2022 YEAR END REVIEW

It’s New Year's Eve … who knew. Not me at least not until someone sent me a text telling me to be safe tonight, and I was like why where I am going. They said you know if you go anywhere for the holiday. I responded with you mean tomorrow. They were like um…no tonight. People celebrate New Year's tonight, since it’s New Year's Eve. I again responded with tomorrow. They wrote back with a screen shot of the date, like my devices don’t also have that. Turns out … guys they were right today is New Year's Eve. The last day of 2022, the last day of the year, tomorrow starts a brand-new chapter full of wonder, excitement and pretty much the same shit that 2022 had but with a different date at the end … if I’m being honest.

New Year's has just never been a thing I celebrate. I mean yeah sure it’s an accomplishment to get from point A to point B I guess and not everyone got to make that circle, heck I went to 2 funerals just this week alone, so I see why people celebrate this “milestone” but I’ve just never been interested in it. Even as a little Marcy I wasn’t concerned with staying up to watch the ball drop. Seemed like a lot of fuss over not much and you spend the night wandering around going from place to place finally landing somewhere to count backwards from 10 then it’s over and everyone goes home or leaves to head to yet another place. I’d rather stay home, sleep at a decent hour and just get up the next day. I will admit I do like seeing how everyone chooses to usher out the current year and welcome the new one, but it’s all become a bit much. Every single town now has a thing. Hell, mine has a Moon Pie Drop. They take a LARGE Moon Pie strap it to the side of a building downtown and at midnight lower it to the ground because nothing says New Year like getting ready for Mardi Gras.

It's been another year of hard work and some appreciation for both Golden and I. I do wish she got more appreciation but there's very little I can do about that. I just completed my first year at the helm of the ship at my work, which has been a learning curve. I'm proud of what we got accomplished this year and know there's more we can do so that's the goal for 2023. Once gain I'm gonna lose some of my vacation time, I hope that next year I do better about that. Golden and I are trying to come up with our next big trip (other than Dragon Con) because it's been a few years since we did that. I think the two of us just need something to look forward to if I am being honest. 

Last year on this day it was 84 degrees and sunny, which was just dumb. I rang in the new year in shorts and a t-shirt. Less than 24 hours later it was raining and in the low 50s. tell me the south isn’t always sick for no reason and I’ll explain all that again. It’s been ridiculously cold the last week or so which was nice to have a Christmas holiday where I could wear my Christmas sweaters without sweating through them for a change. Today it’s 67, cloudy and wanting to rain. We had a wicked storm blow through on Friday afternoon and it was supposed to hold over until today, but it was moving faster than originally thought and we are left with a dreary, cloudy, warm day instead. Tomorrow it’s supposed to be in the high 70’s low 80’s. So basically, back to normal.

I’ve spent the majority of my “time off” for the holidays (Christmas and now New Year's) cleaning. Throwing things away, purging my life of the things I don’t “need” I have 5 bags of things to take…. somewhere. It’s mostly clothing that I can’t or don’t wear, some of which still have the tags on them. I’m really bad about that, it’s the downside of online shopping it looks better on the screen than in my house.

While I wasn’t looking this blog turned 8 years old. Since 2014 we have had 261 entries that have been viewed 27,526 times by ….. someone. We average about 29 post a year, but I credit most of that to the first two years when I did blog challenges and then in 2019, I did kind of a resurgence of the blog in an effort to bring it back to life. I will admit that with this blog I’ve not been trying to set the world on fire, teach anyone anything in particular, or even study specific subjects for a greater understanding of a higher universe but I have tried to stay consistent in my posting. Here lately it’s felt more like a journal or diary than an actual blog with a purpose or passion. Like this isn’t a lifestyle blog, or a blog trying to sell my various projects or causes, or a blog that is used to promote anything or generate likes and collaboration with companies. It’s just me, my little HP laptop that’s still kicking (knock on wood), and sometimes Golden just sharing various thoughts with people who might be interested. It tuns out that while most of our views come from the US, we also get a large portion from Russia and Ukraine (haven’t those people suffered enough) with France and Germany rounding out our top 5 countries. Sorry Canada you just missed the top 5.

I did just learn that our blog with the most views has changed … it used to be the “Royal Welcome” my Real Person fiction about Haley and Michaels working with the Royal Family. However ironically the post now with the most views of 314 is “He is Risen” posted in April 2019 … I just re read it and it’s nothing to special so I’m not sure why so many have felt the need to click on that particular one but it’s gonna be hard to pass that many views. But I’ll do my best.

Have a great 2023 and a safe New Year’s Eve, which is apparently tonight in case you didn't know.

Marcy (@beaslma)

2022 Christmas TV Movie Calendar

 Good news fellow lovers of random TV specials, the Crimmus Calendar (that’s how my bestie spells it and now I it looks weird spelling it the “right” way), unlike the Halloween calendar, was much easier tho Hallmark, Freeform, and Lifetime have done their best to overtake the darn thing once again this year. I would however argue that if you start showing Christmas shows in April on a loop 24/7 then maybe you don’t have much else to offer and might wanna review your strategy – just saying. 

I admit … This calendar has been burning a hole in my file structure for about a week, but since I didn’t put anything on it for the week of Thanksgiving I decided to hold it. I also didn’t want it getting lost in the shuffle that is yall’s inbox during the holiday. Then like 3 weeks in people are like did I not get your calendar and they have missed out on so much awesomeness. I mean that’s not my fault, I know that but still I’ll feel bad for you and your disorganized self.  

