Finally Adressing the Dark Knight Massacre

Hey, guys. I know it's been over a year since I've posted here, and that's mostly because I've been too distracted by other projects. But tomorrow will be the one month anniversary of the Dark Knight massacre in Aurora, CO, and after watching the episode of Spoilers with Kevin Smith where he gathers together his group of friends together to talk through the tragedy, I felt a rush of feelings about it that I didn't allow myself to feel as it was happening. I feel like I owe it to myself to talk through those and put in my two cents as a person who loves superheros and loves movies and loves humans.

I watched aghast from the sidelines, gathering up all the stories I could find about the victims, the survivors, and the crazy man who tried to ruin the movies. I watched for the bright spots, the men who sacrificed their lives trying to lead others to safety, or shielding their loved ones. They gave me hope that maybe superheros are everywhere, waiting to be called. But I haven't gone back to the movies yet.

I remember being so excited when The Dark Knight came out. I had just started working a new summer job and I was out with my friend to see the midnight showing. When we got to the theatre, all the tickets for midnight were sold out, but there were so many people who didn't get tickets, the theatre decided to have another showing at 3 am. So we bought tickets and waited. I called my mom and told her I probably wouldn't be back home until dawn.

To me, this movie would be a form of closure. Growing up, I was in love with Heath Ledger. I absolutely loved him, and when he died shortly after making The Dark Knight movie, I was crushed. I needed to see him and accept that this was the last movie he would ever complete.

Movies have always been like therapy to me. Getting lost in a story that teams of thousands of people built around nothing but words is a cleansing, life-affirming experience to me.

So naturally, when The Dark Knight Rises was announced, I got excited again. I wanted to hear the rest of the story. I knew I couldn't go to the midnight showing, but I had made plans to go see the movie that weekend with my partner.

Then on Friday morning, I read the news that something bad had happened. That's when I began consuming all the news I could grab about it. Each story was more wrenching than the last, because each of the victims were just like me. They loved superheros and movies and went out to celebrate a new piece of art with people they loved. It was incredibly scary. The movies are supposed to be a safe place where you can escape these kinds of horrors. They're a kind of sanctuary. My church meets in a movie theatre for goodness sake. A theatre is a place where naturally, I feel at home and safe. Thousands of people are the same way. How dare somebody try and take that away from us?

Movies are so important to our culture. They illustrate our society in ways the news will never be able to. They're mirrors and time capsules and mouthpieces for our culture. They are very, very important, and sometimes people forget how important they are. So I'm going to stop being afraid and go watch a movie.

Love,
MM

Not-So-Happy Stuff :(

Dear Spookies,

Up til now, I haven't acted very "Gothy". At least not since I got over myself after my freshman year of college. My former blog (buried in the annals of the internet on a website called "DeadJournal".... I was far too dark and brood-y to have a LiveJournal like everyone else) can attest to the doomy-gloomy teenager I used to be.

A cocktail of meds and years of therapy have done wonders for me. But occasionally I still get really really REALLY SAD.

This is one of those really really sad times, Spookies. Every so once in a while, I get overwhelmed by life and it makes day-to-day life seem like an insurmountable chore.

Near the end of January, I lost my uncle Smokey, who was like a father to my mom (she called him her "chosen father"). I have bill collectors calling me 7 times a day about a credit card I got in order to pay my (now deceased) cat's medical bills. A good friend and fellow Toy Soldier died a few days ago as well. I hate the people I have to work with and the corporate nonsense I have to endure for not nearly enough pay. I've been suddenly given a deadline to finish my degree, otherwise I'm going to lose most (if not all) of the credits I've earned over the past 4 years. My roommate and I are having a bit of a difficult time seeing eye to eye on ANYTHING. And I miss my ex-boyfriend. All of these things are making me feel guilty and angry and ultimately, pretty helpless.

When my life is in such upheaval, it's hard for me to trust that things will change and that everything is going to get better. I know it will get better. It always does. I wish I was one of those people who was able to just brace themselves and run headfirst into their problems. Tackle it and piece by piece get it done. I'm stuck on the big picture, and it's pretty scary-looking. And when I idle like this, people get impatient. I can't blame them. They're basically forced to watch someone self-destruct right in front of them. Which can't be pretty.

