This is... Halloween...

Once again, my dear readers, is Halloween time... In the States, kids are preparing their disguises for tonight... and, according to Hollywood, masked psycho-killers are about to take revenge for what they suffered when they were childs... And, just like in Carnival, everybody tries to be someone else... And everybody enjoys that, because sometimes it's nice to make people believe that you're somebody else...

May I talk you a little bit about me? No... I don't think so... I don't want to screw this disguising stuff... But there's something I can tell you... I have this yearly tradition of watching "The Nightmare before Christmas" of Tim Burton (even if it was not directed by him) every Halloween day/night...


I love Tim Burton's movies, but especially two of them: This one and Sleepy Hollow (which I also recommend to you). I also recommend you to read his poems book called "The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy", also illustrated by him... If you follow this link you'll be able to read it online.


So, I'll leave you with one song of "Nightmare before Christmas", so enjoy it... and remember... Trick or Bleed?


This is Halloween

SHADOW
Boys and girls of every age
Wouldn't you like to see something strange?

SIAMESE SHADOW
Come with us and you will see
This, our town of Halloween

PUMPKIN PATCH CHORUS
This is Halloween, this is Halloween
Pumpkins scream in the dead of night

GHOSTS
This is Halloween, everybody make a scene
Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright
It's our town, everybody scream
In this town of Halloween

CREATURE UNDER BED
I am the one hiding under your bed
Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red

MAN UNDER THE STAIRS
I am the one hiding under your stairs
Fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair

CORPSE CHORUS
This is Halloween, this is Halloween

VAMPIRES
Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!
In this town we call home
Everyone hail to the pumpkin song

MAYOR
In this town, don't we love it now?
Everybody's waiting for the next surprise

CORPSE CHORUS
Round that corner, man hiding in the trash can
Something's waiting now to pounce, and how you'll scream

HARLEQUIN DEMON, WEREWOLF, AND MELTING MAN
Scream! This is Halloween
Red 'n' black, slimy green

WEREWOLF
Aren't you scared?

WITCHES
Well, that's just fine
Say it once, say it twice
Take the chance and roll the dice
Ride with the moon in the dead of night

HANGING TREE
Everybody scream, everybody scream

HANGED MEN
In our town of Halloween

CLOWN
I am the clown with the tear-away face
Here in a flash and gone without a trace

SECOND GHOUL
I am the "who" when you call, "Who's there?"
I am the wind blowing through your hair

OOGIE BOOGIE SHADOW
I am the shadow on the moon at night
Filling your dreams to the brim with fright

CORPSE CHORUS
This is Halloween, this is Halloween
Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!
Halloween! Halloween!

CHILD CORPSE TRIO
Tender lumplings everywhere
Life's no fun without a good scare

PARENT CORPSES
That's our job, but we're not mean
In our town of Halloween

CORPSE CHORUS
In this town

MAYOR
Don't we love it now?

MAYOR WITH CORPSE CHORUS
Everyone's waiting for the next surprise

CORPSE CHORUS
Skeleton Jack might catch you in the back
And scream like a banshee
Make you jump out of your skin
This is Halloween, everyone scream
Won't ya please make way for a very special guy

Our man Jack is king of the pumpkin patch
Everyone hail to the Pumpkin King now

EVERYONE
This is Halloween, this is Halloween
Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!

CORPSE CHILD TRIO
In this town we call home
Everyone hail to the pumpkin song

EVERYONE
La la-la la, Halloween! Halloween! (etc.)

Music...

Today, and because of not having class, I spent all the evening in my place... So, just like I always do, I listened to some music... And I just thought: "Ok, let's write and post again about a song!". But, somehow, I couldn't think of one single song... I mean, my head was filled with music, not songs... Maybe that's the reason of my smiling day, I don't know... So, I realized that my post shouldn't be about one single song, but about all of them... And how can I do that? Luckily, the answer revealed by itself... So here it is... One of my favourite songs, more for the lyrics (quite simple in fact) than for the song itself, even if I really love the chords: Music, by John Miles.

