(Well, I had just typed up something pretty, and the evil FireFox crashed and deleted it!  Go figure, just my luck.)

If you love ghost stories, then you’ve definitely seen this one before.  It was a two-hour documentary on Discovery Channel (that will be on Discovery ID tomorrow, 3/28, at 11 am cst), the originating series called “The Haunting” but this particular short called “The Haunting in Connecticut.”  Typically this series is one hour episodes of proposed real hauntings, while this one was enough that they broke it into two one-hour parts.

This house in Connecticut caused enough drama that Ed and Lorraine Warren were there to investigate and help the inhabitants rid the house of the evil demons that lived there (mind you, this was back in the 1980′s).  Ed and Lorraine Warren were among the first to investigate the haunting of the Amityville house (for the true story, click here.  George Lutz never attacked his family or went crazy, but some crazy stuff did happen!  They also did not leave their belongings in the house).

If any house were to be haunted, the house in Connecticut was definitely at the top of the list.  It was a former funeral home converted into a family home; bodies used to be brought up a trap door in the master bedroom!

If you would like to watch the documentary, someone did upload it into nine sections on YouTube.  I’m so in love with this story (in a bit of a sick, disturbing, and twisted way) that I’ll even provide the links for you, because I want you to watch it that badly.  (This story was also on Unsolved Mysteries, and if I remember correctly is in the ghost set.

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 6
• Part 7
• Part 8
• Part 9

I know, I’m so nice, right?

Anywho.

The movie (based of the events, and the documentary) comes out TODAY!  Ah.  So excited.  I’ll be seeing it at some point this weekend, and I’ll be sure to provide a review on how I felt about the film portrayal.

It wouldn’t be a movie blog without the trailer!

Really, if you’re interested in vampires and have already read great literary works such as those by Anne Rice, Bram Stoker, Charlaine Harris (even though it has very little to do with vampires, if you actually analyze it), Stephen King’s “Salem’s Lot” and the like…. Put down ‘Twilight’ and read a much darker, sinister book regarding vampires (that keeps our folklore right where it should be — and considerably less sparkling *gag*).

I’ll even provide a synopsis, and links to purchase this great work on Amazon.com (also to the DVD and Blu-Ray, which is wonderful if you enjoy things like subtitles).

Let The Right One In (Paperback)
Let The Right One In DVD
Let The Right One In Blu-Ray

And onto the synopsis (syn-op-sis: a brief summary of the plot of a novel, motion picture, play, etc)!

A fragile, anxious boy, 12-year-old Oskar is regularly bullied by his stronger classmates but never strikes back. The lonely boy´s wish for a friend seems to comes true when he meets Eli, also 12, who moves in next door to him with her father. A pale, serious young girl, she only comes out at night and doesn´t seem affected by the freezing temperatures. Coinciding with Eli´s arrival is a series of inexplicable disappearances and murders… One man is found tied to a tree, another frozen in the lake, a woman bitten in the neck. Blood seems to be the common denominator – and for an introverted boy like Oskar, who is fascinated by gruesome stories, it doesn´t take long before he figures out that Eli is a vampire. But by now a subtle romance has blossomed between Oskar and Eli, and she gives him the strength to fight back against his aggressors. Oskar becomes increasingly aware of the tragic, inhuman dimension of Eli´s plight, but cannot bring himself to forsake her. Frozen forever in a twelve-year-old´s body, with all the burgeoning feelings and confused emotions of a young adolescent, Eli knows that she can only continue to live if she keeps on moving. But when Oskar faces his darkest hour, Eli returns to defend him the only way she can…

Yeah.  Way cooler (and you even get romance, yayyyy).

Here’s the trailer for those interested.

The movie just came out this weekend, and really, I can’t be bothered with reviewing that (even less-so that bit of writing that people have the audacity to call “literature.”), even though I did enjoy much more than its written counterpart.

I realize there’s not much I HAVE to say, given the fact that others before me have already said it.

Quite frankly, I don’t care if I’m hated for disliking this piece of useless dribble.  As a matter of fact, I worry for our youth and how they will view relationships and themselves after how absolutely awful these main characters are (IE: anti-social, low self-esteem for Bella, and of course the ever-frequent stalking and psychologically abusive ways of Edward).

Instead, I shall link you to some of my favorite things pointing out how blatantly off this thing is!

