This is Halloween

First and foremost... Happy Hollow Weenie!! ;) All you Christmas people can now get

So in case you haven't heard yet... Nightmare Before Christmas has a new re-release of the soundtrack. This is to go along with the re-release of the movie in 3D. I bought it last Wednesday and love it. It's a 2 disc edition, disc 1 being the classic soundtrack. The 2nd disc was the reason for buying it (as I've already owned the original for years). It has several covers of songs from the movie.

Artists are:

Marilyn Manson- This is Halloween, the man really knows how to cover great music, I always enjoy his work
Fiona Apple- Sally's Lament, it's fantastic to hear her voice again and an IMPROVEMENT upon the original recording
Panic! at the Disco- This is Halloween, they're always awesome, I have yet to be disappointed with something they do. I was just a little bummed that they didn't pick another song as MM's version totally out shone this one
She Wants Revenge- Kidnap the Sandy Claws, I was actually a little disappointed with their job... not too creative, just slow techno
Fall Out Boy- What's This?, fun, like the band and the true spirit of the song
Danny Elfman- these are demos that he did for the movies as mock-ups for formulating puppet scenes and storyboards. I think several of them are shown on the DVD in storyboard form but its fun to have them all on sound files now because they’re worth listening to as well. Danny sings all the parts and cues, just another testament of his fantastic talent. The songs also include lines that were later deleted from the film… fun to see the work in progress.

We saw the 3D incarnation of the movie last weekend at the El Capitan. It was so much fun. None of the cheesy 3D effects that are usually in movies (I was soo hoping they didn't add anything corny). It really just adds dimension to the whole picture. It looks more like you're looking into another world with different actors, rather than an animated/flat world. Industrial Light Magic was behind the transformation so I send a huge kudos their way as it was done wonderfully. They truly are masters. It was also great to see it on the big screen again. I saw it when it came out the first time, 13 years ago, for my 12th birthday. It's all I wanted to do. I didn't care about presents or cake that year, just seeing Tim Burton's latest work of art. It's funny how some things don't ever change. :)

Last night I helped Katie put her costume together. All summer she talked about being Lenore, the cute little dead girl. All summer long my mother told her to get her butt in gear and get a pattern and material while it was available, cheap and she had time to help. It didn't happen. Mom didn't have time, little girl put it off too long and was being REALLY picky about back-up clothing lying around the house. Big sister to the rescue! I made her hair clips out of some Bazzill cardstock and Diamond Glaze. She had to let the glaze dry overnight so she was supposed to hot glue them to black bendy clips this morning. I helped her realize that she's really just dressing up for fun with her friends and they would know who she is being. We washed her Lenore t-shirt (last years Christmas present from yours truly) and found a suitable black skirt. Roxanne is supposed to document it photographically for me.

I also consoled her by telling her that NEXT summer she'll sew a Lenore dress while Roxanne and I try to figure out how to sew Little Red Riding Hood and American McGee's Alice dresses. Then next year we'll all have kick azz costumes. She didn't seem to think that'd work as she wouldn't have a place to wear it (um, just because you're not in high school anymore doesn't mean you don't have a place to wear a costume silly!). She got happier when she realized that she may go to Comic Con next fall too, at least she can wear it then! Silly girl, who told you that you can grow up and act like a drama queen teenager? I guess now that she's 17 she can have a small melt-down once in awhile. ;)

Amazing reads

And fantastic ametuer art. I've had this posted on my links list for forever. Post Secret is the greatest blog ever. I own the first book. The 2nd comes out tomorrow. I'll be picking it up this week. The 3rd is due out in January 2007. Proceeds go to the Suicide hotline. It's an awesome project. If you haven't checked it out before, you really should. Frank updates with new postcards on Sundays and emailed responses periodically during the week.

Back in the saddle again

Guess what I just got?? We were able to get a new tower (It's beautiful and FAST) AND I just got PSE 5 for only $50!! It's on sale at Best Buy for $69.99 this week and between a GC with some left over money and those great little coupons from McDonalds... my final total was $50.33. I'm so stoked! Get ready folks, you aren't gonna believe what my mad design skills will be capable of now! ;)

An Epiphany

Okay. I now know that I’ve really got to lighten up. I’ve been in an Oingo Boingo mood lately (like listening to them non-stop while I’m driving around) and yesterday I decided that I'm in this mode because they make me so happy. Megh is officially done with her pity party and decided that she’s going to pretend everything is okay. If I don’t believe it, that’s fine. Here’s why…

When I broke up with my high school boyfriend of 2 1/2 years I was in a bad place. I had lost all self confidence that I had ever held (not a lot, but I wasn’t some self-hating doofus either). All I saw myself as was "D's girlfriend". It’s all I felt I was to anyone, so by not being with him, I had major issues. I hung out with 2 guy friends who turned out to not be the greatest friends overall, but they were just what I needed right then in my life. One of them had this thing for liking girls that he had no chance of ever getting (for various reasons) and ended up being an emotional leaches (thusly why I don’t speak to him anymore). He had one redeeming quality he had a great self-confidence that bordered on conceit… not quite there, but almost. He was modest enough to keep from you wanting to slap him silly. He knew I was having identity issues and told me one thing that has stuck with me for the last several years, and although I don’t always follow it, I know it works. “Act like you’re the shit, if you do it long enough you’ll learn to believe it.”