I think I need to go in and get re-evaluated. My brain is not okay. Normal people should be able to process grief and anger and sadness. I need to quit avoiding stuff. I need to do my taxes. I need to grow confident in my new relationship. But first, I think I need some motivation. Now where to find some of that.....

Love Forever,
Miss Manic

Endings and Beginnings

Spookies, I have some bad news.

Well I suppose it's both good and bad news. Beau and I are no longer a couple. The breakup was initiated by me, and involved a host of factors influencing my decision. I believe I did the right thing, but that does not mean that I don't feel bad, guilty and depressed over it. I'd rather not go into details here in this blog, but trust that we will both be better off for having separated. I'm sure of it.

I just have to keep telling myself that.

In other news, I've become completely wrapped up in Toy Soldier-ish things. Ugly, the famous uglydoll came and spent Christmas with me (and also my first Hanukkah!). I've also initiated a contest for the design of the new #6800 logo, entered a Toy Soldier quilt block exchange, and spearheaded my very first mission, which will take place next weekend. Busy me! I suppose busy is better than the alternative, though.

Sorry I don't have much more to write, Spookies. Hopefully I'll have a longer entry for you all soon, but in the meantime: LOVE.

-Miss Manic

Post-Halloween Blahs

Hello, Spookies.

I wish I had the post I intended to give you all today. Unfortunately, paying rent outweighs sampling the local haunts, and I was not able to gather nearly as much information as I had originally planned.

However, I did have the opportunity to visit Cedar Point's Halloweekends with a small group of Toy Soldiers. It was a great time, and I really enjoyed visiting with my Toy Soldier friends. Hopefully I'll get to see my friends in the #6800 and #614 divisions again very soon.

Love,
Miss Manic

Halloween Pre-Party

Spookies!

I am so sorry for having abandoned you! I hope we can still be friends. I have so much to tell you.

The reasons for my three months to the day absence from this blog are many, but I will spare you the more boring details. The more exciting ones, however....

I am thrilled to tell you all that I have moved again! No, I am no longer living in southern Ohio, thank goodness. Though I am still going to school, I have opted to take the remainder of my classes online to avoid.... well, to avoid southern Ohio. I declare myself forevermore a city dweller.

Anyway, getting back to the good news, I have moved! And I am gainfully employed! I am quite excited about my new living situation, even if it did not turn out as I had originally hoped. My intentions were to move in with my Beau, but extenuating circumstances prevented that, and I have instead found myself an apartment with my very old friend, Ben. Originally, I was very concerned about moving in with Ben, as we are quite the odd couple. He is very organized, I have yet to unpack my boxes. He wakes up just as I am about to go to bed. I love me some veggies, he believes that lettuce is an invention of the devil. You get the picture. Somehow, a month in, we have survived with minimal bickering. Which is fantastic.

I have also gotten a job at (are you ready) the Halloween store (oh, shock!) up the street, which is proving to be a lot more fun than I had anticipated. On top of that job, just this past afternoon, I also became hired at the craft store, which I am certain will quickly become a device to further excuse my crippling addiction to fabric. We all need our vices, true?

As far as news on the Gothic front, it's almost Halloween! I am attempting to decorate the apartment with loads of spooky stuff, and agonizing over whether or not throwing a Halloween party in our new place is a good idea. I vote no and roommate votes yes, but we both have quite different ideas of what a party is. We'll see what happens. Also, since my roommate and I are both HUGE Halloween fanatics, we are planning a state-wide tour of some famous and not-so-famous haunts. Our first attempt fell flat on it's face, but we plan to continue our hunt for the best haunt in Ohio tomorrow night with Columbus's very own Scare-a-Torium at the corner of 161 and Karl Road. I have not heard much about it, but I do hope that it lives up to all the hype they've been putting out.

Our ratings scale will go as follows, with a score from 1 to 5, with 5 being the best:

~Price (parking/admission)
~Wait time
~Ambiance (outside/inside haunt)
~Special effects, Props
~Quality of characters
~Scariness
~Overall

On our list to be reviewed are The Scare-a-Torium, the Haunted Hoochie at Dead Acres, TerrorFest, Ohio State Reformatory, and the Haunted Cave at Lewisburg (Also, POSSIBLY the Dent School House and Ghostly Manor). Each has either won awards for spookiness, or label themselves as "Ohio's _____ Haunt". I am extremely excited to share the results with you all, not only for your reference, but for my own enjoyment as well! I look quite forward to it, Spookies.

