VampireS Sumo

Born out of a religious devotion to one of the greatest exponents of all that was ever Metal; Metallica, Alien Ant Farm housed a quartet of cheeky, wholesome Californian nerds. Perhaps, four of the most unpredictable and unimaginable rock stars ever to grace the U.S, these ordinary looking kids off the block blazed into teenage vulnerability around 1996.

In strange and extreme arrogance, their first album was titled ‘Greatest Hits,’ released in the U.S in November 1999. In America, it managed to con the teens into submissiveness and an award was promptly handed out to the band the same year at the L.A Music Awards. The Brits, on the other hand, were having none of that and the LP failed to create even the slightest dent over here. After all, we invented Metal. We already knew what it was like to feel our ear drums bleed - we had Ozzy…

Thunderous, thrashy and somewhat Alice In Chains tinted, the band, visually, can only be described as The Beastie Boys meets the Myth busters, or perhaps even Adam Sandlers lost cousins, yet there is something disturbingly appealing about these guys with their shaved heads and Scooby Doo tee shirts. They reflect a certain mood within all teenagers, but perhaps mostly towards kids in the U.S. Sniggering still at their farts and whistling at girls, it is not difficult to imagine that these fellas, loaded and famous as they are, still ring old ladies door bells in the middle of the night and run away laughing.

Their contribution to the rock industry is merely down to taste. If you like your rock heavy on the bass and minus any real noticeable guitar riffs yet you prefer the lead vocal to actually sing in key, then AAF is certainly the band for you. If you ever become fortunate to see them live, then please don’t be put off by the fact that they are not famous for putting on a show. The all-American named Dryden Mitchell does nothing to promote a form of eye candy. His hunched over stance with mouth busy tonguing the microphone is almost an imitation of Grindcore Gods, Napalm Death. Despite their visual effect and their ability to perform good, and surprisingly tuneful Metal music, they have, unlike a lot of their hero’s, stayed far away from making any social comment. Choosing, I believe, to distance themselves from anything too political and topical, they have, in previous years, met only criticism from the media on how they were a bad influence on the youngsters of the Nineties generation. Although the critics were harsh, it was how the band unitedly stood their ground with great maturity that was perhaps, more shocking.

AAF gave us another shock in September of 2001 by releasing their own take on Michael Jackson’s ‘Smooth Criminal.’ This shaky, club classic dance number filled with all the glitz and styled glamour that was Jackson in his element, was probably one of the very last pieces of cover that any rock band would ever dare to take on, let alone endanger their already growing respect from other long haired rock giants already masterful. This daring take on such a record was tarnished with all the right amount of bass, heavy drums and chain saw styled guitars that was needed and leapt, peculiarly to number three in the singles charts in the U.K. The British kids were buying it at last. As a ‘make sure’ marketing ploy, the song was released again in February 2002 as the B side to the single, ‘Movies,’ which, again had enjoyed such huge success that it was released twice and instead of it’s humble number 55, it sat readily at number five the second time around.

For a group of four young lads, all born between 1971 and 1977, it is surprising that in the years of Alien Ant Farm being around, they have only managed to release five singles. Four of which were two songs released twice, and only two chart positioning albums to 2003. At a glance, one could argue that they are the laziest rock band in existence, failing to produce a decent single and record a fairly passable album, but a closer look shows us that these musicians (and isn’t it a blessing from God that we see a band that can actually play instruments? This is the only reason why I think Ben should win the X Factor…) we can see that apart from the obvious single, these fellas have written everything. Like their counterparts of today and the giant Metal bands of the past, they are proud to say that they have not once leaned on others for their musical contribution to teenage album collections. They are humorous, thoughtful and, most of the time, polite. They are melodic, play in time and are good to their mothers. In my book, they posses all the makings of a fairly decent heavy rock band.

Their music can’t always be described as custom built heavy metal. In fact, many of you out their will be disagreeing with their title of Metal band as it is. For example, the jolliness of the backbone of ‘Glow,’ from the album ‘TruANT,’ (2003) is more Manic Street Preachers than Anthrax. Yet, ‘These Days,’ taken from the same album has a more grinding feel to its theme, hanging in the air with the heaviest of cobweb guitar riffs, the density of some of their work would have even Miss Havisham reaching for the duster. They had even tried their hands at deliberately mixing Spanish guitar with a darkly forcible bass line yet keeping the vocals strained and cutting. Working these layered Latin themes, this band takes on a whole knew meaning and far from the Metal legends they are supposed to be. Although they still appear to be a bunch of guys fresh out on vacation from high school, they seem friendly, alluring, shy and very attractive to English speaking teens across the world.