Sure enough, after a few months of acting as cocky as I could possibly stand to be, I knew I was worth something. I loved who I was and decided I’d be happy to just be me. No need for dudes, I’m fine single. Matthew asked me out a few weeks later. LOL

Anyway, my point is, if I pretend to be happy long enough… I will be. This whole thing dawned on me while driving to school yesterday afternoon. I decided that today would be the first day of the rest of my life and to take each day the same way. I get to start over every morning.

Last night I was driving home and waiting in the left turn lane behind a white Neon. The arrow turned green and the guy in front of me pulled out. Something told me to wait. Out of nowhere a dark sedan comes barreling down the street, clips the front of the Neon and goes on its merry way. No one was hurt and it didn’t seem to do too much damage to the car (although I totally feel for the guy because that TOTALLY sucked that the other car didn’t stop) but I got a “Part B” to my epiphany from that afternoon, life is too short to sweat the small stuff. Had that guy been another 3 feet further forward, he would have died. There is no doubt in my mind because of how fast that car was going. My car probably would’ve been involved too. Very scary and humbling. I'm not going to waste my life on stressing on little stuff, just take it a day at a time and try to make it the best day possible as I go along.

Pink Links for Scrappers

Do you digi scrap too? These are some awesome women who are offering some great BC related kits.

At Sweet Shoppe Designs MandaBean organized a collaboration kit to raise money for her mother who's been diagnosed with BC. Angel Eyes will help her family out in this time of need... and it's a fantastic kit with over 60 designers jumping in!

Sweet Shoope is also collaborating with The Digi Chick to create this cute kit, A Common Bond. All proceeds go to the Susan G. Koman Foundation and the American Cancer Society. It's also a great deal! A huge kit for $10!

Shabby Princess is the cream of the crop when it comes to digi scrap kits. This month all proceeds from the sale of her Our Little Princess kit will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. It's too cute too!

Designs by Dani is offering these adorable DigiBras. They're 72 dpi and meant for web design. They make cute avitars and fun decoration for blog and site headers. Proceeds also go to SGK.

Scrapbook-Bytes has a great shabby chic kit to throw into the mix as well. Inner Beauty is also a limited edition kit... you can only get it this month. It's ginormous and being sold at a fantastic price.

Please support these sites and their fantastic charities!

Get Your Own! | View Slideshow

Want some bling?

Get it in PINK! These great stores offer some really fun pink products and donate to the cause too!

Pink Ribbon Jewelry- Debra Shatz is not only a volunteer but a survivor. She started this site when she couldn't find anything to wear to show her support for the cause. She spends extensive amounts of time working with cancer patients and getting the word out.

Pink Ribbon Shop- I've visited this site many times over. It's got some really great stuff!!

Cookie Lee- They're always fab and have some cute stuff in their new catalog!

There's a smile on my face for everyone

Last night I was in a great mood. I was put there despite my aggrivations with myself for leaving yet another paper to the last minute (unintenionally this time... I totally forgot until late SUNDAY night that I had a paper due Tuesday) by the intoxicating sound of Danny Elfman. The man should start his own religion. My nano was on shuffle and on came Just Another Day. This man's voice is beyond words. From the first time I ever heard it (Dead Man's Party on the radio) something about it shook me to my core. I feel it in my gut. There's just a tug of something that I could never describe.

Now I don't consider myself a hardcore Oingo Boingo fan because I don't even consider the band in my top 5 (maybe top 10, top 15 for sure). I don't love all their songs either. I've noticed that over the years it's the more melodic ones I truely love. The faster paced ones are a lot of fun and I do enjoy them, but it's the "slower" ones when I can hear his magical tones that get me. (I say "slower" as some songs can be so fast that he can be so fast that it sounds like a chipmunk about to go into seizures.)

I cried when they had their farewell show. I was never able to see them in concert (since I was in 9th grade when it all ended on Halloween '95 *sob*). Most of the band has gotten together since for "reunion" shows, but I won't go if Danny isn't there, and he isn't as he's too busy now. He's the magic behind the band, the force and power.

