The Whitehall Mystery

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Joe and I love dressing up, this year our official costumes were the Wicked Witch of the West and Flying Monkey. We attended Aaron and Alisha's yearly costume party and won 2nd place! We also went to our new friend "Joe Black's" party, he had this awesome ice luge to take your shots on. Crazy!

We also had back up costumes for the previous night's party at Clint's. We went as scientists and Joe bought dry ice to keep our beakers bubbling with double trouble.

Anyway, it being Halloween and all I wanted to share a true story...read on!

The Whitehall Mystery (courtesy if Wikipedia)

On October 3, 1888 a headless and limbless torso of a woman was found dumped in a vault of what was soon to become a section of the cellar of the New Scotland Yard. An arm belonging to the body had previously been discovered floating in the Thames, and one of the legs was subsequently discovered buried near the spot where the torso was found. The other limbs and head were never recovered and the body never identified.

The Whitehall Mystery and the Pinchin Street Murder (which happened almost a year later) were thought to be the work of a "Torso Killer" or "Torso Murderer" but was never certainly connected to Jack the Ripper. To this day, the Whitehall Mystery has been connected to the legend of Jack the Ripper, who also has never been identified.

The Many Moods of Sophalopalus on 10/26/05

I was not having a good evening yesterday. After I left work, I headed over to my parents' house to help my mom with her health insurance. Her employer requires health assessments every year as part of benefit coverage. The thing is the assessment was online. And my mom does know how to use a computer. So it took probably a half hour for her to log in.

She's the type of person that doesn't read. So she wants to click whenever she sees a 'click here' button. No matter what the button is for, she sees one and thinks that's the one she needs.

Mood: very aggravated.

Then my mom told me that my dad did not get his job back. So he's pretty much up shit's creek. I don't know where he's going to find another job that will pay him as well as a government job does. It still interests me what he did to lose a government job. It must have been bad though. So right now he's working where my mom works for half the income he would normally get. Mom says he will probably have a nervous breakdown.

Last night, I felt very bummed out with this news and thought there would be something I could do to help out. But Joe told me that there really isn't anything I can do, it's his fault for doing what he did. My dad has to be willing to ask for help if he needs it. I think he's already knee deep in debt and will need help very soon.

Mood: sunken with worry and guilt.

On the way home I stopped at a Halloween store to pick up odds and ends. They didn't have any brooms! Go figure. Apparently witches don't use brooms nowadays. I should've just bought one the very first time I saw one. Stupid me.

Mood: Disenchanted.

So I get home and the only thing I can see is how dirty and disorganized the whole apartment is. Food particles all over the kitchen, cat constantly pulling garbage out of the trash, fur all over the place from working on the costume, nasty bathroom...

Mood: peeved.

Whenever I feel crappy I always get the urge to kick.

I Heart IKEA

I like Ikea, I don't love them, they've done me wrong before. But I do like them. I like the fact that you can buy furniture and not be stuck with it for the rest of your life. It's cheap enough that you can change your style pretty often.

I picked up some nice accessories this weekend that help Joe and I get better organized with the stuff that's laying around all over the place. We got this big side board to tuck away our crafts and tools and it also provides us with counter space to work on projects and entertain. I'm so psyched about it!

Joe, on the other hand, is more excited about the fact that the stuff fit in his station wagon. He pretty much thinks he's conquered the world now.

Hooray for the Swedes!

Paperplates Estate

I wanted to comment on a blog that I added to my links a few weeks ago, it's called Paperplates Estate. It's about a guy somewhere in Colorado venturing into (presumably) Colorado social life and tells us the crazy things that happens along the way. Did I mention that the guy refers to himself in the third person? I guess that's normal for a guy that's (presumably) named Paulo and likes to taunt people with his moustache.

Anyway, the guy is actually funny. Whether the stories are true or terrifically embellished, Paulo has an uncanny ability to get into, let's say, situations. And his observations are truly spot on.

Reading his blog actually makes me want to meet this guy. Maybe that's a bad thing...I'm not sure.

What Would You Do?

Ok, so I don't have pictures to post. My home computer is crap. But once I figure out what's wrong with my computer at home, I'll download pics from my camera and show you what I said I would show you.

Anyway, yesterday someone in Oregon won the big old Powerball jackpot worth $340 million. So here's the game...it's called WWYD. What would you do if you won the lottery?

I would pay off my student loan
Buy a Mini Cooper
Buy a bureau for the extra room in the apartment so I can hide the junk
Donate clothes that are more than 5 years old (which is probably 33% of my wardrobe)
Replace what I donated with newer things
Quit my job and open a hat store
Supply farming tools to Africa
Buy a flatscreen TV
Buy a laptop computer and subscribe to high speed internet
Rent a parking spot in the garage across the street
Supply gardening tools to the Codorus Creek Improvement Partnership
Start looking for a summer property
Take a long bus tour of Europe
Give $5 million each to my immediate family
Buy Joe his own cell phone and his own motorcycle
Enroll in a master’s curriculum
Go wild with the Christmas presents this year
Start looking for a house
Throw a big Christmas party
Import a vintage Vespa in good working condition
Rent Merry Maids to clean once every two weeks
Buy a new mp3 player and subscribe to yahoo music
And put the rest in a bank account

Your turn.

