Kan't seem to manage a K post this time through the alphabet

A mini-blog/reflective journal, from a self-confessed air-head.

Kan't seem to manage a K post

Can't seem to manage a K post -- started one, months and months ago, but as it was dealing with matters pertaining to my spirituality which I still don't yet fully have a handle on to know how to articulate, I've been unable to finish.  The draft has sat there all this time, barely started and untouched in most of that time.  And it's stalled me from moving on with the rest of my go around the alphabet, from L onwards.

Tried to think of some other topics for this K post, but they all seem to be serious matters which I'm not in a position to talk about:-

• Ka
• Kabbalah
• Karma
• Katharmos/miasma, and kharis and the like
• Kemeticism
• Kibbutzim
• Kizmet
• Klan-Destine Relationships: A Black Man's Odyssey in the Ku Klux Klan but I haven't actually read it yet, I'm just inspired by the news items I've heard about the author, Daryl Davis
• Kyriarchy

Why do most K words seem to relate to serious stuff?  What do my fellow air-head bloggers write about when they get to K in the alphabet?

I could talk about kink, but that's not what this blog is intended for and I wouldn't feel comfortable doing so.

I'm almost tempted to do a post about why I actually owe something to Karen of Central Park 'fame', (in a roundabout way), because that whole episode brought home to me the reality of white privilege in a way which hadn't been altogether clear for me previously.  And I've managed to become a bit more 'woke', since.

But that's all I have to say about that, to toss in a Forest Gump quote (seems appropriate).  So I'm not sure that'd necessarily make a whole post by itself.

So, I've finally decided I'm skipping over K in the alphabet this time around, and will try for a post covering this letter on my next go around the alphabet.

Photo credits:  all photos from Markus Spiske on Unsplash.

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Jump scares in horror movies

A mini-blog/reflective journal from a self-confessed air head


Jump scares in horror movies

Photo: Alex Munsell, Unsplash

I've been a fan of horror movies ever since I managed to watch Nightmare on Elm Street at age 13!  Not that I found that film particularly scary; even at that age I found if corny enough to be humorous (and I think I may even have laughed out loud at one scene of Freddy running down the street waving his clawed glove over his head -- or perhaps that was a later re-viewing).  Something about the genre just instantly appealed to me -- it helped that Channel 4 used to run a regular 'creature feature' on a Friday night back then, so it became my end-of-the-school-week treat to myself to stay up late and watch on the TV in my bedroom (or try to -- I frequently fell asleep before the end, especially the double features!)

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I don't recall finding any of those films particularly scary (Friday the 13th, Halloween, The Fly, Hellraiser, Carrie, Amityville, Poltergeist etc etc) but just fun escapism, somehow.  In fact, I recall the scariest film I watched in those formative years was an old black and white one about witches (sadly, I can't recall the title) -- of course, it might have been because I watched that one late night the first time my parents left me home alone in my teens, so there was the added fright of being all alone in the house with just our soppy, lovable spaniel.

Photo: David Dibert, Unsplash

Latterly, I confess, I've come to realise that my true fandom is for supernatural thrillers rather than modern horror.  I've zero interest in your Saws, your Hostels or your Human Centipedes.  Your Hills Have Eyes and your Wrong Turns have excessive gore and no real plot, if you ask me.  And they're still not at all scary.  So, for me, they just don't have anything going for them at all.

Photo: Leonardo Yip, Unsplash

Until recently my favourite 'horror' films were either the comedy horror ones such as Sean of the Dead, Idle Hands and Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (Cabin in the Woods was also pretty fun), or well-made 'ghosty' ones such as The Skeleton Key, for its level of creepy atmosphere.  The Skeleton Key's recently been bumped to number two on my list and I've a new favourite: Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark.  And it's one of only very few films to have ever given me a jump scare, so it gave me the inspiration for this blog post for 'J'.

Photo: Laura Chouette, Unsplash

Bad Ben  👻
I'm not sure what made me put this film on my watch list, but I'm really glad I did; it was really fun and much to my surprise it made this very short list of movies which actually managed to give me a jump scare.

It was surprisingly spooky (not at all gory) and well put together, if perhaps a little slow in places.  The acting was certainly good enough for me, dialogue was overall okay with cinematography which was quite nicely done, especially given the slightly unusual format of this film.  It didn't try too hard and, again despite the format, it actually didn't go in for over-exposition.