As many of you may know GAC is also trying to get into the holiday specials mix, Great American Country for those that don’t know, but I don’t have that channel. As I’ve said for the last several years if I don’t have it … it won’t appear on this calendar. I’m selfish that way. Plus, I don’t wanna be all political but if Candace Cameron Bure is how you plan out your TV watching time then just turn the thing off and read a book. Seriously. DJ is great but yeah calm down it’s just a Crimmus movie you aren’t saving the world.   

Before we dive in … I think it’s important to repeat the rules, cause without rules there is chaos and we can’t have that with Santa in the air and all. . . .  

• NO E-MAILS about taking Christ out of Christmas, it is there you all know it just stop being difficult..... I mean honestly, it’s just a really long word and using X-Mas allows for more shows on the already full calendar.  
• Thanks for your understanding.  
• For those that don’t understand I’ll be glad to remove you from the list just let me know.  
• I live in the central time zone, the times on this calendar reflect that, adjust accordingly.  
• That said unless otherwise stated the times are PM 
• Very special episodes need not apply. This calendar does not focus on established show “Christmas special episodes” so watch out for those … Psych for instance has a great one and Friends had some touching Christmas specials, however, that’s not what we are here for. 
• NASFL – Not all is safe for Littles … This calendar contains shows I want to see, some are new, some are classics, and some are just downright dumb but I like em so back off! There is a mixture of adult themed shows/movies and kid themed shows/movies cause I’m just a kid at heart. PLEASE be mindful of what is on before you sit the kids down with popcorn to watch. 
• Don’t call me cause your little one watched some holiday movie on Lifetime or and now has “questions”. . . . that’s your mess not mine.  
• Late Hour Focus, but hour round fun. For you work from home people, stay at home mom’s, or employers who have access to good wifi ….  they run these specials all day long, and while my calendar focuses on the after-work hour times, since that is when I can watch, fire it up as background noise for that meeting that you are totes paying attention to. Then you can thank me later.  
1. That’s right it’s all about me!  

It seems everyone has a gimmick or a brand they are selling, It’s a Wonderful Lifetime, on well … Lifetime, 25 days of Christmas on Freeform, Miracles of Christmas from Hallmark Movies and Mystery (which was a missed opportunity for them for sure) Best Christmas Ever from AMC (which is debatable but their love of Claymation makes up for it) and so on. Marketing departments have been working overtime for their various channels, but it kept them employed so … good for them. I do question a network that does 25 days of anything but when you really study their programing realize that they are really replaying the same 10 movies over and over and I wonder if their time couldn’t be better spent.  

Especially when you look at their line ups in their various Aps and see that there is so much more out there than a Burnt out executive who leaves the big city to help her parents shut down the ranch she grew up on but shunned and left for bigger things only to find the love of her life tending to {insert your animal here} with a plan to save the ranch but only if she agreed to leave the hustle and bustle of the big city to pick up where her aging parents have left off and agree to marry him on the spot or the deal is off. Or you know … something of that nature, over and over again.  

So, with that thought in mind, the focus of this calendar is on NEW specials and returning movies I want to see cause I mean frankly there is not enough paper and ink in the printers around the world to include them all. Trust me, I’ve tried. I meant if you haven’t seen a Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen in their hey day trying to get to Grandmas’ house have you even lived?! PS it only comes on a few times and for some reason at the arse crack of dawn each and every time. Don’t ask me why …. just be happy it’s still on the air. I mean they have to be what in their late 30’s or something by now? I also admit that Die Hard didn’t make the cut again this year, which is not my fault. I just can’t find that it’s airing anytime in the next 25 days. I tried Guys I promise!  

A Few suggestions for your holiday viewing:  

• Ralphie Love !!!!! Both TBS and TNT are showing 24 hours of a Christmas Story starting Christmas Eve … and you should also check out the A Christmas Story Christmas on HBO if you have it cause it’s everything little Marcy wanted in life!  It pulls at all the same heart strings that the original pulls on …. once in a while a little too hard.  
• The Star – appears several times on Freeform this year. I admit I didn’t give this special the notice it deserved when it first came on in 2017. I fell in love with it hard a few years ago and it’s now must see TV for me every year. Make sure you check it out. Your kiddos will LOVE this animated special and they just might learn something too.  
• A New Orleans Noel on Lifetime is well a NEW Christmas movie that is set in New Orleans and bring Rudi back to our television screens and I’m all for anything that does that. If it also brings Patti LaBelle then that’s just a bonus. The Big Easy at Crimmus what could be more fun !?  
• Lifetime: speaking of Lifetime they are working to end the reign of Hallmark as the place for Holiday fun by airing NEW movies EVERY Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights at 7 central. Sure they all have a similar pattern to them but that didn’t bother you when Hallmark did it, so tune in cause did I mention they are NEW !  
• CNN All Star Tribute at 7 on CNN Dec. 11^thI have talked about this before … it’s an annual special that highlights some pretty amazing things being done around this planet to try and make it a better place. It’s a very uplifting night and reminds you that maybe .. just maybe the world has some good left in it.  
• Claymation Love – Both AMC and Freeform are giving us the Claymation love this year and I’m 100% for it. Now if they can just bring back the Claymation Christmas I will be the happiest Marcy ever! Bring the kiddos to the TV, make them watch it and explain just how much effort it took to bring that awesome to the screen.  
• Beauty and the Beast LIVE – will air on ABC Dec. 15^th .. and god love them no matter how bad these have been over the years they keep trying. Eventually they will get one of these right maybe it will be this one.  
• Hanukkah on Rye airs on Hallmark on the 18^th … which is the only Hanukkah movie on my calendar and it makes me sad that is a thing. I mean 8 Crazy Nights should air yearly but alas I can’t find it.  

