The decorating has begun

 It's slowly getting closer to Halloween, which means the neighbors are quietly putting their ghouls and goblins out in the yard.

Every one has been buying new items this year and it's very surprising how creative people are getting.

Case in point, a neighbor down the street from me, has decided to upcycle her husband's wheelchair as well as some camping chairs. She added some drinking buddies, by way of skeletons, as well as a stationary yard crawler and an owl. 

What I didn't get a picture of, was a recent addition (she added it after I took the photos and I haven't been back). She added a witch of sort, about 6 feet tall, standing by the garage. It's strange to see it, because it's hiding among the bushes between the houses. I'm sure it's there because it's powered to a socket and the owner wants it to wiggle and jiggle when / if someone approaches. 

I just had to laugh at the decorations though. I didn't expect this from her, but I kind of did. She's such a nice woman and totally open minded to things, so I'm sure she had a blast trying to figure out how to put it all together. It doesn't help much that her sister is part of the social committee and there's a contest going on for people who are putting things out for the sugar rush night. I am sure this woman wants to win, but I've seen a lot of houses in the community who have a ton of things out. 

We're talking blowup scenes that would make Kris Kringle blush. 

Things like entire movie sets from The Nightmare Before Christmas and various garage door covers (the bat one with the pumpkins is popular - two house have that particular version and they're on the same street). Last year, someone had a Beetlejuice cover, and that owner had been dressed like the B man and his wife as Lydia. It was straight out of the end of the movie - they replicated the wedding scene. #nospoilers

It's so crazy to see how people keep upping the ante every year. Gone are the days (in my old neighborhood) where the one family would create an elaborate theme by using a Radio Flyer and their kids. Every trick or treat night, the dad would be pulling the kids in some sort of float, whether it was a pirate ship, space ship, cowboys, or spur of the moment quick thinking. That family won the surprise medal every time they turned up. 

Although, going back to last year, a full family (several generations) all dressed alike. They were a walking skeleton crew. From grandma and great aunt all the way down to the infants, everyone was wearing that black onesie with the white skeleton body painted on it. There had to be at least 20 of them in that party and they walked the community, taking the chocolates and such from every stranger they came across. It was wild. 

It'll be so interesting this year and at one point I'm going to have to drive around my community at night and get pictures of the houses. I just need someone to go with me so I can sit in the passenger seat and take the photos.

Until then, stay safe and inside. You don't know what will attach to you if you go a-wandering....

Cheers;

See also:

* Skeletal owls via Amazon

* Skeletons via Amazon

* Stationary crawler via Amazon

* Camping chairs via Amazon

* Skeleton bodysuit via Amazon

"It ain't over til it's over'

Amazon's October Prime Deals are over, but that didn't stop a lot of people from buying things they needed. I honestly thought about purchasing a Seagate Portable 5TB External Hard Drive HDD – USB 3.0 because I am going to need another one soon (I backup my computer several times a month, rather than weekly like some people do). Now that it's a day after the deals are over, the 15% discount I saw yesterday (making the drive $109.99 instead of $129.99), may "force" me to wait until Black Friday deals as I'm hoping it stays at this price point until then and there will be a better discount for Thanksgiving. I don't need it that badly at the moment to buy it now. Although, it is sitting in my cart; I'm hoping the conspiracy hack of "Amazon sees you keep stuff in your cart and will offer you a discount for purchasing it if you wait long enough" will work. I can't confirm that it does, but I've heard stories about it. So if it's true, I'll find out in my own account (and report back). 

I went to the gym last night, as I didn't have opportunity in the day time. It's so much more quiet after 6pm there because it's my community's gym and we don't have that many machines to begin with. Therefore, I got to watch whatever I wanted while working out. 

During the day, especially this past week, I've been watching one "A Nightmare on Elm St" movie a day. I hate to admit it, but I've never seen any of the films. I know the character references, but of all the horror movies I've watched in my lifetime, this is one of the series I've not started. For two hours a day, over the past six days, I've been seeing Freddy Krueger ruin people's dreams. 

Side note, I've not seen the "Halloween", "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and Friday the 13th movies either (even though I probably see the latter since I was born on Friday the 13th). I'm bad; don't judge. I've seen other horror and thriller movies; just not these specifics. Again, at least I know references. 

For as dated as these movies feel (hello: it's the 1980s: clothes, hair, posters on the walls), the graphics still hold up. Sure, some of the scenes look so fake and so old (not as crisp as what we're used to right now), but overall, if you said they were filmed over 30 years ago, I'd say "maybe 20 but nothing later". They honestly look like they're more recent movies, or else there's some serious upscaling to be able to see them on a high definition television. 

Meanwhile, I have one movie left in the collection to watch - Wes Craven's New Nightmare, which technically isn't part of the series, but an adjacent film. I think the film after that is Freddy vs. Jason, which is oddly enough, something I saw in the cinema. I happened to be working that day and snuck in after work. I had nothing else to do - didn't need to be home right away, so I stayed and watched a movie.

Yes, I know it's strange I saw Freddy vs. Jason after just saying I've not seen the original movies, but again, I didn't want to go home as I didn't have anything else to do that day. Why not make the best of your workplace and stay for a show? I had done that frequently when I worked at the cinema - either paying for one show, and staying for a double header (I did that one day with Harry Potter and something else). Or I stayed after work and watched something that suited my fancy (like the 2003 Hulk). I don't recommend doing this at all. We're in different times and you're apt to get arrested now. I'm lucky I didn't and I understand what I did was wrong. I've atoned for those endeavors and they are water under the bridge now. 

