Time to start afresh

This will be the last post on Dare to Know all there is to Learn. If you would like to continue to read my posts on a more regular basis, please check out my new blog Letters from the Bottom of a Wishing-Well. Hope to see some of my lovely followers there!

Book Binder's Blog

   I've been thinking, and I think I'd like to start a bi-weekly blog under a new account that is nothing but tips and how-to's on how to preserve, rescue, and restore your beauties, be they hard back or paper, back to their formal glory. What do you guys think? Would a book-binder's how-to blog be something you're interested in?

To get an idea what it will be like, check out my old post on how to treat books at the first sign of mold.

Haunted House, Pt. 2

Me and the Vampire Slayer

   Okay figured I'd break these posts into smaller, easier to read, and more frequent pieces.

   This past weekend was a lot more mellow. The line didn't get to the point of three+ hour wait, which was nice for both the patrons and us creatures of the haunt. We had a lot more kids (as appeased to drunks) show up this past weekend. Needless to say it was a real improvement.

   Sunday, I had a friend (who I'll call the Vampire Slayer) tag along. His entire costume, right down to the props, was a mixture of home-made and repurposed stuff he found around his house, plus a borrowed cross-bow. It was slow that night, but not too slow; perfect training. We put together an act with the two of us and another character (a zombie) were he would guide the patrons from the trail leading to the haunt to the line to pay, and me (a daemon) and the zombie would spook the shit outa the patrons. The Slayer would "fend us off" and hurry the patrons on.

   And that was pretty much this past weekend's work at the haunted house. Slow.

Haunted House, Part 1

   This fall, I decided I'd spend my October working at a haunted trail. So far, here are my experienced with what would be thought of as a strictly light-hearted job (though it is for the most part). There have been some things I had not expected to happen, but probably should have.

One of my first nights of work. I have sense
gotten better at creating fake wounds.

   I work up front entertaining the people waiting in line to get in. Some nights there seems to be no line what so ever, others, there is a three-hour wait. If you think it's bad waiting in line, imagine trying to keep all those people from getting board. It is only me and one other girl working the lines, so that makes it about a hundred people we each have to keep from getting board all at once. It's not so bad if you enjoy improv acting as I do, but I can see why some people prefer to work inside the trail, as to avoid the public.

   The intoxicated Saturday night crowd is defiantly the hardest. So far, we have had actors be kissed,  licked, and evan punched. The person who was punched (twice so far) is a 60-something year old grandmother, and the most recent time she was left in tears with a bloody nose. Now, it's not even like she scared the twenty-something year old, muscular man when she was punched the second time. He had the nerve to ask some of the employees before entering the trail what would happen if he punched someone. Luckily, the owner whitened this uncalled for brutality, and through the man out. If I had known what was going on, I would have called the cops on him. Honestly, people like that, people who think it's okay to punch grandmas in the face for no reason, should have a stick of dynamite shoved up their ass. Pardon my language.

   Another common problem is people ripping at costumes. I carry a genuine Sjambok, a type of whip used in South African police force for crowd control. Though I am very careful of it, there is always some kid who tries to take it from me. I also use a lot of latex prosthetics, and there is no better way to get your ass kicked out than to tear one off (they are expensive to replace repeatedly, at $15 for my ears and $12 for my horns). You are told upon arrival that you are not to touch the actors, and that they will never touch you. So, of course, there are always some kids that wanna see what they can get away with.

   There is also a woman inside the trail that uses real knives. Though I personally think it rather risky, she is a really nice woman who would never hurt a fly and has never even cut herself, let alone a patron. The other night, though, something scary happened; a drunk man attempted to wrestle the blades from her hands! I don't know about you, but these are the people that sketch me out.

   This past Friday, we had five people either not show up or who were unable to. So I filled in in the back of the haunted trail, where we had our actor shortage. After some trial and error, I found that I got the best scare by slumping among the props at an odd angle and being completely still-- right down to not blinking when being watched. I'd wait until the patron(s) got close enough before jumping out and chasing them a bit down the trail. It was a good thing I was there that night doing that, because we had some men in their twenties/thirties going through and tearing apart many of the props. When they began messing with the scene I was in, I chased the bastards down, scaring them so bad (both surprise and the fact there was a whiteness) that they could be heard screaming all the way up front-- at least a five minute walk.