John Miles - Music

Music was my first love
And it will be my last
Music of the future
And music of the past

To live without my music
Would be impossible to do
In this world of troubles
My music pulls me through

Music was my first love
And it will be my last
Music of the future
And music of the past (3x)

Music was my first love
And it will be my last
Music of the future
And music of the past

To live without my music
Would be impossible to do
'Cuz in this world of troubles
My music pulls me through

Time goes by so... ¿slowly?

Hi there, beloved readers... You surely noticed how nice was the weather yesterday... Not a cloud, bright blue sky... And for me, a distinguished Londoner accostumed to rain and mist, was a perfect excuse for going outside, just for loitering about the streets... Don't misunderstand me... I like rain and mist... It's like feeling home... But this is quite good also...

So, while walking around I heard a noise, a particular musical noise I haven't heard for a long long time... I heard a Sharpener's whistle. You'll most probably know what I'm talking about! A Sharpener is a person who sharpens knives (not mines...) in the streets with a machine connected to his/her motorcycle axis... As I said, I haven't seen one of those for a long time... And I started thinking about it... People don't sharpen their knives of scissors anymore... They throw them and buy new ones... Easy stuff... Maybe some years ago, when people hadn't much money, they used to do that, but not anymore... And so, Sharpener's are disappearing... We can apply the same chain reasoning for another classical crafts, like Cobblers or some Watchmakers...

It's something related to our nowadays mentality... We think we can waste our money buying new stuff, not repairing old stuff... They don't remember how their grandparents lived... Luckily, I can... And RIP Van Winkle surely can, too... I remember watching an old man after the Spanish Civil War taking the rind off a potato... and I must say, he seemed to be "shaving" the potato, trying not to waste any comestible part of that tuber... So, things have changed since then...

But people don't notice changes... just like we don't notice how Earth rotates... Think about a vase in a corner of a table, being moved very slowly to another corner... It's difficult to notice the movement until you realize how far is the vase from its starting spot... No movement but different spots.

But if you stop thinking for a while you surely will notice how all has changed since you were a child... How some things you simply accepted as part of a static reality are becoming obsolete... "Video killed the radio star", singed the Buggles back in the 70's... But... wasn't video killed by DVD? And now... Bluray's sharpening his knives against dvd's...



So... Our world's built over the ashes of past worlds... Worlds that seemed to be quite static for those who lived in that ages... Ironic! Nothing lasts forever, my friends...

Starman

Ok... I'm not in a writing mood by now, so... more music!

David Bowie - Starman

Didn't know what time it was and the lights were low
I leaned back on my radio
Some cat was layin' down some rock 'n' roll 'lotta soul, he said

Then the loud sound did seem to fade
Came back like a slow voice on a wave of phase
That weren't no D.J. that was hazy cosmic jive.

There's a starman waiting in the sky
He'd like to come and meet us
But he thinks he'd blow our minds
There's a starman waiting in the sky
He's told us not to blow it
Cause he knows it's all worthwhile.

He told me:
Let the children lose it
Let the children use it
Let all the children boogie

I had to phone someone so I picked on you
Hey, that's far out so you heard him too!
Switch on the TV we may pick him up on channel two.

Look out your window I can see his light
If we can sparkle he may land tonight
Don't tell your poppa or he'll get us locked up in fright.

There's a starman waiting in the sky
He'd like to come and meet us
But he thinks he'd blow our minds
There's a starman waiting in the sky
He's told us not to blow it
Cause he knows it's all worthwhile

He told me:
Let the children lose it
Let the children use it
Let all the children boogie

Starman, waiting in the sky
He'd like to come and meet us
But he thinks he'd blow our minds
There's a starman waiting in the sky
He's told us not to blow it
Cause he knows it's all worthwhile

He told me:
Let the children lose it
Let the children use it
Let all the children boogie!



Lalalalala, lalalala... Damn! He's fucking good...

Don't stop me now...!

Today I need some music to work properly... So... Let's go!



