CULTURE/SOCIETY - Bet You Didn't Know: Easter Traditions

How did Easter traditions like the Easter bunny and egg hunts become part of the holiday celebration?

http://www.history.com/videos/bet-you-didnt-know-easter-traditions

HUMOR: Slow down on the peeps, Snoopy!

CULTURE/SOCIETY: Minecraft Marshmallow Creeps

http://www.thinkgeek.com/interests/looflirpa/ee04/

MY LIFE: 3 Halloween Questions

Well, I got thes questions for my work newsletter, so I thought I could put the answers here on my blog too! - OlderMusicGeek

1. What was your favorite Halloween costume as a child?

I can’t remember that far back, but I do remember one year dressing up as my childhood hero, Doc Savage, a kind of pseudo-Superman from 1930s pulp magazines. Of course, no one knew who he was, so no one knew who I was being!

Then one year, when a friend and I were passing out candy, we ran out. So we put on our clothes backwards, walked up to the doors backwards, stood with our backs to the people, told the answer to the joke, then the question, then said trick or treat!

My daughter was Queen Amidala from Star Wars for 3 years in a row. We offered to buy her a new costume, but no way!

2. What is your favorite scary movie?

“Alien” always has been and will be my favorite movie. Every time I watch it, I get chills and jump! Especially during the scene in the escape hatch!

But I also love Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho". Found out recently that I apparently let my daughter watch that movie at too young an age! She told me that she tied the bathroom door shut for a week when she took a shower after she saw it!

3. What is your favorite Halloween candy?

Peanut M&M’s all the way! Though I can't eat too many of them now with my high cholestrol!

But I loved Snickers too! Anything that mixes chocolate and peanuts!

Unfortunately, with the low-fat, low cholestrol diet I'm on now. Can't really eat too many of them!

Other Halloween blog posts

CULTURE/SOCIETY: Easter Peep Run Amok!

I found this a couple of years ago on Vanity Run Amok's blog. I just kept forgetting to put it up. This part is actually from the comment section. - OlderMusicGeek

M_D (reader of vanity runs amok) -

Since you piqued my interest with the caged Peep, I’ll tell you a story, movie-trailer style:

*in a dramatic voice* In a world where Peeps feared for their delicious sugary lives, one Peep stood up to make a difference. It seemed as though his work changed the lives of Peeps everywhere…but under the surface was an ice cold milk-blooded killer.

*scream*

The once proud peacemaker had finally turned…to the sweet side. He had tasted sugar and he wanted more. After a roasting spree that covered two boxes, he was caught and after the trial of the century, sent to the Glucose Sanitarium for observation.

“Hello, my little Peep.”

There he waits. Watching.

Ima Smrtass is Hannibal Peepter in…Silent Calories.

:::Rated C for corn syrup:::

Coming to a theatre nowhere near anyone, Spring 2009.

I know…pretty bad, huh? Hope it was good for at least a smile. :)

He better watch out cus there seems to be a peeps army!

A link to the original post with the pics and comment
A link to other Easter post on my blog

ON ANOTHER BLOG: "PERSONALITY: 44 Odd Things About Me" on OlderMusicGeek's Stupid Tests And Quizzes (just click here)

CULTURE/SOCIETY: A Bunch Of Halloween Tests

These are just what I found to be the more interesting Halloween quizzes at blogthings. - OlderMusicGeek

What Your Cute Monster Says About You

You are a simply happy person. You still view the world with a childlike innocence. You have an easy going attitude, and you value harmony. You love freely and inspire others to love. You inner demon is frailty. You are easily beaten down by life. People think you're cute because you are optimistic. Your outlook on life is charming.

The Cute Monster Test

You Are 50% Witch

You've got some pretty witchy stuff going on. Even if you're not a witch, you've got to admit that you're a little freaky. You have a strong independent streak - social norms be damned. More power to you. Luckily, the time when you would have been burned at the stake has passed!

Are You a Witch?