Another programing note …. unlike Halloween where they are just all over the map with the order, Christmas specials tend to keep the flow going, so if they were say … showing The Santa Clause, The Santa Clause 2 and the Santa Clause 3 back to back on the same channel I didn’t list all 3 cause well A. Space is limited, B. If you want to watch one you’ll likely watch them from the beginning and C did you not read about having limited space to make this happen!? I mean if you don’t have an afternoon to devote to it then well just walk away, be a quitter … see if I care. I do… I care a lot … cause Tenderheart tells me I need to. That’s right I worked a Care Bears reference into this year’s calendar and if that’s not a Win… then what is. *does Happy Dance in my chair!* 

Digital Media is taking over and I’m no longer going to fight it … No, before you get all excited, I’m also not dropping it into my calendar, but I do admit that it is the week of Thanksgiving and I have watched A Christmas Story Christmas at least 3 times and loved every single second of it each and everytime I watched it. So, if you are interested in what’s happening in your various streaming services check out the links below. I admit I am proud to see all the original programing that’s dropping on the various streaming services and sad that networks don’t have enough faith in them to show them “offline.”  

New Christmas Movies to Stream: A Holiday 2020 Streaming Guide | Den of Geek 

New Christmas Movies in 2022 and Where to Watch Them (people.com) 

90+ Christmas movies to stream for holidays on Netflix, Hulu, more (usatoday.com) 

Where to Stream the Best Christmas Movies of All Time (2022) – The Streamable 

So go get your digital on and you won’t hear from me how the medium is killing the holiday special for cable providers and how Apple TV has already claimed Charlie Brown as theirs and how you can’t watch Mickey’s Christmas Carol without a Disney+ account or how Ralphie’s new special is only on HBO MAX  but yeah you go ahead stream to your hearts content and sit back and enjoy. It’s fine …. No really … go ahead it’s fine. Seriously why are you still reading this … go watch your programming … and Merry Christmas have a wonderful New Year and here’s to an even better 2023 for us all!  

Have a wonderful and safe holiday season so we can do this again next year!  

If you can't save the image above hit me up on twitter @beaslma and i'll send you the PDF/JPEG combo. 

Marcy  

An Open Letter to Coach Caddy

I write this the morning of the 2022 Iron Bowl, but it has been rattling around in my head for days, maybe even weeks. This is not a call for Auburn to give this man the team outright, tho I admit I'd love to see that happen, it is simply a letter from one Auburn Alumni to another. 

Dear Mr. Williams, 

Thank you.

While that doesn’t seem like enough that’s really what it boils down to, thank you. Thank you for reminding the Auburn Family what it means to be a family. Thank you for giving this fan base something to rally around. Thank you for showing this team what they are capable of then helping them unlock it on the field. Thank you for salvaging a season that frankly didn’t have a lot going for it. Thank you for showing the character and heart that an Auburn Alumni has 24/7. Thank you for showing kids that there is another way and that you can in fact break and rebuild the mold at the same time. Thank you for not giving up on these boys. Thank you for not phoning it in the last few games but going out there and fighting for every second of every game since you took the helm of the ship. Thank you for making this fun again. Thank you for letting passion overtake polished. Thank you for speaking from your heart not a playbook handed to you from the University. Thank you for making mistakes and learning from them. Thank you for being the living embodiment of the Auburn Creed. Thank you for all the memories I have of watching you run that ball down the field in such amazing ways. Thank you for understanding TEAM vs ME. Thank you for completing your degree and showing the true character of an Auburn Man. Thank you for teaching kids everywhere that you could do both, have a career and an education. 

       

Let’s go out and do it one more time and let the momentum that you have built carry on for years to come cause the most important thing you have taught us this year is that when the fan base is behind these Tigers, they can do AUsome things. 

Mostly, thank you for that, may it be a lesson we always remember.   

Marcy

Halloween Movies - Specifically Hocus Pocus

It’s October … which in my head means it’s finally officially FALL! I know fall has an official start date and I frankly don’t know when it is but for me it’s always first of October when I want to throw the windows up, turn off the AC, settle into the couch and watch some scary movies. Then I remember I live in the South and it’s still so fracking hot. So I shut the windows, crank the AC back up, pop some popcorn, settle into the couch and watch some scary movies.

Golden is trying to do 31 days of Halloween watching at least one Halloween themed show/movie a day for the entire month. Her recent eye surgery will make that a little more difficult but she will do her best to catch up I’m sure.

So far this month I’ve watched Thirteen Ghosts, Trick R Treat, Friday the 13^th, Halloween (the original), Hubie Halloween, Halloween 4 The Curse of Michael Myers, Beetlejuice, and Ghostbusters from 2018. I am also counting Hocus Pocus 2 in there cause well I watched that Sep 30^th, again on Oct 2^nd and will likely watch it one more time this week. It is that good people.

When the original Hocus Pocus came out I was in the 8^th grade. I watched it like everyone else, even enjoyed it but was kind of underwhelmed by it. There were pieces and parts that I was like wait isn’t this a kids movie ? Did they really just say that?! Little moments like that ripped me out of the fantasy world and I never really got to run a mock with it (ha! Get it?). I still watch it every year cause I mean you have to, I think it’s an amendment in Walt’s will or something, but it was always more I’d put on while I cleaned or wrote a blog, worked, or played on my phone. It was on, I was in the room, but I guess I wouldn’t say I’m always really watching it. There were pieces I didn’t want to miss and would look up from whatever I’m doing to watch. The first time the sisters take flight on their new “booms” always makes me chuckle, when they wake up Billy for the first time and the butterflies/moths fly out of his mouth. When Binx transforms at the end (Spoiler alert) and reunites with his sister.  I found the Dani character annoying, I found Max to be a pushover and Allison always reminded me of someone I couldn’t quite put my finger on which I found annoying.

