I apologize for not having posted anything in over a week, but a cold has been kicking my butt. Just a common cold, not the infamous H1N1 (swine) flu that’s going around, but still, its having its way with me.

I read the novel Psycho by Robert Bloch. I’ve seen the movie probably dozens of times. It is a Hitchcock classic and many might point to it as the first slasher flick, although if you really take a look there is no gratuitous violence, which is the life’s blood of a true slasher flick.

Hitchcock was rather tasteful. First, the movie was in black and white, so there is no blood. The famous drain scene is just a black liquid mixing with the shower water. And the knife is never shown actually slashing the person, there is a lot of cut scenes showing with Janet Leigh screaming and defending herself, then Anthony Perkins as Mother slashing at something. I believe there’s only one quick scene where the knife and Janet are in the same sequence.

But slashing is not what that movie is about. Even with that amount of violence, the main ingredient in Hitchcock’s horror was suspense, it was psychological horror of the “what’s going to happen next?” and “is his Mother crazy?”

And, now that I think about it, the most shocking thing in that movie was that Janet Leigh, a big time star at the time, was killed so soon in the movie. NOBODY was expecting that and it stunned everyone.

So I finally got around to reading the book. Let me tell you. Its been a long time since I read a book that quickly. I’d say within 8 hours. I couldn’t put it down. Yes, I know the story. Yes, I know the ending. And yet, Robert Block was able to weave a story, using several Point of View characters, such as Marion Crane (Janet Leigh’s character), Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), Sam Loomis (John Gavin, Marion’s boy friend), Milton Arbogast (Martin Balsam as the Insurance Investigator), and Lila Crane (Vera Miles as Marion’s sister).

Despite knowing what was going to happen, Bloch still manages to create suspense, you still have empathy for his characters, and you still keep turning the pages to see what will happen.

If you haven’t yet read this classic in the horror genre, do so. You’ll be glad you did even as you’re locking the shower door.

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On this date in 1998, Tommy Thompson won an historic fourth term as Wisconsin’s governor.

Thompson wins historic fourth term

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Although recently voted second safest city by Forbes, Milwaukee wasn’t always so, as today marks the anniversary of the Third Ward Fire of 1892.

Milwaukee wasn’t always the safest city

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The CSS Albermarle was sank this date in 1864, during the Civil War, by Delafield’s own William B. Cushing.

Lincoln’s commando

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At least I think the acronym is NaNoWriMo. I don’t participate. For the one person out there who might not know what NaNoWriMo stands for, it’s National Novel Writing Month, which is November. Its where a whole slew of writers sit down and try to write a novel in 30 days.

Some do it for themselves, others for the competition (I believe there’s an official website where you can sign up for this torture), and still others do it simply because, like Sir Edmond Hillary, it was there.

I don’t participate. I write at my own pace and don’t need that kind of stress. I’m a classic Type B personality and honestly don’t understand what I’d be competing for. Just to say I did it? That’s not my cup of tea.

I’m a Taoist type writer. I believe in the concepts of Wu Wei, which means “without action” and P’u, which is translated as “uncarved block.” Without getting too indepth, let me say that the concept behind it all is that the universe works harmoniously in its own way. When someone tries to exert his will against the universe, it disrupts that harmony.

The same can be said of my writing. Ideas and concepts work at their own pace within me. Were I to try and speed that up, forcing myself to write at a faster pace, I’d be working against the very creative flow I’m trying to employ.

In other words, I tried a NaNoWriMo once and it backfired on me, putting me into a period of creative constipation that lasted nearly 6 months.

I’d simply prefer not going through that again.

You have fun. I’ll just move at my own pace.

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It’s October. Halloween is a week away. I need something to put me in the mood. Every year for Christmas, for example, I reread Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol,” which never fails to put me in the spirit, so to speak, but I don’t, as yet, seem to have a favorite traditional read for this most wonderful, spooky, scare the shit out of you holidays.

Then it occurred to me. Who is the undisputed master of horror? Bamboo shoots under the fingernails for anyone whose first thought was Stephen King.

No. I’m thinking the original master, the Grandfather of Gothic Horror, if you will. The man who was the greatest master of the short story, who virtually created the genre of detective fiction, and who’s name is synonymous with a little black bird.

Yes, quoth the Raven, Edgar Allan Poe. Another reason October seems appropriate to read Poe is he died on October 7, 1849. His output of stories and poems, all done by age 40, is impressive.

Although Poe was not only overlooked by his own country, and was, oddly enough, reviled by the likes of Mark Twain, Henry James (James is quoted as saying “an enthusiasm for Poe is the mark of a decidedly primitive stage of reflection”), and T. S. Eliot, he was much beloved overseas by, for instance, the French poets Charles Baudelaire and Stéphane Mallarmé and the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw.

In addition, his stories influenced such diverse writers as Jules Verne, Robert Louis Stevenson, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Jorge Luis Borges.

And luckily, in my library I have something by Poe: “The Complete Tales of Mystery and Imagination” which also includes Poe’s only novel, what might be considered one of the earliest works of science fiction, “The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym,” and his collection of poetry. It’s a nice green faux leather-bound book with gold lettering and trim put out by Octopus in 1981

It’s a fairly large hardcover book that I’ve cherished for years and yet I’m almost ashamed to admit, I’ve only scratched the surface as far as stories read. I’ve always loved Poe and if asked, I would have thought my reading of his was extensive, but as I glance at the Table of Contents, I can see I’ve only read a few of his most famous stories, such as “The Pit and the Pendulum,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” “The Fall of the House of Usher,” and “The Masque of the Red Death.”

So I’ve got my work cut out for myself. I intend to correct this oversight and eventually read every story in this book. So, for now, I think I’ll go get a nice cask of wine and brick myself up in the catacombs for a nice quiet read.

Happy Halloween reading everyone.

Oh, and while I’m gone, here’s a song by The Alan Parson Project called “The Cask of Amontillado.” Enjoy.

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On this day in history: Green Bay Packers play first game as an American Professional Football Association (NFL) franchise.

Green Bay Packers play first professional game

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As predicted earlier in spring, H1N1 is again making the rounds this fall.

Another wave of H1N1 influenza spreads

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On October 8th, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution declaring October 20th as National Day on Writing.

What does that mean?

Well, you got me. This is the first I heard of it. Supposedly, America is writing now more than ever. I guess if you count texting and Instant Messaging, which quite often use TextSpeak or ChatSpeak, annoying abbreviations of words and phrases, then sure, we probably do write more then ever. People write more emails now versus letter correspondence ages ago. Everyone seems to have a blog. There are thousands of forums on every subject known where people converse through posts everyday.

So, from my point of view, it seems to be about quantity over quality.

And today, this minute, you can go to the National Gallery of Writing and take part in celebrations. Read published works or contribute your own. Its a live event taking place right now.

Me? I think I’ll celebrate the day by writing on my own. I’ve got some work on my WIP I need to get done.

Happy NDoW!

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Once leading the nation in the manufacture of aluminum, the practice of sending jobs overseas killed the state’s once burgeoning industry, but like a phoenix, former employees have created their own niche from the ashes.

Aluminum manufacturing in Wisconsin

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