Queen - Don't stop me now

Tonight I'm gonna have myself a real good time
I feel alive and the world turning inside out Yeah!
And floating around in ecstasy
So don't stop me now don't stop me
'Cause I'm having a good time having a good time

I'm a shooting star leaping through the sky
Like a tiger defying the laws of gravity
I'm a racing car passing by like Lady Godiva
I'm gonna go go go
There's no stopping me

I'm burning through the sky Yeah!
Two hundred degrees
That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit
I'm trav'ling at the speed of light
I wanna make a supersonic man out of you

Don't stop me now I'm having such a good time
I'm having a ball don't stop me now
If you wanna have a good time just give me a call
Don't stop me now ('cause I'm havin' a good time)
Don't stop me now (yes I'm havin' a good time)
I don't want to stop at all

I'm a rocket ship on my way to Mars
On a collision course
I am a satellite I'm out of control
I am a sex machine ready to reload
Like an atom bomb about to
Oh oh oh oh oh explode

I'm burning through the sky Yeah!
Two hundred degrees
That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit
I'm trav'ling at the speed of light
I wanna make a supersonic woman of you

Don't stop me don't stop me
Don't stop me hey hey hey!
Don't stop me don't stop me ooh ooh ooh (I like it)
Don't stop me don't stop me
Have a good time good time
Don't stop me don't stop me Ah

I'm burning through the sky Yeah!
Two hundred degrees
That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit
I'm trav'ling at the speed of light
I wanna make a supersonic man out of you

Don't stop me now I'm having such a good time
I'm having a ball don't stop me now
If you wanna have a good time just give me a call
Don't stop me now ('cause I'm havin' a good time)
Don't stop me now (yes I'm havin' a good time)
I don't want to stop at all!

Lights... Camera... Action!

Welcome back, my dear guests... Sunday afternoon again... A good day for watching a film, don't you think? So... as our teacher suggested us, let's talk about films!

I love cinema... I love it since I saw that first projection of those Lumière brothers in that Salon Indien du Grand Café, back in the 19th Century... And I realized instantly that it had a lot of possibilities... So I guess I was right! It's quite possible I'll talk again about films in the future... and now I'm thinking about a concrete one... but... no... Today's not the proper day to talk about that film!

So... I'll start with this modern film about... me! I'll start, of course, with FROM HELL. And... Wow! Very fortuit indeed! It was released just 7 years ago, that 19th October of 2001.

From Hell (2001), 118 mins.
Directed by Albert Hughes & Allen Hughes.
Cast: Johnny Depp (F. Abberline), Heather Graham (M.J. Kelly), Ian Holm (Sir W. Gull), Robbie Coltrane (Sgt. P. Godley).
Produced by Jane Hansher & Don Murphy.
Written by Terry Hayes & Rafael Yglesias.
Based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore & Eddie Campbell.

...And quite a good graphic novel, I'd say! Alan Moore is considered one of the best comic writters of all history, and he did a good job with this "From Hell" indeed! Because it's not an ordinary mistery novel, where there's a smart police or detective who's chasing the criminal... No... Because here, we know who the killer is in the fourth chapter of the book... In fact, in quite a way, Jack's the main character of this novel... So, lucky me! Ok, no more talking about the book... But I recommend it to you, because it's great...

Ok... about the film... There'll be some spoilers in here, so you shouldn't go further unless you want to see the film and find out by yourselves who's the killer... Because, of course, just like other films of this genre, you have to discover who's the killer! Cluedo stuff... In spite of this difference between the novel and the film I should say that's quite interesting!

Mistery! Some prostitutes are found dead in the streets of Whitechapel... Nothing unusual except by the way they were killed... Accurate cuts, organ removals... now, that's not very usual! Inspector Fred Abberline (Depp) starts investigating this strange case with the help of his loyal Sgt. Godley (Coltrane), one "unfortunate woman" named Mary Kelly (Graham) and of his also unusual psychic abilities... What first seemed to be just another day in Whitechapel turns into a plan worked out by Queen Elizabeth II and the freemasons to cover a secret marriage between her son and a catholic ex-prostitute that may cause such a scandal that would end with the monarchy, because of the birth of their daughter, in fact heir to the crown of Great Britain... That's when Sir William Gull (Holm), former surgeon and current doctor of the Royal Family shows up, executing the plan by killing each one who witnessed that forbidden wedding...

Interesting theory! The doctor of the queen killing hookers in Whitechapel... because that syphilitic jerk of Edward Albert, Duke of Clarence enjoyed fucking whores... and even marrying them! There are other theories... some of them very funny! But I'll talk about that another day...

