Monday, May 27, 2013

Darkness Resurrected Premier Night

On Saturday night, the long awaited for event came into being. I'm talking about the Darkness Resurrected Premier Night, which took place at the Stolen Glass Club near the Fayetteville Square. The special occasion, which was organized by DJ Durandal, featured the musical talents of End: The DJ, D.J. Parasight and DJ Axis as well as his own.

The Stolen Glass, which hosted the affair, turned out to be a very nice club in which to hold a dance night. It had a decent stage and an adequately sized dance floor. There was plenty of room to socialize and move around in as well as a free pool table. I played a couple of games on it myself. As a non smoker, I was a bit concerned that I might be overwhelmed by cigarette smoke, but since the venue seemed well ventilated and contains a very high ceiling, I really wasn't bothered at all.

Truth be told, I think the night was a total blast. The music went non stop from about 9:00 pm until around 2:30 am; and although the DJs played a lot of electronic, there was enough Goth and dark wave offered to keep me interested--and dancing! As a matter of fact, by night's end I was the proud owner of a couple of seriously sore feet; but it was all worth it. 

Although the venue wasn't really crowded, a lively group of people showed up and all seemed to have a good time. Speaking for myself, I was really glad to see something like this finally happen. I was very pleased to make new acquaintances and to visit with some older ones as well. 

Word has it that there may be another Darkness Resurrected event in a couple of months . I'm looking forward to it and I'd like to thank DJ Durandal, the guest DJs, the folks at the Stolen Glass and everyone who showed up for contributing to such an awesome night.

     
  



  A view of the dance floor

Thursday, May 23, 2013

World Goth Day at Crystal Bridges

Yesterday, the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
was absolutely teaming with activity when we arrived. Patrons were being delivered to the main entrance by the busload, teachers accompanied by their classes of school children could be seen everywhere, and parking spaces at the facility were almost non existent. Part of the excitement was likely generated by a special exhibit taking place at the facility called American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell. All of this and yet, I'm not sure that either Crystal Bridges or its patrons were at all prepared for our little group, which consisted of only seven members.   

You see, we decided to make the museum the place at which we would hold our own celebration of World Goth Day with a luncheon inside the facility's restaurant and a short photo shoot outdoors under the aluminum tree, which stands facing the building's entrance. What is so amusing is that the folks there really didn't seem to know what to make of us. One older man walked up to our table and just stared for a minute before finally coming up with something to say. Others asked if they could take our pictures and the truly curious wondered exactly who or what we were. Upon leaving the restaurant for our photo session, we passed by a class of elementary students. We certainly got their attention and as we walked by, I heard one of the students say, "awesome!" I'm not sure that his teachers necessarily agreed with his or her assessment. 

One of our contingent expressed the experience this way: "...the venue was mobbed with schoolchildren touring the art museum at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. They'll remember the day for sure, so many cameras! The teachers were annoyed so we waved a lot." 

Speaking for myself, I had a blast. As a matter of fact, I had so much adrenalin pumping through me that I was unable to finish my personal celebration as planned, which was to watch the film, The Woman in Black, after it got dark. I was simply too excited to focus on the movie, so that's on the agenda for tonight. 

All in all, I think everyone had a great time. Still, I just don't understand what all the fuss was about up there. 

 

Friday, May 10, 2013

World Goth Day

Yes folks, it's almost here again. I'm talking about World Goth Day, which is likely, the most celebrated day in Goth culture; next to Halloween of course. In just twelve more days it will be here; and I've got to say, I'm excited. Locally, there are several events scheduled during that same week, two of which I plan on attending. Here's what's happening:

May 22nd at 11:00 AM: The World Goth Day Lunch Meet, Ozarks, Arkansas, USA
is set to take place at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas.
On the evening of that same day there was scheduled a Darkness Resurrected Premiere Night, which was originally scheduled to take place at Fayetteville's Razorback Cinema, featuring a special showing of The Crow. When I just searched for more event information however, I couldn't find any. So, at this point I'm not sure if it's still on or not. Here's where you can contact the event organizers from Facebook
for further information.
  
Saturday, May 25, 9:00 pm to 2:00 am: The Darkness Resurrected Dance Night. I'm hoping that this will be a big event, and one that will serve as a fine culmination to the week's events.

