October. That pink month of football.

 A whole month of men in pink? From football stadium to football stadium? This is what I have to say.
ENOUGH.

We get it. You want us to think you care about women, are socially aware and are behind the movement to find a cure for breast cancer, to provide medical care, and the resources needed, to encourage early diagnosis... blah blah blah.
 According to the article by Amanda Hess that ran in Slate four days ago,

"A Crucial Catch’s annual effort includes stenciling football fields with breast cancer ribbons, recruiting star athletes to don baby pink in commercials supporting the effort, and selling fans on rose-tinted team-branded gear. Some of the proceeds of those sales are donated to the American Cancer Society, but “the league declines to say” the percentage it’s actually forking over—and either way, the apparel conveniently promotes the Giants and the Cowboys (and specifically encourages female investment in those brands) alongside women’s health. One particularly grim stat: Ticketmaster capped its 2012 A Crucial Catch donation at $40,000. That’s just $1 for every woman who died of breast cancer in 2012; one study found that patients with metastatic breast cancer cost the U.S. a combined $12.2 billion annually in direct and indirect costs.

  Read that again, The league decline to say the percentage it's actually forking over.... really??
Truth is- YOU ARE HOGGING THE MONTH, stealing limelight for other charities, lining pockets that, hell, are mink fur and gold lined already.
 And more than that. The pink is annoying, and bothersome. How many plays were missed when we thought that flag was someone's dropped towel?
  My thought is this. Pink does not equal a breast. What about pale hairy men with breast cancer? African American women? Don't make me list all the different kinds, colors, shapes of tits out there. Please, please, email me one if it is hot pink.
 I know, I know. I read all about the ribbon, the color choice, the background ((you can read it here) but what about the other choices how the fashion industry wanted to make a bull's-eye, how someone else suggested the upside down purple ribbon with the tear shape?  You want men to promote and back breast cancer awareness? Maybe we need to have a beautiful healthy breast be the symbol. Hats shaped like boobs. Make your own shirt. Wear your bra on the outside of your blouse. Have men see what a mammogram looks like, how it feels. Send around self- check cards, posters, post the HOW TO in a humorous way. These shirts are better than the ribbons.

 Come on. 

 More than early diagnosis, is the need to educate women on prevention. Healthy eating, exercise and maintaining a low BMI, plus reducing the daily intake of alcohol all play a part in reducing the risk of breast cancer. Europeans have been promoting this type of frontal attack on the disease for years. ( They have a single day of BREAST AWARENESS.)

 I learned more about breast cancer prevention and statistics in a European 3 minute video than I gathered from 16 convoluted pages of American medical literature, where blame was placed on genetics, cigarettes, hormone therapy, radiation in the work place, birth control pills, oh yeah, and some non-conclusive dietary and physical activity habits.

 Give back the pink. 1980 is calling.

 Step up to reality. We want to be taught, not accessorized. 

I'd listen more if one football player told one story each Sunday about his experience with breast cancer.

Especially if he was wearing these.

The Morning After Pill

I have been remiss in my blogging duties. And even worse? I am not doing the 30 days of shoes this November. Oh. Spank me!
No. seriously. Spank me.

I wold like to take this next 22 minutes. Clock set... to catch you up on the stuff that happened... the morning after, the mornings since I've been unblogged. ( that is a word you know)

Let us begin with:

Halloween.

I was a puppet- doll- girl. And my man was the puppet master. He joked that at least one day out of 365 he gets to be the one who pulls my strings.
 I ran out of time to add the gloved strings... maybe next time.

We went to a party, where we got to see people we hadn't seen all summer and some even longer ago than that. I love going to parties of creative people, as I can always get new ideas... and of course, the repartee is so much more interesting.

  There was an evil Capitalist.

Beer in the beer coffin

Yummy treats and some creepy treats too.

Later, the geek gear came out. Queens slappa'd the bass, mon.  While A Mad Hatter played the rock band drums.

We laughed when we heard that people were stopping into the well decorated party house in error... looking for the party down the street.
 I offered one a beer. They left soon afterward, but pointed int he direction of their friend's house.
So of course, I had to go down the street and se what was up.

Hey, a party is a party, right?
Four of us walked a few houses away, following the sound of music. We walked right into this house:
 ( after I checked the mailbox to learn the owner's name)


Upstairs it was empty..




with lots of, ummm... lonely bottles of booze.

 

but in the basement.. a spooky unfinished basement there was a lame party- that we crashed, 

and I am pretty sure they missed us when we left. HAHAHA 

We stole the hostess and brought back to our friend's house so she could meet her cool neighbors. Who knows, maybe next year they will combine parties for double the fun.

The next day, We had our own Halloween. Complete with loads of candy and the required minimum of scaring toddlers.

the dog got to be the evil thing that taunts her daily

All in all a wonderful October.

Where are the best haunted houses?

I'm a summer girl. Always have been. But, for at least a week or two, I love this time of the year.  Fluttering colorful leaves, crisp cool air.  Rainy mornings, chilly evenings. Cuddling in front of a fireplace. Sweaters and boots.  Hot apple pie.
 Okay. Now I'm hungry.

One of the best things about Autumn- besides that word- Autumn. ( I knew a guy once who named his daughter Autumn, and I was all, What will you call her for short, Um?)
 And, hey, isn't it weird that only one season has two names? Hmmm.

At any rate, Fall is here  and I am happy that means the return of THE HAUNTED HOUSE.

 YES.  Netherworld 
The place I mention here and here and here, and talk alot about HERE. And someone will definitely be pissed that I posted this recap here- they already pulled the shirt shot....

 But, still.
 We go.
 And after one special night of screaming, pushing, pulling and shoving which resulted in some torn apparel, we now attend on "purple panty night."