Love,
Miss Manic!

Gothic for Life: a reflection

Dear Spookies,

So maybe this should have been my introduction post, but there's something to be said for inspiration, isn't there? I've recently been re-watching episodes of the 2004 Sci Fi channel reality show "Mad Mad House" which first ran on television when I was 16 or so.

I could not miss an episode of this show, I adored it. I fell in love with the "Alts", the alternative people who hosted the show, and I wanted to be more like them. Especially Don, the Vampire and Fiona, the Witch. I hated the house guests. Not only because they were out to fool these Alts, but because they felt like they didn't have to be open minded. Somehow I felt offended on a personal level when the house guests refused to participate in demonstrations by the Alts, because I would have been so happy to be there and learn from all of them.

Cheesy as it might sound, I think that show was a final realization that I was going to be Gothic forever. I had never seen an adult Gothic person before, and that sort of made me fall in love with Don the Vampire. He was everything a Gothic man should be in my eyes. He was well dressed, pale, handsome, slept in a coffin.... of course my vision has broadened a bit after I realized how impractical being that pale is unless you actually are nocturnal.

In re-watching the series, there was a particular segment where two of the Alts (Don and Art, probably the two most extreme looking) and a few of the house guests went to the grocery store to pick up some things. People laughed, pointed and one woman even confronted Art about how he looked like a demon. One of the house guests spoke up to the woman who said this saying "if you knew this man, you'd know that he has a bigger heart than any one of us". Which really spoke to me as to how accepting alternative people in general are. Truly, we don't have the easiest lives by choosing to look the way we do. Perhaps we truly are big-hearted, or maybe we're just gluttons for punishment. Either way, we alternative folks don't generally shut out the badness of the world just because of a few mean people, and we generally don't treat eachother badly either. We're just generally kind, and I think that's pretty cool.

Rambling aside, that show made me realize that my "dressing Goth" wasn't necessarily a childhood phase, but more importantly, that it didn't HAVE to be. My parents might have worried about my baggy black pants and corsets and lectured me that one day I'd have to "grow up" in order to be an effective member of society, but now that I'm an adult (and my clothing tastes are a bit more refined/age appropriate), they.... still don't LOVE it. But they understand that it's a style of dress that makes me comfortable and feel most like myself, just like they would feel at home in sweatpants and a t-shirt.

Maybe 22 is a bit early to be making judgements about the rest of my life, but I feel pretty confident that I would be very bored in the mainstream. I can see myself as a cranky eldergoth one day, still handing out sanctimonious advice from my high horse about "back in the day", and I don't know if I would have come to this realization had it not been for that silly little reality show.

LOVE LOVE LOVE!
Miss Manic

Delayed Reviews

Hello there, Spookies!

I've been dragging my feet on this update for a month, and I feel absolutely awful about it. Truthfully, my Spookies, my mind has not been clear enough lately to post. Life has been quite difficult for me lately, and I've had to momentarily put some things on the shelf while figuring some things out. Having said that, things are looking up, and I am making some positive steps towards the future. Pray for the best, my friends.

Now! I promised you all some reviews. The first thing I'd like to tell you all about is my visit to the brand new Outland location, and the Voltaire concert I saw there. All I have to say about Outland is that it is FANTASTIC. It's decorated with elements of style ranging from 1980's glamour to Victorian Gothic. Somehow all aesthetics come together in a delightfully eclectic and fashionable mish-mash. It is spacious without feeling empty, and provides plenty of secluded corners for couples to sneak off and have a snuggle between songs.

As for the Voltaire show.... it was an event, Spookies. Many people know Voltaire as a friendly and quick-witted individual who enjoys sharing conversations with his fans. That evening was no exception, and I had the opportunity to enjoy the presence of Voltaire's company among some new friends.

Immediately upon joining this conversation, I was the target of his jokes for a while. To my disappointment, Voltaire is not a fan of Dr. Steel's music. This makes me very sad, and for whatever reason, it's a bit difficult to attach words to. I feel like these two musicians, who I respect greatly and who share quite a bit of common ground, should be friends. Perhaps one day. Toy Soldiers, I'm setting you on it!