However geeky and freak loving, these giggling, immature youths on a Blair Witch Project trip shouldn’t be regarded as what they appear to be. Frighteningly in 2001, the band came close to a major loss. Dryden Mitchell suffered a severe broken neck when the band’s tour bus crashed after colliding with a big truck on route from Spain to Portugal at two o‘clock one morning. After the initial shock and then being shown the devastating pictures of the remains of their twisted coach, the band took the incident as a true near death experience for all of them. Their work has since taken a more serious turn. Passing fans, probably won’t notice anything different about this heavy metal band, but for Alien Ant Farm, their next album, ‘TruANT,’ released in August 2003, certainly lent towards a more definitive and reflective key. Though the bands style and lack of responsibility will pretty much, always shine through, it is their inner most souls that had been tarnished with the freak accident two years before. Due to extensive surgery to Mitchell following the smash, the band took time out whilst Mitchell lived for months in a halo brace around his head, holding it in place with screws and wires.

The band now take on a whole new meaning yet again, yet this time, matured, edged and introspective, we wonder where the band go from here. After the release for the long awaited ‘TruANT,’ they seemed to have died a death as far as the Brits are concerned. Even though it had been noted that they are one of those rare bands that genuinely appreciate their fans, nothing seems to have come from the AAF camp for quite sometime. It is a shame as I do believe that we haven’t, in many ways, not seen the best of Alien Ant Farm yet…

Dryden Mitchell - vocals
Terry Corso - guitar
Tye Zamora - bass/vocals
Mike Cosgrove - drums
DreamWorks records

Album releases

Greatest Hits - November 1999 (cd)
ANTology - March 2001 (cd)
TruANT - August 2003 (cd)

©michelle duffy 2006
Also on ciao and dooyoo (sam1942). 2006.

Michelle is a freelance writer in the South of England and owner of the websites, generationsounds.co.uk www.generationsounds.co.uk, nevermindthebloggers.bravehost.com nevermindthebloggers.bravehost.com and their successful sister, ‘Never Mind The Bloggers’ at paperback-writer29.tripod.com paperback-writer29.tripod.com. She has been writing over the last year, for five major consumer websites across the world and is one of the only two music category advisors for one website in the U.K. Her websites promote young, amateur and professional bands/artists and their fan clubs whilst also reviewing them for local and world wide promotion. She has also recently launched the blogs; ‘The Ramblings Of An Old Rocker,’ ‘Bohemian Waffle,’ ‘The Rhythm Rock And Blues Machine’ and ‘The Moped’s Musings’ and ’Generation Sound Suite.’ She is currently working on two shops selling her music styled artwork and now sells on Ebay.

Theorem: Anything may be possible.

1. That which could otherwise be believed to be absolutely (or 100%) certainly impossible at present could be possible as the intellectual capacities of the believer may be limited. That is, the proposition/s, for example, that are otherwise thought to be absolutely certainly true could be false.

Controversy:

1. Hyperbolic Cartesian doubt vs. Superhyperbolic doubt

The Cartesian doubt, also known as the hyperbolic doubt, is the doubt raised by Rene Descartes on everything except his own existence as he is a thinking, specifically doubting, substance. Thus, the Cartesian doubt is the principle that ‘anything may be possible, except the impossibility of one’s own existence as one is a thinking, specifically doubting, substance’. The Cartesian doubt thus contradicts the superhyperbolic doubt.

Let’s for a moment agree with the Cartesian inference that ‘I think (specifically doubt) therefore I am’. But still it could be that it is a wrong way of thinking. I naturally think that as there is a doubt there has to be someone who doubts. But it could be a wrong inference. My language, for example, always refers to ‘I’ because I cannot think otherwise. But I can very well think that I could be wrong. The basic thought involved in the justification of the theorem of the superhyperbolic doubt appears to be more fundamental than the thought mainly involved in the Cartesian doubt.

The Cartesian doubt is also referred to as ‘Universal Doubt’. However, Cartesian doubt is not really universal as it is not applicable to itself or one’s own existence. The superhyperbolic doubt is universal as it is even applicable to itself or one’s own existence.

2. Certain universal doubt vs. Uncertain universal doubt

‘Certain universal doubt’ would be the principle that ‘anything is possible’. In contrast to it, the principle of superhyperbolic doubt that ‘anything may be possible’ would be ‘uncertain universal doubt’. Now, quite apparently, as a universal doubt is all-inclusive, it applies to itself (or is self-referential), and thus should be uncertain.

Philosophical Implications of the Superhyperbolic Doubt:

1. All axioms as 99.99…% certainly true

All of the propositions which otherwise appear to be 100% (or absolutely) certainly true should now be supposed to be 99.99…% certainly true. In other words, it should be believed that it is 0.00…1% likely that those axiomatic propositions are false. An example of such propositions would be ‘if p implies q, and p is true, then q is true’. This 0.00…1% slightest margin in the belief system should be reserved/retained for the sake of the superhyperbolic doubt.

