Blood Moon ... Mwah ha ha

I first ran across the term "blood moon" when I was researching the history and mythology of the moon. It's a dark and sinister combination of words. You can just imagine all the awful things that might happen during a blood moon, right?

The blood moon AKA hunter's moon AKA falling leaf moon, is the first full moon after the harvest moon, and usually falls in October in the lunar calendar. Naming each month's moon became popular in American folklore, and was attributed to the native population. The blood moon was named so for several reasons. The leaves were falling from trees, the animals were fattened, and it was time to begin storing up meat for long winter (meaning, it was time to decide which animals would be slaughtered). Also, because the fields were harvested and cleared in late September (thus, the harvest moon), hunters could easily see animals that came to scavenge the fallen grains. Because of the looming winter, the blood moon was celebrated, and was traditionally a day of feasting in many Native American tribes.

Apparently, a blood moon can also refer to the red-colored moon often observed during a lunar eclipse. Of course, the reddish hue results from the refraction of sunlight and depends on the amount of dust or clouds in Earth's atmosphere. That being said, there are blood moon prophecies running rampant on the internet due to the fact that there will be four total lunar eclipses in the next 2 years, dated April 15 and October 8, 2014 and April 4 and September 28, 2015, leading some to believe that the apocalypse is coming or some shit. 

I don't know what's going to happen, but I'm sure as hell not gonna worry about it. But it is interesting that as soon as I read about the full moon in October and the blood moon meaning, I started seeing the term everywhere, most recently on an episode of "Sleepy Hollow." So maybe I was hyper-aware of it so I noticed it more, or maybe it was a coincidence, but maybe its that darn collective human subconscious arresting my attention, tempting my fate, and forcing my hand. To what end? As I write this it is still a mystery ... but I can say that last night's blood moon was uneventful, at least for me.

Jess

“And I will show wonders in the heavens, and in the earth, blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.” Joel 2:30-31

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_Moon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_eclipse
http://www.farmersalmanac.com/full-moon-names/
The Bible

Mistborn Trilogy

Seriously ... Brandon Sanderson is a freakin' literary genius. Compared to the wonderful YA drivel I usually read, the Mistborn Trilogy, published between 2006 and 2008, is like reading Shakespeare. 

I usually don't read real fantasy novels. I consider myself a different kind of nerd, but my brother convinced my sister to read it, and my sister convinced me. The books total just over 1000 pages, but it was an investment well worth my time.

I enjoyed reading The Final Empire so much, with its' barren, ash-covered landscapes, terrifying dictator, strange, metal-based abilities and freaky but fascinating creatures that I stopped myself from starting the next installment. I paused for about a week to reflect on what I had read, especially the cataclysmic event that occurs near the ending (I was so not expecting that! You are messed up, Mr. Sanderson.). I started The Well of Ascension when I felt prepared to once again leave reality and dive back into Sanderson's world.

Romance in a story is essential to me, and in this series the romance rates as just a "meh." But it didn't matter. There was some, and Vin, the female protagonist, got to kill his ex. Awesome. More importantly, down with the Lord Ruler and his dogs, the Steel Inquisitors. I hate a predictable story line more than anything, but the twists and turns in the plot of the Mistborn series will surprise you, just as it surprises the characters.

Its amazing to me that one of the criticisms of this trilogy is that everything is wrapped up too well. Every lose end, every side plot, all of it has explanation and closure, wonderful closure. Seriously, how did he do that? He had to have written all three books at once, and then nearly finalized each before publishing the first one. But even if that's true, how did he do that? The forethought, foreshadowing and execution is truly a literary feat. He must have a team of super editors complete with super editor powers and super editor tights working around the clock. That is the only plausible explanation.

Truly, this is one of the best series I have read, ever. It is not to be missed, people. Thanks to my sister for encouraging me to read this series. And thanks to my brother for encouraging her to read it. And your welcome.