You Know You Have Too Much Time When You Start Dressing the Animals

Ok Ok, so cats aren't dogs. They aren't suppose to wear funny little outfits and walk around with hats and stuff. But I saw these dog costumes at Target and had to get one. I got a Santa suit last Christmas but had to return it because Felony refused to keep the dang thing on. This time I saw a little bee outfit that would fit Athena. It's a little black and white coat with a black hat and two yellow balls for antennae. It's so cute, but Athena just lays there with her outfit on. She walks really deliberately

She doesnt struggle to get it off but after an hour she eventually wiggles out of it, I was fortunate to have it on her long enough to take pictures. Check it out.

Top 5 Desert Island Movies

1. Grease
2. Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels
3. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
4. Star Wars Episode 4
5. Napoleon Dynamite

Thinking Ahead

Oh man, holiday season is just around the corner. Once Halloween hits, it starts a domino effect of holidays that just make me feel all warm and fuzzy.

Halloween
Thanksgiving
Christmas
New Years

I love planning for parties, Aaron and Alisha are throwing their annual Halloween party and we can't wait. This year they are making it pot luck, so now that costume worries are out of the way, the next thing to start thinking about is the food. This weekend, I would like to do an Iron Chef Pumpkin Battle at home and test out some recipe ideas. Of course there will be roasted pumpkin seeds, but I was thinking about making pumpkin soup, Joe wants to make pumpkin bread, and there are a few other ideas I want to try out.

Our new friend, "Joe Black" is also throwing a Halloween party the same night. We still plan to make an appearance at this party. It's important to me to do more things with new people we meet. Joe and I just don't have enough friends.

After that, it's doing the rounds with family for Thanksgiving. I love this part too, the more turkey I eat the better, I say. Food is my favorite.

And then it's Christmas time, which is so great. I love buying gifts, it's definitely a joy for me to think about Christmas gifts. And I pretty much do it all year. Everytime I hear someone talk about something they've been looking at, I tuck it away in my mind and keep my eyes peeled for when Christmas time comes. And we're planning on throwing our 3rd party this year, which I'm looking forward to. The decorations and the gag gifts are such a highlight for me. I can't wait.

It's Boston Tea Party, Not Boston Birthday Party

I woke up yesterday morning at 4:30. I had to make a flight out to Boston by 6:45 so I had to get out of my cozy bed. I wasn't thrilled about it. It was chilly and rainy and dark. And that's not really conducive to waking up.

Anyway, I drove all the way out Harrisburg, boarded a tiny plane with seats enough for 36 people and landed in Logan by 8.30 am. Still not really happy to be awake. Before I got into a cab, I called Joe at work. It was his birthday. I just wanted to let him know that I landed safely and was ready to take a cab into the city. He told me it was still raining and that it would probably rain all day. Bummer. I guess he won't get his car detailed after all. Good thing I stopped by the dealership the day before to pick up valve stem covers and an emergency triangle. He thought the valve stem covers made his car look really cool. OK.

I spent the day in a fancy building meeting my co-workers for the first time. That was actually nice. To put a face to a name is much better than talking to someone for months that you've never met in person. We all sat in a room talking about our plans for the rest of the year. We took an historic trolley tour of the city, which was alright even though I've been to Boston many times before. And then we ate dinner at the Elephant & Castle. I know, I know. Who decided on the Elephant & Castle? There's already one in Harrisburg, I didn't have to go all the way to Boston to eat lamb stew.

Can someone tell me why there are 2 Dunkin Donuts on every block in the city? That's a little obsessive about donuts, don't you think?

The nice part was that I got to the airport and saw that the last direct flight was delayed. I had time to switch my late layover flight to this earlier direct flight and actually got home 2 or 3 hours earlier than scheduled. I even had time to visit Joe at band practice. So I felt like I didn't miss his birthday entirely after all. And that put a smile on my rashy face.

Random Shite #4

Bank holiday comes six times a year
Days of enjoyment to which everyone cheers
Bank Holiday comes with a six pack of beer
...then it's back to work A.G.A.I.N.

Fantasy Football Update: I traded Trevor Sinclair out since he's out on injury with no return date. I put in Morten Gamst Pedersen from Blackburn. Currently ranked 7414th in the world and still beating Jules! Ha!

I went to Target yesterday and bought a dog costume for my cat. It ended up fitting on Athena, so she'll go as a bee for Halloween. She's not very happy with the costume on but she doesn't struggle to get it off either. Pictures to come!

Most people I know have these things on MySpace. So apparently, I'm out of the friend loop because I'm not on MySpace. Screw it! I'm way cooler because I use Blogger! MySpace? My ass.

Operation Surprise Birthday Present is in Progress

OK, I just made an appointment with Gary to come out next Thursday to detail Joe's car. I had apprehension when he said he operates by appointment out of his vehicle. But then after talking to him for about 10 minutes, I felt like he was a real professional and that he wouldn't screw up Joe's car like the windshield repair guy did. Did I tell you that story?

