A Skull A Day

John Astin Reads "The Raven" By Edgar Allen Poe --- As Poe

What's Halloween Without a little Edgar Allen Poe

"This place gives me the creeps!" Vincent Price, 1977

Poe and Baltimore

"He pointed to my garments;-they were muddy and clotted with gore. I spoke not, and he took me gently by the hand:-it was indented with the impress of human nails." Berenice, 1835.
Edgar Allan Poe has been dead since October 7, 1849 and yet his ghost continues to haunt us. Poe was one of Baltimore's greatest writers. He was a poet, short story writer, literary critic, editor, publisher and lecturer. His life was filled with tragedy, poverty, and illness. Writers in his time could hardly make a living from writing and had to turn to other employment that could afford them some leisure time to write. If they were lucky enough to have a patron or an inheritance, their prolificacy was assured. Poe was not that fortunate.

Poe was born in Boston on January 19, 1809, he was the grandson of Baltimore Revolutionary War patriot, David Poe Sr., he was orphaned at age 3 and, though never legally adopted, made his home with Mr. and Mrs. John Allan in Richmond. Poe, was never really accepted by Allan as his son. Tension grew as he got older, and, after many unfortunate incidents, he left Allan's household and enlisted in the Army.

In 1829, after his discharge, Poe arrived in Baltimore and lived with his widowed aunt, Maria Poe Clemm. At that time, Maria Clemm's home was located in what is now called Little Italy, just east of the Inner Harbor. After a brief stint at West Point, he returned to Baltimore in 1832 to live with Maria Clemm again. By this time, Maria Clemm was living at No. 3 Amity Street in west Baltimore. The tiny household consisted of Maria, her daughter Virginia Eliza, her son Henry Clemm, and Elizabeth Poe, Edgar's grandmother. It was during this time period that Poe decided to write short stories instead of poetry. Poe won a $50 prize offered by a Baltimore newspaper for best short story. The winning story was called, "MS Found in a Bottle."
It was probable that the following stories were composed at this time: "Berenice," "Morella," "King Pest," "Shadow," "Mystification," and "Hans Pfall." Other tales that date from this time period are: "Metzengerstein," "Duc de L'Omelette," "A Tale of Jerusalem," "Loss of Breath," "BonBon," "Siope," "Lionizing," "The Visionary," and "A Decent into the Maelstrom."
One tale in particular, "Berenice", created a sensation for Poe. Many editors received complaints the story was too gruesome. Poe censored his own story by deleting several offending paragraphs. He defended writing this story by claiming he was giving the public what they wanted. He promised not to err again by writing such sensational stories.

In 1835, Elizabeth Poe died. Poe moved to Richmond where in 1836 he sent for Maria and Virginia Clemm, Henry Clemm vanished and was never heard from again. Poe never returned to Baltimore to live for any extended period of time.

In 1836, Poe married his 13 year old cousin, Virginia, in Richmond. Poe was devoted to his wife. When she finally died a tragic death from consumption in 1847, Poe outlived her by only two years. The cause of his death remains a mystery. Despite many theories surrounding his death, no exact cause has ever been proven. He rests with his wife and aunt under the monument erected to him in Westminster Graveyard in downtown Baltimore.

(Source)

Halloween Hangman . . .

Have A little Halloween fun.

http://www.dedge.com/flash/hangman/hangman.swf

Zombie Wedding Cake Topper : )

In the spirit of Halloween I have to post this!

Someone on Craftster.com made this adorable custom zombie wedding cake topper: "A zombie portrait wedding cake topper I did for my friend Rebecca's wedding cake. She wanted a topper of her and her groom with her eating his brains,so I did just that."

Way to go girl!!!! : )

Halloween Cuteness ... Having a party?

Umbrellas With A Deadly Flair : )

Umbrellas with a ghoulish flair! These make a great gift! It falls under the category of something everybody needs but hates to buy themselves. These are unique! They make a great accessory and conversation piece! They have the Coffin pattern, skulls , safety pins, flames; you name it! Available at Get Go Retro! And for your information, here is Umbretiquette!

UMBRETIQUETTE

1. Never unfurl your umbrella indoors. (It's bad luck)
2. The taller person should raise their umbrella when passing in tight quarters. (DUH)
3. Never open your umbrella at sporting events.
4. If your umbrella has blown inside out more than 6 times, replace it.
5. Be very cautious when changing direction with an open umbrella - accidents happen!
6. Keep the point down.
7. Leave it someplace? It's gone!!!!!

Vampire -- Out of the Closet - Out of the Coffin! Enjoy!

Whoever did this, did a great job. Thumbs up! Enjoy!

Halloween Candles that are just too cute.... Had to share!

In the spirit of Halloween ... Looking for a great fall or Halloween themed table centerpiece for your celebration? Can't go wrong with the candles, candle holders and bowls at Illuminations. They offer wonderful candle holders, bowls, candles and wrought iron pieces that will blow your mind. The quality is wonderful and so are the prices. They are great go look at - and make a nice centerpiece gift for someone at the table! Fortunately, they also offer non-generic holiday candles and pieces as well. Worth checking them out!

A Pigment of your Imagination - Skeleton Systems of your Favorite Cartoon Characters

Skeletal Systems of Cartoon Characters

Like so many Americans, Michael Paulus grew up watching cartoons. But unlike most children who become adults and shed interest in their animated friends, Michael matured into an artist who applies grown-up analysis to the animated characters of his youth—and their bone structure, in particular. That pondering led to detailed illustrations of the skeletal systems of such preeminent cartoon actors as Barney Rubble, Shmoo, and Baby Huey. If you accept the maxim that a large cranium indicates great intelligence, then Michael has revealed that Charlie Brown might just be a genius (footballs notwithstanding). Hello Kitty is a whiz. And Pigpen is a veritable Stephen Hawking. As for Betty Boop, it's a wonder she can even hold her mastermind-sized head up above those dainty little feet. (Found at Yahoo)

Skullerflies, Day of the Dead --- Hair Raising .....

A little shameless self promotion... I promise I won't keep doing this. But they are so cute, and they do go with my site ... kinda : )

Fashionable girl? Like the Rockabilly, Punk, Goth scene or just like being unique? Or perhaps you are going to a Halloween Party? Want something unique and different. Get Go Retro is selling Skullerflies (handmade by Lucky 11) uniquely original barrettes made of feathers with a "day of the dead" skull in the middle. They are really cool looking and can be worn on other days that "Halloween" but since that holiday is coming up -- its' something to think about. We are also carrying their Hair Roses with Skulls inside. Check them out. Very affordable! Oh yeah, and did I say this is a little bit of shameless self promotion : ) ?

HAUNT WORLD .... More than seeing dead people...

HauntWorld.com bills itself as "the biggest haunt finder network on the Internet." And though we can't verify that spine-chilling boast, we can tell you that its state locator and ghoulish reviews make the site our first visit for nailing down the season's creepiest spots. So, hold your breath, brush aside the cobwebby banner ads, and march bravely in. Here are the two most bewitching places to enter...

Top 13 Haunted Houses for 2006—a Kentucky steamboat, two Las Vegas semi-trucks, and a St. Louis hayride join those vying for scariest haunt, but it's Ulster, New York's headless horseman that gallops away with the honor.

Haunted News—this section scares up a list of Halloween how-tos and articles from across the Web. Tips on crafting the spookiest yards, a profile of south Jersey's real-life Ghostbusters, and a rundown of the scariest ghost towns all prowl its borders.