Jess

"Belief?"
"Yes," Sazed said. "Tell me, Mistress. What is it that you believe?"
Vin frowned. "What kind of question is that?"
"The most important kind, I think.” 

― Brandon Sanderson, Mistborn: The Final Empire

Linkin' Park

I enjoy angry music. You would assume I enjoy it when I'm angry, but that isn't necessarily the case. I enjoy it pretty much always. Once in awhile I prefer moody, dark music or just plain sad stuff, but generally, I like screaming and self-deprecating laments. This is probably why Linkin' Park is my favorite band ever. They've even topped U2, who, along with Smashing Pumpkins and Nine Inch Nails, was my favorite when I was in high school. I know, I know, my age is showing. I'm old, people. 

Over the years Linkin' Park's musical style has evolved and changed dramatically. The first three albums rock and are filled with anger. In the especially poignant songs, the lyrics center around a very dysfunctional relationship, which resonates with pretty much everyone on the planet. 

Linkin' Park's musical style is, in my opinion, the most successful example of the rock/rap combination. The back and forth dynamic between the Chester Bennington, who sings/screams, and Mike Shinoda, who raps and plays piano, is performed flawlessly and sets them apart from other (and I hate this term) "screamo" bands. 

Their last few albums are much more mellow, which is a sore point for many original fans, but I've enjoyed all their music, and I mean all of it, and I never get tired of it. My children have been indoctrinated as Linkin' Park fans by sheer proximity (they never had a chance). When my twins were babies they had colic, and we would play Meteora to startle them out of their crying so they would go to sleep. More recently, I had Minutes to Midnight in my car CD player for over a year and listened to it each and every time we drove anywhere. 

I have a few favorites of their lesser known songs, one of which is The Little Things Give You Away. The lyrics combined with the melody is heart-wrenching. I also really grew to love the Reanimation CD, which is just a remix of Hybrid Theory, but many of the songs are actually better, which you don't often see with remixes. P5HNG ME A*WY is one.

I've been lucky enough, even though I live at the ends of the Earth, to see them in concert twice, and it was just awesome. By using the word awesome, I'm dating myself again, aren't I? Well, as my mom likes to say, it is what it is. I have no apologies about being a geeky old Linkin' Park fan. 

Jess

P.S. I realized my affinity for angry music is probably why I still rock out to Limp Bizkit. "Break Stuff," "Rollin'" and "My Way" make me oh so happy when then pop up on Pandora.


Everything you say to me
Takes me one step closer to the edge
And I’m about to break
I need a little room to breathe
Cause I’m one step closer to the edge
And I’m about to break
Shut up when I’m talking to you
Shut up, shut up, shut up
Shut up when I’m talking to you
Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up
I’m about to BREAK

-One Step Closer, Hybrid Theory

RANDOM! Odontophobia

As I grow older I have realized that I have a proclivity to suffer from various psychological disorders. I believe the potential to become a raving lunatic at some point in our lives exists in all of us (happy thoughts!). For me, I'm borderline obsessive compulsive about certain things, for instance, the spoons and bowls my children eat cereal out of each morning have to match. Also, when I'm highlighting something, it needs to be a perfect rectangle, or I may throw it away and start over, despite my guilt over wasting paper. Anyway, I don't think I'm there ... yet. Give me 15 years or so and I may be on medication. 

There is a phobia I can say with certainty that I suffer mildly from, and that is odontophobia, the fear of teeth and/or dental procedures. And its really not the dental procedures that bothers me, as one would assume. No, it's actually the teeth. And not teeth in general, but teeth that have fallen out, or are soon to disengage. 

My children love to show me when they have a loose tooth, how it wiggles and bleeds, and it sickens me. Also, they will keep their teeth when they fall out, which leads to the inevitable: a random tooth on the counter, in a drawer, or more recently, under some papers next to my laptop.