This particular concert was an extremely intimate showcase of some of Voltaire's lesser-known work. The majority of the songs he played were either never recorded for albums or were on small-release albums such as "Banned on Vulcan". He also sang a few songs that are slated to be released on his country record, due out later this year. It was much more toned down and slightly more intimate than the "To the Bottom of the Sea" show he played at Circus over Halloween. Definitely a fabulous show. As always, Voltaire delivered an amazing one-of-a-kind show. I cannot wait for him to come back to town. I'll be the one in the Toy Soldier uniform. ^_~

Speaking of my dear Dr. Steel, he has recently released his VERY FIRST official music video for his song "Childhood Don't A Go-Go". It was directed by Tony Leonardi III and has been in the works for the past several YEARS! In fact, if you look closely, you can see a clip from the finished product in "Building a Utopian Playland", which was released several years before hand.

The video itself blends live-action, computer-generated graphics, stop motion, and of course, an army of very strange little toys. It's a fantastically entertaining little video, and generated a lot of pride amongst the Army of Toy Soldiers. It is available EXCLUSIVELY on the front page of WWW.ToySoldiersUnite.COM

Finally, also speaking of Dr. Steel, I must share that just this past weekend I participated in a large-scale invasion of Columbus Ohio's MARCON (Multiple Alternate Realities Convention). With 1800 in attendance, our small squad of soldiers were able to send an estimated 1300 of those people home with propaganda. As if this success wasn't enough, our booth also won "Best in Show", outranking the legendary 501st Legion of Stormtroopers(Check out the photo of Div. #614 in front of our award-winning booth on the sidebar!). Our group's accomplishments make me proud to be a Toy Soldier, and I will do my best to continue striving for excellence for the benefit of Dr. Steel.

I hope to be more regular about my posts in the future. That should be a much easier accomplishment once I'm home for the summer. Good luck at your finals, Spookies! Goodness knows I'll need luck for mine. ^_^

Love!
Miss Manic

R.I.P. Pete Steele

Dear Spookies,

As many of you already know, Pete Steele, frontman and bassist of the Gothic music group Type O Negative, died this past Wednesday. According to the group's website, the suspected cause of death is heart failure. It hasn't yet been released where he died, or what caused his heart to fail.

His drippingly Gothic demeanor and his irreverent sense of humor charmed us all. His struggle with depression and his recovery from drug addiction inspired us all. We danced to his music. We swooned over him. We wished we could be that cool.

My condolences go to his band, his family and his loved ones. I, and many others, will miss him very much.

Love,
Miss Manic

On Labeling: Should You be Offended?

Happy St. Patricks Day, Spookies!

I've unfortunately been forced to put the super-special post I promised you on the backburner because of extenuating circumstances (i.e., finals....wish me luck. I will need it). Nevertheless! I have vowed to bring you more postings, and so I shall. This (still very special) topic will overview the idea of labels, being referred to as a "goth", "punk", or what have you, and wether or not the whole idea of labels are offensive.

First of all, a disclaimer. This post is mainly based on my own experience, and the experiences of my friends. It may come off as a bit preachy, too, to those of us who have been in the scene for a while. If you disagree with anything I've said here, please feel free to share your own experience by commenting on this blog post.

I personally see nothing wrong with labels. Certainly the idea of a stranger judging you on your outward apperances and then condensing that down to a single dubious descriptor does not sound pleasant. But then again, it is very useful. After all, if it's got feathers like a duck, and it swims and quacks like a duck....

With that out of the way, there are a lot of words in American culture that are acceptable, or even complimentary when people of the same social group say them to eachother, but they become offensive when people outside that social group say them. Let's take a moment to identify a few of these words.

I argue that "Goth", "Punk", "Skate Rat" and the like fall into the same category. When an outside person calls a goth such, the immediate reaction is to get defensive. After all, what does that person know? I could have just chosen to wear black today. The tables become shifted, though, when two goths discuss the subject, or call one another goth. In this case it becomes complimentary, an understanding between two people who share a culture.

And in running with the common theme of politeness, if someone from outside your particular sphere of hanging-out politely approaches you with genuine interest (especially if they have genuine interest!), it'd be a nice gesture to answer their questions. After all, who wants to perpetuate the stereotype that alternative lifestyle people are an impenetrable clique of snobs?

