Where’d I get it!?: http://i.timeinc.net/time/potw/20080320/potw_08.jpg

What I wouldn’t do to be zipping down the interstate and seeing these folks just standing out in the middle of a field doing umm….. I’m not quite sure what they are doing exactly but… I’d love see it!

Happy Friday!

Where’d I get it?: http://www.itsnicethat.com/images/1233.jpg

Here’s a little “RANDOM” injection for ya before the Friday close out!

Not much to say on this one, soooooooo…. yeah!  Enjoy!

Where’d I get it?: http://www.smugmug.com/photos/97265786_9zkMz-M-3.jpg

I don’t know about you guys but, I had a kinda crappy day today.  I won’t go into the logistics of said day, it wouldn’t do any good, but I definitely needed a smile and this pebble did that for me in spades!

Hope it does the same for you, no matter how your day was!

Where’d I get it?:http://www.dbilly.com/images/RrringPayphone.jpg

Aside from being cheeky and fun, this pebble got me thinking about the whole story behind a balloon… um… scultper? Is that what they’re called?  Well, that’s what I’ll call them for now.  It’s fun thinking about this balloon sculpter going rogue on his compatriates, saying things like “Fuck giraffes!!!! And dogs too!! And don’t get me started on those damn hats!!!” or “there’s so much more that can be done with you isn’t there…” while stairing at some limp brightly colored balloon in his hands, a wistful twinkle in his eye.

So while the photo wasn’t anything terribly amazing, it got some fun thoughts going on in my head.  Which is kinda the whole point of this project; to take something else away with you after visiting here.

Hopefully you did!

Whether you like his books, plays, paintings or movies, Clive Barker is somewhat of a force to be reckoned with.  Primarily affixed with the horror genre, Barker’s created some of the most arresting visuals ever in cinema, canvas, novels and short stories. And while all have sometimes been hit or miss, they have always been memorable in some way or another.

That said he’s had a big influence on me since I read “Books of Blood” in college and definitely since I saw “Hellraiser” in high-school (dear god did that movie keep me up at night… I loved it!).

I know, I read book after the movie, so sue me .

As far as cinema is concerned, his movies (mostly of which he’s written and NOT directed) have always ranged from mediocre (the “Hellraiser” series beyond part two, and even that wasn’t that great) to somewhat inspired (it gets knocked a bit, but I’ve always loved “Nightbreed”) yet, they’ve always been memorable.  And, like his written prose and his art, his movies always leave a bit of a scar on you and it’s for that, that Clive Barker will always receive my respect.  He is the king of creatively dark and disturbing visuals and to this day, a lot of his work inspires me.

Which brings me to this latest debacle in the film industry.  Well documented at the site bloody-disgusting.com, the latest film adaptation of his short story “The Midnight Meat Train”, has received the oddest film treatment from a major film studio to date.  Frankly, I haven’t seen a release like this in for, well… ever.  What happened is that the film was picked up by LionsGate (whores to the SAW franchise, and who can blame ‘em), a studio that has done VERY well for itself as of late, and, after viewing it, they decided to release it straight to the racks of a Blockbuster near you.  But then the fan-base (god-bless the interwebs) revolted and they decided to do a severely limited theatrical release… to the cheap seat theaters that barely dot the landscape of our great nation!

The aforementioned fan base then screamed an even louder “WTF”!!

And the real shame?

I may be wrong, (PLEASE, please, correct me if I am) but I believe it’s the “American debut” of a director that should be very dear to every horror fan’s heart:  the Japanese maestro of the epic and zany film “Versus”, Ryuhei Kitamura.

Based on his past exploits alone, this guy is clearly talented and after being fortunate enough to catch TMNMT at a “cheap seat” theater near me ( Carmike Blue Ridge 14 Cinema, 600 Blue Ridge Road, Raleigh, NC, 27606 (919)828800) I can safely say that he really needs to be given a better/fairer shake at films in the US.

Is it the “Citizen Kane” of horror?

Hell no!

But it is some inspired film making and some of it is definitely polished and memorable enough to stick with you well after the credits roll.  Which is well worth the usual arm and a leg you’d pay at the megaplex (Mel and I, embarrassingly, paid almost 20 bucks to see “Ironman” this summer) much less the buck or, in my case, buck fifty I spent to see TMNMT.  Yes, near the end it does kind of go into “um… what?!”-ville, but if you’re a fan of Clive Barker’s cannon of works you’ll know that that, for most part, rings true to life.

With Barker, it’s often not about about the destination, it’s the f-ed up trip getting there.

So… what’s the point?

Well, if you love the horror genre, or you even “sorta” love it, you should make the trip out to see “The Midnight Meat Train” at a dollar theatre near you.  It’ll totally be worth your time!  If anything it’s worth it, to see a talented film maker (Kitamura) and a good film adaptation of a Clive Barker short story.

Do your part and if it’s near you, go and see it!  Give the finger to the corporate film industry in America, and show them that these films deserve so much better!

At least better than this….

Where’d I get it?: http://www.brettryder.co.uk/images/folio/july2007/15_FTraining.jpg

This just a little hope for rain. :(  All 3 of our rain barrels are almost empty and I’d hate to use the hose for the first time this summer!  Looks hopeful on Wednesday! I hope it rains cats and dogs and… FISH!!!

Love the colors in this pebble!  It reminds me of the film Magnolia. While the man with the net reminds me of one the incredible stop motion puppets from one of Tool’s videos.

If you haven’t seen either, you should.

Where’d I get it?: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2016/2304671726_a1d5d966b5.jpg?v=0

This one’s for Mel! Who will be coming home today!!

She recently took a similar picture of her own feet swinging and when I saw this it reminded me of that day.

Miss you baby!  See you soon!

Where’d I get it?: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/240/535916475_a546817db7_o.jpg

There are times when we walk around our lives that we come across places that have been abandoned that seem to have so much memories and pathos infused into them.  They could be happy places, like an old house you grew up in, or visiting your old elementary school playground. Or they could be sad ones, or even places you intentionally ran away from; hoping you would never return.  Either way, when someone else, separate from those memories stumbles upon these places, you can feel all of that.

Even if they’ve never seen the place before.

This photo did that for me.

Where’d I get it?: http://www.stefanbruggemann.com/exhibitions/029/017.jpg

Since I started “The Pebble Project” there have been a few pebbles that have landed perfectly on the correct day!  In short, they describe my current mental state perfectly!!

This is one of them.

After spending a mind-bending week in training, trying to get a better grasp on a scripting language I view day after day during the work week, it’s finally over!  And while I feel the time spent was worth it, my brain feels like a half microwaved marshmellow…

Where’d I get it?: http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa96/seaserpents/littlebirds1.jpg

After this week, I could use a little calm before the storm.  This pebble encapsulates that for me.  Hopefully it does the same for you!