I think this fear was awakened when I watched the movie Don't be Afraid of the Dark. Let's be clear: I hate horror movies. I rarely watch them. Ever since I watched Pet Cemetery in 6th grade and had horrifying dreams for months afterward, I know better. But for some reason my husband wanted to watch it, and although I fell asleep after about 15 minutes, it was long enough to witness that the creatures in the house were twisted, evil little versions of the tooth fairy, and demanded the teeth of children. 

Wherever it originated from, I know one thing: it's getting worse as time goes on. So please, keep your teeth to yourselves people. They are dirty and disgusting and make me think of death, and I don't want to have to touch one ever again.

Jess

“Even if one understands that what one is doing is mad, it is indeed still madness.” 

― Guillermo del Toro, The Fall

Hell Girl

Speaking of bizarre stories with no backstory or explanation ... have you seen Hell Girl? The name and the premise drew me to it, and the imagery and music are fantastic, but I became frustrated at the repetitive storylines and lack of continuity or backstory. Thus, I stopped watching after about 20 episodes, but I shouldn’t have.

Jigoku Shōjo, written by Japanese animator Hiroshi Watanabe, is one of those few anime which are actually adapted into a manga, instead of the other way around. The episodes I watched are self-contained short stories in which someone is harassed and/or tormented by one or more antagonists. The issue escalates until it is unbearable for the character, at which point they access the Hell correspondence website, which only appears for those with significant grudges and only at midnight. This is where Ai Enma, the beautiful young girl with bright red eyes makes her entrance. 

Ai will pull the client into a realm of perpetual twilight (apparently in Hell) to discuss the details of the contract. He or she is given a straw doll with a red string wound around its neck. If the string is pulled, Ai and her companions will immediately ferry the offender to Hell, in dramatic fashion, I might add. However, Ms. Ai doesn’t work for free, people. Once the client's life has ended, they too will go to Hell, and a black crest-shaped mark appears on the client's chest to serve as a reminder of what has been lost. 

I’ll admit, it’s sickly satisfying to see deserving people get theirs over and over again, but what is frustrating about this anime is we want to know more. We want to know how a seemingly sweet little girl, Ai, was cursed with this responsibility. We want to know who her three assistants are and why they do what they do. And who is (figuratively) pulling the strings? It must be Satan himself considering he’s getting two souls with one stone in each case. Someone must be in charge of the website, and I don’t think its Granny (old people hate computers) and it definitely isn’t Ai. She’s too busy bathing in a pond, dressing in her kimono and flying off to exact revenge in a small cart pulled by a flaming Wanyudo. If only I had her life. 

As I was writing this, I was also doing some research. It seems like all the answers are revealed in season 2, so I just need to quit whining and keep watching this unique horror anime. Turns out there are 52 episodes I haven’t seen, which in my little otaku world is a veritable gold mine. There’s also a live action series, which is probably pretty cheesy but might be interesting.

FYI someone put up an actual Hell correspondence website if you are looking to damn someone to Hell, and you don’t even have to wait until midnight for it to appear. It even tells who the last person to receive judgment was and when. It’s pretty interesting even if it’s pretty creepy. So don’t cross me people. I have no soul so I have nothing to lose …

http://jigokutsushin.co.nr/ 

J.L. Dodd

While seeking revenge, dig two graves - one for yourself.
- Douglas Horton

RANDOM! Cats are from outer space ...

I had an interesting conversation the other day. Someone told me that in a certain neighborhood in a certain town at a certain time ... all the cats disappeared. Where I live, you would assume that either a mountain lion or a coyote was to blame. But this particular cat exodus just happened to coincide with the most recent Hale Boppe passing. So the theory was that all the cats hopped on the comet and flew away to another planet. 

Of course we all prefer that explanation. Your cat was killed and eaten by a hungry mountain lion! vs. Your cat took off with E.T.! The choice is obvious. We can choose what we want to believe, and that choice may or may not be based on logic. I imagine we do it often without even realizing it. Its amazing how you can train your brain to live in denial.

