Author Archives: mohawkvalleygirl

A Mod Vampire?

Posted on December 17, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Here, at long last, is the post I began some time ago about the cheesy horror movie I saw.  Full disclosure:  some people do not consider Hammer Studios films to be cheesy, but I have made bold to so categorize it for the purposes of this blog post.

Spoiler Alert!  I am probably going to give away most of the salient plot points of Dracula A.D. 1972, so if you have not seen it and like to be surprised at developments, read no further.  Also, if you have seen the movie and liked it, you also might like to read no further, because I not only did not like it, I did not pay a great deal of attention to it, so my write-up is likely to annoy you.

I DVR’d Dracula A.D. 1972 from TCM some time ago and finally got around to watching it on my recent birthday.  I had hopes of getting a blog post out of it, but, well, we’ll see.

I could tell by the title that the movie takes place in what were then modern times (I guess during the ’70s it would have been Mod Times, but that’s neither here nor there), not the pseudo past we often see in horror movies, which usually means the ladies wear long dresses and everybody gets around in horse and carriage.  I like the pseudo past better for a cheesy horror movie.  Perhaps I’ll try to analyze why one of these Lame Post Fridays.

One might ask, “Well, why did you DVR it if you thought you weren’t going to like it?”  That is the flip side of the yahoos that say, “How do you know you won’t like it when you haven’t seen it?” as if I have infinite time to watch every movie ever made! I gave this movie a chance because (1) Hammer Studios, (2) Peter Cushing AND Christopher Lee, (3) they just don’t show that many horror movies I think I am going to like.

I did not completely dislike this one.  I may even watch it again to clear up my confusion on the parts I missed.  In the meantime, I’ll write about what I remember.

The movie opens, as many of these movies do, with a kind of a prologue, showing something that happened long before the events of the movie proper take place.  We see Peter Cushing (Van Helsing) finish off Christopher Lee (Dracula), who almost immediately crumbles into dust or, I guess, ashes. Then we see a henchman-looking guy making off with a vial full of ashes.

I talked about this when I wrote about Dracula Prince of Darkness.  There is no way that guy got all the ashes!  When he reconstitutes that vampire, it is going to be missing something.  In Prince of Darkness it was the power of speech (oh yeah, there was a story that Lee refused to say any of the lines because the dialogue was so badly written.  I like my explanation better).  And so I repeat myself.

Back in “modern” times, the horror action grinds to a complete halt with a wild party scene that goes on and on.  Its purpose, I suppose, it to introduce the group of young people who will fall afoul of Dracula.  A worthy purpose, a very dull scene.  I learned that the kids are wild and their leader is a thoroughgoing jerkface.  If there were any subtleties or further character traits, I missed them.

After fleeing the police (long story), the kids repair to the pub in search of further thrills.  Jerkface proposes a Black Mass.  The kids are down with this, but Satan will have to bring “his own booze, his own bird, and his own pot” (I may have that quote wrong.  Oh well).

As the Main Girl rides home with her Boyfriend, we learn that her grandfather is Van Helsing, presumably offspring or descendant of the guy in the first scene (following the movie tradition that descendants look EXACTLY like their forbears) (really I don’t mind this tradition; it is kind of like movie shorthand) (and makes casting easier).  Boyfriend wants to consult the grandfather about Black Masses and calling up Satan and stuff, but Main Girl demurs.

We meet Peter Cushing briefly in the next scene, but it mainly shows that he has a good relationship with his granddaughter and she is not as wild as the crowd she runs with.  There is no hint of any other family members, another handy arrangement common in fictional settings (oh, I’m sure it happens in real life as well.  Just because I’ve never seen it).

Jerkface goes home and grabs the vial of ashes we saw in the prologue. I never saw any explanation of how he came by the ashes.  A descendant of Henchman?  The same guy, immortal but not as powerful as Dracula?  These are the things I hope to pay more attention to if I ever watch this flick again.

