Let's Go Visit Some Graves, Kids!

I positively love this concept: graveyard tourism!

If this isn't "me," I don't know what is. I think cemeteries are fascinating and I love to visit them. Although, I didn't always feel this way. It was living in France that helped me to "discover" cemeteries. Not only are tons of famous people buried in cemeteries throughout Paris, but they so peaceful and serene. (well, duh - of course they're peaceful; bunch of dead people there!) No, but I mean, in the middle of a dense and busy city, it's rather relaxing to sit for a spell in a Parisian cemetery. It's like a park, but with lots of personal history around you. Also, cemeteries in France are especially lovely on Nov. 1, the day after Halloween, when families lay flowers on the graves of their loved ones. Mix those flowers with the colors of the fall leaves, and it's quite a sight.

I dunno. I must be a goth at heart.

Hallelujah, I Free

I didn't tell you, officially, that I lost my job two weeks ago. Well, perhaps I didn't "lose" it; Oscar Wilde, for one, would deem such an act careless. I know where it is. It just doesn't belong to me anymore.

Over the course of my almost-two year tenure, my boss promised me a number of things. Below are some of her "promises;" can you guess which one came true? (Hint: there is only one correct answer)

1. "I will give you more hours."
2. "You will get a raise."
3. "You can telecommute occasionally."
4. "You can telecommute when I can give you more hours."
5. "You can perform in one of our shows."
6. "You will be let go on October 15th."
7. "You can stay on after October 15th, on contract."

I think you get the picture. I only agreed to work there for the experience. It was below my paygrade, but I knew I was making a career transition, and accepting the position seemed like a good idea at the time.

I will spare you the details of my employment there. It's possible, anyway, that someone connected to that place will find this blog, and then I'll be blacklisted for life. Suffice it to say that I am happy to be "out" and on my own.

Because I'm working for myself now, suckas!

Mr. P and I have opened a music studio, and it's going gang-busters. Who knew? First of all, who knew I could teach music, at all? Turns out, I'm totally in my element! I actually really love it! I mean, it's challenging. I haven't played guitar in ages, and now I'm teaching it, so I'm all - eee! Better catch up fast. And then singing: I feel very competent and knowledgeable now teaching singing, but my piano skills are el suckitude, so that makes me nervous every time. Not that I'm expected to be some great pianist as a voice teacher (I've had a number of voice teachers who weren't), but it would be nice if I could give them something to sing over.

Despite these small hesitations, I'm noticing many benefits to teaching. A.) I work for myself. B.) The money's pretty good. C.) There's a demand for it. D.) It's like "tightening my gears" as a musician. E.) My life is now consumed with music. I mean, what's not to like here? It's awesome. There is absolutely no down side.

I don't want to jinx it and start bragging or anything, but I think I can safely say that I'm off to a great start in my new career, and it's more than a welcome change after this difficult and anxiety-ridden year I have been having. It's pretty ironic that I looked for nine months for another office job, with no result, and then I open up for teaching, and in TWO WEEKS I replace my measly previous income, and it's only going up from there.

And we even have many more plans for expansion, and not just for the music studio/school! I'll tell you more about that at a later time.

Right now I have to run to my piano lesson. (That's right: the student becomes the teacher becomes the student again. Hey, I gotta keep up here!)

I Wonder if Robert Knows Chucky

Today's creepy Halloweeny link comes to you from Key West, Florida, home of Robert the Haunted Doll. If you are fan of scary, evil dolls (and frankly, who isn't?!), you will love this story.

The story in a nutshell is that Robert was made a long time ago by some (possibly mistreated and underpaid) servants for a wealthy family. The servants, who practiced voodoo, "created" the doll for the young boy of the family, using his clothes and bits of his hair. The boy loved the doll, gave him a name, and treated him like a living person.

Pretty soon, strange things began to happen. Robert would be spotted in different areas of the house, and the young boy would blame his nightmares and other odd occurrences on the doll.

This link tells the story better.

Robert still "resides" in his original home, still receives visitors, and still clutches his little pet lion. The local community believes in his... presence. He is super old now, and showing some wear and tear, but he is quite the attraction, especially around Halloween.

It's a great story, and allegedly a true one, so go ahead. Check out the link and the videos. Just be careful: Robert knows when you read about him.

I'm Not Dressing as a Republican This Year

Eight more days till Halloween! This year, not only does it fall on a Saturday, it's also day-light savings, so you're practically required to go out. Of course, I have no plans, as I am just another 30-something kidless loser who still insists on dressing up somehow and going out somewhere on her favorite holiday. Oh, well.

So, what are you going as? I have ruled out the obligatory Michael Jackson zombie and sexy Watchmen chick in favor of something lower maintenance: swine flu, perhaps. Hey, scrubs and pig ears - it's easy and topical! I know! Yes, you can steal my idea if you want.

I was just cruisin' the internets for something Halloweeny to link to, and I think I found something, at least for today. Do you know what's super creepy? Victorian post-mortem photography. (Warning: this may be more than a little disturbing if you have kids. I don't know. It's super creepy, so just keep some emotional distance, at least.) If you saw that film The Others, you might remember when they stumbled upon the "Book of the Dead," a moment I personally found to be one of the scariest parts of the film. I've never forgotten it.

So, enjoy! Coming up next: creepy dolls.

Bears that sing... and may kill you

I love opera, and I even love teddy bears. But I must admit, Singing Opera Bears creep me out just a tad.

I Lost the Linky in the Excitement. Sorry.

I was coming here to post a link to an article I read yesterday that I thought was from The Hater at The Onion's Avclub, and now I can't find it. Don't you hate that? Apparently, I have completely forgotten where I read it. Anyway, it was a hilarious recap of Oprah's recent nostalgia show extolling the the 1960's, by way of "Mad Men." She somehow works her "Favorite Things" into it, praising electric toothbrushes from the era, as well as mascara, since it was invented in the 60's, and we all seem to "take it for granted." Yeah, Classic O!

Anyway, I'm sorry I haven't blogged in ages; I've been super busy trying to set up essentially two business, while still holding on by the end of my fingernails to my current part-time job. It's called recession incentive! I'll be back shortly with updates, but things is good. Coffee this weekend? Okey doke - see you then!