dahlia dewinters – Page 13 – Dahlia DeWinters

More than 28 Days

More than 28 days is a hashtag that caught my attention on Google+ during the month of February. The poster, Kymberlyn Reed, took a unique approach to Black History Month. Instead of using the #blackhistorymonth tag, she used her tag to hammer home the fact that Black History Month should certainly be “observed” longer than twenty eight days. Ms. Reed has the right idea. While Black History Month,(just like Women’s History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month and other months/observances I’m sure I’m missing), serves to highlight some the achievements of Black people, it shouldn’t stand out like a sore thumb. Black people helped build the United States, and often their achievements were either swept under the rug or stolen by whites. When I had a classroom of eager to learn fourth and fifth graders, I certainly didn’t wait until February to tell them about what is basically the history of… Continued

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Music Monday – Vocalese – Moody's Mood for Love

I dug back into the archives of my music collection for my first post of the New Year. I’ve always loved this song, not only because of the fine vocal stylings of King Pleasure and Blossom Dearie, but also for the history behind the song itself. Moody’s Mood for Love is a swoon-worthy slow dance song, full of references to magic, stars, enduring love and all the stuff that romance is made of. If you want to get starry-eyed, this is one of the best songs to listen to. That being said, here’s the story of the song. The “original” song was “I’m in the Mood for Love” written by Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields. It may be famliar to many because of the line “I’m in the mood for love/Simply because you’re near me…”. Here is Sarah Vaughn’s cover of the song. While playing in Sweden, saxophonist James

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Movie Review – Flashback – Stir of Echoes

Title: Stir of Echoes Genre: Thriller/Supernatural Horror Director: Davis Koepp http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0164181 Hey there lovelies! I’m taking a little vacation for the month of the December, which means I’m cleaning house (literally and figuratively) and sussing out my goals for 2016. Which in turns means movies and music galore! It’s a relief sometimes to take a step away from the pen and paper….but that doesn’t stop the ideas from bubbling over. Back to the movies. I took a little step back in time to screen Stir of Echoes. I remember watching this back in the day when it first came out on DVD. It’s based on a novel by Richard Matheson, who, as you must well know, wrote Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, I Am Legend and a few other horror/thriller stories. (I use the word “few” as being funny. Matheson was pretty prolific.) I must say, for a film from the

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Blogtoberfest – Weird New Jersey

It’s only fair, since I’m writing about scary stuff this month, is to highlight some spooky places in New Jersey. Despite being the Garden State, there’s a ton of mysteries surrounding some of the horse pastures and lovely farms. So light the lantern and let’s take a closer look behind the cobwebs. The Jersey Devil From Wikipedia: The Jersey Devil is a legendary creature or cryptid said to inhabit the Pine Barrens of Southern New Jersey, United States. The creature is often described as a flyingbiped with hooves, but there are many different variations. The common description is that of a kangaroo-like creature with the head of a goat, leathery bat-like wings,horns, small arms with clawed hands, cloven hooves and a forked tail. It has been reported to move quickly and often is described as emitting a “blood-curdling scream.”[1][2] From Me: I’ve seen some pictures of the

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Blogtoberfest – Scary Stories – Pet Sematary

Horror is different for everyone. I don’t think the “experts” can agree on what horror is and thus there are tons of movies and books that represent the horror genre, as it should be. I also believe that horror is different depending on where you are in your life. What’s represents horror for a twenty-year-old might be old-hat to a forty year old. Books that resounded for me in my twenties are just “eh” now that I’m a lovely seasoned woman of a certain age. But Stephen King’s Pet Semetary broke that mold. It’s just as frightening now as when I first read it many years ago. Here’s the blurb “Sometimes dead is better….”When the Creeds move into a beautiful old house in rural Maine, it all seems too good to be true: physician father, beautiful wife, charming little daughter, adorable infant son — and now an idyllic home. As

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Blogtoberfest – Urban Legends to Keep You Up at Night – Part 2

The Thousand Steps Behind a rusty, broken gate at the top of the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi in Eagle Point Park (Clinton, Iowa) is an ancient set of steps plagued with tragedy and wrought with mysteries and fables. Locals call them the “Thousand Steps”, and they were built in the 1930’s along with the rest of the neighboring park to allow access from the top of the bluffs to the beach below. Although originally used frequently by families and other people looking for a scenic hike, the stairs soon fell into disuse and began to decay- becoming filled with holes, structural cracks, and covered in slippery moss, making them very dangerous to use. But of course, nothing compels children to do something more than being told not to do it. In the 1960’s, it soon became a right of passage to descend the stairs and live- which many children and