A few months ago I was walking through a bookstore and came across a book that had both stories in it. The original and the new upcoming Hocus Pocus and I was like I’m in. I bought it and immediately took it home to start reading. I skipped right to the middle of the book for the 2^nd story and dove in. To say I was underwhelmed was a huge misstatement. I was down right pissed off. If that’s what I have to look forward to I’m not going to see it. Then the news articles started coming out and the anti Disney people started making their voices louder and I was like well damn now I have to go watch if only to support the darn thing. You guys know me …. Anything that’s original Halloween content I’ll happily sit in front of for hours, that’s how starved I am for that kind of thing. Then it got a Disney+ only release and I was like oh that’s not good. So, a friend of mine decided she was going to set up her big out door screen and we could all watch it as a group. I was like ok I’m in but didn’t have high hopes for the movie.

I was intrigued that most of the cast came back for the sequel. That hardly ever happens after such a long gap, I mean 29 years is a long time to step back into a role. For those of you that haven’t seen it yet I’ll not give too much away here cause I mean it really is a good stand alone movie that if you know the original you laugh a little harder at some of jokes. I really would suggest watching them both but if you only make time to watch one this year I’d borrow someone’s Disney+ account and make it the sequel.

Here's the plot for those that only read the news and think they know what this movie is about.

A young lady named Becca is turning 16, and her birthday happens to be on Halloween. She and 2 friends Izzy and usually Cassie, have a “birthday” ritual where they go to a place in the woods light a candle and “chant” but really they are just some teens that are laughing and having a good time before going back to one of the houses for a movie marathon and snacks. The entire town seems to know about this ritual. Turns out this year the candle they are given is well the famous “Black Flame Candle” and it wakes up the Sanderson Sisters once again. The rest of the movie is them trying to “save the town.” In the middle of all this drama Becca and Izzy have grown apart from Cassie and are starting to drift into two different friend groups and teenage drama takes center stage.

There are several side stories and mishaps that tied the story together for me but I’ll not bore you with those right now. I will just say sit back, snuggle on the couch get some popcorn and throw everything out of your head and just enjoy the movie for what it is. A really good Halloween movie. You will thank me for that!

Happy October … what have you been watching !?

Marcy

2022 Halloween TV Movie Calendar

A few weeks ago a friend of mine asked, now that the boys (aka nephews) are in college are you going to stop the TV/Movie calendars ? I was immediately like no, it’s not about them I enjoy it too. However, I admit that this year’s calendar was way harder than in years past and if Christmas is the same well it might be time to hang up my calendar for good. As you will see the calendar is dominated by a few specific networks. Now I know there’s more to life than Freeform, AMC, and SYFY and yet here we are. I have been unable to find hardly any of the things that I used to find that routinely made the calendar’s of years past. 

Where’s my network TV? Calendars filled with Food Network (More on their insanity in a few), Cartoon Network, ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox breaking their “regularly scheduled programs” for “specials” or “movies” from their respective studios that fit the season. Alas that is either no more or they just aren’t announcing anything yet instead focusing on their regular programing as their new seasons start kicking off. I guess they don’t care about my calendar as much as I do or those of you that have reached out to me in mid-September to ask when it’s coming. Soon was my reply…soon. So many of the sites I used to use to populate this calendar are no longer active, or like me only show the 3 mentioned above, heck one just recreated the Freeform calendar and said ..eh good enough. Are my sources done with this process? Are they just unable to find anything so they put out what they could hoping we’d understand? Are the networks moving away from the fall specials, I mean each is associated with a specific streaming service that can air these things without messing with their precious lineups? So why waste the air waves and the advertising dollars. Has it finally happened, has Digital made this thing …. Obsolete ? Maybe so but let’s do it at least one more time cause well I am not ready to let this thing die, tho I admit it might be on life support.

You may notice that I’m sending this out on the 30^th of September which is of course not October 1^st. I did that for a number of reasons.

1. I’m going to a friend’s house Friday night to watch Hocus Pocus 2 and wanted this to be done before so I didn’t have to worry or think about it could instead focus on the black flame.
2. It allows people to use their respective office printers to print the thing as they move into the weekend, your IT people will thank me for that one.
3. It’s football season down South and I didn’t want this to get lost in the shuffle of traveling to see your respective teams play.
4. I wanted you all to have it before the weekend so as to not miss the first weekend of fun with your family and friends, which is what this thing is all about anyway and why I continue to do it
5. It’s my calendar and I’ll release it when I darn well please. Thank you very much.

For those new to this party, and there are several of you, I will re-state the rules, for those veterans out there please forgive me for giving a short explanation and allow your attention to wander freely if you’d like. (thanks for that line Albus! – 10 pts for your house if you can tell me which Harry Potter book that’s paraphrased from).