I haven't really got a huge number of cons to list (from my own personal perspective - I can imagine the format and the very small cast may be somewhat offputting for some viewers).

I've yet to watch all the Bad Ben sequels, but I'm intending to, and I'm hoping they'll be almost as enjoyable as the first.

Overall I feel I can recommend this movie.

⭐⭐⭐½

Drag Me to Hell  😈
It's been a while since I watched this one, and the jump scare it gave me was, funnily enough, upon my second viewing not my first.  I can't recall the exact point in the film which resulted in the jump scare, but I do remember I almost flung a plate of fries across the room!

I felt the plot of this film was in some ways familiar and predictable & yet in other ways not so much (certainly it was original enough to keep you wanting to watch).  I recall the cinematography and acting were both good and the atmosphere was immersive.

The only note in the con side is that I know of some people who felt one scene, which was clearly meant to be chilling and otherworldly, just came across really comical and not at all scary or in keeping with the spooky atmosphere.

I feel I can recommend this movie, and in fact if you call yourself a horror fan I feel you ought to watch it at least the once.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark  🕮

I selected this film to view from my watch list recently, and I'm so glad I did because, as mentioned, it's become my new favourite.

There's lots of familiar tropes, but with enough originality not to be excessively predictable (although I've got to admit my predicting skills are not necessarily the best).  There are some visually distinctive elements, and I like that it's set in the late 60s.  It doesn't overuse the gore factor, for the most part, though there are a few moments where you realise that it doesn't shy away from a certain amount of gore, either.

I felt it was well put together, and the story worked well overall.  The acting was overall pretty good and the pacing was spot on, not too slow to get going but with sufficient build up to create a bit of suspense.


Cons: maybe a con for some folks is that there's a little bit of social commentary (but I don't feel that it's rammed down your throat, at all).

I guess it could be considered a bit on the corny side by some (although for me that just makes it better).  Oh, and if you're an arachnophobe then there's a scene approximately in the middle of the film that you're gonna find beyond scary! 🕷🕸

If you're a fan of this genre of movie (and especially if, like me, you're fond of the whole teen protagonist trope), I can't recommend this highly enough.  I've put the DVD, the books and the Diary of Sarah Bellows on my wishlist.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Vvitch  🧹

I usually really enjoy a period horror movie for maximum atmosphere, so when someone recommended this one to me I obviously went for it first opportunity I got.  And it sure is atmospheric, and despite being based on folklore tales I felt it was original too.  It's also rather intense in many places.  The ending was at the same time surprising and yet also what I was expecting (towards the conclusion, anyway), in an inexplicable way.

This took some concentration to follow the dialogue early on as it was so authentically 'olde worlde'.  And I felt that, although suspenseful, this did take a little while to get going.  But once it did it was definitely gripping.

I recommend this one to anyone who's into period horror movies of the more 'serious' variety.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Skeleton Key  🗝
I wanted to give honourable mention to this one as it was my top favourite for such a long time; I can't really give a full review, though, as it's been a while since I saw it -- so evidently, it's time for a re-watch.  If, like me, you enjoy a spooky non-gory mystery type of story then I feel sure you'll like this one.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Do you have a favourite horror movie, or one that gave you an unexpected jump scare?  Let me know in the comments.

Photo: Georgia Vagim, Unsplash

Photo: Jeremy Yap, Unsplash

Film cover images above are the copyright property of the relevant film companies; I do not own the copyrights for that content. 

Tree photo credits, left to right: Brandon Green; veeterzy; Jeremy Bishop; Annie Spratt and Lahiru Supunchandra (all from Unsplash).

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European Union laws require that EU visitors be given information about cookies used and data collected on this blog.  Google/Blogger have added a notice on this blog to explain Google's use of certain Blogger and Google cookies, including use of Google Analytics and AdSense cookies, and other data collected by Google.  If this notice does not display and you are in the EU, please will you notify me in the comments section.  Many thanks.

Insomnia

A mini-blog/reflective journal, from a self-confessed air-head.

