Witchcraft I tell you!

I came across this story on PBS' website about the Salem Witch Trials. Eight young girls on trial were delirious, convulsing, had odd skin sensations and were in a trance. The only way to explain such symptoms would be... witchcraft! They are under a spell! Who in the community could have done this?! This is were all the finger pointing came about. Around 150 "witches" were taken custody,and by September 1692  20 men and women were killed with out even confessing and five more died while in jail. After the trials the townsfolk did not know how to explain what they have done. Why had they gotten into such a witch frenzy? One theory is that none other than a fungus caused this madness. Behavioral Psychologist Linnda Caporael saw the link between the symptoms and the effects of hallucinogenic drugs like LSD. LSD is derived from the fungus Ergot. Ergotism (meaning Erogt poisoning) caused by Calviceps purpurea affects rye, wheat and other cereal grasses The grains will then turn to sclerotia which is mistaken for discolored rye and contains chemicals found in LSD like Lysergic acid and ergotamine. If the sclerotia was eaten toxicologists say it will cause convulsive disorder characterized by violent muscle spasms, vomiting, delusions, hallucinations, crawling sensations on the skin, and a host of other symptoms, just like the ones stated in the Salem Witch Trials! After all Salem was in a swampy breeding ground for fungus and rye was the staple crop so this theory does make a lot of sense. The article also says " The rye crop consumed in the winter of 1691-1692 -- when the first unusual symptoms began to be reported -- could easily have been contaminated by large quantities of ergot. The summer of 1692, however, was dry, which could explain the abrupt end of the 'bewitchments'". Spooky and also very cool to hear an explanation like that for something we have heard about for years!

Here is a picture I found of Ergot on rye.

Where all of these fun facts are coming from.

Under Pressure

*hums tune to Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie*
I feel like I have neglected this blog even when I had things I thought "I'll blog about that" I never did. Which bums me out, but I'll try to move past that.
      Lately all of this pressure seems to have slammed onto me at once. For a solid month I had little to no homework and now I am up til midnight working (and then another hour or so playing Pokemon X). I don't even have the time to make any art that I want which is really depresses me. Having an idea linger in your mind but not being able to express it with the effort you want to put into because of other responsibilities is frustrating in some ways. My first college deadline is soon so once I get that in I'm hoping the rest will come easier. I haven't even procrastinated any college work or school work (to a degree). I am hoping for this to settle down in the next week or two so I can take a small sigh oh relief and start anxiously awaiting for the letters.

      On the bright side my favorite holiday is this week! Halloween. The time of year I can indulge in all my spooky interests without it being weird. You may or may have not noticed that I wear Halloween socks all year round (that or socks with puppies, moose, or from Ireland). I was thinking about it and I kind of wish the older  you are the more effort you put into Halloween. I know everybody is busy and putting a costume together can be difficult (trust me I cosplay, I know) but seeing people put little effort into something that can be so creative is deflating. I mean imagine growing up with all these older people who had super cool costumes for Halloween rather than 'oh cool they put on a fun hat' how awesome that would be?! I definitely prefer the dressing up aspect much more than the candy.

In the Name of the Moon I'll Punish You!

This weekend I went to my yearly fun New York Comic Con. It is something that has just become a part of my year just like Christmas or Thanksgiving. I have been con going since I was in the 6th or 7th grade. I remember my first con I met Brad Swaile who voiced Light Yagami in the english dub of Death Note. I love the spirit of the cons even though there are an tons of different 'fandoms' I guess you could say, we all have this mutual appreciation for each other because we know we are both passionate about something that some categorize as "geeky". I don't know if I am just lucky but I have never had a bad encounter with people at a comic con. I even make friends there that I never see again after we part ways. Every time I am in a line I normally end of speaking to the people near me on line and find something to bond over, the same thing happens to me at concerts. Once we separate that friendship is over leaving only our memories. When I saw Fall Out Boy and Panic! at the Disco I made friends with these girls on the line and even ordered a pizza with them. I don't even remember their names!
This New York Comic Con I not only did some shopping (a treat yo' self kind of day) bur I also went to the Archer panel, saw the first episode of the new season and the later on a DC panel and John Barrowman's Q and A. If you don't know who John Barrowman is he is an actor who played Captain Jack Harkness in Doctor Who and even got his own spin off show Torchwood. He also does musical theater. John Barrowman's so funny I thought I was going to pee my pants. He told us a lot of funny stories of his life pranks and shenanigans he did with the Doctor Who and Torchwood cast, etc.  In the end his husband even came out as Superman and took him away.