Focusing on the film... I think it's a good film! I mean... it's not the best film ever made, but it's quite enjoyable... Hictorically talking, it's quite accurate, relating some real facts... Just like the way they were killed, some characters (Abberline, for instance... with no psychic stuff, of course!) and, especially, the backdrop... Whitechapel looks exactly as it was! And that's quite difficult to do, because if you visit that lovely neighbourhood right now you'll be very surprised! Very close to the financial district of the city... there's not a trace of narrow streets and dark alleys... excepting maybe one thing! Ten Bells Pub, which the victims frequented and which is still there! You can have a pint there... And toast for me! By the way... The last time I visited London I went for a touristic walk across Whitechapel, following the path of the Ripper! Ironic, huh? The guide was Ronald Rumbelow, a former policeman and expert in Ripper murderer's... It was quite funny, attending that walk... But very interesting indeed... So, if you go to London you can try to follow my steps there, thanks to "London Walks".

So, interesting film, despite of that typical made in hollywood ending, with Mary Kelly escaping from her destiny and running away with that blue-blooded child... by letting Jack killing other poor girl instead of her... Hm... Machiavelli would be quite proud of her! Other curious thing: The prostitutes. They were not as pretty as the film ones... Most of them were quite old and awful... excepting Mary Kelly... I'll post some pictures another day...

More films another day! Enough by now... You'll find the trailer of the film just below... See you real soon, beloved readers...

Is nothing original nowadays?

I couldn't help sitting again front of my computer, just to write a few lines... Some thoughts are gathering in my mind and the only way of let the mout is by writing... So... Let's write!

Some time ago I saw a documentary in TV, talking about plagiarism in music world... Basically, it was all about bands suing other bands, argumentating that they've written a similar song before... So, they must be paid for that! And I'm not talking of secundary bands, trying to succeed by copying some famous songs... I'm talking about great bands, some of them considered the best bands of all time, like The Rolling Stones, The Beatles or Led Zeppelin, of which I'm really fond of... For example, there's a song of L.Zeppelin, "Whole Lotta Love", a very famous song indeed, which was accused of being based on a song of Small Faces, called "You need loving"... which was, in fact, based in an older song of Willie Dixon... And Dixon sued them! And he won... And since then, Dixon appears as a co-writer of that song, in every L.Zeppelin album...

But, we might ask... Because asking and wondering is what intelligent human beings do... So, we might wonder about which is the difference between copy and inspiration! It's separated by a thin line, surely! So... think about it... And watch this video if you want, about how some music can be present in our life, even when we're not listening to them specifically...

Bites and cuts...



By the way... I love Pachelbel's Canon in D with the passion!

Hehehe...

Funny stuff...

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by M. Haddon... Chapter 89, Page 67:

"But I said that it wasn't a proper book because it didn't have a proper ending because I never found out who killed Wellington so the murderer was still At Large.

And she said that was life like, and not all murders were solved and not all murderers were caught. Like Jack the Ripper."

And it's funny because I'm still named as an example for many things: unsolved crimes, madness, injustice... After 120 years! Very funny... and satisfying, indeed...

Happy Birthday to... Me...

Well, in fact, happy birthday to my most famous letter! The letter that gives name to this blog... I'm referring, of course, to my FROM HELL letter, which I sent to George Lusk that 15th October of 1888... So, 120 years and a day have passed since I've sent the letter! 120 days and a day... Mm... It looks like a prison sentence!


Anyway... I can remember that day so clearly... The texture of that kidney... how I was smiling while packing it all... Ah... Memories! You know, sometimes our brain's a little capricious... We can remember some things so clearly, like we were still there, living that stuff... But maybe there's some other things we cannot remember until someone talks about it! Curious thing... So, this is one of the things I can remember so clearly even today, 120 years and a day after writing it... I can see myself laughing while writing with that awfull spelling mistakes, just to make them think that I was an illiterate...

So, here's the letter!

"From hell.
Mr Lusk,
Sor
I send you half the Kidne I took from one women prasarved it for you tother piece I fried and ate it was very nise. I may send you the bloody knif that took it out if you only wate a whil longer

signed
Catch me when you can Mishter Lusk"

Very funny indeed...

Poor Jacques de Molay...