Insomnia

Photo: Rhema Kallianpur

[Content note: I briefly talk about menstruation in this post]

I've been an insomnia sufferer all my adult life.  I'd love to make some reflections about how I've had some really insightful ideas occur to me in the middle

Photo: Aaron Burden

of sleepless nights, but that's nothing more than some wishful thinking right there.  The most profound thing that's ever occurred to me in the middle of the night was to wonder whether it's possible to die from insomnia!

My insomnia pattern used to be a cyclic one, whereby I'd be wakeful every night for a fortnight then just when I was feeling like a total walking zombie it'd resolve itself and I'd be able to sleep for a couple of weeks before the pattern would repeat itself.  For ages I'd meant to record whether the cycle coincided with my menstrual cycle, but I never got around to it.

If you've read some of my previous blog posts you'll also know that I've a chronic health condition, too, and consequently suffer with continual fatigue.  So when my insomnia became an almost permanent fixture I returned to my doctor (not for the first time) and was finally given some medication which helps

Photo: Priscilla Du Preez

me sleep some of the time (amitriptyline).  So, for the moment, I've missed my opportunity to track any patterns in my insomnia, other than I know I sleep worse when I forget to take my dose on a given day. 

Don't get me wrong, here, too; I'd tried all the recommended 'sleep hygiene' things and some non-prescription sleep aids (both off the shelf and over the counter) for the insomnia prior to turning to prescription medication.

I'm not really sure where to go from here with my physical and mental health.  I recently watched a TED talk about the importance of sleep for the immune system (among other things - pretty much everything, it seems).  And it mentioned how sleep induced via soporific medication is not the right kind of sleep for this beneficial and rejuvenating effect.

So in view of the above, I should be looking to come off those tablets.  But recently I had to increase my dosage because the insomnia had returned despite my original dose.  So there's no way I can face coming off these meds, at least not now.

On top of this, another thing I suffer with is restless legs syndrome.  This tends to mean that when I'm wakeful (for whatever reason), my RLS will usually kick in and then there's no getting to sleep, regardless of whether I can think of a way to combat the initial wakefulness-causing thing.

Medical investigation wise, I imagine the next step would probably be a sleep clinic but I can't imagine suffering through that - I can't sleep with anything (sleep mask, pyjamas, my wedding ring - anything) on my body other than bed clothes, so there's no way I'd sleep with all electrodes strapped to me.

I guess my plan of action will be to perfect that sleep hygiene and my 'bed time routine', get it down to a really fine art and then give it a period of time to really bed in (haha).  Then when my unconscious mind really comes to associate all those actions with getting a good night's sleep, maybe I can taper my dosage.  Perhaps then I'll be able to sleep like a normal person.

I feel like it's going to be easier said than done though.

There's not really any point to this blog post this time; except, perhaps, putting my plan of action 'out there' in hopes it'll maybe hold me --in some way-- to it.

Photo: Dex Ezekiel

Photo: Damian Patkowski

Bonus tree photos:

Photo by Nick (Unsplash)

Photo: kilarov zaneit

Photo: Josh Felise

Photo: Nathan Anderson

Photo credits: all photos from Unsplash

Cookies/data
European Union laws require that EU visitors be given information about cookies used and data collected on this blog.  Google/Blogger have added a notice on this blog to explain Google's use of certain Blogger and Google cookies, including use of Google Analytics and AdSense cookies, and other data collected by Google.  If this notice does not display and you are in the EU, please will you notify me in the comments section.  Many thanks.

Home and hauntings

A mini-blog/reflective journal from a self-confessed air head

Home, and hauntings

Photo: Toa Heftiba

Photo: Jaye Haych

👻

Following a little splash of inspiration recently, I'd wanted to write about 'home' for this blog post; however I don't think I've enough material for an entire post on this topic.  Therefore I'm instead combining the two topics of 'home', and of 'hauntings'.  It makes a sort of sense, given that I previously lived in a haunted house!

I've been into ghosties and things that go bump in the night since I was a fairly small child (somewhere around 7 - 9 years of age).

Photo: Leonardo Yip

My first (possible) ghost sighting was, I think, somewhere around age 10 - 12, ish.  As a kid I used to love to go on day trips to ruined castles, among other historic places.  Here in England a good number of these are little more than partial castle walls, with no surviving upper storeys.  It was while exploring one of these one day (I can't recall where we were, unfortunately, except that I believe it was Wales) that I had this possible ghost sighting.