2. No belief in a proof

Implication 1 implies that there should be no belief in a (mathematical) proof. Something may actually have been proved, but it would be irrational for one to believe that it has been proved. (Here the term ‘proof’ means definite, absolute, or certain resolution of a problem.)

3. All mathematics as philosophy

Implication 2 implies that all mathematics is hypothetical and thus philosophical.

Kedar Joshi- Superultramodern (SUM) Science and Philosophy

Gambling in general is considered to have brought certain level of ecstasy to some, however, inspires fear and mistrust in others. On one hand, it is defined as “to take risk hoping for good return” and on the other hand it is defined as “to lose by betting or risking”. With such definitions, it is just necessary to know that gambling depends greatly either wholly on chance, or partly on chance and party on skill. And the sports gambling are one of the predominant gambling areas that depend on chance.

Essentially, the sports gambling are considered to be a safer area of gambling than the other forms of gambling. Why? This is for the reason that aside from providing entertainment, which is the basic contribution of the sports gambling, it is noted that in the sports gambling the odds against losing in sports gambling is considerably little. With that, the sports gambling can be done for both entertainment and professionally.

In the sports gambling, many of the reliable resources noted that when you gamble or when you place a bet just for entertainment in sports gambling, you are actually adding some levels of excitement and thrill to watching the available sports gambling games. It is interesting to know that losing the sports gambling game would not mean the end of the world. On the other hand, for those who engage in professional sports gambling, it is considered that most of them concentrate on maximizing the returns on the bets they place. This act therefore involves a more disciplined approach to sports gambling.

For further interest, it is considered that in sports gambling, there is a particular focus on spreading little bet amounts of money across a larger number of bets. With such idea, many noted that the goal here is to lessen the inconsistency level and never to put the finances at risks. Thus the key for this idea of sports gambling is definitely discipline. It is just important to know that in sports gambling and any other forms of gambling, you will lose, and you will rule. But then doing something to make up for losses by elevating the betting amount of money only leads to greater chances of losing the game. So if you are on the verge of regretting for losing, it is a smart move to reassess your tactics and major strategies used in sports gambling. Your objective then in sports gambling must be to rule more than half of your bets with a reasonable money management for the reason that money management is the most important thing that is involved in gambling.

So if you really want to get a positive result for joining in sports gambling, then take note of those helpful details for your great advantage

Foxtrot is one of the most beautiful and most difficult modern ballroom rhythms. The foxtrot is a foundation for all other dances; the Foxtrot is a very popular dance that includes elements found in most other types of dancing. Foxtrot is danced to slow 4/4 time music and is comprised of soft and fluid linear movements. It is true that a foxtrot is supposed to be more diagonal than a running walk, but both of them are “broken gaits”. The foxtrot is sophisticated, elegantly stunning, which is simply superb watching the graceful slow dance; it is the dance to which all ballroom dancers aspire. The foxtrot is a very smooth dance and there should be no jerkiness. Slow foxtrot is the standard dance many find the most challenging, and most rewarding.

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of a formal dance, evening wear and beautiful hall, everyone thinks of the foxtrot. North American dancing styles feature the underarm turns where each one of the partners can detach from one another and dance openly. They popularized the dance and the elite of the dancing world were soon trying to capture the unusual style of movement of the Foxtrot. The foxtrot is a popular dance today because it is recognized by long and flowing movements which are a characteristic of the slow-quick-quick rhythm. The foxtrot is an American dance consisting of short and long steps with the occasional glides and slides. Is a basic dance from which you can acquire a good foundation? Many people take dance lessons are a traditional dance such as foxtrot to prepare for the “first dance” at a wedding party. The foxtrot is a dance with fixed expression the foxtrot is creative and joyful, while improvising within the tempo of the music. The foxtrot is one the only dances noted for being one of the first dances to incorporate both the quick’s and slows into the rhythm of the dance. A medium-speed smooth or standard dance, the foxtrot has both a box- step basic and a progressive (forward-moving) basic step.

During the swing era, foxtrot was the most popular dance in the ballroom, until the ballrooms started teaching swing.

The foxtrot is a graceful and romantic dance that is more challenging than other forms of ballroom. The Foxtrot is one of the most deceiving dances as it looks very easy, but is one of the most difficult dances to do. The foxtrot is still the most popular ballroom dance of all. The great fascination of Foxtrot is the amazing variety of interpretations there can be of what is basically such a simple dance. Still a classic dance for wedding receptions, the Foxtrot is a true American favorite.

David Marc Fishman is the owner of

Finding free movie download sites on the internet is a great way to find movies you will enjoy watching later. You can use free movie download sites to build your video library to contain hits from yesterday and today.

You can share movies with friends and family when you find free movie download sites on the internet. You can watch movies that you would never have paid money to see before, simply because you can find them on free movie download sites.