So Dracula gets re-constituted at the Black Mass about 45 minutes into the movie. I made a note of it in the TV Journal but neglected to note when the prologue ended, so I don’t know how long we had to wait for him to return.  I was happy to see him, because I was tired of this gang of miscreants and was ready to see them get picked off as vampire food.

Now here is a question I must look up sometime in Vampires for Dummies:  When does a vampire victim become another vampire and when are they merely a bloodless corpse?  Is it up to the vampire that bites them?  I just mention it in passing.  I have no real problem with bloodless corpses in a movie of this kind.  For one reason, I don’t like to keep track of too many characters.

Speaking of keeping track of characters, have any of you been wondering whatever happened to Peter Cushing?  I was, but no, he doesn’t come back yet.  First we have the rather lengthy Black Mass where Jerkface adds blood and stirs well.  He’s all excited to see Christopher Lee and wants congratulations on a job well done.

“It was my will,” Christopher Lee intones.

I was like, “YOUR will?  How could you will any anything?  Hello, you were ashes!  Get over yourself!”

Well, I heard Christopher Lee had an ego and I’m sure Count Dracula did, too.  I guess that immortal, blood-sucking thing could go to anybody’s head.  And the fact that you CAN be re-constituted from ashes, whether or not you willed it from that state (or were completely there when re-constituted), is a pretty unusual talent.  So I guess I should cut a newly un-dead vampire a break.

Anyways, I had really lost track of the plot by this time, but the police get involved when the first bloodless corpse is discovered.  then Peter Cushing gets involved, because, you know, vampires and his granddaughter being friends with the corpse (before she was a corpse).  The police do not tiresomely dismiss Van Helseing (Cushing) as a crackpot, that hoary cliche, but they don’t jump on board with crucifixes and wooden stakes, either.

It’s really not a bad movie.  I might try to see it again if I get a chance.  I don’t promise to pay more attention, but if I do perhaps I could write a better blog post about it.  In the meantime, I hope at least some of you are pleased that I did not publish yet another post about Why I Can’t Write a Post.

 

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About That Post…

Posted on December 16, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Well, this is SWELL!  There I was, typing in the blog post I had started about a cheesy horror movie and I came to a point I had to look up in the TV Journal (you remember my TV Journal, don’t you?).  It was a mere point about how long into the movie we had to wait for Dracula (oh, should I have included a spoiler alert?).  I knew I had noted it as we watched.

And there in the TV Journal was a whole LOT of commentary I wrote while I watched.  I remember now thinking I could use some of that stuff in a blog post if I wrote one.  I had, of course, forgotten about it when I sat at work writing what I remembered.  NOW what shall I do?  What if the stuff I wrote in the TV Journal was better than the stuff I wrote at work?  Obviously I need to work some more on this post.

If only, if only I had finished the other post I started yesterday.  But I’m still bogged down.  Instead I started another post, which also got bogged down.  Are you sensing a pattern here?  I am SO MUCH BETTER at starting things than at finishing them!  I know, the only thing to do is start finishing things.

However, today is Tired Tuesday, and it really, truly is.  I know, I’m tired every day. It is very, dare I say, tiresome, and it doesn’t help that I am a big, fat baby about these things (see, at least I admit that much).

So I guess this is another post about Not Writing.  At least, I WAS writing, so perhaps a post about not finishing.  How embarrassing.  But apparently not too embarrassing to hit Publish. Hope to see you all on Wuss-out Wednesday.

 

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Are Cuff Links the Same Thing as Cuff Buttons?

Posted on December 15, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Well, this is what happened to me today.  I opened my notebook (my paper, spiral-bound notebook; I was on a break at work) and found a blog post I wrote last month about a cheesy horror movie I had seen.  Of course I read it (I like to read my own writing, although I feel rather conceited that I do).  It was OK. I could use this.

Today’s blog post taken care of (so I thought), I turned a few pages (I had written other things in that notebook besides the movie write-up) and began a post about some fun in Little Falls Steven and I had on Saturday.  That was going pretty good, too, till I got a little bogged down.  No matter,  I told myself, this is Tuesday’s post well started and I can just use the movie post for today.