Anyway, I liked that theory because 1) picture in your mind 15 cats riding on a comet ... awesome, right? Kind of like Nyan Nyan Cat only exponentially greater and 2) it reminded me of a story by H.P. Lovecraft where cats are able to travel to the dark side of the moon on a nightly basis, can converse with a human who is dreaming and will fight against disgusting white moon beasts.The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath is one of Lovecraft's longest stories and is considered one of his most influential, even though it was published posthumously. The amazing cats of Ultear and Randolph Carter's relationship with them was a literary treat. I was totally thrown by this particular arc of the story, in fact, I went around telling my friends and family about the cats and their secret language and their travels to the moon. 

As is typical of Lovecraft, you are given no background and no explanation; you as a reader are forced to believe and just go with whatever nonsense plot he has created. Reading something like that can be frustrating but can also be freeing if you let go and enjoy the ride. Ever since I started writing for myself, its difficult to read something without judging each and every sentence, which takes away from the experience, let me tell you. I didn't used to think about this crap. Who cares if the POV says something stupid and completely out of character? I used to just keep reading without questioning it, but now it causes a complete disconnect from the story. And I get mad. And I get inspired to write something better, which I guess is a good thing (no promises people; these are simply my aspirations at this point). 

Anyway, Lovecraft has no apologies for his cryptic, hard-to-follow and completely brilliant writing. And that is what makes his stories so unique. 

I'm hearing the Nyan Nyan cat song in my head right now ...

Jess

"Then through that star-specked darkness there did come a normal sound. It rolled from the higher hills, and from all the jagged peaks around it was caught up and echoed in a swelling pandaemoniac chorus. It was the midnight yell of the cat, and Carter knew at last that the old village folk were right when they made low guesses about the cryptical realms which are known only to cats, and to which the elders among cats repair by stealth nocturnally, springing from high housetops. Verily, it is to the moon's dark side that they go to leap and gambol on the hills and converse with ancient shadows, and here amidst that column of foetid things Carter heard their homely, friendly cry, and thought of the steep roofs and warm hearths and little lighted windows of home." - H.P. Lovecraft, The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath

YA Super Awesome Series

There are a seemingly infinite number of YA paranormal series out there. Many I've had the pleasure to read were painful struggles akin to bloodletting, but on a positive note, here are a few I enjoyed:

The Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa

The cast and the depth of character building is really what makes these stories great. Meghan, Ash, Puck and Grimalkin will keep you entertained through many crazy adventures. The romance between Meghan and Ash builds slowly and uncertainly, which in a genre full of insta-love pairings, I appreciated. The series gets a little played out after the 3rd book, but I highly recommend it if you are a fan of the fey.

The Trylle Trilogy by Amanda Hocking

This trilogy was one of the first series I read after I bought my Kindle. The paranormal species in question are trolls, which is a little weird. It's hard to imagine attractive trolls. But the story is unique, well written, and best of all, has an unexpected and happy ending.The series has apparently been optioned for a movie, with the screenplay in the works. I also enjoyed Amanda's other works, including My Blood Approves.  

The Celestra Series by Addison Moore

The reviews for these books are pretty harsh. The story revolves around warring factions of angels, each unique in their beliefs and abilities, and of course, one girl caught up in the middle of it. I can't tell you why exactly, but I really enjoyed these books. Okay, so the plot is all over the place and the characters can be annoying. The "dun dun dun!" love triangle gets old quickly, especially after it evolves into a love square. But the twists and turns keep you guessing, and I feel sorry for Skyla, even though she's a bitch, a slut, a crybaby and a murderer. Gage is way too good for her, seriously.

More to come. Happy YA reading!

Jess

“Some books are undeservedly forgotten; none are undeservedly remembered.” 
― W.H. Auden, The Dyer's Hand