Monday, May 30, 2011

At Last, the News About Hauntcast

From the desk of Chris Baker:
So, here is the big news;
1. We are redesigning the web site for easier navigation.
2. New episodes of Hauntcast will now be available on the first Friday of the Month not the last. HC34 airs on June 3rd.

3. Moving forward the show will have a PG13 rating.

4. The new episodes will once again be offered FREE!

If you know any vendors that should advertise with us please send them an email and let them know we are looking for advertisers.

Spread the word.
So, guys, that's it! After much debate about the future of the show (including shutting the whole thing down in November), we decided to air the show again for free--so we want no complaints about all the commercials, see? It costs money to pay for bandwidth, and since we had over 12,000 downloads last month, and we're not even into the busy season yet, it's going to take money to keep the site up and running.

Chris is taking care of the people who have subscribed, since they've proven themselves to be truly supportive, hard-core fans of the show and deserve to be kept in the loop and happy. (And we love you guys for being supportive!)

It did come to Chris's ears that maybe the show was a little bit racy for some who like to listen while their kids are in the vicinity, so he and I are going back through our old episodes, one by one, and are editing out or bleeping the more adult content. From here on out, the show will maintain a PG-13 rating, which is probably what you're used to listening to on the average FM radio morning show.

The new show comes out Friday, so give a listen to it if you haven't for a while. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the changes happening!

Friday, May 27, 2011

Dog Tags

Yes, I know.
"Shell! Enough with the damn dog posts, o.k.? Give us some Hallowe'en content, already!"

I'll get to it. Next week, after the holiday.

Meanwhile-another dog post. :oD

I've been looking around for tags for little Samhain. Petco and Petsmart don't really need my money, so I decided to surf around Etsy to see if I could find something cool for the newest Hell Hound to wear around town and terrify the lesser beings he encounters.

The place to go, apparently, is Etsy seller, BowWowzerZ.
I know there are service dogs who find corpses, so maybe I can train him to hunt zombies? Surely Amazon has a book on that...
Life is short. Bite hard. 
With so many cool choices, I may have to get one for each of the pups.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

The Great Puppy Saga of 2011 Continues... Meet Sam!

I headed over to the breeder's house today for the final pick of the litter. It was so very hard to choose between blue and yellow. They're both great pups, and I know from the parents either one will be a fantastic dog. But, my instinct told me--
Yellow was the guy for us!

So--everyone, meet Sam. Sam, meet---everyone!

He comes home in about three and a half weeks. More disgustingly sappy blog entries to come!

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

25 Years of Stephen King's IT


It seems that Pennywise, the clown who creeped us out the most, makes his return coming this Fall.

A special, 25th anniversary edition of Stephen King's IT is on its way-but sadly, it looks like this limited edition is already sold out, and in fact sold out in the first twenty-five minutes of its announcement.

From the Cemetery Dance announcement:
Featuring a brand new afterword by Stephen King, full-color wrap-around color artwork by Glen Orbik, and nearly thirty original color and black & white interior illustrations by Alan M. Clark and Erin Wells!
IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR COLLECTORS:
Now that we've had a chance to look at the orders, the Deluxe Lettered Edition sold out within 25 minutes of being announced. Thank you for your interest in this special edition!
About this Deluxe Special Edition:
Cemetery Dance Publications is very pleased to announce our Special Deluxe Limited Edition of Stephen King's classic novel It, which he calls his "final exam on Famous Monsters" in his brand new afterword to this oversized special edition!
This is easily the biggest, most lavish production Cemetery Dance Publications has ever undertaken. Glen Orbik painted the gorgeous wrap-around cover artwork, Alan M. Clark and Erin Wells created nearly thirty exclusive interior illustrations including black & white drawings and color paintings, and we hired the designer of the Limited Editions of The Secretary of Dreams, Blockade Billy, Riding the Bullet, and Full Dark, No Stars to create a unique interior design unlike any book we've ever published!
This fine collectible volume will be available in three states this fall, all of them printed in two colors and bound in fine materials that go beyond the scope and quality of our other much-acclaimed Stephen King special editions. Already deep in production, the exclusive Cemetery Dance Special Limited Edition of It by Stephen King will be the perfect addition to any collection. We expect strong demand for this collectible given the popularity of the novel, so don't wait to place your order or you might miss out!
Special Features Exclusive to this Collector's Edition:
• brand new afterword by Stephen King detailing why he wrote the book
• deluxe oversized design (7 inches X 10 inches) featuring two color interior printing
• epic wrap-around full color cover artwork by Glen Orbik
• nearly thirty pieces of color and black & white interior artwork by Alan M. Clark and Erin Wells
• interior color artwork will be printed on a high-quality glossy stock and tipped into the book
• high-quality embossed endpapers and fine bindings for all three editions
• full-color signature sheets with exclusive color artwork in the signed editions
• a page count so high it pushes the limits of our printer — easily our largest book ever!
• extremely collectible print run that is a tiny fraction of the MILLIONS of copies of this novel you've seen in bookstores over the last 25 years — and you will NOT find our edition in chain bookstores!
 More information at Cemetery Dance.