You Are a Werewolf

You are moody and easily provoked. You are highly loyal and protective of those you love. While you can be intense at times, you are generally a laid back person. But if a fight comes your way, you will fight 'til the death if necessary. You seem normal to most people. No one understands how different you can be. It's like a switch flips for you sometimes - and then you're a completely different creature.

Are You a Vampire or a Werewolf?

You Should Be a Ghost

You are seen as shy and introverted. You like to blend in... or disappear. You see Halloween as the day you can sit back and enjoy what other people are doing. You don't scare all that easily on Halloween. If anything, you tend to scare people. You don't try to be scary, but you do tend to lurk around and catch people by surprise.

What Classic Halloween Costume Should You Wear?

You Are a Werewolf

You're unpredictable, moody, and downright freaky. You seem sweet and harmless, until you snap. Then you're a total monster. Very few people can predict if you're going to be Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde. But for you, all your transformations seem perfectly natural. Your greatest power: Your ability to tap into nature Your greatest weakness: Lack of self control You play well with: Vampires

What Kind of Monster Are You?

You Are Candy Corn

Your Halloween personality is whimsical, colorful, and creative. You see Halloween as a time to get your creative juices flowing. Each year, Halloween can't start soon enough for you. You tend to go all out for Halloween. You decorate like crazy and always dress up.

What Halloween Treat Are You?

What Your Halloween Habits Say About You

You're a friendly person, but not the life of the party. You like making someone else's day - and you'll dress up if you think of a really fun costume. You definitely think of yourself as someone who has a dark side. And part of having that dark side means not showing it. Your inner child is stubborn and a bit bossy. You fear people taking advantage for you. You are always worried about protecting your own interests. You're prone to be quite emotional and over dramatic. Deep down, you enjoy being scared out of your mind... even if you don't admit it. You are a traditionalist with most aspects of your life. You like your Halloween costume to be basic, well made, and conventional enough to wear another year.

What's Your Halloween Personality?

You Are a Little Scary

You've got a nice edge to you. Use it.

How Scary Are You?

HUMOR: Some Halloween Top 10 Lists

Surfing the net, I found these at possumsal.com. - OlderMusicGeek

Ten Signs You Are Too Old For Halloween
10. You get winded from knocking on the door
9. You have to have someone chew the candy for you
8. You ask for high fiber candy only.
7. When someone drops a candy bar in your bag, you lose your balance and fall over.
6. People say, "Great Keith Richards mask!" and you're not wearing a mask.
5. When the door opens you yell, "Trick or..." and you can't remember the rest.
4. By the end of the night you have a bag full of restraining orders.
3. You have to carefully choose a costume that won't dislodge your hair piece.
2. You're the only Power Ranger in the neighborhood with a walker.
1. You avoid going to houses where your ex-wives live.

Why Pumpkins are better than Men
1. Every year you get a brand new crop to choose from.
2. No matter what your mood is, pumpkins are always ready to greet you with a smile.
3. One usually makes a better pie.
4. They are always on the doorstep there waiting for you!
5. If you don't like the way he looks, you just carve up another face.
6. If he starts smelling up your place, you can just throw him out.
7. From the start you know a pumpkin has an empty, mush filled head to begin with.
8. A pumpkin is turned on (lit-up) only when you want him to be.

The Top 10 Houses to AVOID while Trick-or Treating
1. Any house that seems to be imploding into a space-time wormhole.
2. Any house made of food.
3. Any house whose only entrance goes to the basement.
4. Any house where the high tension wires suddenly stop right above it.
5. Any house that has ornamental lawn hyenas.
6. Any house that growls "get out."
7. Any house where the furniture seems to be walking across the living room floor.
8. Any house that looks like a giant pulsating orb floating 3 feet off the
ground.
9. Any house with various and extremely realistic statues in the front yard
of people in odd "running away" poses.
10. Any house that wasn't there only a minute ago...

