Irene Autumn

Ireland

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 05:27:59 GMT

Going to Ireland March 10th (weather permitting) and back around the 25th. Never been out of the country so this will be fun.

Still waiting to hear about the latest version of my book so planning for a trip out of the country is a good distraction. :)

Revisions complete!

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 04:03:45 GMT

So happy the editor assured cutting out was her area because I started with 396 pages and ended with 431. That's 116,250 wonderful little words.

Was worth it. Now back to waiting for (hopefully) the final word.

Barbie . . . Barbie with your pink infused life, what happened to you?

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 02:47:42 GMT

For Christmas I'm trying to find my sisters something unique. I came upon this site and just about died!

I loved Barbie growing up. My sisters weren't so fond of her. In fact they tortured Ken and buried the remains in the backyard. If only we had thought of it making jewelry from the body parts ourselves. All those decapitated little bodies.

The site is: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5165121

Oh-well.

Asian Films

Sat, 06 Dec 2008 22:49:04 GMT

I really like Asian films. I like their horror films. My sister Amy turned me onto them. She's a huge J-pop follower. I even went with her to an Anime convention up in Ohio one year. She dressed up as a Gothic Lolita, very cute need to find pictures. . .

Anyway, back on track.

There is a movie coming out called The Uninvited. It's due in 2009 and stars Elizabeth Banks and Emily Browning. The movie is a remake of A Tale of Two Sisters, a really good Asian horror film. I would highly recommend anyone who likes horror but not gory horror really should see this. Yes, read subtitles. No, don't see the American version first. I am worried the American version has been Americanized and that would be disappointing but I might go see with my sister so we can 'yeah' or 'nay' amongst ourselves.

I did recently see the move Survive Style 5+. I will describe is as a less violent and no gore Quentin Tarantino type movie. Little ~~very~~ strange, at first doesn't seem to have a point, seemingly random characters, all collides an in unpredictable manner. I have the theatrical trailer up on my Myspace page.

Getting away from the Asian aspect of films, has anyone seen Repo! The Genetic Opera? It had limited release but looked like fun, horrible or surprisingly good (great fun either way). I found the trailer and just about died.

Hope everyone is doing well and still doing . . .

Can't stop laughing

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 03:04:39 GMT

My youngest sister is in college right now 'gettin all smert' and plans to graduate in another year (which is better then my NKU drive by plan going on ten years now). She attends a college in Springfield Missouri and our parents live in Michigan.

ANYWAY, this last year she changed her major to Creative writing, got a boyfriend (she's really picky so the rest of us are chomping at the bit to meet this guy) and now she has a tattoo. Not a small butterfly on her lower back, no my sister committed. It's as large as a paper-plate on the top of her back.

Looks Awesome! What makes me laugh, our parents don't know. I called our other sister and we talked about it. We kind of want to be 'home' for Christmas just to watch the paint peel under our mother's screams.

Just like old times only this time, it has nothing to do with me! WOOT!

busy, busy, busy

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 05:15:51 GMT

I've been reworking my book. An editor suggested I try first person perspective instead of third, initially to help better connect with the main character. After doing the first fifty pages I realized how much better the book would be in this point of view.

So, undertaking the 'change' of a 400 page book, I'm almost done. Just no time for anything else. And I dream of finding 'her' instead of me and 'they' instead of we and on and on and on. So . . . close . . .

I'm still optimistic.

I did take a brief break to go outside and see a movie with my sister. Twilight of course. I really liked it and that's saying something with movie ticket prices. Gouging.

My husband is running the Thanksgiving Day Race they have here in Cincinnati. I will be there. The loyal, wonderful, adoring wife, in the cold freezing my ass off. Not kidding. Though I've taken up jogging myself, there is NO FREAKING WAY I'm doing it in the cold. Can't complain about the 'nuts' if I become one of them. :)

Finally, I want to pay tribute to one of the best South Park episodes I've seen in years. Thank you South Park for clearly defining 'Goth Kids' and 'Vampire Kids' for the world. Awesome.

Hope everyone has a great holiday.

Best Regards!

Gregory Crewdson

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 21:26:46 GMT

The Cincinnati Art Museum is currently showing Gregory Crewdson's Beneath the Roses exhibit. The exhibit is free and show photographs size 57x89.

The photos are not of singular objects of distraction or angled objects illumined with lights. They are scenes from moments either just happening or after some morbid incident you can't quit figure out . These images are not grotesque and can not show their full value when looking at them on a computer screen. His depth is such that you can actually look though the window blinds in a picture and see with perfect clarity what lies right behind them. The images are so clear at first I thought they were paintings. Every aspect of the picture is intentional from an open closet, smudge marks on the walls as a group of about forty people working with Crewdson help him set up the 'scene'. Sometimes the shots are so intricate, he'll close down streets in the neighborhood or move street signs so to make the shot what he needs it to be.

I am not very good with art. My sister is a fantastic artist and I should have her write something using words like 'composition' and something else artsy.