When I got home I briefly considered typing an off-the-cuff Monday Mental Meanderings just because I was so tired (it is Monday, after all).  Then I told myself to not be such a bum and start typing.  I got my notebook, found the movie post, and started typing.

Boy, do I write a lot about those cheesy horror movies!  I got tired of typing real quick but kept going.  Till I got even more tired.  Then I looked at how much more I had to type.  No way!  Why knew I was that prolific?

What now?  Type in what I have on the Little Falls post and finish that?   I’m not up for it.  I should have gone with the off the cuff post to begin with, because, to be honest, by this time I have nothing on my cuffs.  I probably never did.  Where did that expression come from, anyways, “off the cuff”?  Is that from when cuffs were separate pieces that got attached to shirts with cuff-links or cuff-buttons and people wrote notes to themselves on them?  Did people write notes to themselves on their cuffs?  It sounds like a handy spot.

Oh, will you look at that?  I just had an authentic Mental Meandering and it’s still Monday.  I declare this post done.

 

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That Street with the M

Posted on December 13, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

How about a Sunday Running Commentary?  For one reason, I can get it posted now and then get on with my Sunday, during which I should be getting a LOT of things done.  Oh dear, I’m feeling wrist-to-foreheady already.  Never mind, just get on with the post.

I didn’t run yesterday or Friday, so I really wanted to run today.  Mostly, of course, I wanted to stay in bed, but Steven was getting up so I thought I might as well get out there.  It was 49 degrees according to my thermostat, a perfectly good temperature for shorts and t-shirt.  I wore an ARMY t-shirt with a reflective doo-dah on the back, because the sun was not all the way up.  Safety first for Mohawk Valley Girl.  I mostly stay on the sidewalk anyways.

As I set out I thought briefly about running up the hill to Herkimer College (which I prefer to call HCCC) (pronounced H Triple C).  It is a big, impressive hill I like to run up at least once a week when I am in shape for it.  I do not believe I am currently in shape for it,  but maybe I could get into shape for it by doing it.  It would be nice to post on Facebook that I ran up the hill to HCCC.

I thought that I would like to do it before the end of 2015.  That gave me a little leeway, didn’t it?  I didn’t have to do it today, did I?  My problem was how long I’ve been running lately.  My longest time since I’ve been running again is 31 minutes.  I try to increase by a mere 10 percent each week.  That only put me to 34 minutes this week.  Could I get up that hill and back down in 34 minutes?  Perhaps, but only if I turned around and came back the way I came.  I like to run back down the back way.

Having talked myself out of that route, I decided to do my other Sunday run, up the hill by Valley Health, then to the high school, over a little bridge, then down and up streets till I got home.  I had done this run last week one day but not gone up and down the streets, because it would take too long.  Now I was running for a longer time. I could rock this.

The first street you come to after crossing the little bridge by the high school really seems more like a parking lot next to some athletic fields.  However, it is a real street called Frederick Street.  I took special note of the street sign this time.  Now I could run up Graham, down…  oh crap, what was the name of that street?

How dumb of a brain fart was this?  I run these streets ALL THE TIME!  I walk them, I drive them, for heaven’s sake, I live in this town!  The street begins with an M. I knew it began with an M.  I thought it was Marion.  Why did “Marion” all of a sudden not sound right?  I knew it wasn’t Mary, that was somewhere else.  Of course it wasn’t Margaret, Margaret was between Caroline and Henry.

So I had to go all the way down Frederick and up Graham before I could confirm that it was indeed Marion Street.  At the rate I run, that is a long time to feel stupid for not remembering the name of a street you’ve been running and walking on for over ten years.  On the other hand, I thought, I could put it in my blog post.  That would even give me a title.

Another good thing, pondering about the name of the street took my mind off how tired I felt while running. Full disclosure:  I drank red wine and stayed up late watching Christmas movies Saturday night.  In my defense, I was having a lovely evening with my husband.  And I did not let it keep me from running on Sunday.  Oh dear, I just remembered that last Sunday I was lamenting drinking wine and staying up late watching Christmas movies.  Is this what I’m going to do on the weekends now?

