The Muse Concert, Rifftrax, and Halloween

Sorry it's taken me so long to write this. I've been so busy lately! First of all, let me tell you about the Muse concert.

Muse is definitely my favorite band. For those who don't know about Muse, they're a British band and they have a very interesting sound. I really don't know how to describe their sound or the genre of their music. If you want a good example, look up either "Knights of Cydonia" or "Hysteria" (those are two of their hits in the US.) Their music inspires me, their music changes with every new cd, and they are terrific performers. And, recently, I got the opportunity to see them in concert in North Carolina. Let me tell you, it was well worth the drive!

I think that was the best concert that I've ever seen. They played all of their popular songs in the US, along with most of the songs from "The Revolution" album. What also impressed me was they included a very advanced stage show with lasers, rotating platforms that lit up with a collage of images depending on the song, and a few fireworks in the finale. The screens on the rotating platforms also showed images of the band as they were playing, which was helpful since there wasn't a "jumbotron." Their music sounded just as good in concert as on the CD, and they all had a tremendous stage presence. I bought a Muse poster that I'm going to frame, as well as a guitar pick necklace with the band's name inscribed in it. I wish I had time to get autographs, but by the time the concert was over, my husband and I were too exhausted to stay, and the entire theater seemed to be headed to where the band would be ahead of us. ::sigh:: I suppose that I can always write a comment on their website. They probably hear "your music inspires me..." all the time from way hotter fan girls than I am, but I still wanted to tell them how much I appreciate their music. Oh well, maybe next time.

A few days later, I went to see "Rifftrax Live" and I think it was one of the funniest things I've ever seen. I laughed until I almost cried. For those who don't know, Rifftrax Live is basically a taped live broadcast of the comedians who were responsible for Mystery Science Theater 3000. I've always loved that show. You watch a movie in the theater and they play the taped recording along with it. I hear the one for Twilight was particularly good.

The first two skits were based off of a very old commercial about saving money on groceries with "the grocery witch" who was basically a take off of "Bewitched." The second looked like a very very old educational video about a talking paper bag telling a child how paper is made. (I know, it sounds trippy and it was trippy, but I don't have enough imagination to make up something quite that messed up.) They tore those scenes apart. Then, it went into the main feature, the original "House on Haunted Hill." It was just as funny as the skits. I like House on Haunted Hill, but I can definitely see how you could poke some fun at it. Long story short, it was a good movie, a good evening, and if you haven't seen Rifftrax Live, look it up and buy tickets for a theater near you.

And, of course, I have to tell you about the Halloween party. I think everything went very well. It really couldn't have gone any better. For the most part, it wasn't very stressful getting ready for the party for a change. I had plenty of help. We finished the cooking early, finished the decorating shortly afterward, and the only thing that was last minute at all was setting up the table and making the punch. The food was good, though as usual we had tons of food leftover. The crowd was pretty large and people brought even more food when they came. The two movies I remember watching were Zombieland and Silent Hill, though I didn't really watch Silent Hill since that movie is a bit intense for my tastes. I played a lot of Rock Band 3. Between refreshments, movies, Rock Band 3, and just talking and hanging out, I think everyone had something to do and had a good night.

The next evening we went to yet another party that was also lots of fun. We were going to go to two parties, but between cleaning up the house and unwinding from the previous night, we were just too tired to get to the one that started earlier. (Not to mention we were slightly late to the other from rushing around to get our costumes on.) The second party was very fun as well. It was alot like ours. There was a lot of Rock Band 3, lots of sweets, and a lot of talking and relaxing. I have to admit it was very nice going to a party after throwing one.

For once, I was actually ready for Halloween to be over. ::gasp:: I don't usually have that feeling, but I just did so much that the next week I was ready to get the decorations down, and I worked hard enough to do it. Parties are fun, but they take alot out of you. I also spread out the fun activities enough that the entire month of October felt like Halloween. It was pretty nice.

I can hardly believe we're already halfway through with November. Life certainly doesn't slow down. The months have been flying by lately. Still, at least I finally got to do this blog entry. I think next time I'll post another writing sample. As expected, I didn't place in the World of Warcraft writing contest, so I feel no guilt in showing a section of it as a simple writing sample. It's just a fan fic, and I don't think it's bad writing.

In other writing news, I'm throwing around the idea of submitting my first novel as a free sample for e-book readers on either the Barnes and Noble site or on Amazon. I'm thinking of it as free advertising. If I get enough downloads and people actually start enjoying my work I might be able to sell the other two novels of the series and get a larger fan base. I still think those novels aren't bad, but I recognize that my writing style is getting better, and I have a lot more in the works that just that first trilogy. (Plus, I also have submitted it to all of the agents that seemed interested in that sort of genre and haven't had any luck.) I want someone to be reading my work, and this might be a way that I can make that happen. Still, I'm going to look into it a little bit first to make sure the idea is legitimate. Wish me luck.