Bummer for me about the sell-out. I would have liked a copy, but that's what I get for working yesterday!

Monday, May 23, 2011

Post-Rapture Gnomes

I hadn't realized that even garden gnomes were affected by the Rapture!
By Etsy sellers Chris and Jane's Place, zombie garden gnomes Patient Zero, Wyrick, and Legless Larry.

Via Rob Horton of the GoE Yahoo! mailing list.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

The Great Puppy Saga of 2011 Continues... Puppy Cam, Part Deux!

If you're reading this, it probably means you missed the Rapture, too. I wrote this just for you guys, because I figured now that all the people who used to torture us about going to Hell because we loved Hallowe'en are gone, we'd need a form of entertainment other than annoying them to keep us occupied.

Yesterday dawned beautiful, clear and pleasantly warm. I had a pretty busy schedule, what with marking out my preferred looting spots and stocking up on my shotgun ammo, but I had scheduled time with Sandy at Sprague's German Shepherds to get my first look at the litter that has my Sam in it.

Again, we're looking for a low-energy, mellow dog, comparatively speaking, so it was important to us to see how they responded to new people, their mom being brought in, etc.
Click on the puppy pic for video. Not cute at all. Nope.
 We brought along friend and house/dog sitter, Stephanie, so that she could give us her impressions and so the puppy would know her from the very start. We talked about how we needed to be "calm-assertive" when we visited the pups, but were not very hopeful that we could maintain Cesar-Millan-like chill-ness in the face of extreme puppy cuteness. We sure tried, though!
 The one that friend Stephanie is holding is likely the guy we'll be taking home. "Yellow boy," from the color of the yarn around his neck, seemed, both on video and in person, a very cool, mellow little guy. So did dark blue boy. Yellow boy just laid on her lap and looked around, not whining or crying, just observing the goings-on around him. I'm really leaning towards him at this point, but I'll give it another visit before I decide...
The rare and adorable puppy conga line.
 After we left we headed to lunch and compared notes. All three of us agreed that both yellow and blue boys seemed to display the most quiet calm and would likely fit in best with our current kids. It was good to know that my choices were backed up by Mr. ShellHawk and Stephanie, because I know they are both very observant people and not likely to allow cuteness to overwhelm their good judgment.

Next Thursday or the following Tuesday, I'll head over and make the final decision as to who the real Sam is. Their personalities will have developed more and they'll be more active by then, too. I just can't wait!

Friday, May 20, 2011

Lockjaw/ Lockjaw Art Challenge

Click on the pic to listen to the terrible tale. Image via Dragon Age Guide.
Look out children
Mothers hide all the children who lie
Lockjaw’s coming with a rusty nail
He’s gonna nail your mouth open wide
Look out children
Boys and girls who do falsify
From the black forest with a hammerhead
He’s looking for you with a rusty eye

In the black forest lives an ogre named Lockjaw.
Lockjaw doesn’t like children who tell lies.
Late at night he stalks the houses of the fibbers and the
Falsifiers, and before they can cry out from their beds, he nails their jaws
Open with a rusty nail, using his head for a hammer.

You might escape him for a
While and think you fooled him, but he’ll get you in the end. he’ll get ya!
He’ll get ya!!

Lockjaw’s coming! Lockjaw's coming!

Lockjaw's coming! Lockjaw's coming!
Mothers hide all your lying children

(Hide your heads, all you lying children)
Lockjaw's coming! Lockjaw's coming!
Lockjaw's coming! Lockjaw's coming!
Fathers hide all your lying children

(Hide your heads, all you lying children)

Look out mothers
Telling lies to a gullible child
Lockjaw’s coming with a rusty nail
He’s gonna nail your mouth open wide
Look out fathers
Teachers and leaders who do falsify
From the black forest with a hammerhead
He’s looking for you with a rusty eye


Lockjaw’s coming! Lockjaw's coming!
Lockjaw's coming! Lockjaw's coming!
Hide your head if you lie to children
(Hide your heads, all you lying children)
Lockjaw's coming! Lockjaw's coming!
Lockjaw's coming! Lockjaw's coming!
You can't hide if you lie to children

(Hide your heads, all you lying children)

Many people wonder, "Could such a horrible thing be true? Who would make up such
A terrible tale? "

It seems such a cruel punishment for such a tiny little lie.
Well, I’ve got to confess. It’s a fib. I made it up myself. It’s pretty funny,
Don’t you think? Ha ha ha! *scream*

Lockjaw's coming!