Well, what if it is?  I daresay many people drink wine, watch Christmas movies and go running the next morning.  I don’t suppose many of them forget the names of streets they are perfectly familiar with, but you know me, I just have to be different.

In any case, I ended up running 36 minutes, increasing my time more than the recommended 10 percent, but I don’t imagine it did me any harm.  I’ll go for the hill up to HCCC next Sunday, maybe even sooner if I get ambitious.

 

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I Didn’t Miss the Bus!

Posted on December 13, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

I had an adventure-filled day, but instead of my usual Scattered Saturday, I am going to tell you of one small thing we did.  It was a charitable endeavor, so that may seem like I’m being all, “Look how great I am!”  but I hope you all know that is not the case.  And if you think it is, oh well, that says more about you than about me (what it says I shall save for the half-baked philosophy portion of some future Lame Post Friday).

Where was I?

A year or two ago I won some Matchbox cars at a Chinese auction to benefit something or other (it may have been 4 Pets Sake, because I think it was at Mohawk Antiques Mall). It was a nice stocking full of little cars.  I used the stocking for somebody else’s Christmas present and pondered what to do with the cars.  Both Steven and I thought it would be a good idea to donate them to one of the groups gathering toys for needy children.

Do you suppose we could find a collection box that was still there when we remembered to bring the cars?  Of course not!  We would notice in the paper where they were doing Stuff the Bus in some parking lot or other, make ourselves a note, then either completely forget about it or have something else come up.

Today when we set out for our various destinations, Steven mentioned that Stuff the Bus was supposed to be at K-Mart.  Since we were headed toward Little Falls, we went that way out of town so as to go right by it.  We remembered to put the cars in our vehicle.   First there was a little discussion as to whether we should leave them in the Halloween bag we had put them in when we took them out of the stocking we won them in.   I wanted to keep the Halloween bag (it was the cloth re-usable kind), so Steven found a nice thick Stewart’s bag (is that uninteresting detail or the sort of minutia that adds color to the story?  No matter, I’m leaving it in).

We slowed down as we approached K-Mart.  No bus was present.  I saw a white panel van (the kind they tell you to avoid in parking lots on a dark night).  I felt sure the stuffable bus would have a big sign or something.  We drove on.

As we left Little Falls, going down 5S this time, Steven suggested we take the South Washington Bridge and look at K-Mart again.  I pulled right into the parking lot, because somebody was right behind us.  There was a school bus, all decorated and Christmasy!  Yay!

The parking lot was crowded, as parking lots are apt to be this time of year, but we did not mind taking a short walk.  A nice lady in a Santa hat took our Stewart’s bag.

“We’ve been holding these cars for two years,” I told her.  “And I keep missing the bus!”

“No, don’t miss the bus!” another lady said.  We all laughed, just like on a TV show.

As we walked away Steven said it did his heart good.  I have some other things around my house I need to give away, most notably some scarves I’ve knitted that are piling up. I must become more proactive in seeking out opportunities to do so.

Merry Christmas and Happy Saturday,  everybody!

 

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Is Lame Post Friday Really a Thing?

Posted on December 12, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Points to ponder:

Why is it a “spork” and not a “foon”?

Why is it “workaholic” and not “workic”?  After all, an alcoholic is addicted to alcohol.  Nobody is addicted to workahol. Workahol is not even a thing and if it is a thing, it is only because some smart ass made it up to prove didactic types like me wrong.

Hmmm…. the only other points I have are serious ones and I am just not up to making any serious points today.  Still,when one does a post like this, one likes to give three examples (one being me).

Oh, here’s one:  Why do people say, “It goes without saying” and then go right ahead and say it?  Sometimes when there is a lull in the conversation I say, “It goes without saying” and let it hang.

I wonder if this is 200 words.  I’m writing it in a spiral notebook while on break at work and I am disinclined to count the words myself.  Hmm… not up to making serious points, disinclined to count words, hoping I’m done with the post already… It must be Lame Post Friday!

But you already knew that.