I'd seen a guy with long dark hair and wearing a long dark coat walk around the side of a ruined spiral staircase, which would have once been in a corner turret of this particular castle.  I followed, but the guy was nowhere to be seen.  There was nowhere he could have gone, since no second storey existed any longer.  If he'd gone part way up the stair case I'd have seen him there, and if he'd gone anywhere else I'd have seen him too as there was no other cover he could have been behind.

Photo: Mike Cassidy

Now, I'm prepared to admit that this man was very solid looking if he were indeed a ghost, and this was broad daylight.  Plus, I wasn't very old and therefore had a child's imagination.  But I've never been able to explain where he could have gone that day.

Other than the above (if it was indeed a ghost sighting), I'm not generally especially sensitive to the paranormal.  In fact I suspect I'm fairly un-sensitive.  I've just two other 'ghost' stories, despite having gone on several ghost hunts, including one which took place at a reputedly haunted historic local farm.

But I did live in a haunted house before we moved to our current address, and this is obviously my favourite personal ghost story to tell.

Photo: Tierra Mallorca

The house was an old Victorian terraced one, which had been converted by the landlord into a number of flats.  I lived on the upper storey, initially by myself and then later together with my then boyfriend (now my husband).

Photo: Library of Congress

I'd been aware of a presence in the hallway of this property, centred around the stairway.  I never saw or heard anything, but at night I could often sense that someone else was there besides just me, even when I was travelling the hallway completely alone.  The only thing I could sense about this presence was that it seemed to me to be female.


The cool bit came after my other half started staying the night, as he actually saw the ghost (despite me never having told him about this presence which I felt existed in our hallway)!  He says he was coming to my door one night when he encountered an older woman on the stairs in the dark - he motioned for her to go first, but she didn't react so he spoke to her and yet she still didn't react.  When he told me about it, I knew that he must have seen the ghost!  You see, all my neighbours at the time were male (and while it could have been a visitor of one of theirs', knowing their demographics I didn't think it at all likely - and besides, a visitor would have responded in some way when my husband interacted with them, even if non-verbally).

Photo: David Dibert

I lived in that property for four years before we moved to where we live now.  Moving here was a blessed relief for me, not because I was at all scared by the ghost at my former address but just because I was sick of those (living) neighbours.

Photo: Harmen Jelle van Mourik

This place (where we live now), the day we viewed it, was so serene and restful to me.  There was a glorious eucalyptus tree out the front providing magical dappled shade to the living room.  Large picture windows front and back meant that you could see right the way through the apartment from the eucalyptus at the front to the row of trees out the back.  The whole place was decorated in a calming shade of light sage green.  It was like a little private oasis.

Photo: Lea Böhm

But we've no ghosts here, unless you count the two kitcats we've sadly lost whilst living here who have perhaps visited on a few occasions.  So I missed my chance to carry out my own ghost hunts in the comfort of my own home.  I don't really know why it never occurred to me in the four years I was living

Photo: Oleksandra Bardash

there, except that I had other stuff going on at that time in my life.  Now, if I want to go  ghost seeking, I'll most likely have to splash out on further commercial ghost hunting tours (at such time as these resume post-Covid19).

That's okay, I guess - the one I went on with a friend a few years back was fun*, and I'm something of a believer in what I call "keeping the economy going around" by spending money with local (especially) businesses.  Particularly following this Covid-19 crisis, and given that you can't take it with you when you go over to the great beyond, wherever/whatever that is.

*https://www.paranormaladventures.co.uk/





Photo credits: all photos from Unsplash



Bonus tree photos (spooky edition):

Photo: Zane Lee

Photo: Marco Marques

Photo: Zane Lee

Photo: Re Stacks

Photo: Terra Roro

Photo: Andy Watkins

Photo: Johannes Plenio

Cookies/data
European Union laws require that EU visitors be given information about cookies used and data collected on this blog.  Google/Blogger have added a notice on this blog to explain Google's use of certain Blogger and Google cookies, including use of Google Analytics and AdSense cookies, and other data collected by Google.  If this notice does not display and you are in the EU, please will you notify me in the comments section.  Many thanks.