You can ask your friends or find reviews from other satisfied customers when you are looking for free movie download sites. Sometimes free movie download sites are cheap and flimsy, and offer poor quality movies for free download. You can alleviate the hassle of finding the right places for free movie download sites when you search for opinions and reviews of others who have used the site before you.

You can find old western classics starring Gary Cooper and John Wayne, the two iconoclastic cowboys of old Hollywood. You can discover what all the fuss was about Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable and Lana Turner when you go looking for free movie download sites. Discovering old treasures that seem like new to you can be another benefit when you are searching for free movie download sites.

Free movie download sites can get stubborn children interested in the comedies of Laurel and Hardy as well as Abbott and Costello. It can be tough to get kids to watch a movie that is black and white, but when you find free movie download sites with these classic clowns of comedy, you can show them comedy that is just as funny today as it was in the past.

Finding great free movie download sites is a benefit that will last you for a long time. You can download the latest movies that are all the rage, and you can find classics that are still fresh today as they were when they were first created.

You can find out why Alfred Hitchcock and Cecile B. DeMille were the successful giants of screen when you find free movie download sites that offer movies by these late, great directors.

Want to know where to squidoo.com/free-movie-download-site/ Free Movie Download Sites?, feel free to visit us at: squidoo.com/free-movie-download-site/ Movie Downloads.

As digital cameras are becoming more popular nowadays, it seems that everyone has one. You may have already purchased a new digital camera instead of a traditional film camera. The environmental activist may be thanking you for doing that.

The digital camera can reduce the destructive impact on the environment compared to film cameras. How is it possible? You may think that your film camera does not do any harm to the environment. It was not your traditional film camera that harmed the environment. Your film processing did indeed do the harm because film photo processing centers uses chemicals.

Any time you take your pictures to a photo processing center, the film is run through batches of chemicals. These chemicals are environmentally hazardous. Once they have been used to process film, the chemicals must be immediately discarded. These chemicals are the developer solutions and the fixer solutions.

When the chemicals are used, they have to be discarded in an environmentally sound way according to the environmental protection law of the country. Because it is expensive to do so, many film processing companies just pour the chemicals down the drain.

While many bigger and better known companies probably adhere to the environmental laws, many of the smaller companies probably do not follow the law. And this means these chemicals enter the water supply and go downstream. And we consume the water ultimately.

In international waters, cruise ships do not have to adhere to the environmental protection laws. Cruise ships dump raw sewage into the open ocean on a regular basis and that includes the film developing chemicals into the open ocean. This is done routinely and it is happening all over the world.

They develop your film for all the pictures you took while on holiday and then dump the polluting chemicals to the ocean water. And we are still wondering why our oceans are dying and our coral reefs are dying at a fast rate.

With digital photography, we do not need to use all of those chemical solutions for developing photographs. Most digital cameras nowadays use rechargeable batteries. These batteries do not end up being thrown away at our landfills everyday. This is good as we do not want too much alkaline batteries pollution.

The rising digital camera popularity perhaps has a net positive effect for the environment. With the advances in our technology, the manufacturing process of digital cameras may become more environmentally friendly too. Lets hope our engineers may devise ways to do so. Until then, enjoy your photo shooting and ply a part in reducing environmental waste.

To find out more information on the

One of the problems with digital photos (and film camera photos) these days is camera shake. Camera shake occurs when the camera is moved during exposure (while the shutter is depressed). This results in a blurred photo and is sometimes not all that apparent until the photo is ‘blown’ up, revealing movement in the photo. The dimmer the scene, the longer the camera shutter is required to be ‘opened’ in order to capture the image.

Whether you use a compact point and shoot or SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera, camera shake can ruin an otherwise perfect photo. There are many ways to minimise camera shake or eliminate it altogether. The most obvious way is to use a tripod, however that is not always readily available or practical at times. Another popular method of stabilizing the camera is to use a camera bean bag. One such camera bean bag is called Cam-Pod. Cam-Pod is different to the traditional camera bean bag because it has bi-folding pockets that can fold to hold the camera and lens snugly. It also contains plastic fillings, making it customs friendly.

Taking hand held shots –

When taking handheld photos. It can sometimes be a challenge to use a shutter speed fast enough to prevent camera shake or blur. This depends on the available light. A general rule of thumb is to use a shutter speed equivalent to the focal length of your lens. For example; if you are using a 50mm lens, the minimum shutter speed for hand held shots would be 1/50th sec or faster. On a 200mm lens, use 1/250th sec or faster. Shoot hand held with a speed slower than this and you are likely to get camera shake. If you are extremely still with your hands, you can probably get a way with speeds a little slower than these suggested speeds.

To take the shot, hold the camera with both hands and with your elbow beside your body. This will provide additional stabilization of the camera. Many cameras may have a shutter lag so after depressing the shutter, do not move the camera immediately or you may experience movement in your shot. When taking the shot, breath in, press the shutter and then exhale.