I hope you've all enjoyed what I've had to say. As always, if you agree, disagree, or want to post your own opinion, please feel free to do so, and keep suggesting topics for future posts!

Love,
Miss Manic

Birhtday Madness

Spookies!

I am so terribly sorry for the delay in posting. This quarter of school has been particularly hard for me, since there have been no theatre classes to distract me from the "real" classes I have to take....(excuses, excuses) Please believe, though, My Dear Spookies, that I have not forgotten about you. On the contrary, I have given quite a lot of (over)thought on the direction of my next posting.

I have just celebrated my 22nd birthday (among other things), which was the 21st of this month. Happy 22nd birthday to me! I'm feeling quite old now, since I have no more taboo-breaking birthdays left to celebrate. That being said, I had fun anyway. I went to the local hookah bar, went thrift shopping, and got to spend a lot of time with my Beau. Altogether very nice.

At one point I did have plans to visit Wicked Faire V for my birthday (http://www.wickedfaire.com/)in hopes of seeing Voltaire in concert one more time before he goes back into the studio to record his Goth-Country album (and possibly drinking deep into the night with him, his gorgeous new Wifey possibly, Ego Likeness.... *sigh*), but finances kept me from getting there. Next year maybe.

I'd also like to announce that I'm *finally* opening an Etsy shop. I've actually had it for about 2 years, but I've never gotten the motivation to do anything with it. Now that I've amassed too many paintings, knitted things, and stuffed creatures to ignore any longer, I feel like I should share them with the world. Hopefully the world wants them!

A bit about my artwork: I am a self-taught painter of about 5 years. I create gothic-flavored folk art and prefer non-canvas surfaces like wood and stone. My inspiration comes from nature, dreams, books, my materials, life experience and music. I hope you enjoy my work!

That concludes this posting, Spookies! Look forward to next post where I'll have a very special mystery guest writer debating with me the importance of The Smiths versus The Cure in gothic culture! Stay tuned kiddies!

Love!
Miss Manic

Post Holiday Hoopla

Dear Spookies,

Well, another holiday season has come and gone. I hope you've all gotten what you wanted, made the most of what you got, or at the very least were able to lie low until the whole thing blew over. Goodness knows I've done my share of all three.

I should confess to you all, I had written a previous post sometime around Christmas Eve, but decided to delete it for a number of reasons. Mostly because it was extremely preachy (even more preachy than usual), and the post was a bit on the cynical side, and about 12 hours later I realized I had nothing to be cynical about. I am a very lucky person to have a family, friends and a wonderful Beau who all love me and that I have the resources to give them lovely gifts on Christmas.

Certianly there are times that the holidays get under our skins (like when they start playing Christmas music on the radio in the first week of November) and the stress can electrify our nerves to the point of wondering why anyone continues to torture themselves with the holidays at all. That's alright. Everyone has the right to feel Grinchy. Heavens know the only way I get through everything I need to do is by muttering "I hate Christmas" a few million times. It's not a crime. As long as you don't go and tackle the Pope, you'll be fine.

Now there's just New Year's Eve left to celebrate, which I have yet to plan myself. Parties bore me, I'd rather just have some drinks with some friends, play my favorite music and kiss my Beau at midnight, but everyone else seems to want a massive shindig. One of my friends even wants to go out of town, which I will not do. On well, hopefully all of my plans fall together sometimes. I'll have fun wherever I go, and besides, even if I don't do much of anything, there's an Outland event at Skully's on the 2nd that I'm planning on attending as my last hurrah before school starts again. Hopefully I'll see you all there!

I hope you all have a wonderful and SAFE New Year's Eve!
Love,
Miss Manic

An Omnibus Post: Concerning Weight Loss/Gain, Animal Companions, and the Impending Holiday Season

*Not necessarily in that order. ^_~

Welcome, Spookies!
I hope you all enjoyed your Turkey Day/Black Friday festivities. Mine was fine, if not a little odd. My mom and brother (who I live with when I'm at home), were both (and still are) celebrating their holiday in Boston with a family friend. Luckies. That left me to my dad's side of the family, which is EXCEPTIONALLY normal, and take quite a bit of pride in that. They do listen to what I have to say, though, and find me "cute", which is certainly not an issue. The second half of the day was spent with my Beau and his family, who were gracious enough to invite me to their family table AND purchase for me a Tofurkey, which I had never had before. It was delicious, and I highly recommend it, and not just for us Veggies. ^_^

There has also been a new addition to my family- take a look!