Anyway, having worked out last night and seeing another movie, I was able to see the moon hiding behind the clouds while leaving the gym. They're not the best photos of the moon (I took them on my iPhone 11), but the foreground of the playground is pretty cool. 

I didn't feel like getting my Canon out when I got home. I was tired, sweaty and it's buggy out. I would have had to grab my zoom lens, camera, tripod and set everything up in the street to get a picture over my end of the houses. I often feel ridiculous doing this, especially at night, because my neighbors can be judgey. And you don't know what animals are lurking around - I once came home late from work, on a trash night, and got within a foot of a trash panda. This was when we first moved here, so I haven't seen the raccoon since. 

It's just as well because those things are spicy little buggers. 

I remember working at a hotel in Naples, and there was always one hanging out at the back dumpsters, looking for scraps. The smokers bench was 10 feet from the dumpster, and when it was break time, I'd go outside with my co workers so they could smoke. I wanted the fresh air (or lack there of since I was sitting with smokers) and they wanted their nicotine. The times we were working at night, we'd watch the raccoon go all in on the dumpster and every once in a while turn to us, as if to check us out and see what we were doing and if we were going to bother it. 

Needless to say, I've had my fair share of wild animal run ins locally. Which isn't to be confused with the New England wildlife I used to see - we would get ducks in our yard after bad rain (because we ended up with a lake in the grass), foxes, every so often deer, and once I saw a beaver run through the yards. I think it was a beaver; it was grey with a wide brown tail. I tried getting a picture of it, but failed. 

So last night's moon pictures are as good as I can do with my phone and being lazy. I know it could have been better and I could have gotten more photos, but I wanted to go inside and get ready for bed. 

Today I plan on doing some errands and when I go back to the gym, I can hopefully see the Nightmare movie with no issues.

Until I can sort everything out... stay safe. 

Cheers;

See also:

* Title of blog comes from the 1991 Lenny Kravitz song, "It Ain't Over Til It's Over", which is track 4 from "Mama Said".

* A Nightmare on Elm St via Amazon

* Halloween movie via Amazon

* The Texas Chainsaw Massacre via Amazon

* Friday the 13th via Amazon

I hate fighting screens in order to take photos

Every time there is something of interest outside and I don't have a great way to photograph the thing, I always have to fight a window screen in order to get proof that it happened. 

Case in point: when I am trying to capture various wildlife outside of my condo, whether it's a bird, snake or rabbit in the back yard; or, as in the newest incident, it's a small turtle outside my bedroom window, eating the semi dying plants.

Yes, I happened to look out my window yesterday and saw what I think is a "Florida Cooter Turtle" (hehe.. I said "cooter"). According to the Internet and various searching, the thing I saw online, really looks like that's what has been seeing around the community. Last time I took photos of a turtle, it may ve been a Cooter as well. Just well mossed over. 

One of the websites I found information on, is Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. I'm still a little confused, but it really looks like this is what I've been seeing. If anyone knows how to read the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), I found information there as well. There are so many other sites, I'm sure this yellow striped reptile is correct. 

Using my handy dandy (but currently offered either as a bundle from a third party or certified refurbished on Amazon) Canon EOS Rebel T7i DSLR Camera with Canon EF 75-300mm zoom lens, I was able to take some shots of the turtle while he escaped the heat and ate some food. 

Again, they're not the best because I was trying to capture him through my window and not have to go outside and disturb him. Plus, if I was on the walkway, I'd be photographing him from behind, so all you would see would be his butt. 

I don't think anyone wants to see that. 

Plus, had I walked out and over to him, he would have shelled up and I wouldn't have gotten his face, neck or legs in the photo. I would only have gotten the shell. 

I could have popped out my screen and taken the photos, but I honestly didn't want to disturb him. He was minding his own business and although I know how to push the screen back in (from the outside. Luckily we're on the first floor), I don't like doing that. 

It took me one time to realize the screen was already not sitting correctly when I tried fixing it and it fell out. Panic set in and I was able to put it back.

Therefore, it's not the greatest ideas to keep attempting to take it out, especially when it's not really warranted (examples would be if we were on the second floor and needing to close our shutters due to a hurricane).

As this would be one of the times I didn't want to tempt the fates in trying to get it back in, I really didn't want to have to go out and walk in the path of the turtle, which in turn would be interrupting his snack time. It would then defeat the purpose of not having gone out to begin with. 

It's a vicious cycle, for what benefit?

Not mine, not his, not yours. Just have some respect and courtesy. I am sure he didn't mind the photo op as he ate, but at what point do you call it a day and let him alone?

After about 40 pictures and two attempts at making a video. I wasn't using a tripod or stabilizer, so the camera kept shaking as I was trying to take the video. Which is why I'm only mentioning it and not uploading it. They're both only 30 seconds or so, but shaky as hell. The lens is too heavy to hold up and not have any movement. 

There's a reason I don't do video work professionally, and also without backup. 

Too many years of creating motion pictures and the visuals come out looking like I had a seizure because I didn't use any type of tripod on the camera. 

Video is one of those beasts where you can't be thinking that you're still when you're not. You're bound to have the shakes at some point. 

Anyway, I hope the turtle comes back. If he does, I'll try to get a photo or two (or 20) outside. Maybe those will be better. 

Until then, keep munching away on the flora and fauna.

Cheers;