Hi again, my followers... Should I talk again about History? I think History's the learning book of mankind... You surely know that sentence: Those who can't remember history are condemned to repeat it again... And believe me, there's a lot of things we don't want to experience again! Crusades, Black Death (Mmm... Maybe I'll talk someday about this nice plague), World Wars, etc. So, pay attention to that book!

But today... Ah! Today's a very special day indeed! Because 701 years ago, an overambitious French king decided to erradicate this very famous military order: The Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Solomonici, or simply, the Templar Knights. They have such name because of their first headquarters in Jerusalem, the Temple of Salomon. And, pay attention, Dan Brown fans! Some people think they found a treasure buried inside that Temple, which was the source of their economic power... But let's focus on their last days...

So, that 13th October, King Phillip IV of France in collaboration with the Pope Clement V (very close to French interests) gave the order to arrest every single Templar Knight in France, in order to judge them. They were accused of being sodomists, heretics, of spitting to the Cross, adoring Baphomet... But... Were they like that? Or, simply, Phillip IV didn't want to pay them back for all the money they've lent him? Because Templar Knights were very rich, maybe because of that treasure they had, which, by the way, was never found and vanished like tears in the rain (Mmm... I've seen "Blade Runner" this weekend)... so, money's behind all this thing... again.

Even if some Templars escaped this hunting (some of them went to Portugal), the great majority of them were burned at the stake. The last Templar Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, was burnt alive just in front of the gates of Notre Dame Cathedral, in Paris, on 18th March 1314, after spending 7 long years in jail... He, who had confessed under torture, retracted his statement at the very last moment, insisting on his innocence... He only asked for one thing: being tied in such a way he could face the Cathedral, and hold his hands in prayer. And, in a dramatic way, he called out from the flames that both Pope Clement and King Philip would soon meet him. Not a year had passed and both of them were dead. Coincidence?

So, Hail them! Templars, I mean... History has this beloved characters which may have been murderers in the past... But they have this "aura" that can make them look like saints! Just like Caravaggio... Maybe I'll look like that in the future... Because it seems people don't forget me... and that's nice... indeed!

This is the Templar Seal, showing two knights (perhaps Hugues de Payens and Godfrey de Saint-Omer, two of the nine founders of the Order) riding the same horse... Contemporary legend held that the symbol represented the initial poverty of the order; that they could afford only a single horse for every two men. But I guess this is not true, because you had to be kinda rich to join the Templar Order...

Tattoo... Again!

And talking about tattoo's I forgot telling which is my favourite one... So... Here it is! Even if it's not a real tattoo but a song! A song of Mike Oldfield, called Tattoo

Please, enjoy it...



Mmm... I love bagpipes!

Tattoo...

I guess it's something not on my wavelength... I mean, I love draw, and I enjoy draws, wherever they are... But getting ink done it's serious stuff... Not only because it's for all your lifetime... You may become a target for some crazy folks... And I'm thinking about Mr. Karl Otto Koch, former Kommandant of Buchenwald's nazi extermination field... He, and his beloved wife, that brutal Ilse Koch a.k.a. "The Bitch of Buchenwald", enjoyed collecting tattoo's... Yes... COLLECTING tattoo's... Karl boasted about his collection before every visitor of this field... He was especially proud of one lamp, made of bones and skin... and his wife had a bag made of human skin also... When Allied Forces liberated this field, they found this creepy collection, and they couldn't believe their eyes...

Luckily, K.Otto was judged by his own people, nazis, and executed for missapropriating... His sweet wife survived until the end of the war, and was judged by the Allies... She was condemmed to all-life prison, but one fine day, in 1967, she decided to hang herself... Maybe this was the first reasonable thing she did in her lifetime!

So, take care of your tattoo's... Maybe another day I'll tell you something of Ed Gein... He inspired some movie characters, like that Buffalo Bill killer of "The Silence of the Lambs"... But he was harmless! He only made his furniture, suits, and jewelry of parts of dead man and woman... So, don't be afraid...

Interesting Quotation...

Today, somebody very close to me has told me these:

"I'd give all that I know just to get the half that I do not know"

I think it's simply brilliant! We may think we're growing in wiseness, but there's always something to learn... So, beloved readers, you should follow this rule: The wise man shuts up, the silly one talks, and the idiot yells... Listen, and if you're discussing some things pay attention to those who don't talk too much... maybe they're holding the key for your answers...