 The next day I decided to get a photo op ticket and this happened:

I can't believe this happened Captain Jack Harkness is my favorite Doctor Who character in the whole series and here is little ol me get squeezed by John Barrowman.

I also like to cosplay.I feel like cosplay is the art of putting something together to look like somebody else. Michelle Li put it as "cosplaying is a real ego-booster". Which is pretty right. When you dress up as a beloved character and have people keep stopping you to compliment you or take your picture you feel like you mean something, and that people think you look good (negative effects of this is that it takes a while to get from one side of the convention to the other). It also makes you feel like you are doing that character you like enough to dress as them some justice.
This year as I mentioned in earlier blog posts I was Sailor Moon!

In the name of the moon I will right wrongs and triumph over evil and that means you!!

(note: Some of these wonderful photos where taken by Michelle Li)
Michelle was Kiki from Kiki's Delivery Service:

Some other neat-o cosplays I came across and had enough time to take out my camera and ask them for a picture:

Bob's Burgers

I have a deep appreciation for Scarecrow cosplayers. Scarecrow is my favorite Batman villian and is not dressed up as nearly as much as the Joker, Batman, Harley Quinn, Posion Ivy.

I love this one

Another one I love. Sailor Venus as a Storm Trooper and Tuxedo Mask as Darth Vader.

I really love the anime Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan).

Hey there Ashley

More from the amazing game OFF

This guy was dressed as No.6 from The Prisoner (as show we watched in STAC). I looked at him got Shiana to look at him and then I went up to ask for a picture. He said we were the first ones go ask for a picture. He must be confused why two teenage girls know a British show from the 60s. At first we ask "Are your No.6" and he says yes. Moments later he comes back to us and so "no, I am not a number I am a free man!". 

Over all enjoyable as usual. I hope I won't be in college too far away next year and can still make it to New York Comic Con!

The Crypt, a House of Bones

While traversing the internet I came across St. Leonard's Church, a parish church in Kent (England) that has something very peculiar underneath. Underneath the church is located an ossuary or a bone house. For centuries skulls and bones were neatly stacked, from medieval times. There is about 8,000 long bones (mainly thigh bones) of about 4,000 people (men, women, and children) and there is about 590 skulls. The reason the bones where here rather than normally buried has been disputed over time. Some say it is foreign soldiers from a great battle (which doesn't explain the women and children) others have said it was the black plague (but those infected were disposed very quickly). Many agree that it is the bones of those who have died over a long span of years only to be dug up in the 13th century so the church could expand. Because there was only 20 to 30 burials a year in medieval times it is believe to have taken 200 years to accumulate this many bones. Scientists and doctors like to look at the old bones to see some characteristics of the people of the time. The average height is determined to be 1.65 meters for men and 1.55 meters for women. Dentists have notices that although the teeth were worn down by tough food, the teeth lack decay because of the little to no amounts of sugar in their diets. Other research shows some things about race, and evidence of disease around the eye sockets. All of these projects on this mysterious crypt will provide a better understanding of the people of that time. If I ever end up in England I hope I could look at these bones.

Do the Trick or Treat

A fun Halloween song for your ear holes.

Die Monster Die

Tis' the season to be spooky fa lalala la lalalala
As the self proclaimed patron saint of October I am very excited for this month. Just a few reasons why it is the best month of the year:

• Halloween
• New York Comic Con
• National Pizza Month
• My birth (October 18th don't you forget it)
• season of harvest
• it actually feels like fall
• Halloween 
• Halloween

Since I was absent on Friday I watched Frankenstein (1931) in the safety of my own home. Although film has really progressed from ten years earlier when Nosferatu was made I can clearly see the influences and see the expressionism in it. I mean look at it!

Watching this I found myself routing for Frankenstein's creation despite it being a dangerous, murderous creature. Something about him made me want to befriend him, not treat him like dirt as Fritz does in the photo above. Maybe because he is the outsider and everybody gangs up on him in the end or those small moments where he is feeling joy (such as throwing the flowers in the water). Is that normal of me? Or is everybody on the townspeople's side?

Maybe it is because the copious amount of times I watched Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein where the monster "Frankie" was at heart a nice being, just misunderstood. I kind of want to watch that movie again. That was really good.

On a similar note look what I  got for Valentine's Day this year!

I am in love with Barnes and Nobles fancy covers for classic books. I have one of Sherlock Holmes too.