Using the camera bean bag support –

Find a firm surface to lean your camera on, eg a rock, bin, fence, wall, tree, etc. Make sure surface is solid and does not move easily. Place the camera bean bag on the surface and your camera on top or to the side if it is vertical. Wiggle the camera a little to allow camera to sit firmly on the camera bean bag. With an SLR/DSLR camera, just fold the camera bean bag to provide support for the lens. For point and shoot cameras, just rest the camera on the camera bean bag and hold it with your hand and finger on shutter button. Select the right shutter speed and take the photo. The camera bean bag can be folded, twisted and rolled to get the right angle for your camera. You can also place the camera bean bag against a wall and lean your camera against it for a natural light shot without flash. This will give you a more natural looking photo with even lighting rather than one with harsh shadows caused by the flash. When taking flash shots with dark background, use a slower shutter speed such as 1/8 sec or 1/2 sec. Ensure that when using the camera bean bag that your camera and the camera bean bag is stable and won’t slip off the surface and cause expensive damage to your gear. Eg when resting camera and the camera bean bag on a car side mirror, do not take your hand off the camera.

Selecting the correct shutter speed / aperture to take the photo –

To correctly capture and expose a scene, the camera will automatically choose the right combination of shutter speed and aperture. In most cases, this gives good results, however you may need to override the auto settings and over/under compensate the exposure to get the best results – This is most prevalent when subject is in front of a bright background. For SLR/DSLR cameras, set the shooting mode to S (shutter priority). On some cameras, it is the T setting (Time priority). Choose a shutter speed and aperture appropriate for the scene. For the sharpest pictures, many professional photographers use the mid-range aperture of Є or ⟣. Ensure the camera is sitting firmly on the camera bean bag with no movement.

Focus on the subject. Press the shutter release. Ensure that there is no camera movement when pressing shutter. If so, the picture maybe blurred. Re-adjust the camera bean bag and the camera and try taking the photo again. Look at the camera’s LCD to see the focus and exposure of the photo. You may need to zoom into the displayed photo to see the details. If photo looks dark, increase the exposure by selecting a longer shutter speed. Shutter speeds are typically (from slowest to fastest) 8s, 6s, 4s, 3s, 2s,1.5s, 1s, 1/1.5, 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/6, 1/8, 1/10, 1/15, 1/20, 1/30, 1/45, 1/60, 1/90, 1/125, 1/180, 1/250, 1/350, 1/500, 1/750, 1/1000, 1/1500, 1/2000, 1/3000, 1/4000, 1/6000 and 1/8000. Shutter speeds are in seconds or fraction of a second. Eg a shutter of 1/60th means the shutter will open for one sixtieth of a second. If the captured picture looks too dark on the LCD display, use a slower shutter speed such as 1/45 or 1/20. Alternatively and if possible, open the aperture to let in more light. Aperture scales are (from widest opening to smallest) f1, f2.8, f4, f5.6, f8, f11, f16, f22, f32. (Note: your lens may not have all these settings). Another way to shoot in low light is to increase the ISO setting. However this also introduces digital noise into your photos.

Using the self timer and remote control

Depending on the shutter speed you are using, you may still end up with camera shake in your final shot. Ie. As you press shutter, the camera may move a little. To minimise this, set your camera to self timer, press shutter and take your hand off camera. The shot will be taken in a few seconds without the camera being touched. For cameras with remote function, set it to remote control function, adjust camera and the camera bean bag and press remote control. Some cameras allow you to use a shutter release cable. Controlling your camera remotely is the best way of minimising camera movement as there is no camera contact during the shot, thus giving you sharp photos every time.

Nelson Luc has been a freelance photographer for over a decade. During this time he has photographed people, places, nature and still life. Nelson developed Cam-Pod after not being able to find a camera bean bag that is small, portable and foldable. Cam-Pod camera support is customs friendly as it contains plastic fillings and not organic material. For more information, go to cam-pod.com cam-pod.com

When they had built the fit trail through the old Doc’s resort, they tore down the water tower. When I was little me and that ass next door would play in a pit behind the tower with Tonka trucks. My fire engine and his Army Jeep and Construction vehicles. But my truck shot water. So there!

So now it has been thirty years and I started thinking about it again. So off with shovel in hand. The town thinks I am strange digging all this stuff up. The foundations of his house. The Hotel. Not to mention the pump house and water wheel on Docspond.

But today I dug up the foundation around the water tower. Only one post is still standing. Which is enough to give me a marker of where to dig. The dirt came off like rolling up a carpet. The four post holes are uncovered. But wait. There was more!

To the North of the square concrete slab with the four post holes is more concrete. Another square. But it is not solid. There is only a square rim. Some of the side walks next to it turn out to be the cover. The cover that sat on the rim.

Now I always thought the Doc got his water from the electric pump within the pump house. I have been seeing the pipes poke out of the ground since I was a kid. Was it not enough to provide water on the third floor of the hotel? Ok that was what the Water Tower was for. But a well?