May I introduce to you: Miss Ophelia Jane Floppilopicus (Phe-Phe for short)! Isn't she adorable? Yes, that is my face obscured by her wiggly little nosey. She's such a litte princess. I love to spoil her. She's grown twice her size since I got her just after Halloween. But I gush! I have to take her to the vet soon, because she's showing signs of snuffles, which is sort of like a cold, but instead of being annoying, it can kill her. Wish me luck in finding her the medicine she needs!

I have a confession to make, dear readers. I am not a fan of the Christmas season. It is one event where I don't particularly take joy in the pageantry. I do, however, enjoy a few holiday traditions. The first being volunteer work, the second one being pie. Helping the less fortunate by donating your time, talent and money is a great way to give back to your local community. And to reiterate the value I will harp upon until the day I die: it is especially important for members of the alternative communities to be charitable. People will think twice about judging you harshly when you're smiling and donating some warm clothes to the shelter up the street. And I know volunteering is not the most glamorous thing to do, but think about what you really enjoy- do you like animals? Children? Knitting? There are a million different charities out there and they all require different kinds of help.

My love for pie is much simpler. Pumpkin and pecan pies, especially. Whatever to you fruit pie-supremicists out there. I'm also going to go out on a limb and go ahead and lay my vote down for cheesecake being an undercover pie. I love cheesecake, but I'm not the world's biggest fan of cake. Pie will always come first.

Which leads me to my final topic for the evening. Weight, and America's obsession with it. I've always been on the bigger side, and I don't necessarily mind being a larger-framed person. It does make me feel a bit less.... delicate, but curves, they're awesome. It's hard to pull off a corset when you don't have the shape. That being said, though, I could stand to lose a bit of weight. Thirty pounds or so would put me at my ideal weight. I hate being concerned about weight, because it seems like such a superficial concern, but it's become a matter of comfort to me. And I love my skinny clothes!

I just got through listening to a creepy podcast about thinness, while on the topic, which commented in a roundabout way about the western culture's obsession with being thin. It was kind of an old-tyme-radio show setup called "In the Gloaming", and was really well done, though the English accents were a bit difficult to decipher at moments. I'm really looking forward to the podcast's next edition.

And now, I present to thee: WEBSITES OF RELEVANCY! Enjoy, my lovelies.

Tofurkey website (full of links and information about going veg!):
http://tofurkey.com/index.html

My favorite charitable organization at the moment, which connects crafters to people in need:
http://www.projectlinus.org/

The Real Pie Club, another relatively new blog that focuses on just pies:
http://therealpieclub.blogspot.com/

New old-tyme radio style horror-inspired podcast called "In the Gloaming":
http://inthegloaming.podbean.com/


Have a terriffic shopping season, everyone, and don't forget to buy a little something for yourself, dearies!
Love,
Miss Manic

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

The day we've all waited for is here, spookies! Enjoy the atmosphere about you, and have a wonderful time!

As for me, I simply have to share that my Halloween is ALREADY the best Halloween ever, and I haven't even been to bed yet. I got to go home and see my mommie (whom I haven't seen in a month!), I went to see a fantastic concert with my favorite fellow, my favorite beer was on tap at the bar we went to, and I got a hug from the musician I've had a crush on since I was just a little babybat!

If that just doesn't make your Halloween spirits soar, I don't know what does. Okay, so raiding the sale racks of the party store on November 1 is pretty high up there, but I have to say....this concert....probably the best one I've ever been to in my life.

I highly suggest that members of the dark-and-spooky community go check out Voltaire's current tour with the Hellblinki Sextet. Chances are most of you probably know of Voltaire already, having written quite a few popular songs, including one for the Cartoon Network show The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. Maybe I was in the dark about Hellblinki, but I had never heard of them before I saw the concert announcement. Don't let their anonymity fool you. They've been around for a while and they certainly know how to entertain a crowd. You do not want to miss this lineup. Catch all the future tour spots here: http://collect.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=bandprofile.listAllShows&friendid=8202636&n=Voltaire


I'm so completely pleased with the way my Halloween has panned out. I hope every single one of you has an equally wonderful (AND SAFE!) holiday.