Anyways, I am now sitting at my acer typing, and it is not quite 200 words.  Additionally, I am a little afraid I have made some of these ponderable points before.  And apparently “ponderable” is not even a word.  Let us ponder that linguistic tidbit for a while.

Happy Friday, everyone.

 

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In Fact, Almost 300 Words

Posted on December 11, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

Well, this isn’t too bad after all.  I had a silly post on Monday, a Running Commentary on Tuesday, and a shout-out to a local business on Wednesday.  I can get away with a Non-Sequitur Thursday post today.  Oh who am I kidding?  I post as much foolishness as I write and rarely worry about getting away with anything.  I type, people read.  It is most convenient.  At least, I hope people read.

I went running again today but for once did not narrate in my head as I ran.  I had a headache all day with nausea in the afternoon and almost talked myself out of running.  The nausea had passed by the end of the day, and I can usually run with a headache.  I whined to a couple of co-workers that I didn’t want to go running.  Then one fellow expressed great admiration for my running.

“I don’t know how you run,” he said.

“Slowly and not very often,” I confessed.

“I wish I could run.”  Asthma prevents him.  After that it felt churlish not to run.  Additionally, the weather was unseasonably warm.  I could wear shorts and short sleeves.  Score!

But I didn’t mean to write a running commentary.  I see that in a previous paragraph I also complained about my aches and pains.  I did not mean to do that either.  Oh, I know, that is why they make the backspace and delete buttons.   But then  it would be a much shorter blog post.

Would that be such a bad thing, you may ask.  Possibly not.  My inner critic would agree, but I try not to listen to that bitch.  No matter.  I am well over 200 words, so I’m going to slap on a snappy title and call it a day.  Happy Thursday, everyone.

 

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Another Cool Place to Shop

Posted on December 10, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

One of Steven’s and my stops on Shop Small Saturday (oh dear, was that almost two weeks ago?  How the time flies!) was Fall Hill Bead and Gems.  What a fun place to look around!

Jewelry is one of my magnets, as a friend once observed. I especially like unusual pieces.  At Fall Hill you can not only find unusual pieces: they sell all the materials needed for you to make your own.  I have personally never made my own jewelry but looking at all the different beads available I’m wondering if I ought to give it a try.

As Steven and I walked around admiring, I started thinking about all my family and friends who would love this store:  this one loves jewelry, that one is interested in the healing properties of gemstones, another one makes jewelry.  I mentioned a few of them to Kim Hergert, the proprietor.  She asked which category I was in.

“I like unusual stores,” I said.

“I just like cool stuff,”  Kim said.  I asked if I could quote her, and she graciously gave permission.

We purchased a small gift bag made out of some unusual material and a rough Little Falls diamond.  Kim told us the bag was half silk half paper.

“I don’t know if they feed the silk worms paper pulp and they poop it out or what,” she said.  It was a fun stop.  I intend to return soon, possibly with family or friends to introduce to a really cool place.

Fall Bead and Gems is located at 32 W. Main St., Little Falls, NY, phone number 315-823-0454. You can Like them on Facebook.

 

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Now I’m Tired

Posted on December 9, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

I know you’re all waiting for a Tired Tuesday post in which I once again lament my inability to compose a real post.  However, I’m going to switch things up and offer a Running Commentary.  Did I mention that I went running on Wrist to Forehead Sunday?  Well I went running today (Tuesday) as well, and I’m feeling just a little pleased with myself over it.

The lying sacks — uh, I mean the forecasters who are only human and not omniscient after all —  that predict the weather told us last week that it was going to be warmer this week.  Each day the warm temperatures seem to move a day further away, reminding me of the signs you sometimes see in bars that say, “Free beer tomorrow.”   Of course tomorrow never comes.  Well, yesterday I said I would run tomorrow and that’s today and I did, so there.

It was a little colder than I like for running but I didn’t think it would be too bad.  I found leggings and a long-sleeved t-shirt.  I already knew where my toque was, because I had worn it to work.  I felt a little bad-ass going to work this morning in a short-sleeved t-shirt, regular sweatshirt and my toque.  I figure I’ll add the insulated sweatshirt when the temperature drops below 20.

