things that go bump in the night.

I generally like to reserve peeing in my pants for when I'm laughing too hard.
that being said, I’ve always been fascinated and perplexed by the popularity of all things frightening, scary and spooky. The success of 'fright nights' haunted houses, not to mention a whole genre of movies dedicated to scaring the crap out of people (or in my case, hiding under a blanket) is something I truly do not understand.

Call me crazy, but I don't like to 'exercise' the reactions of my sympathetic nervous system, I prefer to utilize my fighting and flighting for situations in which I am facing a real-life, dangerous situations.
The local news even freaks me out... but only when they lead with stories like "could the killer be in your backyard? find out, tonight at 11:00"

Lets just say my tolerance for horror and fright falls somewhere between the 'goosebumps' books and Lindsay Lohan's acting in 'I know who killed me.' Plus, I generally just want to punch every character in horror movies for not listening to me when I screamed, 'don't go in there!' or, 'ho, you use these keys to your house
Every day, why can't you get the damn door open!!!' ...And then I just feel guilty for yelling at them cause they're dead 2 minutes later, and I'm the asshole sitting in the dark.

But on a serious note, there certainly is something to be said about the thrill and enjoyment from fright that is sought out by many during this time of year. People pay a lot of money to industries which are dedicated to surrounding consumers with uncomfortable, unsettling and seemingly unsafe situations.
And yes, I understand that getting the crap scared out you gets your blood pumping but why not just go for a bike ride? Maybe the relief of having 'survived' the scenario, or the idea that the scary situation is all fiction and couldn't/wouldn't really happen in real life is reassuring to people, in some strange way?
I clearly don't know since I typically end up watching through my fingers, or run away all together.

So, while I spend my Halloween the PG way, eating candy, carving pumpkins and watching Charlie Brown, cheers to those of you who enjoy getting spooked by the creature of the night.

Happy Halloween!

the elements, and us.

I've posted a lot about man made versus natural environments here-- both how I personally interact with them, and how I observe others in those spaces. Today I want to highlight the places in which natural and synthetic materials appear in the same place to form a unique meeting point.

Whether it be grass growing in a crack on the sidewalk, rust forming on the roof of a car, or the fading of old signs on the side of the road, strong pieces of construction all show some sign of the elements over time.

I think there is something quite beautiful to be found in these spaces, where stories of the past come to life before your eyes. While history is revealing itself, the battle of nature and concrete begins it's own chapter, and I am just happy to catch a glimpse.