Beware the Oompa Loompas!!

What if that world of "pure imagination" were really a sick, twisted, dark place filled not with candies and chocolates, but with gore, brutality, and horror? Well, for all of you who thought that Willy Wonka really was a few apples short of a bushel, writer Eric Appel brings you a strange twist on the old tale of Charlie Bucket. His movie trailer for Gobstopper mixes comedy with terror. And best of all, it stars one of my all-time favorite actors... Christopher Lloyd!!

Who else could pull off that uncomfortably-creepy character with just the right comedic timing? (Sorry, Gene Wilder... deal with it. lol)

Sadly, the film isn't real. But what a shame! Here's the "trailer' for Gobstopper, via Funny or Die:

Gobstopper Trailer

And now... I bit you all adieu for a few days as I take care of some offline affairs. Thanks, Fred, for telling me about this gem of a video. I'll be doing my best to add a little humor in your life now, since you need it the most.

Glancing Down the Road...

In light of the crazy week it's been, I haven't had the time yet to write about some of the interesting things I've run across. But it's coming... never fear. Meanwhile, just a short personal update. The final cover is done for Queer Hauntings: True Tales of Gay & Lesbian Ghosts, so here's a sneak peek:

I'll be posting more soon. And also, plans are going ahead with my Salem adventure in October. So in less than two months, I'll be trekking across the witch capital. I've been wanting to go there for years... and what better time than the Halloween season?

I'll be gone all weekend, but hopefully I'll give you all a few amusing things to read about before I leave...

Need an Incubus to Succubus?

Thanks to my friend Buddy, I received this little clip in an email. It's The Soup's take on the season finale of Ghost Adventures. Just a little reminder to be careful what you say, especially on camera. It might come back to haunt you...

Infantile Behavior...

Another interesting week draws to a close. Keeping busy with a plethora of things, checking up on friends, and receiving my first onslaught of negativity from an unexpected (well, expected... but not expected) source. Shocking? Slightly. Crushing? Not at all. I know who I am and what I believe, and this year has been educational about the definition of friendship. If not marching to someone's drum or telling people what they want to hear makes me a bad man, then hooray for being rotten!

But it's an interesting world out there with plenty of views. And while a lot of the news is on the depressing side, there are some things that aren't so dire and jaded.

Take, for example, Jose Alvarenga of Paraguay who opened his infant son's coffin this week to find that he wasn't dead, as doctors had told him. While it's good news for the new father, it doesn't bode well for doctors and staff at the unnamed hospital in Asuncion. If you can't tell dead from living, perhaps medicine isn't the proper field for you.

Then back to the United States, where in Florida sightings of what is described as a "baby Bigfoot" have been reported in the Baker County area. While it might be an orangutan, the mystery creature has an apparent sweet tooth. Among the witnesses was a bear hunter who lost a few jelly donuts too the furry caper. Subsequent attempts too lure the pint-sized furball out in the open with confectionery treats have failed.

That's all for now when it comes to abnormal childlike behavior. Bear with me as I struggle with graphics, barrel ahead toward autumn and Halloween, and blaze a few trails in the world, as well as my own life...

Like Manna From Heaven...

When I finally let go of the stress... release the reins and said "que sera sera" about the coming month... it happened. I have word, thanks to the goddess Google. Here are the details of my upcoming book:

Queer Hauntings: True Tales of Gay & Lesbian Ghosts

by Ken Summers

196 pages (paperback)

Publisher: Lethe Press

Price: $15.00 (US)

Release Date: September 18, 2009

And apparently, it's already available for pre-order on Amazon.com, though the cover remains to be seen. but at least now you all know!

You Can't Keep a Good Blogger Down...

Yes. I have been way too serious lately on here when I have bothered to post. And I've been distracted too much by my worrying, acutely-emotional side (ok... overwhelmed by it) to the point of madness. But it that my sole reason for not posting? Well... not exactly.

For starters, I was hoping to start mentioning more about the new book. So far, I have no updates for you, unfortunately. Except for one: there has been a change of title. Queer Paranormal will not be titled Queer Hauntings. Why? Oh, silly issues with categorizatio

n. You would think "paranormal" would be the least troubling term of the two! Otherwise, nothing has changed. And as soon as I know about cover art, page count, pricing, etc. I'll pass that information along to you all. You're not the only ones getting anxious about it. Just over a month remains until the expected release date! If I weren't keeping up on trimming my fingernails they would all be gnawed off by now.