I already posted this, but fits in, so I'm posting it again! - OMGeek

HUMOR: Some Halloween Comics

Here are some comics Ernest T Spoon sent me for Halloween. - OlderMusicGeek

CULTURE/SOCIETY: Origin Of Beggar's Night

Well, tonight in my town - yes, TONIGHT - children are going from home to home in costumes telling jokes in order to get candy. If you want to know why they are going tonight and why they are telling jokes, I've done the courtesy of reprinting an article from last Halloween in our paper. I don't guarantee it's accuracy though! - OlderMusicGeek

Jokes set local Halloween apart
MARY CHALLENDER
REGISTER STAFF WRITER

Detroit has Hell Night.

Carbondale, Ill., used to have Fright Night.

When it comes to bizarre local Halloween traditions, however, few communities can match the (my town) metro area and its 50-year-old ritual of - well, let's just call it Bad Joke Night.

In most places, the Halloween tradition goes like this: The kid says, "Trick-or-treat." The homeowner gives him candy.

In (my town) and surrounding suburbs, it's more like this: The kid says, "Trick or treat." The homeowner says "What's your trick?" Then the kid tells a joke of the sort usually found on Bazooka gum wrappers.

Why didn't the skeleton cross the road?
He didn't have any guts.

Whether or not the homeowner is amused, the kid gets candy.

There may be children elsewhere in the world who follow this unusual practice, but if so, anthropologist Ken Erickson has never run across them. Erickson directs the Center for Ethnographic Research at the University of Missouri.

"That is totally cool," said Erickson, who has conducted research on Halloween customs in the United States. "I never heard of that before. That is totally fun."

Erickson isn't the only one in the dark. In the 1990 book "Halloween: An American Holiday, an American History," author Lesley Pratt Bannatyne, one of the nation's foremost authorities on the holiday, traced the evolution of Halloween from colonial times through its modern-day commercialism. Although the book contains many references to trick-or-treating practices across the United States, telling riddles never enters the equation.

A mushroom walks into a bar. "You'll have to leave," the bartender says. "We don't allow mushrooms in here." "Why not?" asked the mushroom. "I'm a fungi."

The credit for providing (my town) children with the perfect outlet for their most groan-inducing jokes largely goes to one woman, Kathryn Krieg, director of recreation for the (my town) Playground Commission (later the Parks and Recreation Department) for 43 years.

When Krieg assumed her post in 1931, kids on Beggars' Night were more likely to clamor "Soaps or Eats" than "Trick or Treat." Every year the newspaper ran a long list on Nov. 1 of youths arrested the previous evening for crimes ranging from soaping windows and sidelining streetcars to setting fires and throwing bricks through windows.

The flash point came on Halloween in 1938 when (my town) police answered a record 550 calls concerning vandalism. Krieg, along with the Community Chest' group work council, began a campaign to encourage less violent forms of Halloween fun.

They set aside Oct. 30 as Beggars' Night and got the word out to the public that on that night - and only that night - children would be allowed to go from door to door and say the phrase "tricks for eats." The council urged that "eats should be given only if such a 'trick' as a song, a poem, a stunt or a musical number, either solo or in group participation, is presented."

The next year, the group work council again promoted the Beggars' Night concept, this time as a way to aid the war effort. An article published in (my town newspaper) on Oct. 29, 1942, carried the headline "Kids! -Don't Help the Axis on Halloween" and included this poem encouraging proper behavior:

"Soap and ticktacks are taboo,
Ringing doorbells? Not for you.
Thoughts of pranks, you must detour,
Lest you bet a saboteur."

The Beggars' Night program was so successful that by the mid-1940's, the number of Halloween police calls in (my town) had been cut by more than half.

After the war, Krieg continued to issue annual bulletins in the Register laying still more Beggars' Night ground rules, including that children should stay in their own neighborhoods and that parents should turn on their porch lights for trick-or-treaters and accompany small children on their rounds.

Each year, she reiterated that children should not be given candy until they earned it "with a stunt, song, or riddle."

Now on Beggars' Night, a group of preteen girls will occasionally sing a song or a shy kindergartner opt for a cartwheel. For the most part, however, every trick-or-treater old enough to memorize one tells a joke.

