellow and fading greens. Jack-o'-lanterns lit with candles on porches. Yards with cornstalks and pumpkin-head scarecrows. Even the evening sky turns a silvery purple and the stars look brighter. People notice the full moon more. First fires in the hearth burn warm and cozy. And the TV is alive with the death of horror movies. It'll give you cold chills, honestly. The buzz in the air is palpable.

👻

Do you ever get the feeling that you're not cut-out to be a writer. I get the feeling more and more often. And not for lack of publication, either. No, sometimes I sit down to write all of the cool scenarios that I came up with, only to stare at a blank page, while the cursor blink, blink, blinks away.

And the distractions, oh the distractions! If it isn't football, it's well the MLB playoffs start today; or look, here's a new book to read; or, I'm hungry. Maybe I should eat another lunch. At another restaurant. Or let's see what's new on Bloody Disgusting!

In five years I've completed one novel. While in the past year I've developed plots and opening chapters for at least 7 additional stories. Will I ever complete these? And, while Unique is "complete" it doesn't feel finished. Well it's not perfect. No, only my use of the Italic button is perfect.

I suppose even this is normal. It all goes back to my needing a dedicated space for writing. Or this is just another excuse. Wow, I'm running around in circles, beginning to sweat even.

Comments

BEING ELTON ALWINE

This is something that I've not give much thought about, and I'm not one to self-diagnose, but I have to find out if I have an anxiety disorder. All the symptoms are there: sweating, shortness of breath, headaches, etc. The list goes on. It's hard to concentrate, and I'm sick of excuses for why I'm not writing. It's certainly not lack of love or passion. And I am just a bit too affected on Sundays. The Baltimore Ravens are one of my loves in life, but this football team should in no way affect my attitudes and moods after game day . This, to me, is completely unacceptable. As of late, I've also developed an unnatural fear of death. I have witnessed this transformation seemingly outside of myself. I've never actually been the "worry wart" type, and I'm far from letting this behavior continue. Depression, Anxiety - these are words that I have always abhorred ; figments of the Pharmaceutical Industry's Utopian dream. Quite a bit of this d...

Jack-o'-lanterns in November!

Today most of America seems to have forgotten that the venerable jack-o'-lantern is not only an important symbol of Halloween, but also of Thanksgiving. As a kid this icon of Thanksgiving was a decoration you would see in people's yards throughout October and November; through most of autumn. Today you don't see it as much, with folks settling for simple uncarved pumpkins on the steps on the porch, or on bales of hay. I bring this up only because I'd like to see a return to the pumpkin-headed scarecrows staying around for more than one holiday. I'm keeping my jack-o'-lanterns out in the yard and on the porch until the day after Thanksgiving. It's time we keep the pumpkin-head scarecrow around all fall. This is a perfect way to repurpose your jacks into November, instead of letting them get tossed by some teenagers post-All Hollows Eve! However, there is something to be said for rotting jack-o'-lanterns after Halloween that just screams cool. Aging jacks ...

Diagnosis Vampire!

Diagnosis Murder is one of my favorite snuggle beside the fire nostalgia trips to enjoy once in a while, like Murder, She Wrote or Matlock . It has that cozy mystery vibe and it's set at the perfect era - i.e., late 1980s through the 1990s. Actually I think DM ended in the early 2000s... But, anyway. The episode (S2 E13) The Bela Lugosi Blues (1995) was one of the first episodes I watched that turned me on to the show, and that's purely for the vampire story. Plus, Julie Carmen plays the vampire antagonist! Yes, Jerry Dandridge's sister, Regina! Julie plays the undead Moriah Thomas, who is killing most of LA's eligible bachelor's, and Jack could be next! Usually Diagnosis Murder plays things fair and straight, dispelling any notions of fantasy before the shows climax, but with this episode the show leans into the supernatural and doesn't fix it with a bend towards reality. Is Mark hallucinating, high with fever, or dreaming?? None of the above! Th...

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