And although the beginning of that description sounds like something you'd see in an exorcism, or a heavy metal concert.. it's just us- a bunch of boring old housewives out for good, clean entertainment.
 Boo!

 If you're not lucky enough to be my neighbor... go to one of these.

2. Bates Motel / Pennhurst Asylum – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, www.thebatesmotel.com.  The Bates Motel is more than just a haunted house.  It’s a major league SCREAM PARK with detailed haunted houses and a massive haunted hayride that’s sure to have you screaming in fear!  Bates Motel is well known for its use of the most amazing pyrotechnics ever included in a haunted hayride.  For 2010, there’s a second reason to fear Philadelphia as Pennhurst Asylum opens its doors to the public as one of the scariest REAL haunted houses in America: www.pennhurstasylum.com

3. The Darkness Haunted House – St. Louis, Missouri, www.scarefest.com. The Darkness is a powerhouse haunted house with Hollywood quality special effects, live actors, hundreds of animations, and amazing set design detailed throughout two floors of fright.  The Darkness is the only haunted house to be featured on Modern Marvels, National Geographic Channel and Travel Channel.  The Darkness has been hailed by many as America's best.  In St. Louis, you’ll also want to visit Creepyworld Haunted Screampark and the all new Lemp Brewery Haunted House.

4.  13th Gate Haunted House – Baton Rouge, Louisiana, www.midnightproduction.com.   13th Gate Haunted House is rated once again as the best haunted house in America two years running by Hauntworld.com.  This haunt has it all!  Not many haunted houses in America have reached this superior level of detail.  Amazing sets, incredible special effects, Hollywood-quality makeup artists, and more transform this location into a massive scream factory!

5. Headless Horseman – Ulster Park, New York, www.headlesshorseman.com.  Headless Horseman is a fearful force not to be reckoned with.  It’s an industry giant and includes one of THE BEST haunted hayrides in America.  The Headless Horseman himself will chase you down and hunt your soul inside this massive scream park of horror nestled on an old eerie farm in Ulster Park, NY.  The landscape provides an authentic Halloween experience that’s sure to terrify all who dare enter.

6. The Beast – Kansas City, Missouri, www.kcbeast.com.  The Beast Haunted House, one of the biggest and best indoor haunted attractions in the nation, spans FIVE FLOORS of fear with set design, ghost illusions, and detail to match the largest big-budget movies.  The Beast is simply a “beast” of a haunted house, packing so much terror into an enormous building large enough for 10 typical haunted houses.  You’ll be asking yourself, “Will this nightmare ever end?”

7. Spookywoods - High Point, North Carolina, www.spookywoods.com.  Spookywoods is MORE than just a haunted house.  It’s an entire scream park of terror including a corn maze, haunted trail, haunted house and even a haunted tram ride.  The Spookywoods location also features one of the biggest daytime Halloween events in the nation.  The Halloween fun includes dino digs, zip lines, pumpkin patches, and so much more.  When night falls, send the kiddies away because the ghouls come out to play…and they don’t play nice at Spookywoods.

8. Erebus Haunted House - Pontiac, Michigan, www.hauntedpontiac.com.  Erebus is the most unique haunted house in America.  Every scene and prop in Erebus haunted house has an animation or special effect to horrify customers into the frights of their lives.  Erebus is also one of America's longest haunted houses once holding the Guinness Book of World Records.  Erebus is a multi-level haunted house with tens of thousands of dollars spent on special effects to bring you the ultimate scare.

9. House of Torment – Austin, Texas, www.houseoftorment.com.  House of Torment (HOT) is a horrific haunted house experience that HauntWorld discovered back in 2008 and featured on the cover of HauntWorld Magazine.  HOT brings you an unmatched, in-your-face FEAR and takes it to new horrific heights with icon monsters, over the top marketing, edgy scenes and blood-curdling screams!

10. Cutting Edge Haunted House - Fort Worth/Dallas Texas, www.CuttingEdgeHauntedHouse.com. Cutting Edge Haunted House is the reigning champion of the Guinness Book of World Records longest haunted house!  Easily described as a never-ending journey through hell, Cutting Edge is located in an eerie old meat packing plant.  Closed down for many years, they’re now processing meat once again…meat of human flesh!  Enter if you dare inside the Dallas area's BEST haunted house.

11. The 13th Floor Haunted House - Denver, Colorado, www.getscared.com.  The most detailed and elaborate haunted house in Denver is The 13th Floor featuring breath taking sets, scenes, special effects, and the SCARIEST monsters on the planet.  The masterminds behind The 13th Floor Haunted House also own two other amazing haunts in Denver, The Asylum and Blood Shed.  When visiting Denver, you must visit all three haunted attractions for the scream of your life!

12. Dent Schoolhouse – Cincinnati, Ohio, www.frightsite.com.  The Dent Schoolhouse is new to our top 13 list, and we’ve discovered a goldmine of FEAR with this one!  The Dent Schoolhouse features incredible story telling, horrific set design, and amazing fright inside one of the creepiest buildings we’ve ever encountered.   Was that a costumed monster or the haunting of a REAL ghost?  You be the judge, if you survive The Dent Schoolhouse

13. Nightmare on the Bayou - Houston, Texas, www.nightmareonthebayou.com.  Nightmare on the Bayou is a terrifying haunted house experience that plays on your every heart-pounding fear.  It’s called a “nightmare” for a reason.  If you escape Nightmare on the Bayou, you’ll also want to visit their massive Halloween costume retail store where you can stock up on all the 2010 must-haves for the Halloween season.  You need it; they got it at Party Boy.

all borrowed from this website: hauntworld.com