• 28 Reason why ‘Twilight’ the movie is better than the book.
• A wonderful ‘Twilight’ review taken from adariel on LiveJournal.
• I want to beat Edward with a stick!  (this one includes a wonderful list of how many times things were said/done in the books — which just easily states how awful this crap is.)
• ‘Twilight’ in fifteen minutes.
• Breaking Dawn — Book one.
• Breaking Dawn — Book two.
• Breaking Dawn — Book three.
• Cleolinda’s thoughts on ‘Twilight’.
• Twilight II: Vampiric Boogaloo.
• Twilight III: Bride of Twilight.
• And trailer_spot was nice enough to upload videos of Robert discussing how ridiculous Edward and Bella really are.  He was polite about it, don’t worry.
• Of course, the number of one-star ratings on Amazon.com are nothing less than amusing (and more-so than the book!).
• Edward Cullen turns into a 40 year old woman.

Ah, good times.

Edit PLUS spoiler (3/25/09):

I’m entirely curious.  So vampiric women cannot get pregnant and therefore cannot carry babies.  So how the hell does it work out that Edward can impregnate Bella, and thus must turn her into a vampire so their lovechild doesn’t eat her?  How does she carry the lovechild to birth?  I must know.  (No, I didn’t read it so I’m not sure if it was explained, a friend of mine filled me in so I wouldn’t feel compelled to read the other books.)  Fill.  Me.  In.

Dear mL:

I’m like you — incredibly pale, and unable to find a match in foundation.  Some drug store brands have a match, but I hate that I have to take it home to try it out, and if it doesn’t work, I’m S.O.L.  What are your recommendations of brands that porcelain beauties like myself can try out?

Thanks!
Allison

Dear Allison (and readers),

That’s an excellent question, really.  I myself have searched for years to find a pale foundation that worked for me; most are far too dark, and even MAC foundations don’t work on me (which is a bummer, since I think their finishes are often gorgeous).  I’ve had success with a few brands, and by a few, I mean a few.  There’s not much out there for ladies like us — we don’t get the respect we deserve from cosmetic companies, at least in my opinion.  Also, I’m going to write for those bronzed and dark-skinned lovelies who have the same sort of issue — finding a foundation that doesn’t look silly and ashy on the skin!

Nixie is my first choice.  The prices are affordable, the color selection is fabulous!  They have quite the selection of undertones for skin, from the most pale to the darkest of skintones.  My personal favorites?  The full coverage cream foundation, and the even skin silicone foundation!  Since the even skin silicone foundation contains silicone (silica derivative), it helps to keep you with a natural and un-oily finish all day.  How can one beat that?  The cream foundation is great for a concealer, if you don’t want to use it as a foundation all over your face, and it’s also waterproof!

Next, a super favorite, Make Up For Ever!  Their foundations are downright fabulous, but definitely on the pricey side!  Their color range is excellent, and they have some of the best formulations I have ever encountered.  I keep their mat+ velvet in my kit for if I’m going to be anywhere near the water (don’t let the swatches on the site scare you, they’re lighter than they appear.  Here are the swatches from the official website!).  The stuff is waterproof and it helps keep my skin even!

Dior foundations also go to the very pale shades all the way to the darker shades, however, I must admit they are definitely on the pricey side — which I can’t bring myself to pay.  The finishes are wonderful on pretty much all of them, and most contain SPF, a definite bonus for everyday wear!  I love the Diorskin Forever make up which is a long-wear foundation, and Diorskin Nude which gives a nice and natural finish.

After that…. I’m at a loss.  Really, I haven’t found much.  People say Bare Escentuals, but we all know I’m not a fan of the brand, plus their shades on darker skin are downright awful, and ashy, thanks to the amount of titanium dioxide in the product.

My recommendation will almost always be that you go to your local cosmetics counter, and have them try foundations for you.  They’ll ask you a series of questions regarding coverage and finish, plus they’ll match it for you.  More often than not they’ll even let you take home a sample so you can see if it’s something that you’ll really want!

I hope I at least assisted some for you all

People are still pondering this…. Really?

I should really just put one big whopping link to it on my main page.  However, I’m far too lazy.  It’s been ping-backed on the most popular cosmetic forums that I can think of, and linked from numerous others.

People are still forgetting the inevitable difference between industrial-grade silica and cosmetic-grade silica.  Is industrial-grade dangerous?  Yes.  Is cosmetic-grade silica dangerous?  No.

Same goes for mineral oil, there’s more than one grade, and the cosmetic grade is A-okay!

I think I took too much chemistry and environmental science.  If I could get a googly-eyed face on here, it would be right here —–>

If you’re wondering about my research, just read my blog.  Fear not, I’m pretty cool, and I site sources.

SILICA IN COSMETICS IS SAFE FOR USE.