When we went to the beach, a pebble flew out of an SUV and chipped Joe's windshield. (All SUV's should have mud flaps!!) I think he almost cried. Anyway, he got Safelite or a similar windshield repair company to come out to fix it. Wouldn't you know that the guy sprays solvent onto the windshield and then puts the can directly onto the hood of the car! There was a ring on the hood after that, the solvent must've bubbled up the paint. I think Joe almost cried for the second time over his car. He eventually got the ring buffed out, but that was probably the last time he'd trust some guy with his car.

So I asked Gary if he had any references. He said that he details the Budweiser trucks at the distribution center and that he also details the cars on the Mercedes lot behind Saturn. So I guess that means he's good. If a car dealer can trust him with his Mercedes and a few Jags, then hey, I guess I can trust him too.

The fact that Joe doesn't read this is good, otherwise my surprise would be totally ruined. I will unfortunately be in Boston on business that day so I won't get his reaction until Friday morning. I hope he likes it. Can someone take a picture of his happy face for me?

I Have An Office. Hip Hip Hooray!

Believe it or not, it takes 5 different people to agree that I can have an office. Why all the red tape? Beats me and who cares, I have an office! I feel so important now, especially since I have a real door that I can shut instead of a pretend door that I imagine shutting when I need imaginary privacy in my former cubicle.

You wanna know something funny? There was a coating of sugar in the top drawer when I opened it. The previous inhabitant must've liked sugar...a lot.

Do you watch The Office? It's a very funny show on Tuesdays. I like it because the boss is so clueless, it's almost painful to watch the situations he gets himself into. And watching awkward silence on television is...well...awkward. You should see it sometime. Really.

Review: Corpse Bride

I read before that Corpse Bride is based on a Russian folktale. A folktale, huh? I thought folktales were suppose to have a lesson in the end, or am I confusing that with something else...

Anyway, Corpse Bride is about a young man named Victor who has been arranged to marry a young girl named Victoria. Both parents have it in their head that the marriage will finally bring them into wealth, not knowing that both families are actually in the poor house. Victor gets cold feet and then goes into the woods to clear his mind. He practices vows on what he thinks is a tree branch and finds that he accidentally slipped the ring on a corpse, thus reviving her from her grave. Victor spends the rest of the film trying to return to the land of the living, while the Corpse Bride tries to keep him. As any folktale, there will be a happy ending.

This movie is rated PG, which I suppose is appropriate. It's not too scary for young children, aside from the scary music. And it's definitely an offbeat fairytale compared to something like Cinderella. Maybe a Cinderella for those little goths in training.

The only complaint I have is the ending. I think it wraps up too quickly. For something rated PG, they should make it a little more explicit that a happy ending occurs - for instance, we never do see a proper wedding, so how are kids suppose to know what happened in the end? Adults can fill in the blanks or Tim Burton intended to leave it to our imagination, but the younglings might not have an idea.

It's a fascinating study in stop motion animation. You can see the painstaking quality in the production and the music that fits like only Danny Elfman can. This is worth seeing in the theatre, but only for matinee price.

My Movie Ratings
Worth seeing in the theatre...at full price
Worth seeing in the theatre, but only if it's a matinee.
Worth renting.
Wait for it to show on cable.

Wedding Du Jour, Part 3

Ok, this is the last of a 3 part series I'm doing on the weddings that I've attended in September. Now that September is over, no more weddings!

Again, it was a wedding for one of Joe's cousins, John. It was a very informal ceremony outdoors at a reception hall. The outdoors part was much to the anguish of Grandma Metzger, as she thought John should have had a wedding at a church. "12 years of Catholic school...!", she cried.

John actually cried whilst repeating the vows and Caryn kept her cool. I thought that was awesome. Mike the Best Man even called him on it in his toast.

We sat at a table with Joe's parents, Aunt Arlene and Terry, Chad and Cousin Jennifer, and Cousin Amanda. Jennifer must've been frontloading before the wedding, because one glass of wine and she was already rowdy, pointing at Cousin Adam who finally publicly showed up with a boyfriend, and laughing at some overzealous dancers. Oh well, it made the evening interesting.

We chowed on prime rib, which was actually good. (We passed on the other options - chicken and shrimp or vegetarian.) The green beans were pretty tasty, although Joe despises any vegetable being cooked at all. The twice baked potato however, was a little sketchy. It was pretty obvious that the potatoes were kept in the oven at a low temperature to keep them warm, because the outside got dry and papery. Overall, not too bad. The rail drinks were free, anything fancy was cash-only. That's ok, I can totally understand that.

We avoided the dance floor all night until the very last dance. Cousin Ryan dragged us out there and we had to cut a rug real quick and then go hide ourselves. Well, I wasn't really scared of the dancing, it's just Joe that I'm scared of. He pulled out some Fonzi move where he dances with his thumbs out. [Shrug] Beats me, I don't know where he learned that.

Overall a very nice night. It was especially nice that flip flops were the dress code, made things so much more comfortable.