The Witching Hour

I've always had a fondness for the phrase "the witching hour" but knew little of it beyond the fact that it referred to the hour between midnight and one a.m. (though apparently Gypsy's refer to it as the hour from one a.m. till two) when bad, magical and/or scary stuff went down. But I didn't know that most people attribute its introduction into the English language (I have the strong desire to write "its introduction into the English lexicon" but do not know if such phrasing would be proper, so I shall move on) was in 1835 by Washington Irving in a short story:

"Two pairs of eyes are watching me now, from the couch and the ledge by the window. Faerieland shines in those eyes. And I must leave you, for it's the witching hour and a full moon is rising. . . ."

Apparently, however Mary Shelly used the phrase first in 1817 in the introduction to Frankenstein:"Night waned upon this talk, and even the witching hour had gone by before we retired to rest."

A variation of the phrase, however, was used even earlier than that, by the Bard himself. That's right, good ole Willy S wrote this in his golden oldy HAMLET:

Tis now the very witching time of night,
When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out
Contagion to this world: now could I drink hot blood,
And do such bitter business as the day
Would quake to look on.
[Act III, sc. ii]

Know how I know all this stuff?? Wikipedia. That's right, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Check it out for yourself http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witching_hour

Is it true and accurate? Maybe, seems pretty accurate. Don't really care, just think its kinda cool information. See, this is how it all went down ...

I was sound asleep tonight, sleeping like a baby - a baby doped up on some hot and steamy THERAFLU. Yeah, seems I have "that cold" that's "going around" the LA Area. (Isn't it great, anytime anyone gets a cold, someone is bound to say "oh, yeah, its been going around" as if this is news, its a cold and/or a flu, both are viral in nature and both are contagious, so yes THEY GO AROUND. And while I may not be a doctor (of medicine, no, of law, perhaps, of love, oh baby you know it ... ok, actually no) I think its safe to assume that at any point in time there are more than just a couple DIFFERENT cold and/or flu viruses actually going around). So as I said, I was sound asleep, until, of course I woke up. Lying in bed, realizing may status of being one of the awoken, I said to myself "wonder what time it is, I bet its 4 a.m." Lucky for me I didn't just have to lay there, wondering, I didn't have to search the heaven's for some night time celestial counterpart to the sun dial, I just had to look to my left and see the clock. What did it say? Well it didn't say anything, its a clock, and its not one of those fancy "I'll announce the time type clock" which I imagine are very helpfull for the blind and people who are too lazy to read. No it didn't say anything, but it told me volumes. OK, not volumes. It read 4:00. Am I psychic? NO. Psychotic, perhaps. You see, I've had a habit lately of waking up at 4 am, for no particular reason. Sometimes I just wake up. Sometimes I have to hit the little wrangler's room. Sometimes I'm hungry. Sometimes, once a month, I transform into a wolf and prowl the countryside looking for victims - ok, maybe I made that up.

This isn't only a recent phenom (abbreviated not to seem cool and hip, but because I'm too tired to spell it correctly, not that I've ever let bad spelling get in my way), I periodically woke up on or about 4 a.m. last year from time to time.

So this time, at 4 a.m., when the clock told me the time while not actually speaking, I said to myself "4 a.m. is my witching hour." This then compelled me to look up the phrase witching hour and then ramble on and on in this blog for you. Your welcome.

I'm going back to bed.

My New Computer

OK, so I gave in. I relented. My will gave in to my covetous nature. I purchased a MACBOOK PRO. Yep. Laptop. Pretty big deal. Here is what I've done with it so far.

I hope to use it more.

But not, for porn.

Honestly, not for porn.

Really.

All I Wanted Was You??

Been a while since I posted anything, was thinkin "I should write sumpin, get the new year started right if not a week late." But I wasn't sure what I wanted to write. I'm thinkin about a writing book entitled "It's not my fault I'm better than you" but I'm not sure how that one would go over - though my therapist would give me gold stars for doing it.

Anyhoo, I was driving around listening to the album from 30 Seconds To Mars, you know, Jared Leto's band. I know, I know .. another pretty boy actor making believe he's a rock star ... Keanu Reeves with DOGSTAR, Russell Crowe with 30 ODD FOOT OF GRUNT .. why do actors who play in rock bands pick the silliest of names???? Anyhoo, besides the silly name, there really is no comparing Mr. Leto's band with the others cause they're pretty good. I'm not a huge fan, don't know if I like more than 2 or 3 songs on the album, but its pretty good.

I'm getting off point, I'm not writing about Mr. Leto's band as much as the song THE KILL. You've prolly heard it if you listen to popular rock stations ... its loud, its slick, there's some screaming, actually lots of screaming, etc... I'm not exactly sure everything he's saying in the song, but clearly he's all worked up about a woman (ok, maybe a man, that's cool, I don't judge) that he's in love with or was in love with who's breakin his heart and/or killing him (though I don't think literally). When he's at the peak of his emotional outburst, he screams at the top of his lungs (with, no doubt, the aid of some slick production values):

"I am finished with you, look in my eyes, your killing me killing me, ALL I WANTED WAS YOU."

Wow. All I wanted was you. Simple. Heartbreaking really. Have you ever felt that way? We see it in movies, tv, read it in books (for those who actually read, and by the way, thank you), that someone is so very clear on what they want in life and what they want, all they want, is this one person. ALL I WANTED WAS YOU. I've never said it. I've never felt it. I have to be honest here, I've been in love, head over heels in love, can't sleep, can't eat, making myself sick in love, but never have I thought or felt "ALL I WANTED WAS YOU."

It's beautiful in it's simplicity no? The idea that another person makes you so happy that she is all that you want. You don't want anyone else. You don't want that cute co-worker you've been flirting with. You don't want the girlfriend that got away. You don't want that big promotion at work, the big house, the bmw, the playstation3. No you don't really want any of that, all you want is her.

I think its a much more powerful statement than "You're all I need" which I'm sure has been in a song or 2000. Because, lets be honest, there are things that we need. Food, clothing, shelter, internet access, multiple vapid entertainment news channels, reality television shows, pictures of Ms. Spears without underwear. These things we need, so it would be naive to say, "I ONLY NEED YOU." But in a world of wants and wanting, where every day we break the commandment "THOU SHALL NOT COVET," where you ask any person what they want and they can give you a list of anything and everything from clothes to cars to power to money to self respect, for someone to say (and actually mean) that ALL I WANT(ED) WAS YOU. Wow.

I don't think I'll ever be that guy. I do my best to make sure I make myself happy (no, please, dirty birds, we're not talking about masturbation). The way I see it, I make myself happy with everything, then I'll be ready to have that someone special pop in and join in the festivities (again, don't be dirty). But can you imagine being the person that wants nothing but to be with that someone special? Putting all your eggs in that one basket (and by basket I mean hot piece of ass)? I don't think it advisable, but its' pretty damn romantic? Realistic, not so much, ill advised, likely, but romantic, certainly.