   We have also had at least one man a night ask about sexual harassment policies; this is beginning to worry me, do to the way that people have been acting. I think I will start responding to their question with "What? You got a thing for zombie erotica or something?"

   All in all, it is an experience. Fun, trying at times, and scarier than walking through the haunt it's self. But still fun.

Getting Back to this Blog's Roots

Woah, where have I been all this time?

   Truth is, I've been crazy busy.

I have gotten far away from what this blog was originally meant to be. I'm gonna start getting back into my how-to articles in the next few weeks. I got a job at a haunted house so there will be tutorials on latex prosthetics and other effects coming soon, just in time for Halloween!

Halloween was my favorite holiday as a kid, and though I no longer trick-or-treat, I still wanna be a park of the fun and dressing up. I just hope that I end up with some candy by the end of it haha xD Might be going to the grocery store for that but it wouldn't be October without pumpkin-shaped reese's peanut-butter cups (a childhood favorite).

What are you doing for Halloween?

Memories of 9/11

I was on my way home from the first day of the first grade when the plane struck the twin towers. I lived in Boston at the time, and back then we had no cell phones, only a singled corded land-line. School let out 2 hours early after the pentagon was struck, but me, along with half the other kids, were left there with the worried teachers, parents unaware of the change in schedule. Our teachers were still college students, being part of a laboratory school on Tuft's U. campus.
We had 1 tv at my house, a little 13 inch one that did not have a good picture that was from the late 80's. Because of the chaos of 9/11, the tee-shirt factory/print shop my dad worked in demanded a tv for it's employees to stay up to date with the catastrophe. We let them use our tv. I remember my mom's worry once we got home, her calling friends and family that lived in and near my home town (well not really but it may as well have been) in DC, trying to find out what was happening, until my father returned home with the tellie to keep us up to date a couple hours later.
The following weeks at the kindergarden, that was all the teachers talked about. We were kept up to date, all us 5-year olds, of the politics and horror involved. Friends lost uncles and brothers, neighbors were on edge. So many families were broken and utter hell had broken loose. I was simply grateful I had not lost anyone. But all around me was a deep pit of pain and sorrow of those who had.

9/11...

What are your memories? Post them in the comments, let your voice be heard.

Bleached eyebrows and College

Okay, so I did exactly as any beautician, website, or box of bleach tells you NOT to...

   Using 40 volume bleach, left on for 40 minutes, I gave myself a striped eyebrow. I've been wanting to do this for a while and grew impatient, not having stopped at a beauty store for facial hair/eyebrow bleach. Quite frankly, though I love the results, I would NOT recommend doing this. Use eyebrow bleach! If regular hair bleach drips in your eyes, you will be blinded. Plus, it really irritates the skin there :(

   In other, most likely far more interesting news, Tuesday was my first day of college! I'm only taking 2 courses this semester, then next year I'll start my bachelor's program. Having been home-schooled, I feel it is best if I ease myself into the full-blown college courses. It'll take some getting used to, having classes  with large groups of people, having excessive amounts of homework (first English assignment? 80 pages of reading in 2 days), and any expends that are associated.
   The courses I'm taking are English Composition and Intro to Psychology. I absolutely adore psychology! First day of class I felt my eyes grow to the size of medallions with the excitement and wonder of all the frightfully fascinating information getting fed to me via a silver spoon that was my professor, Dr. McGinty, and my text book.
   English is a little tougher, mainly because I take notes on all the wrong things, and ignore what I end up being tested on (yes I've already taken a test in the first week of school). But I'm sure I'll get the hang of it once I get to know my professor.
    One thing I found concerning was how the entire out-of-doors portion of campus between the buildings and halls was the constant smell of cigarettes. It seems everyone smokes. Though I'm not going to tell anyone off for doing what they like to their body, I for one hate the idea of all those young people hooked on ciggies and possibly dyeing of cancer one day. :( It seems like quite the dreary path to go down.