So the Rules:

• I live in the central time zone, the times on this calendar reflect that, adjust accordingly for those that have traveled north of the Mason Dixie Line or spread your wings out West. Don’t call me cause you missed your “favorite” show/movie, that’s not my mess. Be a big girl or boy and crank up that DVR and find out when it comes on again cause odds are it will.
• Time Zones are hard and sometimes I screw up the conversion from Eastern Time Zone to Central. See Note above for how I feel about you finding a mistake of time on the calendar.
• Unless otherwise stated the times are PM, this calendar is also geared towards the after work hours of life cause well it’s about me and that’s when I can watch. My office won’t like it if I watch these movies at my desk as I format documents, I mean I do that but they don’t really like it. Feel free to check out these channels and look at the day time viewing for those that are able cause it’s there but I’m at work so it doesn’t exist in my world.
• Lastly this calendar shows things I want to see, movies and specials that take me back to my childhood or that just make me happy. Some are kid themed and some are more adult oriented. PLEASE be mindful of that before you sit down with your little and they can’t sleep cause Freddy might get them. That’s your mess not mine. Seriously don’t be that person and there’s always one. This is supposed to be for fun, if you make it not be for fun well you won’t get it next year. PS if you don’t get this one you don’t get the Christmas one either so be sure that’s what you need/want before firing off that e-mail. This isn’t social media where you can say whatever you want without consequences.  
• I have been doing this calendar since at least 2008, and have learned over the years that saving it to your phone so you can check it on the fly is the best way. I do that either as a JPEG or PDF so I make both available cause I’m awesome like that. When I print it, and I do, I print it 11X17 but 8.5X11 is often good enough, especially this year with so much additional space on it.

Now I must warn you … these networks have some kind of dyslexia cause I have noticed that they will show the movies and their sequels sometimes in order sometimes but often not so much …. I’ve only listed one or the ones I want to try and catch in the idea that if you are watching you will also be alerted that the next show after Halloween Town is well Halloween Town 2.  In the case of Halloween or Friday the 13th or even Nightmare on Elm Street when there are more sequels than the Queen had jewels (RIP Liz) they really got dumb. Like on one day (same network mind you) they show Halloween 6 (1995)…then 4 (1988 ß My favorite BTW) …then 5 (1989)…then resurrection (2002), then H20 (1998), and then end the day with the original from 1978. Like what?! I get it ..show the popular ones when more are watching but that just made my head hurt and now I gotta go lay down.

As always I’ve highlighted shows I hope to catch in purple but also wanted to alert you to a few items of note below, assuming that you are still with me and if so …. Wow congrats!

Freeform - 31 Nights of Halloween – They 100% understand the assignment. I will admit when they went from ABC Family to whatever they were then to Freeform I was nervous. However I think they know what their core audience wants so for the entire Month of October (and for Christmas they do even more (Nov/Dec)) they show seasonal programing all month long. That’s not to say that everything they air is worthy of your time, or that they aren’t re-airing things so much it feels like watching MTV on the weekend, but if you are looking for something the littles can watch, that they will enjoy and you will too grab a chair, get a blanket, and some popcorn and enjoy. This is my go-to when I can’t find anything else to watch that particular evening.  

Syfy - 31 Days of Halloween – SYFY also understands the assignment. If Freeform is where you go with your littles, SYFY is where you go after your littles trot off to bed. It’s truly the greatest place to watch Halloween fun this time of year cause they don’t hold back at all. They show classics and new movies and everything in between. This year they are even showing Rob Zombie’s Halloween 2 (which he had to make after screwing up the Halloween franchise (that’s not just my opinion btw which is law of course, but by his own admission he knew he messed up and had to fix it – seriously don’t watch the first one, after a horrible 15-30 minutes it’s a freaking shot by shot remake of the original Halloween but not even as good if that’s possible. . . but his second one more than made up for it). If you are looking good ole horror … this is the place you need to land nightly. Tho where’s my Texas Chainsaw Massacre, where’s my SAW, where’s My Bloody Valentine, Resident Evil, Leprechaun, BLAIR FREAKING WITCH? At this point I’d even take Jessica Biel in her two tight white t-shirt and low slung pants in my face for 2 hours, or even ……. Candyman……  just to see something different. NOTE: While this calendar is not about series who have a horror type twist, I am going to break this rule to tell you all to checkout Reginald the Vampire when it premier’s on SYFY Oct. 5^th cause it looks like it’s going to be great fun and it’s my rule and I can break it if I wanna!!!!

AMC - Fear Fest starts – AMC is where you go for Classic horror. I admit over the years I’ve had a love hate relationship with Fear Fest over the years cause at one point the Walking Dead took it over and I ranted that it’s not about the Walking Dead or the many spin offs and talk shows it created. However I do admit that they have over 80 shows over the next few weeks that kind of make up for it. This year they appear to be having a Stephen King love fest (Pet Cemetery, Misery, Carrie, etc) instead of Fear Fest but I’m not even mad at that. Thei programing this year includes lots of Friday the 13^th, House of Wax (the original and I believe the Chad Michael Murray/Paris Hilton versions), Thirteen Ghosts, Jeepers Creepers and btw CandyMan makes an appearance (that’s 2) on this channel several times.

Fox – The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror - The Simpson's Halloween special on Fox is going to have 2 specials for their annual "Treehouse of Horror.” Instead of breaking it up into several smaller stories they will have 2 episodes that focus on a singular Halloween themed fun one of which will include a Pennywise spoof! According to their Twitter the It Spoof will air Oct. 23^rd so at least we know when that one will air!

Hallmark – Fall Harvest - Halmark is debuting several “fall” themed movies (not scary but puts you in the mood for that Pumpkin Spiced Latte I guess). Many of these movies debuted in a few months ago and are re-airing now but there are a few “premieres” that will hit the screen that I’ve highlighted on the calendar. If you are looking for Fall but not scary or gory … these are your people. Watch them now before they go into full on Christmas meltdown. These don’t rate high on my list but I like to throw some stuff on there for you guys sometimes too.  

Disney Channel – Monstober - Halloween themed related movies and shows throughout the month and as the faithful to this calendar know ..that’s not what this is about but they do have a few “original movies” that might be worth your time or just fire up Disney Plus and watch Hocus Pocus. The fact they have not embraced Disney+ and re-aired some of their classics is something I will never understand.