Music and Lyrics by Todd Rundgren, from the album, A Capella.

Hey, how's this for an idea: How about all the dark artists, regardless of medium, who follow this blog create a work imagining what Lockjaw would look like based on the lyrics of this song?

If enough people are interested, I'll feature all the work in a post down the line, due date to be announced. Maybe we'll make it a contest or something like that.


Please pass this along to your dark artist friends if you would! (I've now fixed the error that prevented you from seeing the artist challenge...)

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Pumpkin Carving-One Louder

Photo via Woman's Day Magazine
Key Largo, Florida. Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest. That is just all kinds of cool! I noticed thaere are other underwater carving contests throughout the U.S. Who knew?

Article here.

Puppy Pile!

All ten of the little cuties are in there. Can't wait to meet them tomorrow, 'cause you can't beat puppy kisses!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Plague Mask

Finals are over, so I can now put some of my creations in the shop for you to adopt, such as this nifty plague doctor mask!
 I also performed a "pottery purge" yesterday. The stuff has been piling up and I made some pretty ruthless decisions as to what was going to be kept, sold, or pitched. Now I have some space to put out some more!

Quoth the Raven-

Poe funny! Somewhere on I Can Has Cheeseburger? Literary kitteh is fun!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Gandalf-With Fur

Frog Queen has lolcats. I reserve the right to have loldogs. Don't worry. I'll only do it once in a while...

The Blaze

Click on the pic to watch
In the Historic Hudson Valley, each Fall sees the nights lit up with the Great Jack-o-Lantern Blaze. These are the Autumn people, the brothers and sisters of our hearts.


The Great Jack-o'-Lantern Blaze 2011 is coming. Will you be there?

An extra bit of Hudson Valley scariness, the Horseman's Hollow, awaits you, too...

Monday, May 16, 2011

The Great Puppy Saga of 2011 Continues... Puppy Cam!

Small bundles of furry cuteness are bouncing clumsily through my head these days. The "coming home" countdown has begun, and I've started to look at my house through the eyes of a puppy to see what needs to be put away, taped down or otherwise made inaccessible.
Sandy, the breeder over at Sprague's German Shepherds, has been very gracious and helpful in answering my questions about the pups, and has been posting pics and videos of the little critters on her website and on Facebook.
Shelby and the kids at three weeks. Sorry, couldn't get the video to play.
Sandy was also open to doing a little experiment a la Cesar Millan when I come for my first visit next week. In his book, How to Raise the Perfect Dog: Through Puppyhood and Beyond, Cesar had the breeder of the dog he wanted for his experiment on raising balanced dogs from puppyhood put all the pups in one room, then bring the mama in to feed them. By watching the order in which the puppies went for mom and fed, Cesar was able to figure out which dogs had the highest, middle and lowest energy.
Since he was looking for a middle energy dog for his experiment (and is an expert at this stuff, which I am not!), he was able to avoid getting what the breeder felt was "pick of the litter," a much higher-energy level dog than he wanted. I'd like a middle-to-lower-energy dog, because I'm not going to be training little Sam for schutzhund, agility (though I might get a couple of agility toys for the backyard), flyball or any high-energy sport- though I am thinking about taking him for herding lessons once he gets old enough. I think it's important for a smart dog like a German Shepherd to have something to do, since they're a working breed and not having a job makes for a dumb, bored, frustrated dog, and chewed carpets.
Mr. ShellHawk is tolerating my obsessive reading (great info from Dr. Sophia Yin here, btw) and subsequent information sharing with grace and the occasional glass of scotch. (I think there may be some eye-rolling when I'm not looking, but I can't prove anything.) I think it was helpful for him to be away at a conference this week, just for a break from my obsession! ;o) Even so, I asked him to start puppy proofing the garage even though I don't plan to have the little one out of my sight for the first few months. During a yard inspection, I found a space under our side gate that will easily be large enough for the little guy to squeeze under, so that went on Mr. ShellHawk's honey-do list, too.
His crate for crate-training is here, plus another, more open crate to put in the living room, so he can watch everyone from a safe, out of the way place. (I'd hate to squash his little toes because I didn't know he was right behind me!) It's good training for them to know they don't have to be in the middle of everything when activity is going on, but learn to be a quiet observer.
And before someone leaves me a nasty comment about how crate-training is mean, consider that a dog's natural instinct is to be in a den, which is far less posh than a crate with his favorite toy and a soft pad and blanket to lie on. It prevents you from stressing out because you don't know if your pup has left you a "present" while you answered the phone or went to bed (which stresses him out because your body language is freaking him out), and it also keeps him safe when you can't watch him. After all, you wouldn't let your toddler wander around when you couldn't watch her, would you? (BTW: playpen=crate for children.)
Bowls, leashes, and collars are standing by, and observing some local trainers is on my to-do list this week. I talked to my veterinarian this week about other stuff I need to have ready for his homecoming and how I need to feed him (large breed puppy food, she said). I think I'm almost ready.

