Well we had a very subdued, but fun Halloween this year at Casa de Solberg. Our jello brain mold didn't quite hold together this year -- more like roadkill jello -- and our Halloween cupcake decorating got sidetracked by watching Steven King's 1408 all the while cooking and handing out candy the little ghoulies and ghosties and mystery costumers who rang the bell.

Some of the main participants included BM, MM, RM, JJ, RS and NS, plus Coltrane, Coperinicus and Lula. You can probably guess which one I am -- two by two, hands of blue.



Mind you, the turn-out was mighty low so I'm guessing with all the evangelicals and H1N1 scaring people, Halloween is only for the true diehards this year. Regardless, it was a fun Halloween. ;-)

Okay, so I was just joking about 999 being 1.5 times the number of the beast (or 666 upside down), but apparently a Bolivian didn't get the memo in Mexico. Jose, please understand it's all just entertainment when we say it's the number of the beast. I know some folks who take the Book of Revelation as fact might not see it as entertainment, but I digress. At least it ended without major incident. Now send that man off to Cancun for some real debautury and fun... since he's going to hell for that little hijacking stunt anyhow. The beast is the little worm at the bottom of that bottle Jose... fear it!

On the lighter side of 999, I'm pleased to say that if the beast arrived today and the dark days have begun, it's not in my neck of the woods. I'm not saying it's all roses and cherries where I live, but the only hell I see is my daily job -- okay, so I have a job, but sometimes it's still hell. Does the beast offer full health bennies, a holiday bonus, and perhaps travel expenses? If so, given that I've never had those, sign me up for a little 999 action.

So, with 999 upon us, the only thing I really need to do to celebrate this innocuous coincidence of numbers/dates is go see Tim Burton's 9. Now that promises to be a bleak spectacle filled with adventure.

See you all in 9.10.9, since 999 seems to be a little wimpy -- perhaps he/she/it forgot to eat its Wheaties! Mwhahahahaa! Shhhhh, Damien, it's time to go to bed. No one believes your little "fear me" routine anymore.

My wonderfully talented cousin has landed herself in George Canyon's latest music video, Let it out, as the struggling mom/wife. Go get 'em Meika!

Day Three on the race towards the dark rise of 999. While riding my motorcycle en route to Oakland, CA I encountered the rise or 3 metal demons who tried to stop me from reaching my destination alive -- damn their radiator grills I say, damn them! Surely such madness can only be a sign of what's to come.*

* Of course dodging cars driven by oblivious morons is the daily norm, but in light of 999's impending arrival, it must be foreshadowing of the most insidious kind. Mwhahahaha!

My 999 countdown to the apocalypse continues...

DAY TWO: A disembodied spirit from the past has suddenly called, while another seems to be lurking in the shadows!*

* Mind you, that internet investigative search for them had nothing to do with it. Spooky!

Ah, horror fans rejoice if you're fans of the Omen saga. If 333 is half the sign of the devil, then the sign of the devil times 1.5 is just around the corner -- that's 999 for you math and Omen impaired.

I wonder what little Damien Thorn is up to next Wednesday? I guess, I'll have to do a countdown to next week's apocalypse STARTING NOW.

DAY ONE: I found 8 buzzing flies on the inside window sill this morning. Surely that can't be natural.*

* Never mind the window being slightly ajar... it's gotta be supernatural. ;-)

To my great surprise, my sister-in-law and brother-in-law sent me a surprise gift: the new Batman Arkham Asylum collectors edition. It came with all the Dark Knight's goodness, including a batarang and asylum diary.

Thank you Lena for the gift and Bob for dropping it off. Now it's time to go collect that Joker!!!

Sweet deal! This weekend only (as in July 17-19), the entire Penumbra series has been repackaged as one download and is just $5 fricken dollars. That's a LOT of great horror for less than a pint-o-blood. Don't miss it.

Check it out Mac/Linux gamers.

In my last post (boy have I been lax), I said I couldn't wait to see the Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In. I got my chance this weekend at our local Crest Theater. Suffice to say it lived up to all the hype. Great mood, acting and story. Check it out if you get the chance... just remember, it's not an American action film, so it moves at a different pace.

Not being a BitTorrent junkie who "acquires" films through alternate means, I haven't yet seen the movie I really wanted to see in 2008, which is called Let the Right One In in english. It's supposedly a very original Swedish vampire tale. Can't wait for it arrive in my NetFlix box sometime in 2009 for one of our mandatory horror/sci-fi movie nights. Here's a preview:

It's been too damned long since I've posted, but in the spirit of Samhain/Halloween, I found that someone had done a nice cosmic slideshow to one of my favorite dark ambient songs ever – Lustmord's Blackstar.