Why did Dracula visit the blood bank?
He needed to make a withdrawal.

Krieg retired in 1974, a few years after the Register stopped running her yearly admonition to make children work for their candy. By then, the biggest Beggars' Night concern wasn't the danger trick-or-treaters might represent to the public but the danger some members of the public might represent to trick-or-treaters. Krieg died in March of 1999 at age 94.

The joke-telling ritual continues, as does its legacy: Reduced vandalism. Instead of tales of marauding youth, the only Halloween-related story to appear in the Register last year was about a gathering of local witches.

If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring?
Pilgrims.

I remember when my daughter was 2 and trick-or-treating. She was too young to tell a joke, but since she was dressed as Queen Amidala, I taught her to sing the theme to Star Wars! - OMGeek

A link to other Halloween posts on my blog

HUMOR: 10 Reasons It Would Rule To Date A Unicorn

I got the link to the original site from killregrets on Twitter. - OlderMusicGeek

Reason 1: They fart glitter.
Reason 2: Better tv reception.
Reason 3: Easily disguisable as a rhino (to avoid suspicion)
Reason 4: They're good for exercise.
Reason 5: When you eat their feces, it prolongs your life.
Reason 6: They can turn mosquitoes into skittles and jelly beans.
Reason 7: They make okay parachutes.
Reason 8: Rainbows on demand.
Reason 9: Free sleigh rides.
Reason 10: Tetherball.

A link to the original site which has pictures

CULTURE/SOCIETY: Candy Heartfelt Expressions

Well, I heard a report on NPR on about those little hearts with messages that are sold so often on Valentine's Day. But I can't find the NPR report, so instead you get this piece! - OlderMusicGeek

Thursday, February 12, 1998
THE POST
Athens, Ohio
An Independent Daily Newspaper
Ohio University

Candy Hearts Updated
by Caroline Broder

E-mail me. Be my Icon. Fax me. Even the little pastel candy conversation hearts that have long been a Valentine's Day tradition are keeping pace with the times.

This year, the New England Confectionary Company decided it was time to update the old sayings of love that the sugary confections used to bear and added eight new sayings. Among the new sentiments are "Sister Friend," "Web Site," "www.cupid," and "You Go Girl."

"We are trying to keep up with the times," said Walter Marshall, the man responsible for writing conversation heart sayings for NECCO.

Marshall, who will appear on the Rosie O'Donnell show Friday, added the high-tech line of sentiments two years ago for the Cambridge, Mass. based company.

The company, which started making conversation hearts in 1902, currently has 100 ways to say I love you. The conversation heart, invented by Daniel Chase, used to bear messages like "if you dress in white, you married right."

During the 1960s, "Groove Me," "Dig Me," and "Hubbahubba," were popular. But some sayings like "Be Mine" and "Be True," have stayed through the ages, Marshall said.

Today, the hearts are the largest selling Valentine's Day candy. Marshall said the company turns out 8 billion pieces of the pastel hearts every year. If measured, he said the candy would stretch 32,000 miles.

Because the candy's popularity has increased in the last six to seven years, Marshall said he constantly gets suggestions for new sentiments. He said the most popular suggestions have been "Phat," "Hottie," "You're da Bomb," and "Safe Sex."

But Marshall insists "safe sex," will never make it onto the sugary treats.

"We won't do naughty hearts," he laughed.

In the next few weeks, Marshall, who is known as the "King of Hearts," will be picking a new line-up of sayings for next year's hearts.

"How many ways can you say I love you?" he asked. "We have to find new ways."

A link to the original article

Your Candy Heart Says "First Kiss"

You're a true romantic who brings an innocent hope to each new relationship. You see the good in every person you date, and you relish each step of falling in love. Your ideal Valentine's Day date: a romantic dinner your sweetie cooks for you Your flirting style: friendly and sweet What turns you off: cynics who don't believe in romance Why you're hot: you always keep the romance alive

What Does Your Candy Heart Say?

Rejected heart sayings from BadCupid.com...