Some of his works:

I would highly recommend anyone in the Cincinnati area to go and see the Crewdson exhibit.

Hope all is well. :0

Been A While

Sun, 11 May 2008 01:23:56 GMT

Long Week

Started with a business trip to Berlin in Ohio. Wonderful four hour trip. That's sarcasm. My cell phone couldn't get a signal but thankfully the hotel had internet access so my husband got me a laptop so I could plug in and keep in touch with someone sane, him.

Loved the area. The business part of it was another thing. My head still hurts from all the information crammed into my brainwash experience of script writing, Crystal Reports and a whole lot of other things I'm just barely scratching the surface on.

Went to Louisville today and drove a Smart Car. Absolutely loved it! It's an automatic but it feels like a stick shift. The driver and passenger side look and feel like a normal car but you don't have a back seat. The waiting list can be up to a year but there's an orphan list that could have us in a car in a few months. Better then a year long wait but it still isn't as nice as driving off the lot and being done with the process.

My husband ran the half marathon for the Flying Pig. Not going to go into the Cincinnati 'Pig with Wings' thing, still don't get it myself, like their chili/spaghetti obsession. Wasn't raised here can you tell? He did Awesome! I was so excited! They had the best weather.

Hoping everyone is fine and the mother's are having a lovely Mother's Day.

10 years

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 03:37:46 GMT

Our 10th Anniversary was Friday. Hard to imagine. I'm sure some of you looking back from thirty + years are rolling your eyes but ten years is a big deal to me. Seriously. I didn't think I'd ever get married because boyfriends drove me nuts. I had this plan I would become a stewardess for some major airline and travel across the Atlantic which would take me away from home for a few days so any possible significant other wouldn't drive me crazy with wanting to spend every waking moment together. Then I met Jason.

Oh-well.

So, we went to Georgetown and did some tourist stuff over the weekend. Just got home Sunday to a very happy cat and a bat. Yes, a bat was/is in our basement. Not sure how he got there or where he is now, pretty sure he's still down there. Our cat Zel wasn't impressed with him so a-little-hunter he is not. Maybe if I take his food away for a few days, tracking the bat would be more fun. I am certain Zel couldn't catch the bat, I just want to know where it is so we can get it back out. Could be a long week.

Finally feels like spring

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 02:10:04 GMT

Well, it does starting around 1 and until about 7, if we're lucky. :)

I've been trying to get my pictures developed from the all girl weekend during my sisters' visit. The Jailer's Inn http://www.jailersinn.com/ in Bardstown Kentucky was wonderful. Lovely area. I'm planning to go back with some friends to see more of the area. Though we didn't see any ghosts, I'm pretty sure after two of my girls got the giggles from visiting the Talbott Inn's bar http://www.talbotts.com/ and 'sneaking' back into our room, I think they might have become part of the 'ghosts' other Inn guests heard late at night. I almost died at the breakfast table when the woman next to me said she could hear a ghost woman crying late in the night. :)

I've been working on a new book for a while. Delving into necromancy, Hades and a cello named Corinna by her owner. That's all I can say.

Hope all is well and calm or loud and fun.

So Far

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:59:07 GMT

so good.

My mom seemed to enjoy her birthday. She seemed to like her gifts. I just wish she could have stayed longer. One day isn't enough time for visiting.

I bought both my sisters each a book. Michelle bought 'Eclipse' and Kim bought a manga called 'With the Light', a story of raising an autistic child. Both good books. Once we got home, they sat and read for hours. Hours. I bought 'Evil Genius', it looked so cute and different.

Hope everyone had a Happy Easter.

Count Down

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 02:52:51 GMT

An official count down . . . until the family arrives.

This is all because mom is turning . . .35 again. It's an anniversary birthday celebration. You're allowed to have those when you're the parent and hating numbers. I remember when my Grandma Betty turned . . . 35ish we threw her a surprise party. I remember being very young thinking that was sooo old.

It isn't. Not anymore. The new old is around 85 and if I live as long as my relatives, old is actually 90 something.

Anyway, I finished reading Hallowmere. I was trying to figure out a fairytale-post civil war-what now? story was going to work? I absolutely LOVED this book. So much so that I bought it for my sister so she could read it on the plane on her way down here for spring break. Wonderful use of language, just enough shade of purple. I'm planning to buy the next, read it and then give it to my sister so she can take it with her on her way back to school. Wonderful.

My nerves are fried. I think for my 35th-ish anniversary, I'll leave the country so my family won't try and throw me a party and stress me out. :-)

CReePY GNoMe

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:12:42 GMT

This thrilled me.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article902014.ece

The best part is the girlie scream that escapes the male camera man at the end. That's commitment when you're willing to humiliate yourself for the sake of your hoax. I respect that.

Even better? If the kids really weren't in on it? Too much to hope for. I sure wish MY phone had video that could zoom in right when a small shadow figure grazes past a brightly lit street light. Sounds nice.