I think it's also why Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my favorite movies. For those that don't know, Jack Skellington's singing voice is also done by Danny. All this from a man that was self taught how to read/write/play music. (Let's not get me REALLY started... I did a whole report on this guy and how his music influences Tim Burton's movies)

Okay... time to go to work. Enough soul pouring for one day. ;)

A whole range of emotions

Post Secret has been really good the last 2 weeks. My favorite last week was this one.
As a child growing up, I hated my freckles. I remember liking them (or at least not caring/noticing) until I got teased in 2nd or 3rd grade. Looking back I don't know why it even mattered. I think the kids that teased me about it also gave me a complex about my WHITE legs. Being of Polish/Scottish/English descent... what else was I gonna be? Reverse discrimination DOES happen. Any "see through" white kid from So. Cal can tell you that. If you don't tan, you're a freak around here. Keep your skin cancer I say! But as a 7 year old, I didn't have that knowledge or confidence to back up such an attitude. I say confidence... but I still refuse to wear shorts/skirts most the time and when I do wear a skirt... you can bet I'm wearing nylons underneath. YUCK! I'm just still uncomfortable showing off my glowing legs.

This one made me laugh. I remember my mom teaching us to do this once on a rainy day. It's a fun game. We were always cracking up before we hit the 3rd circle around.

I saw this third one and immediately became depressed. I want to see this change in Matthew. I want that something so little. Its at times like this where school is so dissatisfying and just dragging along that I get most aggravated. I know I shouldn't be in such a rush... but I had wanted to be a YOUNG mother. I turn 25 next month. That hardly qualifies anymore. *sigh* I think it's especially hard when it seems like everyone I know is having kids.

Pink food

Okay so maybe it's not pink... but anyone that knows my husband's family knows that the #1 topic of discussion in that house is FOOD. Last year my mother-in-law bought me a Kitchen Aid stand mixer for Christmas. All the women in the family own one and they're fantastic! It's in honor of this that I present to you Kitchen Aid's Cook for the Cure campaign. Kitchen Aid is a fantastic brand (MIL owns all their appliances, including a fridge) and if you're in the market for a new mixer, food processor, toaster or blender, please consider buying a pink one. There are also smaller kitchen gadgets listed in their pink line. They've even got a cute silicone heart-shaped cake pan!

Just a click away

Today's link is for The Breast Cancer Site. I go here every day to click on the "magic" button. This button allows money to be donated to the site for each click (one per computer per day) to go towards funding free mammograms for underprivelidged women (because they need to be checked too!). This month all clicks count as double! They're trying to fund 500 exams this month, let's help out! If you happen to think about it... click from your work computer or when you're at a friend's house too!

Because it will affect you

we all need to be aware of this month's message. Every 3 minutes a woman is diagnosed, can we really ignore it? Even men get it. Not only that but all men have a mother and quite possibly a wife, girlfriend, sister, aunt, grandmother or daughter. It's people like Momma Sue that are lost to this disease that bring it to the forefront of the minds of people like me. I want Malia and Heather to tell their girls about what their mother died from as this horrible disease that is no longer a threat, much like my Grandmother used to tell me stories about Polio. This month's posts are dedicated to Sue and my friend Jessica's grandmother who died last December.

This month I'll be linking to awesome sites that will either give great information, raise money for the cure or both. As I go I'll be adding them to my Think Pink section to the right. My Pink Archive will also take you to a quick reference to all my previous Pink posts. If this disease hasn't changed your life yet... it will. I work against it today so that my daughters won't have to.

Today's link is to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Research Foundation. They're the ones that put on the 3-Day walk every year across the country. They're also the ones that co-operate with Yoplait USA every year with the pink lids. They actually do a lot of work with major corporations that help raise money for the cause. Usually it's for things that you would normally buy at the grocery store or do on a regular basis anyway. Please check out their corporate partners section to find out what things they have going on this month and year-round.

I'm so glad I checked Dooce tonight

While I'm in the safety of my own home and in no danger of getting caught due to the fits of laughter I've been emitting for the last 5 minutes. My face is soaked with tears and I can't take it anymore. Granted Heather didn't write my object of humor tonight, but her funny links lead me to 2 different areas to make me say "What the friggin' hell?"

First would be the new Kojak corpse dolls. She refers to her daughter's freakishly ugly dolls a few times (here and here for instance). Her link board had this to say today... "The Butt Ugly Gang! on Flickr If at all possible these dolls are more frightening than the ones in Leta's collection. Proceed with caution. " She wasn't kidding folks. Go through all the photos... and read the comments. I will never look at a tire iron again in the same way.

The second was extremely funny in part... but can be considered offensive. I just want y'all to know that you gotta take this as a joke upon all the lovelies that find images of holy people in toast or their cornflakes.