WARNING: Some naughty language is used.







A link to BadCupid.com

A link to Valentine's Day blogs

CULTURE/SOCIETY: Silly Adult - Christmas is for Kids

This is from a weekly supplement our newspaper puts out for 20- and 30-somethings. But I still read it anyway, just to keep up on what's going on. - OlderMusicGeek.

Silly Adult - Christmas is for Kids
by sarah dose
sarah@dmjuice.com

Yay, holidays.

Ahem.

YAY, HOLIDAYS.

Right?

Oh, &*#@%.

OK. It's not that I hate them. If I boil it down, I actually quite like the festivities that come with Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year's Eve.

Holiday cards. Holiday lights (although some houses think lights are to be used year-round and not just in December). Cookies. Candy. Family. More family. My mom's incredible caramels. Crab legs for Christmas dinner.

But there are the bad things, too. Shopping. Traffic. "Feliz Navidad" on repeat. Dividing your time to make sure you're spending enough time with each family member/friend/etc.

So I got to thinking the other day. When did I start making the turn to Scrooge-land?

When I was a kid, NOTHING was bad about Christmas. Presents! Candy! Cookies!

Then it hit me. Christmas is for kids. Think about it. Adults don't sit on Santa's lap. Adults don't throw hissy fits when they don't get enough presents. Adults don't display unbridled greed and candy-mongering. Adults don't make three-page Christmas lists. That kind of behavior is "frowned upon."

Yup, Christmas started going downhill when I found out Santa wasn't real. When you find that out, you're not an innocent kid anymore.

When I found out (from my older sister), I couldn't believe it. I couldn't fathom my Barbies being made anywhere but the North Pole. Suddenly, my Barbies were BORING. Then I thought, "My parents lied to me? I will pay them back by being a sullen teenager."

Christmas went downhill even more when I started making money. The novelty (and heartfelt thoughtfulness) of a macaroni necklace for mom just wasn't going to cut it anymore. I had to dish out cash for something she would actually wear in public. Welcome to adulthood.

But I digress ...

This year, I'm going to be a good little girl and not think about the bad parts of Christmas (no 31 year old gets a sack of candy when she leaves church on Christmas Eve).

Instead, I will focus on how lucky I am to be able to spend time with my family (but not too much) and that it's not about the getting, but the giving (even if the present I got my sister was WAY nicer than what she got me).

I will cozy up around the fireplace (or TV) with my family and sing carols (or yell at sportscasters) in coordinating sweaters.

In other words, all I want for Christmas is a little childish innocence (and candy).

A link to all my Christmas and holiday posts

Happy Christmas and/or Boxing Day and/or Kwanzaa and/or Hannakah and/or Bodhi Day and/or Sanghamitta Day and/or Shabe Cheleh and/or Makara Sankranti and/or Junkanoo and/or Dong Zhi and/or Toji and/or Soyal and/or Yule and/or Seva Zistane and/or Alban Arthan and/or Long Night and/or Mean Geimrech and/or Brumalia and/or Dies Natalis Solis Invicti and/or Saturnalia and/or Lenaea and/or Wren Day and/or Tekufah Tevet and/or Winter Solstice and/or ChriFSMas and/or any other December or winter solstice holidays I missed!

Oh, and Bah Humbug to those who don't celebrate the holidays! :)

CULTURE/SOCIETY: Way Too Many Halloween Quizzes

You Could Be a Vampire... If You Had To

Like most people, the thought of being a vampire has crossed your mind. But you're not sure if you'd do it, even if you could. Living forever doesn't sound half bad, if you could live forever with the people you love the most. But do vampires even love? And would the vampire version of you even be you? It's all too much to contemplate. Luckily, the chances of you ever becoming a vampire are astronomically low. What you would like best about being a vampire: Living forever What you would like least about being a vampire: Blood stained teeth Actually the thing I would like the least is not being to have garlic any more! I put garlic powder in ALMOST EVERYTHING I eat!

Could You Be a Vampire?

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What Kind of Candy Are You? Snickers

Nutty and gooey - you always satisfy.