I didn’t even try to talk myself out of running, and I did not employ any delaying tactics either.  It was shortly after four when I set out.  I foresightedly put a bottle of water and a sweatshirt on my back deck for use during my cool-down walk (my computer seems to think that foresightedly is not a word, but I thought it was).  I ran up to German Street and turned right, because I had turned left on Sunday.

Sunday when I ran it was still dark out, with the sun about to come up.  That is one of my favorite times to run.. You start in the dark and finish in the light.  Today the sun had not exactly set but had gone behind the mountains.  It was still light but grey.  Sometime after eight this morning when I left work to drive to an appointment in New Hartford it was almost dark.  I don’t mind a gloomy day.

Running did not seem too difficult at first, even after working a ten hour day (minus the time I was at my appointment, of course) (oh, maybe that was why running wasn’t too difficult, you think?).  I had thought earlier about running up a hill somewhere (there aren’t that many possibilities near where I live), but decided to take it easy.  I further decided that I would not to run too far.  This was strictly a mind-week maintenance run.  Anything over 20 minutes would be OK.  Even exactly 20 minutes would be acceptable.

I turned down Main Street, which I had not meant to do, but cars were turning and it was easier if I turned too.  Main Street is always interesting.  The new place that sells Greek gyros is open.  I’ll have to check that out.  I love gyros, although I believe I pronounce the word incorrectly.  They also offer souvlaki.  That I know how to say.

All the way down Main I went then took a right onto Albany Street.  Was I getting tired?  A little, but not too bad.  I didn’t think would go a lot over 20 but maybe some.  A few minutes.  There was no point in killing myself.  For one thing, I still had to write a blog post about it.

I admired plenty of Christmas decorations as I ran.  Not many lights were on yet, but I saw a lot of greenery and garland.  One window box sported a banner that read, “It’s Time for Christmas.”   And so it is.  I must get cards sent out and start working on presents.   Well, yes, I believe I did say that most of my friends and family are on the naughty list, as of course am I.  That has not kept any of us from receiving presents in previous years.

I ended up running 25 minutes by virtue of going by the house to the corner and back.  I was quite tired of running by then but decided to push myself just a little.  It didn’t kill me.  Apparently it has not even kept me from composing a fairly lengthy post about it, although I know I’m missing a few bon mots I thought of while I was running.  No matter.  If they were any good, they’ll come back to me for use another time.

 

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More Nonsense on a Monday

Posted on December 8, 2015 by mohawkvalleygirl

So there I was, without a blog post.  This is not an unusual situation for me, as regular readers know (if I still have any after all these lame posts).  Earlier today I thought I remembered something I had written for Mohawk Valley Living magazine which they had not used.  I could post that!

First I thought I had better check if I had posted about that subject before.  Sometimes for Mohawk Valley Living I combine or modify blog posts.  Um, yes, that is what I did this time.  That idea down the drain.

Well, Steven and I had dinner at Sorrento’s in Ilion last night.  Surely another shout-out to a local eatery would be acceptable.  I searched my posts to see how many times I had written about Sorrento’s.  Turns out to be a lot.  That really shouldn’t matter.  I give multiple shout-outs to lots of businesses.

Unfortunately my Writer’s Block or Blank for what have you continues.  Could I overcome my resistance and write it anyways?  Or should I give it up and write about not being able to write?  I searched my posts for ones about not writing.  Holy crap, what a lot of posts!  How embarrassing!  What kind of a writer am I, anyways?  I clicked on one and read it.

You know, it really wasn’t too bad.  And it got a few comments from other bloggers who liked it.  I started thinking about how some bloggers re-post old posts when they don’t have a post for the day.  Why couldn’t I do that?

I don’t know why, but the fact is I can’t.  I can, however, type in almost 300 words of this nonsense, remarkably similar to other nonsensical posts I have published.  I wonder if months from now I will look back at this post and think, “Why, that’s not too bad.”  I have this sinking suspicion I will not.

 

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