Turner Classic Movies - This might be the last time TCM shows up on my calendar cause my cable provider has decided that I don’t deserve Ted’s classic movies (throw back to those old enough to remember how it all started). However, I love the nod to “classic” horror and the shows that can’t be found elsewhere. There is an ap for this one but it is stupid expensive and so I haven’t bit the bullet on that one just yet. So, enjoy it while you can, if you can. It appears Vampires are the name of the game this year Tho they also show things like The Ghost Ship and Spider Baby, Frankenstein, and the 2001 : A Space Odyssey so it’s not all blood suckers this year.

Food Network - Once again Food Network jumped the Halloween gun by airing most of their programing in September, which totally makes sense. Halloween Baking Championship started Sep. 12^th Halloween Wars started Sep. 18^th, Halloween Cookie Challenge started Sep. 26^th …. I’m done with you Food Network … however there are a few bright spots. Outrageous Pumpkins starts Oct. 2^nd    Kids Baking Championship Trick or Treat starts Oct. 17^th if you are interested in that kind of thing.

Let’s talk Digital … since that’s all the rage …

Ok … Digital and Streaming is taking over and thus TV is only interested in keeping their heads above water not special programing no matter the season. Heck my nephews don’t even have cable anymore. So, they use the calendar to look up show names as opposed to setting DVRs. I knew it was coming and this calendar was my way of trying to keep it at bay, but it’s still sad to me that we are in fact here. That you can only see the Great Pumpkin if you have Apple TV+ (unless PBS brokers some deal again – if they are I’m not finding it yet but it’s my sincere belief that they are currently in a room having those talks), or Disney+ is the only place to see Hocus Pocus 2 (available Sep 30^th) , or Peacock is where you go to see the epic conclusion to the Halloween franchise (Halloween Ends available Oct. 14^th) as we know it. While it’s fun having these shows at our fingertips it also takes away from the anticipation of it, at least to me. That I am sorry I can’t do anything that night cause whatever is on and I don’t wanna miss it moments are now a thing of the past. Heck even most network TV will be on Hulu within 24-48 hours, so go have dinner with that friend after work and don’t worry NCIS whatever will be available online tomorrow.

So for my digital folks, of which I admit I am now one, see the links below but I will admit that all of me believes if we calculated up the “subscriptions” for all these services we’d see that Cable had its advantages.

The Best Halloween Movies to Watch on Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, and More in 2022 - TV Guide

Best Halloween TV Shows to Stream in 2022 (people.com)

The Best Halloween TV Show Episodes Ever (movieweb.com)

Peacock October 2022 Movies, TV Series and Sports (vitalthrills.com)

Netflix Launches Its "Streams & Screams" Hub for Halloween Horror (comicbook.com)

In closing, assuming you are still with me and God only know why you would be, the intention of this calendar, is to get you and your loved ones to pause and spend some time making memories. Maybe carve a pumpkin while watching, create some fantastic Halloween Treats from your various Social Media sites while watching, or work on your costume – don’t forget the props - and RELAX  and unwind from the busy work day, work week.

 

So, sit back, scare yourself, and have a GREAT Halloween! It’s fall people enjoy it!

Marcy

Time for a catch up

I’ve been typing this for a few weeks now in my head … so below is fraction of the stuff I’ve written in those hours between sleeping and being awake, or in the car on my way to or from work, or just sitting and starring at nothing (literally) on TV thinking I should be writing on this blog. So .. um… Enjoy!

Dragon Con was in short …. Awesome. As always. Granted there was a lot of great Cosplay and even more amazing food, panels, parties but the best part was spending 6 days uninterrupted with my favorite person on this planet. Golden. In short there was over 65K people for this year’s con and they raised over $95K for their charity (Open Hand ATL) – every year they pick a charity and throughout the Con raise money then Dragon Con matches it so that means they raised over $190K for Open Hand ATL! That my friends is beyond awesome! There was a blood drive and in my sleep deprived state I’m sure I saw the final total of donors but I can’t find it. Needless to say Dragon Con is about more than a big party, cos play, vendors, games and yes alcohol. That being said I enjoyed those things as well. We also did a few things we have never done before like hearing the Georgia Philharmonic which let me tell you was a lot of fun. Apparently a very popular event. It was a very chill vacay and much much needed.

Work was great while I was gone. I didn’t really check in like I normally do. I let the guys handle it and they did. We had one or two hick ups but nothing major and nothing that’s going to set the house on fire really. It was nice to know that when I’m not there they can handle it and often don’t just cause I’m there to do so. Now that I know they can I’m going to push for them to do it more often. I usually rush back to work as soon as I return home from Dragon Con. This year I went up a day early (which frankly threw me and Golden way off all freaking week but was nice) and when I came home it was late on Tuesday. Wednesday I was a zonked out mess and Friday we were going out of town for my nephew’s engagement party (that’s right people the oldest nephew popped the question, she said yes and I’ve bought three dresses for the big day (March 2023)). So I didn’t want to come home exhausted, go back to work exhausted, and go to the engagement party exhausted and then come back for a work week like quadruple exhausted (assuming that’s a thing). So for the first time I took 8 days off work. 8 whole work days (granted you’d think I was gone a month the way my co-workers reacted upon my return). I admit … it was nice. My boss told me upon my return he fully thought I’d start working from home and I was like you know I almost did then was like nah. He said he was proud of me for doing it cause he knew I needed it. I said yes yes I did.