Otherwise, my life has changed in some ways over the past few weeks. Feelings toward people have shifted forms, whether by nature or with some prodding from them. I hate to call one of these changes becoming "single" because in most ways, nothing has changed. I have a wonderful, funny, charming man in my life... we just aren't sleeping together or picking out furniture for that little dream cottage. I took my time to mill over things, "turn emo" as some uncouth people might say, and come out on the other end content with the people who make my life enjoyable. The list isn't long (and rarely consists of Ohioans) but it's a good one.

And more changes... Spooked! is now brought to you via Vista! That's right, after almost a decade, my old laptop was on its last legs so I made the leap and upgraded (frighteningly enough, the new one cost 1/3 the price of the old one and has 5 times more space and 12 times more RAM) to a Compaq Presario. In widescreen. Yay! I'll decide later what to do about upgrading to Windows 7 in October (that month will already be insanely busy for me, no doubt). For now, there are other changes on the horizon...

I've decided that I truly want to do a little reinventon. I hate growing too stagnant and I've spent so long waiting on that bench at the station of life that it's time to jump on a new train... whether people like it or not. Perhaps a few wardrobe changes (I did get a hoodie this summer... and I like it) and such. But the biggest thing I've been pondering it a change of hair color. No, not that horrible mistake of bright yellow I made years ago. I've been seriously thinking about going black ("once you go black..." lol). Why? Well, aside from blue, it's been one of the colors I've always wanted to try. And after a nice chat on a Greyhound bus with a sweet emo kid (if you read this, Jason, thanks again for cheering me up), I have some confirmation that black just night suit me. Aside from that Gothic demeanor I can give off. And with Halloween approaching, how could it go wrong?

But I'm pondering it a but and am seriously thinking about leaving it up to you folks... to some extent. I've thought about saying, "Since the Tip It button has never yet been useful, if I get 13 tips of $1 or a total of $13... that nice, unlucky number... I'll dye my hair black," but I wonder if that would ever happen! So, I'll make it slightly more interesting: either $13 in my Tip It jar for the blog, or 13 unique comments from separate readers (anonymous comments won't count toward that, so you'll have to log in with Open ID (Livejournal, Wordpress, Typepad, or AIM) if you're not on Blogger) with a majority in favor of black (or more unique comments might be necessary if the first thirteen are not a majority "yes" votes)--whichever comes first--and I shall make the change within 48 hours of said events. At least this gives you all a little incentive to comment, right?

Otherwise, bear with me as I get the last of the software on the laptop, learn to navigate my new technology, and return to your regularly (un)scheduled strange tales and rants. Spooked! is back.... and those dead queens and crazy people who land in the headlines had better watch out...

Heavy Cloud But No Rain...

As life leads us through those little pathways in the woods, we never quite know where the trails will lead us. Sometimes, what seems to be the surest, best-worn footpath ends up at a dead end... or worse, leads to a grassy meadow where no trail can be found. And there, we're left to wander for a spell, avoiding spiders and snakes and stinging insects in the blazing sun until we find some faded walkway to follow once more.

It has been an interesting few weeks... and I regretfully tell you all that the video posts I was planning will have to wait. Life has shifted in many ways for me at the moment, but through all the changes, I have to say that I do not regret anything. Honestly. I have a pile of incredibly wonderful memories from the recent past to make me smile and some wonderful people in my life. Perhaps things have changed from "certain" to "lost in the woods" in some areas of my life, but in some level, it all has been worth it. Life is a risk. A life without chances might be safe, but never answers those "what-if" questions. I'd rather have spent my life stepping off the edge once in a while and not finding solid ground beneath me than taking a safe route and never experiencing life's joys, loves, and aches.

I have also had some time to think. And what have I concluded? Mainly, that I'm rather confused about my own path... and disappointed at the person I've become as of late. I feel the need for reinvention and want to do some changing with my appearance, life, etc. yet am not sure how exactly I'll be doing that. I dislike how I've foregone my own opinions and beliefs to please those around me and avoid arguments for so long that I've lost my spark, my trailblazing spirit that took so long to develop. I've slipped back down a gravel slope toward passivity, and it wasn't until someone I care about held a mirror to my face that I realized who I had become. I hated what I saw. But I needed to see it. I'm truly sorry for any grief it caused.

And even more, I hate that I've lost my chipper, blogging habits. I lost the point of this whole blog: to find amusement in the mundane and laugh at some incredibly absurd things about life and death. For that, I apologize to my readers. Life is too serious. We all deal with depression, stress, grief, pain and unbelievable heartache constantly in our lives. It doesn't get better or worse as you age. Ignoring it won't make it disappear, but dwelling on it doesn't make it better. Accept life and people for what they are... find the beauty and wonderful sides to everyone to avoid turning bitter... and most importantly, never forget to laugh.

It's a strange world out there. And during terrible times, humor is often the only thing to save us from total destruction.