In the eighties, New York City was in negotiations with New Jersey to create a large pipeline from the Cohansey and Kirkwood aquifers to alleviate their draughts. When New Jersey refused, the mafia just sent illegal trucks from the city into our dump. Along with Garbage scows dumping hospital waste that settled upon our shores. If they could not use the water, they would be dammed if we could. Or least safely.

It could be said that Doc Ennea could of tipped his hat. He lived in Brooklyn and sold them spring water. He did own the United Spring Co. We already know about his other clients. Now are people from the city much different than Martians any way? Well lets just keep that too ourselves, the Doc has a bad enough rap already.

So I dug out the well. They had dropped piles of long foot high cement block lengthwise into the hole. Surrounded by clay to sure up the footing so kids would not fall in. In the Southwest corner, about two feet down the course of bricks, the suction pipe comes out on a forty five. A foot and a half off the corner behind the well rises the pipe to the tower. Cut off at two inches above the surface. This pipe is in line with a trowel in the first square with the post holes. The down spout piping from the barrel emptied there and went out under ground eighty yards to a valve that sat on top of a T that sent the water to the house to the east and the Hotel to the west.

Now that is just trivial matters. The beef of this story, is what was at the bottom of this well. No I did not find a small China man looking down at me offering me a bowl of rice and a Big Mac. Even stranger.

But why should I tell you? You would not believe me anyway.

So I took all that brick and built a retaining wall to hold all the dirt that I dug out of the hole. One slab I placed on the top even has the builder’s mark on it. A size twelve foot print.

Ok, I will tell you. Now listen all the way through before you make a decision. Yes it is incredible. But most inventions are, and they are sold to millions around the world. Do you think that the Creators of the Babington Machine ever thought there would be the day that their computer machine drawn behind a mule, would fit in your hand and accomplish things they never dreamed of. They would never believe you. But it was true. Or that we would ever put a man on the moon?

So believe me.

About a hundred feet down, still not finding water, I hit a thud. Toward the top thuds were common. But for the last fifty feet it has been all dirt. I had to set up an old block and tackle to that remaining post to carry buckets of dirt out. At the top I set up an ingenious tripping device to empty the bucket. Occasionally I would look up and find an eye full of dirt. But for the most part it worked fine.

The thud. The Thud was nearly the whole floor of the well. Well, it was the whole floor. But there was a square seem. I brushed away the surface in parts and filled the bucket with the rest. Until it was cleared. In the center I found an old iron hoop. A handle. But there was no where for me to stand out of the way in that hole to open it. So I climbed out on my ladder. Removed the bucket and sent the tackle down. At the bottom I tied the tackle to the hoop and climbed out. With great effort, I hauled up the cover.

I would not say I regret opening it, but if I was a wiser man. Not a wiser man, but less curious. Then and only then I would of been a safer man. Arguably wiser.

I climbed back down the ladder. At the bottom of my ladder, I found a wrought Iron set of steep stairs that went way beyond the pale.

In Lynn Ma, I once entered a Pirates cave that was excavated in the 1800’s by a spiritualist Father and Son team looking for his gold. In the dark with my hand remaining firm on the wall I proceeded down two flights eight hundred yards under this massive Glacial disturbance. So I did not think twice as I entered this dark that out weighed any Country dark with no moon. Foot preceding foot.

An hour into my ascent, just as I was discovering other senses common to grubs, light started illuminate my shoes. I was as surprised as the Nephew with the Mad Uncle as he followed the Icelandic Duck hunter into Mount Sneffels. I am not going to tell you I had found dinosaurs as Wells claimed in his story, Just a mule faced, cloven hoof, serpent tail, dodo with odd bat wings. Its legs looked like two drumsticks straight out of a KFC bucket. Smoking a cigar.

Out of all of it, the question that stuck with me the most was. Where did he get the cigar? As he inhaled it smoldered smoothly. Far different than Danny Devito’s glass case cigarette he smoked after an a failed attempt of seduction by Kathlene Turner. He spoke like a truck driver?

“May I go first” asked this little thing. I fell into believing this may have been the Devil. Not Satan, but Jersey’s own mysterious imp. The Jersey Devil.

The Last Jersey Devil sighting was in 1983 that ran from Tuckerton to Philadelphia in one night. A whole string of reports where followed. About 1983 Joe Portash, who robbed the town blind, did a rush job building a fitness trail to explain a variance on a State Bond he accepted. Was there more to this story then the removal of my tower and Tonka toy pit? Hmm..

“After you, um , yah, yah you see” He went on.

So I started climbing up the stairs. As the light eclipsed under us, he took one last audible drag on his cigar. The chamber lit up once more from the tip of his Havana. Cuban Cigars, no less.