While I was gone I celebrated my 19^th anniversary at work. In 2 years, my career can legally drink. I can’t believe it’s been 19 years. That’s just nuts to me. When I think back over the years I never dreamed I’d make it to 10 then I thought ok maybe 15 and now I’m knocking on the door of 20. It’s been a long time of ups, downs, horrible bosses, good bosses and a great boss. I’ve come around the block a few times on hating and loving what I do, being frustrated beyond belief about it and also caring so much I made myself sick. In the last year or so I’ve risen to manager of my department with several employees “under” me, lost 2, (one I’m not sure I ever had and another to a growing family), gained one, almost lost another but fought really hard for her cause she’s more amazing than I think she knows. My current goal is to make her see what I see in herself and try to overcome the horrible crap she’s been through over the years and to get the other to understand she’s here to stay and get over the hump of constantly being in fear that she’s not doing enough or will be let go at the drop of a hat. That’s not how we do things at least in my department.  It’s been very interesting being the boss. I’ve never been in that position before and I’m trying to emulate the ones that showed me what to do, taught me my role and pushed me to be the person I am today, as opposed to that Asshat who can well fuck off, she knows who she is. Ha! 19 is something I’m going to be very proud of and here’s to many more. If most people work say 40 years I’m half way there … kind of.

Golden also got a promotion recently at her job and I’m super proud of both of us. We are finally starting to see the results of decades of hard work and dedication and it’s about damn time!

Tomorrow I’m getting up at the crack of dawn, getting ready for work, and then sitting down with my mom to watch the Queen’s funeral. Mom’s been a huge royal family watcher for years I find them fascinating, but mom knows the names and titles and dates for important things. I figure if it starts at 5 my time it will be over in time for me to get to work on time, plus I don’t really want mom watching it alone. I got up with her to watch Diana but as a teen who really didn’t care fell asleep pretty quickly and woke up to mom crying. I couldn’t understand at the time why I mean she didn’t know that lady or her family, but she was connected to the fact that her two boys were now alone in a sea of well … whatever that is. She said it made me think of my brother and I. She appreciated me watching with her even if I did fall asleep.

With the kids back in school, football season getting underway, and fall weather kind of in the air it’s time to turn my attention to pumpkins and calendars and socks ……. Speaking of which I need to finish my laundry. Until next time….. GOD SAVE THE QUEEN and prayers for King as he steps into his new role.

Marcy

Long time no talk ….. sorry about that

Good lord, is it really August already? It has been a while since I posted something on here. That’s a bad Marcy. I typically strive for a post a month, or every other month, and frankly it sometimes stretches to “oh crap I forgot the blog” post times but that’s typically when life has frankly …. Gotten in the way. That and my lack of having anything useful to post which then leads me to not wanting to waste yall’s time so … I just…. Don’t…post. Then I feel a little bad about it.

                                      

Golden knows this ….. so for my Birthday/Crimmus gift she gave me a book …..  “A 5 Year Question a Day Memory Journal” cause she loves journaling. I guess I consider this blog my journal and I have started several journals over the years but never kept one going, not really anyway. I think of things to write about all damn day until I sit still long enough to actually write then it all flies out of my brain. Sadly however I leafed through this book and like some of the questions are … well like who wrote this thing?!

For clarity here are a few sample questions ….

• Do you think people really can change?
• Morning person or night owl?
• Describe your worst overreaction.
• My biggest source of stress comes from …..
• How quickly do you get back up when life knocks you down?
• Who was the last person you hurt?
• What is something you would never compromise on?
• What was the last question you asked someone?

Now these are random like I opened a page and wrote down what I saw. Now I’m not saying all the pages are … bad I’m just saying nothing jumped out at me as something to write about or worthy of wasting your eye time with. Then again that’s the point I guess. To get back into the habit of taking a subject, any subject and making it interesting. I’m frankly struggling to find the interesting in anything at the moment. I can’t even call it the can’t help it’s ….. I just have zero desire to do literally a damn thing. I have thought several times about seeking some help and it might come to that but for now I’m trying to get to Dragon Con and hope after a week or so of “chilling” if you can call Dragon Con chilling, that my battery will recharge enough that I reenter society for lack of a better word. Granted I’m not, nor have I ever been, a social butterfly but the idea that someone somewhere might want to do something sends me almost into a blind panic somedays.

A few weeks ago, a coworker said something about not waking up and thus something not getting taken care of and it fell out of my mouth before I even thought it, “I dream about that every night” She was shocked and now “prays” for me and checks on me throughout the day. I really don’t know where that came from but I also realized in that moment I wasn’t wrong. Part of me would love to lay down go to sleep and just call it a day. Hence why I’m thinking I might need to go talk with someone professional.

                                       

It also hasn’t helped that work has just about killed me. I’ve been maxed out on PTO since the first of June but have been unable to take any cause we have had wave after wave of submittals hit us, and you can’t work OT and charge Vacation so on the rare occasions I have taken a long lunch or left early it wasn’t even considered PTO time, plus training a new employee (whose doing an amazing job), it’s just been an onslaught of BS since I’ll say March, and I could likely trace it back further than that if I tried. As a matter of fact when I looked up and realized I missed the “summer” break I was shook. Yet…here we are. August 14^th, just weeks for Dragon Con and yet all of me fears something is going to screw that trip up. Honestly guys at this point I’m not sure that’s something I could handle. That could quite possibly send me right over the edge of this cliff I’m standing on. My boss made a comment about me being gone 2 weeks (it’s just under but who is counting) and when I didn’t respond I think he realized how bad it really is. 