Can't wait for Friday and the results of the little experiment! I'll keep you posted.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Mini-Ghost Winner Is-


Photo via neeha
Mike C.! Please email me your full name and address so I can send you your little ghost. shellhawksnest at yahoo dawt calm. You get the picture, right? Ok.

Yes, my favorite Captain and yours, Malcolm Reynolds, said this in the movie Serenity:

"Dear Buddha, please bring me a pony and a plastic rocket." Women's t-shirt here.

 The quote was, predictably, followed by some pretty cool mayhem.

Congrats, Mike!

Blogger Sucks, Sometimes

I had this post up for a little bit about the great shirt migration-and then Blogger went down for nearly twenty-four hours. They mentioned they had had to delete some posts, and they were sorry, etc., but now I need to figure out what I put up this week that they took down, since there isn't even a copy left in my drafts. The great shirt migration seems to have disappeared for good, and it actually had a little prize in it for those who were paying close attention... So here goes:

So, every year, twice a year, the great tops migration happens in my house. Winter sweaters come down from the attic and the t-shirts get put away. In late spring, the t-shirts come back out and the sweaters and warm things go into the attic. It works out well, and keeps my drawers and closet from being too cluttered.

Sometimes, getting out the t-shirts is a little like Christmas. I sometimes forget what I've put in storage. So when I pulled out this nifty piece of Davis Graveyard schwag, I was delighted. I'd received it a little late in the year to be able to wear with out being chilly, so I stuck it away for this season. Can't wait to wear it!
This one here is a little piece of cinema history, I suppose. My dad worked on Conan II at the same time as he worked on Dune, and I've been schlepping around this t-shirt ever since. (Bummer I lost the Dune t-shirt somewhere along the way.) Of course, in 1983, when he brought home the shirt, I weighed ninety-eight pounds-a weight I won't see again anytime soon (nor do I want to!).
One of my new favorites: my Sleepy Hollow Polo Association tee, from Crazy Dog T-Shirts. Crazy good sale on right now-$6.99!
One of my favorite dark little shops in Burbank, California: Dark Delicacies.
Why pink? Because a girl can only wear black so long before she wants to create an opportunity for a funeral to attend. Why a skull? Because. Just-because.
"Dear Buddha Please Bring Me a Pony and a Plastic Rocket." A serious favorite for me. First person who can tell me the quote (without looking it up on the Internet-scout's honor!) gets a mini-ghost.
And lastly, the old-school Hauntcast t-shirt. I love this old thing! I got it when I first started working on the show.
BTW, Chris is taking pre-orders for Hauntcast hoodies, men's t-shirts, and babydolls. Take the opportunity to support a podcast which has original, (mostly great) content! After all, if you want to watch Trueblood or Dexter, you gotta subscribe to Showtime, right? Otherwise you're stuck with crap like 2 1/2 Men. So subscribe to Hauntcast and get cool stuff.

Anyway, shortly, I'll be back with an update on the Great Puppy Saga of 2011. I totally know you've been rabidly following that aspect of my life and can't sleep for the suspense! ;oD

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Plague

This nifty ceramic plague doctor mask will be in ShellHawk's Creations Etsy Store next week, after finals.
Sorry I haven't been posting much lately. It's the end of the semester and things have been somewhat crazy! Hopefully, things will get back to abby-normal soon!

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Catacombs Revisited

My last podcast reminded me to dig through my pics of the Paris Catacombs. Here are a few. Keep in mind it's really dark down there and very hard to take pictures without a tripod.
Cool, damp, creepy. A great place to go when you're in Paris!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Nifty Etsy Find

Nothing says, "Wash up before you touch my milky white skin, or I'll kill you and exsanguinate your body," like this coffin soap.

You know the type. Bad boy, dirty hands, axle grease, leather jacket, the keys to your heart. His smile is slow, his hands are fast and he knows just how to make you melt. This is for the men that get grungy working hard and need something to get the crud off their hands. Also good for using on those scaley man feet :) The scent (Black Earth) I've created for this soap is highly male, earthy, sensuous. Bold. The scrub end is organic coffee which safely runs down the drain without causing problems and is great for scrubbing dirt out of your favorite boy. 

Wednesday, May 4, 2011