And by the way, that quotation... it wasn't said by a philosopher... it was said by a singer, Joan Manuel Serrat... So, your wise man can be hidden somewhere! Keep searching...

Carpe Diem

Hi again, beloved reader... Maybe you've come here again looking for some answers... I mustn't say this, but... well done...

I've been thinking lately in this "Carpe Diem", even before our classes started... In fact, even if I am immortal, as far as I know, I can't take this thoughts out of my head... Tomorrow... Always tomorrow! We, poor human beings, live our little pathetic lifes as if we were immortal... Not thinking about death... But if you close your eyes and blank your mind... You may feel the Reaper's breath on your neck, and maybe you can also hear his laugh... Because he's old and wise... and he has seen many human beings acting this way, but he has beaten all of them... Because, and that's the point, we are food for worms... Now, that's a nice sentence! So... We must start acting consequently...

You surely have thought sometimes: "I'll do that tomorrow" or "Maybe next week"... But maybe there'll be no next week, no tomorrow... So we have to keep in mind this: What if I die tomorrow? This "What if" might help us to take decissions, to live... I'm not talking of living fast and die young, like Sid Vicious said... No... That man or woman you love in secret... You may consider the option of telling him/her, because maybe there's no tomorrow... And I'm not talking of dying when turning every corner! Maybe you're waiting for the right moment to do it... Maybe you're not brave enough to say it! But someone else can appear and take your "prize". Because that was life is. Your chances doesn't get lost: anyone else takes them.

So, dear reader, think about it... Declare your love, read more, eat more ice cream, contemplate more sunsets or whatever... Just take Life by the balls and say: "Fuck off bitch! You'll not find me distracted nevermore!!"

Nevermore!

Today's a very special day indeed... because today, but 151 years ago, died one of my favourite writers... Maybe the one that I like the most! I'm referring to Edgar Allan Poe. This writer... this... visionary human being wrote some of the most beautiful sentences that my tired and old eyes have ever read... And the crazy stuff is, he didn't write from the happiness, but from deep pain and misery... It's funny how, sometimes, when we feel bad we want to hear sad music... don't you think? Because, somehow, we want that music to join us in that pain, not to help to solve it... Maybe we want that pain, because pain is as natural as love, hate, regret, misery... We need to assume our feelings in order to accept them, and deal with them... Because, think about it... There'll be awful moments in our lifes, believe me I certainly know of what I'm talking about! So, accept and deal with pain, my beloved readers, as Poe tried to do... even if he was found in a Baltimore street, acting delirious, before dying of, even today, unknown causes... maybe in the future, if you prepare yourselves, if you find sadness and pain in a dark alley you'll be able to say: "Nevermore!", like The Raven did...

This Raven:

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. `'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door - Only this, and nothing more.' Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December, And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor. Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrow From my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore - For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore - Nameless here for evermore. And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain Thrilled me - filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before; So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating `'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door - Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door; - This it is, and nothing more,' Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer, `Sir,' said I, `or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore; But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping, And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door, That I scarce was sure I heard you' - here I opened wide the door; - Darkness there, and nothing more. Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token, And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, `Lenore!' This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, `Lenore!' Merely this and nothing more. Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning, Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before. `Surely,' said I, `surely that is something at my window lattice; Let me see then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore - Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore; - 'Tis the wind and nothing more!' Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter, In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore. Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he; But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door - Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door - Perched, and sat, and nothing more. Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling, By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore, `Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,' I said, `art sure no craven. Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the nightly shore - Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night's Plutonian shore!' Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.' Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly, Though its answer little meaning - little relevancy bore; For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door - Bird or beast above the sculptured bust above his chamber door, With such name as `Nevermore.' But the raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only, That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour. Nothing further then he uttered - not a feather then he fluttered - Till I scarcely more than muttered `Other friends have flown before - On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown before.' Then the bird said, `Nevermore.' Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken, `Doubtless,' said I, `what it utters is its only stock and store, Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful disaster Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore - Till the dirges of his hope that melancholy burden bore Of "Never-nevermore."' But the raven still beguiling all my sad soul into smiling, Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird and bust and door; Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore - What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore Meant in croaking `Nevermore.' This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom's core; This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o'er, But whose velvet violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o'er, She shall press, ah, nevermore! Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor. `Wretch,' I cried, `thy God hath lent thee - by these angels he has sent thee Respite - respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore! Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost Lenore!' Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.' `Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil! - Whether tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore, Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted - On this home by horror haunted - tell me truly, I implore - Is there - is there balm in Gilead? - tell me - tell me, I implore!' Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.' `Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil! By that Heaven that bends above us - by that God we both adore - Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn, It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels named Lenore - Clasp a rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels named Lenore?' Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.' `Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!' I shrieked upstarting - `Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Plutonian shore! Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken! Leave my loneliness unbroken! - quit the bust above my door! Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!' Quoth the raven, `Nevermore.' And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door; And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming, And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor; And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor Shall be lifted - nevermore!