Love,
Miss Manic

Settling In

Well, Dear Readers (I certainly hope I have at least one by now! ^_^;), I'm beginning to settle into my countryside dwelling with some people who have turned out to be very agreeable and lovely. We are quite a diverse and stubborn set of five, but we are learning quite a lot from one another already, which I hope will continue. I'm thinking of it as an experiment in cultural diversity at the moment. Can the Big City Girl relax in her new surroundings and acquire a taste for well water?

In words we shared over dinner last night, we will definitely have some acclimating to do with each other. The men of the house are all outdoorsmen. They plan on being rangers and wildlife management people when they're done with school here. The ladies of the house are both city people, born and raised. Well, I suppose we have some horse sense, but that's about the extent.

They have a hard time understanding the idea of why somebody would want to be a vegetarian, and I have a hard time understanding why they enjoy sitting in the hot sun dressed in canvas suits waiting to shoot something. I also hate country music (sorry to all you country fans out there, but corporate country just seems to me like it has an undertones of intolerance and exploitation; feel free to debate me on that one) and they can't stand my pissed-off-crazy-person industrial music. Go figure. But as much as I don't understand their ways, they are just as confused about my lifestyle, and I accept that, even if I don't like it.

So, children, the lesson of this particular episode is ACCEPTANCE. You're weird. Remember that. When you are caught in a situation where you are a fish out of water, other people will have a hard time understanding you and your ways. That does NOT, however, mean that you need to change. Fully embrace your oddness. Your self-confidence will radiate beautifully, and if you accept others for their uniqueness, even if they're very different from you, they will give you the respect that you deserve.* And by all means, seek out others like yourself. They may seem non-existant on the surface, but dearies, if you become just social enough (I'm not saying you should go and rush a fraternity by any means, just leave the house every once in a while), you'll find the dark and spooky hiding amongst you.

Love,
Miss Manic

*Disclaimer: Acceptance by others is directly related to your kindness towards them. Play nice. Also, if the above information proves false for you, feel free to tell the other party to kindly fuck off.

Back to School!

It's about that time again, lovelies! Time for Miss Manic to pack up her dreads and dresses and head back to college for what is hopefully my last year of school. And trust me, it's taken her QUITE long enough. Four years is far more than is necessary to complete an Associate of Arts degree....

Miss Manic's ADD and scholastic ineptitude aside, this is not the intended post topic. I am here today to talk about roommates and roommate ettiquite.

I am lucky enough to have found myself living in a beautiful old house just outside the center of town with a friend and some friends of hers. Most of whom are agreeable and quiet. Some of whom are.... of the rowdy country persuasion. Do not get me wrong, readers, I am not averse to country folks who like to party. These people are respectful, kind, maybe even a little shy. For that, I am sure we will get along just fine.

But what if you are not lucky enough to have chosen your roommates? If you have been randomly alotted a roommate, or are moving into a house where you don't know everyone, Miss Manic has a few tips for you to get the most out of your housing situation this school year.

First of all,
Introduce yourself to everyone in your house, not just your next door neighbors. If there's a party going on in the common room, don't hide in your room like a mopey little sadsack! Go enjoy a beer (if you're legal) for heaven's sake, even if you're just gingerly sipping a Natty (or a Coke) and talking small with your new housemates. You and I both know that dark and spookies are frequently misunderstood, but you'll be surprised how quickly you get to know these people over a simple weekly drink. I guarantee you won't regret it.

Secondly,
If you are living in a dorm room with a stranger (or strangers), connect with them via Facebook, MySpace, or over the phone before leaving. Try and find out who will supply your dorm with what (T.V., mini fridge, toaster, et cetera) and get to know a little bit about them. If you're nervous about revealing your dark and spooky ways to your new roomy, don't feel obligated to tell them outright, but don't feel inclined to lie or exaggerate when your interests come up in conversation either. Just be as honest as possible. Chances are that your roommate is just as nervous about you as you are about them.