Thousands of people struggle to get these into our country against the embargo with little results. This little imp dragged a box of them over his shoulder as he climbed. Occasionally it clunked on the wrought iron steps.

“How did you keep them moist?” I asked

“What.”

“The Cigars. The Havana Cigars.”

With a smirk he answered,” Yah, the well is a natural Humidor.”

We kept on climbing for another hour before I asked “ Why don’t you fly out?”

“Well, I, share the curse of the Ostrich, Penguin, and Emu. We even had a coalition to persuade, to entice, the Bumbles to tell us their secrets. Failed each time. Those little bastards.” He answered as he moved his cigar about jabbing in the air as he was pretending to singe bees.

I asked him about Mother Leeds and her thirteen children, which I supposed he was the last of. He knew little of them. But he remembered a strange lad who wondered alone around Tuckerton in the woods. “ Awful face he had. Well, I , would guess it was a face not even a mother could love. But hell of a fellow, but no devil. I shared a nip many of times with him. Yep.”

As we stepped over the rim as we exited the well, he paused and looked both ways and then straight up for some considerable time.

“I do not know what is worse. Those men in the bad black suits or those inky black eyes.” He staggered.

I asked what inky black eyes. “Those nudist from Mars, Yep. They loved their Havanas. I um gave them some lip one day. Yep! And they swam down that well and tossed me into their humidor. It was chock full, all 5,00 feet. Little bastards only left me this box that fell out of their net. Twenty God Den it years and no oxygen to light a match to smoke any of it. Till you crack the top and I lit up. Yep. That I did.”

After he made sure the coast was clear, he thanked me and went on his way.

Sometimes I catch sight of him. But he never stops. But if you have a nip to share, he might stop for you to talk for a space of a moon shadow. But I swore off alcohol, I sware I did!

Christopher Jon Luke Dowgin is proprietor of home.comcast.net/~docterspond Docspond Life Coach Services providing Individual Counseling, Group facilitation, and key note addresses that speak to the heart of the mission while delivering the bottom line finacial growth. Helping millions find their bliss and return meaning to success! docspond.org Guaranteed 20% improvement in your quality of life after the first meeting!

Also is the propietor and designer at norgeforge.org Norgeforge Illumination Studios that will SEO illuminated design giving Aesthetics to traffic driven sales. So get out of the cold and get Norgeforged!

Musicians work hard. They write for days. They rehearse like fiends. Drag heavy gear here and there. Sweat like pigs on stage. Put marathon hours in at the recording studio. Work their fingers to the bone…well, at least into some pretty gnarly calluses. But, musicians also like to play hard: booze, drugs, groupies, and trashed hotel rooms are actually more occupational hazards that rock ‘n’ roll myths.

No matter how disciplined an artist needs to be for his or her music, they will always need to blow off steam in some way or another. Some hit the gym, run, partake in extreme sports, do yoga, pursue their spirituality, web surf, build custom guitars, restore classic cars…you name it. All of these outlets help musicians to handle the enormous flow of energy so necessary to channel the creative process. Still, other musicians prefer a more debaucherous form of escapism. They drink until they puke, get stoned and eat a case of Cheetos, or sleep with all of their friends’ sisters.

This wild lifestyle, albeit a music cliché, may feel terrific at the moment, but many musicians clearly forget that the days of offstage antics circling around the buzz of the band, like whispers in the wind, are long gone. These days, fans carry camera phones to gigs, friends videotape your band’s every move, and everybody’s a blogger. The afterparty, once simply a chance to blow off steam with loved ones and lovers of your music alike, has now gone from the innocent scandal of, “Oh my God, did you hear what happened after the gig Saturday?” to a website monitoring every second of debased insanity with pictures, video, and descriptive essays.

This new unexpected publicity may increase the number of crazed partiers at your next gig, but what happens when the entertainment attorney you’ve been courting, the A&R guy you’ve been hoping to hear back from, or the manager you’ve been telling how serious you are about your music, pops on the internet and finds your drummer passed out in the pool, your bassist vomiting in someone’s bushes and your guitarist naked in a stranger’s bed with cheerleaders of questionable age?

The following are a few tips that may help you to throw a terrific afterparty without the ramifications hurting your career in the long run:

1.) Pick A Designated Partygoer—As much as this thought may send shivers through the spine of any wild-at-heart musician, it’s a good idea to have someone at your afterparty keeping an eye on those who’ve sold their souls for rock ‘n’ roll…or at least Jack Daniels. Whether you rotate it from gig to gig, or find a friend of the band (girlfriend, manager, a bandmate’s brother, etc.) who’ll stay sober enough to make sure that no one does anything stupid…and if they do, that it won’t be “caught on tape.” Playing Band Hall Monitor is truly a thankless job for anyone who parties hardy, so maybe free admission to the gig and some cool band swag as compensation would be a nice way to say “Thank You for being our assigned killjoy tonight!”