Again, Gustave Doré, joining me in my thoughts... using his pencil as I used my scalpel, some time ago...

Juicy and tasty!

I couldn't help smiling when talking about healthy food in our English class... Surely sprouts are very digestible, healthy or, simply "awesome"... I smiled, because some of that special beings which I talked about recently really enjoy eating human flesh... I can still remember the case of Issei Sagawa...That was a very famous case back in the 80's... He was a rich guy, Japanese but studying in Paris... There he met a german girl and, long story short, he killed and ate her... The thing is, thanks to some influences of his wealthy father, Issey returned to Japan after spending some time in a french prison... He should have spent all his life in an asylum, but he was out in 15 months... Now, oddly, he's very famous in Japan... He has written some books about canibalism, even a comic! Crazy world, isn't it?

Even thinking about what I did in the past... I find this disgusting... Eating human flesh! For God's sake... You can eat every kind of meat if your life's in danger and you haven't eaten for a long time, but doing it for pleasure it's certainly madness... But, talking about madness, we must focus our blame on money! Yes... money! Because if his father wasn't rich, Issey would be probably still on that french prison... Justice for all? Hah! I don't think so... Rich folks don't mind about justice, because they can buy it... But this is a crazy world, as I've said...

However I don't like it... I remember myself sending a letter to that George Lusk, the President of the Whitechapel Vigilance Comittee, which had the mission of catching me... Well, with that letter... that "FROM HELL" letter, I sent him half of a human kidney preserved in wine, belonging to C.Eddowes... I told him that I ate the other half, fried, and that it was really nice... Ah! Sometimes I surprise myself with my drama facet! He surely got scared... a lot...!

Hm...

Today I've remembered, while revisiting my own last posts, a song of this very young group, which called themselves "Their Satanic Majesties" or, simply, The Rolling Stones... This song in particular is so appropriated for this first post of mine that I'll write its lyrics right down...

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Please allow me to introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
I've been around for a long, long year
Stole many a man's soul and faith

And I was 'round when Jesus Christ
Had his moment of doubt and pain
Made damn sure that Pilate
Washed his hands and sealed his fate

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game

I stuck around St. Petersberg
When I saw it was a time for a change
Killed the Czar and his ministers
Anastasia screamed in vain

I rode a tank
Held a general's rank
When the Blitzkrieg raged
And the bodies stank

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name, oh yeah
What's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah

I watched with glee
While your kings and queens
Fought for ten decades
For the Gods they made

I shouted out
"Who killed the Kennedys?"
When after all
It was you and me

Let me please introduce myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
And I laid traps for troubadors
Who get killed before they reached Bombay

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah, get down, baby

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah
But what's confusing you
Is just the nature of my game

Just as every cop is a criminal
And all the sinners saints
As heads is tails
Just call me Lucifer
'Cause I'm in need of some restraint

So if you meet me
Have some courtesy
Have some sympathy, and some taste
Use all your well-learned politesse
Or I'll lay your soul to waste, um yeah

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, um yeah
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, um baby, get down

Woo, who
Oh yeah, get on down
Oh yeah
Oh yeah!

Tell me baby, what's my name
Tell me honey, baby guess my name
Tell me baby, what's my name
I tell you one time, you're to blame

...This is, of course, Sympathy for the Devil...