My husband is counting down until 'The Invasion'. That's what he's calling my families visit. :) He took it rather well when I informed him five people were coming into town and only two were leaving so our household was going to quadruple for a week. My parents are doing a dump and run with my siblings. That's what happens when you own a house and have younger siblings. Fortunately for everyone involved, we can get along and my husband can hide in the Comic book room. Mmmm love our comic book room. He might have to share his hiding space.

I've started cleaning out Ramone's bedding and such. Every time he adopted a box to sit in or on, we'd let him keep it. Was too hard to toss out last monday. Getting easier now. Feels good and bad. I need to find a pet that can live as long as people generally do.

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 17:45:52 GMT

The white death hit us. It started yesterday in the morning and is still actively falling. Around 6 in the evening our 16 year old cat started crying and rolling around under the bed in our spare room. It took some time but we were able to talk him out, only to find his right paw was completely limp and just hanging. We went to the pet emergency hospital during the storm still going on outside.
An hour later we had to put him down. It was horrible. In so many words the vet told us Ramone was suffering from heart failure and this was only the beginning. My husband has had that cat longer then we've been together. It was really hard.

So down.

Photoshop

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 02:32:53 GMT

Two things I love. Adobe Photoshop and taking pictures of my siblings. And good sports they are. :) This is my sister Amy looking amazing. I didn't realize some of the images I had until I started looking through pictures for art work to hang in my office. This wouldn't work but I love the look. I need to print some of these out for out library / my current craft room.

Pictures

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 03:50:49 GMT

I've been in my office for almost three years and at the same building for five. I have now officially grown tired of the art they have on our walls. I like my office because it's an old patient room back in the days when our floor was the Psych ward. The copier room still has padding on the wall from the days when patients were locked in.

When they decided to move the ward and convert the area into offices we inherited left over art. Disturbing hotel looking knock offs of abstract retro. I hate it and I'm tired of looking at. I'm trying to find something that won't offend but will be an improvement. Suppose, with the current, anything is an improvement.

After some time

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 18:12:24 GMT

My husband is a web designer (among other wonderful things) and works with the Cincinnati Museum Center in Cincinnati through his company. They are currently hosting Bodies . . .The Exhibition. No, I'm not trying for a dramatic pause, this is how they have it for their website. You can take a peak here http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com/bodies.html

I would warn the content is of skinned humans on display in various poses.

We went a private showing to see it before the public. I did look up information on the exhibit so that I would be prepared for what I was walking into. I'm not squeamish but as I get older I've become increasingly (and annoyingly) more sensitive to the things around me.

I was. . . unprepared regardless. To begin with I wasn't ready for the displays to be open air meaning, not in cased in glass. If you tripped, fainted what-ever you could land on a preserved skinless body.

I was light headed walking through. The bodies are set out in leisure poses and held in mid thought, throw and dance. It was interesting to see the muscle responsible for the composure of your bodies and witness what usually only medical students get to see. There is a certain distance I found myself applying (probably a defense) as I viewed the exhibit, looming close to see fingernails, hints of cause of death or unnatural punctures to flesh. There weren't any because these people died of natural causes (and that seems to be the debate but I won't get into that now).

Eyelashes, hints of eyebrows. This brought me back from viewing the display to once again seeing a person, deceased and preserved. Grotesque fascination? Guilty. I am not a medical student. I was interested in the processes and the posturing. I was humanized by traces of eyelashes and eyebrows still present on skinless bodies. These were people who lived and breathed, hurt and loved (hopefully) and now they were more then naked. This is when I got light headed again.

It is fascinating. It is unsettling and when asked I tell people once you've seen something you can't not see it ever again. If you are sensitive I would advise researching as much as possible. It is a good learning experience and a lot of students have been going and seem fine with the experience. But they are young and detached where the world is run by adults and if adults are doing it it must be ok. I would be interested in hearing what they think when they got older. I am glad I went but I do still see it and I do still feel uneasy.

Odds and Ends

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 16:29:35 GMT

I recently found text messaging was costing too much and for some reason people send me paragraphs of information through text messaging. I thought text messaging was supposed to be closer to short hand with simple quick OMG moments? Think I'm showing my age.

I am anticipating my sister coming to visit at the end of March. Kim is in college (sophomore) in Missouri and she's coming here for spring break rather then to our parents home in Michigan. I keep making plans for her without talking to her. I realized if we stayed with my itinerary she won't get much of a vacation.

Current Plan:

1. Make glass houses (soldering) make lots of things with soldering gun.
2. Go to Waverly Sanitarium in Louisville for a ghost hunt (probably get a hotel and stay a night)
3. PICTURES (Kim has the artistic eye so we have to go to some cemeteries while she's here)
4. Make Kim watch Paranoia Agent (not that that would be hard)

Oh ~ forgot to mention our other sister lives in Kentucky as well so I'll have Kim a few nights in the week and then Amy will get her and they will do their things that don't involve big older sister hovering and dropping ageisms on them to crack their fun. I'm not bitter. I'm not. I'm just old. :-)

Still writing. Still working. Still waiting. It's all good.