                                            

I’m leaving on a Tuesday to go to Birmingham, then Wed we travel to Dragon Con and I will be coming home from Dragon Con the following Tuesday. However I am taking all that next week off as well cause well damnit I want to. My nephew’s engagement party is that Saturday and I didn’t want to come home exhausted, go back to work exhausted, and jump back in a car to drive up for the party…exhausted. So I’m gonna take a few “me days” to recover from Dragon Con and go back to work that following Monday. It will be by far the longest time I’ve been away from the office and when I tell you I plan to be away from the office I mean it. This is the first weekend in 2 months I haven’t opened my laptop to “get ahead” and all of me both feels guilty about it and also very proud of me. I need this … and damit I’m going to take it. It’s been about 2 years since I had a proper vacation and it’s about damn time!

                                           

So here’s to getting through the next two weeks so that I can enjoy the weeks to follow!

Stay tuned for Dragon Con shenanigans lord knows I need em. 

Marcy

Graduation ….. moving forward …. and words of wisdom

So a few years ago, my oldest nephew was graduating from High School and starting his journey that would lead him to Auburn University and eventually to Pharmacy school, which he is currently in. Now I sit here after a day of celebrating nephew #2 who is about to embark on a similar journey. A week from Tuesday he will walk across that same football field and graduate with his class before heading to Auburn in the fall to study engineering.

I’ve posted on this blog a few times about my college experience, how it led me to find my bestest friend in all the land (@theonlygolden) and how it shaped me into the person I never dreamed I’d be. Back in 2014 I did a post called “college advice” which highlighted some things I wish I had known as a little Tiger for those joining the work force. This time I’ve decided to highlight some things I wish I had known as a little Tiger that were more general words of advice for your college experience. So consider these more advice to make your college experience more enjoyable.  

So here goes ….

Be open to change

Right now my youngest nephew is leaning towards Civil Engineering but who knows what’s in store for him really. I mean when I started at Auburn I was heading for Communications with dreams of being a researcher at CNN. I quickly ended up making a bee line to the left and ended up with a BA in English with no clue of what to do next.  My aforementioned oldest nephew started in Chemical Engineering and is now in his 2^nd year of Pharmacy school. My point is you know the path you’d like to take but don’t be afraid of the exits along the way. Sometimes those unexpected detours take you where you need to be not where you thought you wanted to be.

Career Student

That said avoid being a career student. That kid who is like a semester away from graduation and freaks out about it so they change their major buying them more time. Eventually you will have to choose and in the time it could have taken you to get multiple degrees you end up with say an Accounting degree you can’t really do anything with in the real world.

Be Social

I’m not saying go to that frat party and get hammered. I’m also not saying stand in the middle of the concourse in the quad and scream at people about religion, what I’m saying is find that happen medium where you can talk to classmates, go to a few parties, attend the get to know you events freshman year. Who knows your bestie could be there and change your life. Or you’ll meet your soul mate or you’ll find out that you want no part of those people what so ever and narrow down the path to finding your tribe. Your friends, your ride or die partners through college. Know that some will be forever friends, some will be blips on the radar that is your college experience, some will be footnotes in the stories you tell after getting out of school and some you won’t even recall when you really try to. They are all important. They all have a meaning and there is a reason they have been sucked into the vortex that is your life. Learn from them, grow with them, grow away from them but they will in some way shape the person you become even if you don’t realize they are shaping you at all.

Drinking …..

I’m not going to tell you not to do it, that will just make you want to do it more. Just learn what you can and can’t handle and learn it quickly. You will likely drink, sometimes you will drink too much, know that you don’t have to drink to have a good time. I know that sounds hard to believe but often you’ll find that not drinking opens your eyes to what’s really going on around you and you will learn just how little fun most of those guys are having. That’s not to say that drinking can’t result in a good time cause it can. It can make you relax and allow you to let loose and enjoy yourself but only when used correctly. It’s going to take time to learn that. Surround yourself with a crew that will take care of you while you figure that out. Every once in a while be that person in your tribe.

Drugs….

I didn’t do them. I knew many who did. I did not. I can’t give you advice on this but I can tell you that most people will be cool with you saying no. Cause that’s more for them. So feel free to be different and say no. If you do partake, have a tribe around you that will take care of you, will lead you when you need to be led and that will make sure you get home safely.

Get Involved

Attend things … sporting events, socials, and special event days at your school. My school has what they call “Hey Day” every fall where you well say hi to each other and there are events throughout campus. I wish I had taken more time to attend more of that. During the first few weeks of the school year there are all kind of welcome events, some specific to your college, others more schoolwide, there are also events like this during finals week. Free food is always a good thing and these events have that and more. Take the time to stop and enjoy these things, even if you are just grabbing a  plate on the way to your next destination.

Stay with your group

I learned this one the hard way. When you go out with your buddies, your friend, be it a frat party, a house party, a sporting event, a night at the movies, whatever. STAY WITH YOUR GROUP! Remember your training from elementary school and keep the buddy system going. If you are at a party and don’t want to be there at the very least find your group and let them know you are heading out. Don’t be woken up 2 hours later with your group frantically banging on your door cause they couldn’t find you and were worried about you. Don’t be that person. Be the worrier not the one that’s making people worry. Most definitely don’t do it twice. The third or fourth time people might not worry and they definitely won’t look for you and that might be the time you really need them to do so.

I’m sure there is more I could tell you and more you could learn from related to my experiences in school but I’ll leave it here. The best piece of advice I can give is ignore the advice from most. Listen to it, take it in but know your experience and theirs are going to be different. Different time, different events even if it’s the same place. You will need to find your path, find your way and you will. Just breathe and most of all enjoy it. On the other side is at least 30-40 years of work. So make the most of your time to make mistakes, to be silly, to be stupid, and to learn from all of that before you hit the real world.

                                     

Congrats class of 2022 …. And good luck!

Marcy  (@beaslma)