Thirdly,
If you're moving into an apartment, house, or dorm with friends, there are still respect issues to consider, and new things to learn about them. If your friends are un-spooky, respect their space and try your best not to invade it with your spooky stuff. If they ARE spooky and so are you, only borrow their clothes/makeup/lovely little accessories with their permission. Try not to hog up the bathroom, especially if all you're doing is using the mirror. If you're not getting along that day, don't vindictively blast Skinny Puppy when you know they hate it. Constant communication with the people you live with, especially if you're friends, and especially if you're paying bills together, is absolutely necessary. It'd be a shame if your friendship was damaged during the most fabulous time of your life because of some silly disagreement.

Lastly,
If being a nice little spooky isn't working for you, please do speak up. Nobody respects a doormat. But heaven's sakes, be nice about it, as well. If you and your housemates get into an argument, have a reasonable discussion about it. If one or both parties gets angry, separate and revisit the conversation later. At NO POINT should an argument escalate to violence! Just act civilly and treat your roommate as an equal, even if you feel the upset has been caused by them.

In Closing,
As important as I feel manners are for regular society, I feel they are ten times as important for the spooky communities, as there are already so many stereotypes and assumptions making points against us. Like my dear role model The Lady of the Manners would say, being polite is much more subversive than being mopey and rude. And who doesn't like stirring things up and freaking people out? We can still be spooky- without our roommates being afraid of us.

It's Coming!

For those of you in the Greater Columbus Area who have been shirking their Gothly duties lately....I have news.

The well-loved and tragically homeless Outland Nightclub finds it's permanent residence! Ever since Outland was forced from it's home some time ago, it's been forced to find refuge in some of the city's kinder and goth-friendlier drinking establishments. Church has been held most Saturday nights at Circus (formerly the High Five) and Skully's Music Diner since May of last year, but it's time for our dear sweet Outland to find her own home once again.

The exact location of Outland 3.0 is still undisclosed, though I've been told it will be in the Brewery District. Somewhere. Apperantly other clubs also currently opening in the area (surprise surprise) don't want Outland to be there. According to their MySpace page, legal battle rages on, but the final pieces are coming together, so don't worry. The real Outland that the Columbus freak show knows and loves will be back on her feet soon.

In the mean time, keep showing up for Church on Saturdays and don't forget, there's a special event at the end of this month hosted by Skully's! Check out the CarnEVIL of Lost Souls on August 30th, presented by fetbytes.com and the Suicide Girls!

Links of Happiness:
http://www.myspace.com/outlandnightclub
http://www.outlandnightclub.com
http://www.fetbytes.com
http://www.suicidegirls.com

Feel free to drop me a line if you're gonna be there too!

Greetings!

And welcome to my brand new blog! Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Miss Manic, I'm a 21-year-old gothling living in the midwest United States and I intend, with the aid of this blog, to share my continuing experience with growing up as a dark-and-frilly member of society.

Some quick background on myself, I am not exactly what you'd call a typical goth-type person. My personal style is all over the board from casual-punk to neo-victorian, I don't normally wear all black and occasionally I enjoy loitering in the toy section of the department store or (very occasionally) listening to R&B music. Not gothy enough for you? Oops. You may want to find a different lifestyle blog to follow.

So, as a good little gothling, I have many role models in the alternative community and continue to choose them as my tastes mature. So how about sharing some of my favorite links with you to help get the ball rolling, shall we?

Gothic Charm School-
http://www.gothic-charm-school.com
The Lady of the Manners answers all your gothic lifestyle related questions. Young or old, male or female, she answers your questions plainly and politely with a charming sense of humor.

Dr. Steel-
http://www.doctorsteel.com
A mad scientist one-man-band with a vision for a better tomorrow through his innovative genre-blending music and plans for world domination incorporating scientific theories, robots, and most of all, fun.

Repo! The Genetic Opera
http://www.repo-opera.com
A modern cult classic film from creative mind Terrance Zdunich. It is a punk-opera musical set in 2056, 26 years after a major epidemic of organ failiure. The story centers around Shilo, a girl with a blood disease, and her doting father, who is hiding a dark secret from her.


I hope you enjoyed my first entry. If you have any questions for me or about me, feel free to send me an e-mail or post a comment. I shall write you all again soon!

Love,
Miss Manic