Between the upcoming World Goth Day events and next week's planned visit from one of my sisters, whom I haven't seen in over four years, I may be absent from here for a couple of weeks. Hopefully, I'll have stories to tell and photos to share after the World Goth Day activities have taken place. I hope you all get to celebrate our special day and enjoy it as much as I think I'm going to.

Until then...


Thursday, May 2, 2013

Mr. Gray: Cemetery Cat

Hey there everyone! Nightwind has been busy with some unexpected projects, so he has entrusted me to handle the blog this week. Therefore, and without any further ado, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Mr. Gray and I'm the cemetery cat here on East Mountain.

I'm just one of a number of proud felines that have served the best interests of both those who  maintain these historic burial grounds and the folks whose bodies are interned here.

While I don't know how many cats have served here before me, the exploits of some inspire me. It's a hard job trying to attain to their high standards, but I think I'm up to the task. Let me tell you about the two that I've heard so much about.

First, there was Chadwick. She lived up here with a guy named Charlie long before Nightwind moved up on this mountain. When Charlie decided to go and live somewhere else he couldn't take Chadwick with him, so he left her with a neighbor up the road. She didn't like it much up there, so when Nightwind moved up by the cemeteries, she came back down and resumed her duties--and her exploits are legendary!

When Chadwick was on the watch nothing escaped her notice. Many a dog was run out of the cemetery, with tail between its legs while Chadwick closed in from behind. The same happened with any possum that attempted to cross the graveyard under the cover of darkness. Early one evening, she pinned a young copperhead (a venomous snake) up against the stone wall. Although it tried striking  at her with fangs exposed, she was way too fast for the creature and avoided its deadly attempts with ease. Rumor has it that when Charlie found her as a kitten, he thought she was a boy; hence, the name Chadwick. But she was no boy; instead she was a tough gal who lived to the ripe old age of 21 years. Some like to think of Margaret Thatcher as the "Iron Maiden," but I just say "ha!" That just goes to show how little they know.

Next came Gatito; it means kitten in Spanish. He was all black and I like to think of him as a dark angel because of what he did. You see, he came on the scene just before Chadwick passed on. During her last day and night in this world he stayed by her side lending compassion and comfort to her before Nightwind had to bring her to the veterinarian. Shortly after Chadwick left this world, Gatito disappeared as well. That's why I think of him as a dark angel; he was a black cat who did a good thing and then just...well, vanished. Sometimes it happens that way.

As for me, I was born outside to a feral mama. My place of birth was only a few feet from the largest cemetery. My ma had quite a few kittens actually, and every time she had more she would bring them right to the steps of Nightwind's front door, where she would place them underneath. As winter approached, he put a dog house in the front yard for us (insulting, I know) and put a heating pad in there so that we little ones could keep warm. Sickness, adoptions and runaways took their toll on our little family and by the following autumn, I was alone. When the first cold winds of winter began blowing in late autumn, Nightwind took me in. Now, I get to eat all I want and when the weather's cold or rainy, he lets me sleep at the foot of his bed by the stove. Life is good! But I really do prefer being outdoors where I can do my job and otherwise, tend to business.

This is me at work. In the evening, I like to jump up on the wall and just kind of keep an eye on things. Early in the morning, you can either find me inside the cemetery playing with squirrels or sitting on the roof of the Jeep, where I have a good vantage point and can see the whole cemetery at once. Do you see that tool shed in the background? Well, a big groundhog lives under it. I really keep an eye on him because he likes to come and drink my water. When the weather is warm I especially like staying outdoors at night. That's when some real interesting things happen around here. And Nightwind thinks he has ghost stories to tell? Ha! He has no idea what goes on while he's gallivanting around town, watching scary movies or sleeping. Yep, all the action's out here.

This is me trying to look cute. Actually, I'm just chillin' here after a long night commuting with the local spirits. A cemetery cat needs his rest ya know. But don't let this this cute stuff give you any ideas about coming up here trying to pick me up and petting me. Ya see, I really don't care much for humans and try to avoid them--at least when they''re still alive. Pull into the drive way or otherwise approach my stomping grounds and I'm gone--for hours. Nightwind's about the only one that I actually like. Did I already say that he feeds me and lets me sleep at the foot of the bed? Anyway, it was nice to meet you all. Bye!






Chadwick: RIP