2.) Set Some Guidelines For Your Band And Fans—I know it sounds like Big Brother is busting up your raging good time but when you’re talking about your career, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Have a chat with your band explaining that extreme behavior needs to be controlled at parties where fans are recording events. Post on your web site, and your fan club or have a Pow Wow at the gig and explain to your people that, while you love all of the cool photos and videos they take of the band at the gig, there has to be a few rules for what can be shot offstage. Be honest. Let your friends/fans know that you love partying with them but that the band’s reputation is an important ingredient for its success and that it’s vital that certain memories be enjoyed by partygoers only and not preserved in cyberspace for the world to see.

3.) Monitor Your Websites And Web Communities—Again, better safe than sorry. It’s always a good idea to visit your forums, message boards, photo galleries, fan clubs, blogs and online communities to see what the latest scoop on your band is. It’s also wise to retain approval privilege on anything posted on each of your band sites. Let people post all of the drunken, naked pictures they want, and then pick and choose which images you want to represent your band. The same applies to comments and posts. Remember fans are important and priceless but it’s ultimately your image to preserve to the industry and the world and your web presence is how you represent yourself to everyone interested in you from fans to labels and everything in between.

4.) Dial Your Scandalous Behavior Back A Bit—It’s all well and good for your drummer to sleep with your girlfriend’s mom on his own time, but at band functions make sure that the behavior is kept professional. In our modern society, the lines between reality and publicity have become so blurred that a simple kegger in your singer’s garage can get more coverage than a Grammy Pre-Show Special. Sadly, that may simply mean changing the standards of band partying to those that you exhibit at gigs. Throw private parties and have orgies in your grandma’s bathtub, but when it’s music related you’re, in a sense, at work and should act accordingly.

I realize that telling musicians not to party, is like telling a dog not to lick its private parts and if, after reading this, you feel that the thrill of the over-the-edge rock ‘n’ roll afterparty is completely ruined, don’t change your major to math just yet. Remember, doors lock, parties can be invitation only, cameras turn off, and bloggers can be taught to use discretion. You can still live like Jim Morrison at Scott Weiland’s toga party; just do your best to keep it off the internet. While a little scandal is titillating, a lot of scandal just says to a label, “Sure. We’ll take your money and then we’ll blow it all on Tequila and show up to the studio three hours late every day.” Show the industry you’re serious, put on a professional face, and give your website the appearance of a band that’s fun and responsible. Then, have a private party, invite the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, a donkey, the drug dealer next door, and your guitarist’s horny aunt and throw a party that would make the cast of Half Baked blush. After all, you’ve got to fight for your right to party…in secret…with the digital cameras unplugged.

Sheena Metal is a radio host, producer, promoter, music supervisor, consultant, columnist, journalist and musician. Her syndicated radio program, Music Highway Radio, airs on over 700 affiliates to more than 126 million listeners. Her musicians’ assistance program, Music Highway, boasts over 10,000 members. She currently promotes numerous live shows weekly in the Los Angeles Area, where she resides. For more info: sheena-metal.com sheena-metal.com

For those who are not professional party coordinators party ideas may be difficult to come up with. There is help available from many sources.

Party ideas can be gleaned from magazines, the internet or just from friends. Party ideas can also come from the guest of honor who may have some desires of his or her own.

Party ideas for those who are celebrating a hall mark birthday at the 21st or 100th year will have a decidedly different focus. The sentiment will be the same but the dancing will be dissimilar. It is very important to take the individual wishes of the guest of honor into consideration in both cases though. A clam bake on the beach may be perfect for the 21-year-old but whether that takes a retro sixties theme or just the use of contemporary favorites is to be discussed beforehand.

The 100-year-old might like the beach party decorations but indoors at the retirement center might be a better location and a short afternoon party will allow for everyone’s nap. The occasion might be more important to the guests but the guest of honor will probably benefit from brevity.

The tone and complexity of the party ideas is determined not just by the age of the participants but also from the nature of the occasion. A children’s Easter party is given the greatest of importance by the child but may be overshadowed by other adult demands of the season. It may be necessary to simplify the party ideas that the child has for his occasion so that more attention is given to cooking Easter dinner. Common sense is required here.

Party ideas may need to be more elaborate than the guest of honor originally requests. It may be proper to nudge the couple toward a more involved wedding.

Mrs. Party… Gail Leino is the internet’s leading authority on selecting the best possible partysupplieshut.com party supplies ( partysupplieshut.com partysupplieshut.com), using proper etiquette, and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Hut has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free coloring sheets, printable games, and free birthday party activities. Over 100 adorable partythemeshop.com Party Themes (PartyThemeShop.com) to fit your birthday celebration, holiday event, or “just because″ parties is at the Party Theme Shop. Party themes include cartoon characters, sports, movie, TV shows, luau, western, holidays, and unique crazy fun theme ideas.