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You Are A Vampire

You have a real thirst for bliss, and you consider yourself a true hedonist. And you're not afraid to walk alone in life, if it means getting what you truly crave. You truly enjoy entrancing people. Not to mention the ensuing pleasures of the flesh. Your tastes have been called decadent and bizarre. You usually give in to your temptations, no matter how primal Your greatest power: Your flawless ability to seduce and charm Your greatest weakness: Human flesh You play well with: Werewolves

What Kind of Monster Are You?

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You Are Scary

You even scare scary people sometimes!

How Scary Are You?

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WHAT KIND OF MONSTER ARE YOU?
I AM A

Never mind the 5-second rule -- you'll eat anything off the sidewalk, anytime. Patient, social, and organized by nature, you once waited 54 hours in line for Springsteen tickets.

You can carry an object five times your own weight, and thus are often called upon by friends who need to move pool tables and sectional sofas to new apartments.

Forget Them, it's all about you, baby.


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Which Horror Movie Are You?
PsychoPsycho (1960) - You are INSANE. Yes, that's right - out of all of the results, this is the only one that can confirm that you are legally insane. All I can say is get help - before you dress up like your mother and go on a 'stabbing-girls-in-the-shower killing spree'.

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Could you last in a scary movie??

You make it to the end thanks to your friend

You listen to what your friend tells you to do, you can never make a decision for yourself. You would be dead but your friend saved your life.

Awwwww! It's good to have friends. :)

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Your Halloween personality is TRADITIONAL
Your idea of the perfect Halloween is a night filled with candy corn, jack-o-lanterns and dunking for apples—you have celebrated the holiday like this since you were a tyke and you plan to continue—why mess with success? This Halloween, pick a classic costume that never goes out of style! Be a witch, a pirate or a cowboy and enjoy a night of trick-or-treating with friends!
What is Your Halloween Costume Personality?

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Which horror movie should you watch at Halloween?

You like horror movies with a decent plot, and creative ideas, but also a few frightening moments. Your perfect horror film should be more mystery, and less splatter or disgusting. I recommend the following movies: The Ring, Gothika, The Skeleton Key, Sleepy Hollow, The VillageMessage me if you have any questions.
Take this quiz!








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Which Fantasy Character are you? (Vampires, Werewolves, Dragons, etc..)

You're a Ninja! Kind of obsessed with you job and slaying things. A little on the mysterious side. You work for your master and ONLY your master. Unless you like to work alone just for the fun of it.Here's what the others think about you:Vampires- Eh, they're kinda like us, just.... No fangs and eternal life.Werewolves- I see them flying through the forest all the time, it's nothing new to me.Dragons- Grr.... They have a history of killing Dragons, but also befriending them.Ninjas- Ahh, my fellow comerads.
Take this quiz!








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You're still human, but nobody can tell, because you're moaning hungrily and stumbling around with the zombie masses. You aren't in the mood to get involved in an exhausting zombie battle. You just want to live and let live (or let not-live, for the zombies). It seems like the easiest solution is to join the undead mob for now. It'll work out alright, as long as they don't pick up your delicious human scent. Fake zombie life isn't perfect – it's like being at a lame party where nobody talks much, and the snacks are really gross. But still… it beats hanging out at home until this zombie war is over, right?

Would You Survive a Zombie Invasion?

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The Zombie Movie Survival Quiz

Like Ash from the Evil Dead trilogy, you are the hero. Congratulations. As the chainsaw toting king of witty one-liners, you certainly know how to handle any of those undead nasties heading your way, don't you?
Take this quiz!








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25%
What are Your Chances of Surviving a Zombie Apocalypse?

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Zombie Survival Quiz
Shambling Corpse


You are a failure in every possible way. With no regard for your own safety, the safety of others, or even basic common sence, you won't last a week. As one of the most ignorant beings on this planet, you will have the honor of ushering humankind into a new era of darkness and despair. Way to go!

Zombie Survival Quiz

A link to my other Halloween posts