Okay, so it's been awhile. Had a lot of 'life changes' to adjust to. Well, okay...not really a lot. Frankly, just the one, but boy, was it a big one. Beginning of Aug, I ended my 'almost 5 yr run' at a company to switch gears and try something new. I'd be lying if I said I made that decision on my own with no substantial influence, but honestly, I knew the place I was at was headed for some significant changes and went with my gut feeling that those changes would not necessarily be favorable for me. (In an odd way, they were, but that's a whole other story.) So I decided to seek employment and found a position in damn near record breaking time for me. There were quite a few bonuses. For starters, I get to actually use the degree I spent all that time and energy to get. Second, I'm not sure I was really getting much out of my last job. Sure, the people were fun and the environment was one of a kind, but when I sat down and thought about what I did and I mean REALLY thought about it, it didn't make me feel like I was doing anything worthwhile for society or accomplishing much in the grand scheme of things. I did learn plenty of stuff there, it just wasn't exactly satisfying as it really should be if one plans on doing something the rest of their life. Call me an idealist, but I really believe people should be happy with their jobs. For crying out loud, we typically spend more time there than anywhere else. If you're not happy, why waste your life away? So anyway, yes, a new job for me. Funny enough, I actually am required to do work there, something I wasn't used to due to a hell of a lot of downtime recently. As a result, I am freaking exhausted and just now getting into the swing of things. I signed up for online classes that started a month ago and here I am now just looking at lesson 2. Thinking makes me tired, it would seem. HA!
But I do have a lot of things on my list. One of these days, I will post up my adventures at HorrorHound Weekend this past Aug and some really awesome vendors I met along the way.
On the movie front, I'm afraid I haven't had much time to see many, but I got a few to review, assuming I can remember them. TV front (ha!), I did happen to catch True Blood on HBO and plan to review each episode.
Big plans...just need to find the time.

In case you have HBO and enjoy vampires, or at least gratuitous nipple, I recommend checking out their latest series, "True Blood". The series creates an environment where vampires have come out in society to live freely amongst the living. There's even synthetic blood for the vamps to enjoy so they don't need to feed off the humans. It's fairly early in the season, but I'm enjoying how the story is unraveling. The story centers around Sookie who has the ability to listen in on people's thoughts- both a blessing and a burden. In to her life and the small town she lives in walks a vampire trying to set up in the area. Add in some murders, some slight social commentary, and a whole lotta sexy times, and you've got yourself a pretty decent vampire show. How often do you get to hear someone proclaim they have "gout of the dick"? I may have to pick up the books this show is based on, as I especially like how well written the character of Sookie seems.
I'm waiting patiently for Sookie and Bill(the vampire) to get it on. The sexual tension is ridiculous.

A few weeks ago, I made yet another excursion to Indy for HorrorHound Weekend. This time, however, I refrained from dancing around tables like a schoolgirl and running away from Tom Savini. (I still didn't approach Tom Savini, but the man had a whip and was not ashamed to crack it about. Scary.) I tried to get a peek at "Eskalofrio" ("Shiver"), but watching a subtitled flick in non-stadium seating is..well...difficult to say the least. My three years of high school Spanish only gets me so far.
So other than "famous" folks and movie screenings, the big draw to the HorrorHound Convention is the vendors. The vendors vary from collectible items to bootlegs to art work. As Takashi Miike said in "Hostel"- "you could spend all your money in there". Both of my trips to Horrorhound have resulted in my spending way more than I budgeted. But hey, got some cool swagger out of it. Which brings me to my first highlight of the trip. I enjoy art that has a sort of oddity to it, which is why I found Dirk Strangely's art quite fascinating. I had passed his table several times and decided I was going to get a print, but didn't know which one. My husband decided on his "Hillside Cannibal" print. As we went to purchase the print, Dirk was working on a watercolor which he gave to us after he finished. Plus, he signed and personalized the Cannibal print. Very cool, indeed.
Check out his site : http://www.dirkstrangely.com/