DARK SHADOWS FORUMS

General Discussions => Current Talk Archive => Current Talk '24 I => Current Talk '03 I => Topic started by: Birdie on January 20, 2003, 04:44:10 PM

Title: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: Birdie on January 20, 2003, 04:44:10 PM: Last night it struck me how often ever so slight reminders of the DS seem to enter my everyday life. Yes, I am insane.

Last night my brother in law called my front hall the foyer. I had to bite my tongue. Than in conversation with my sister I happen to say this person from our past nmed Billy gave me the Willie's. Of course the famous scence and line popped into my mind. I sat there laughing like a loon. I am sure the rest of you have stories too.

Hey, I am bored. Trying not to do anything I should.

Birdie
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: RingoCollins on January 20, 2003, 07:30:43 PM: Quote
Last night my brother in law called my front hall the foyer. I had to bite my tongue.

Birdie

Birdie, is that ONE example....or TWO?

[jester]
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: CastleBee on January 20, 2003, 10:11:52 PM: Well Birdie I usually just drive people nuts (especially my sister ¢â‚¬Ëœcause it's SO much fun) with stuff like "Hey, that looks like Collinwood" or "I want to move to Collinwood" or "If I win the lottery I'm going to build a house that looks at least partly like Collinwood". Then, of course, I also love spotting the actors in other films or TV shows and blurting out "Hey, did you know that he/she was on Dark Shadows!" Especially love spotting the lesser-known actors that the casual or non-fan (opposed to we "professionals") might recognize from other things but wouldn't know about the DS affiliation. BTW: My sister - who I drug to NYC with me for the '01 fest has now become a John Karlen fan because he was so funny and nice to us when we got his autograph. She now loves spotting him any and every time he pops up on TV. But you know, he's so comparatively well known that I can't help inwardly smirking just a little and thinking - HA! Amateur!

Welllll now, we all have to have SOMETHING that makes us special!
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: Midnite on January 21, 2003, 01:11:20 AM: Quote
Last night it struck me how often ever so slight reminders of the DS seem to enter my everyday life. Yes, I am insane.

Well, if you are (which I don't believe), you're not alone, cuz I think it's inevitable that if you get 2 or more DS fans together, they're going to be references to DS. [lghg]

Bette and I met for lunch this past weekend at a public garden that sits between us, and it was such a gorgeous day (I'm not bragging [much [winkg]]) with the camelia forest in bloom that we decided to take the tram tour through the huge grounds, and in the more naturalized area along the route she commented on how it could be the woods around Collinwood (as opposed to the virtual woods with the wobbly trees and astroturf), and when we passed a gazebo in the rose garden I simply had to refer to it as the ga-zay-bo. The fact that the people around us didn't understand obviously didn't matter, but we did have to limit our comments to pauses in the tour guide's speech. [coolg]

Quote
I also love spotting the actors in other films or TV shows and blurting out "Hey, did you know that he/she was on Dark Shadows!" Especially love spotting the lesser-known actors that the casual or non-fan (opposed to we "professionals") might recognize from other things but wouldn't know about the DS affiliation.

Oh me too. The other day Gail Strickland appeared in something my family was watching, so of course I had to comment that she was torn apart by a werewolf in DS. The kids are always impressed; hubby is immune to it. [smlyg]

Quote
BTW: My sister - who I drug to NYC with me for the '01 fest has now become a John Karlen fan because he was so funny and nice to us when we got his autograph. She now loves spotting him any and every time he pops up on TV. But you know, he's so comparatively well known that I can't help inwardly smirking just a little and thinking - HA! Amateur!

LOL

Ringo, if you see this, you mentioned the other day that you hadn't mastered quoting more than one post in your message. For this one, I clicked Quote in Birdie's message, highlighted and copied what I needed, backed up, clicked Quote in CastleBee's message, pasted what was copied into that reply window, and replied to the passages I wanted to quote. Sorry, but there's no easier way to do it.
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: ClaudeNorth on January 21, 2003, 07:52:10 AM: Oh, not a day goes by that something does not remind me of DS. These reminders can come from any source: HAWAII FIVE-0, THE BRADY BUNCH, Superman cartoons. It's a bit frightening, actually, the connections I make in my mind! <lol>

Regards,

John
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: Minja on January 21, 2003, 08:16:07 AM: Midnite wrote:
Quote
Oh me too. The other day Gail Strickland appeared in something my family was watching, so of course I had to comment that she was torn apart by a werewolf in DS. The kids are always impressed; hubby is immune to it.

Me too! I'm always pointing out the actor/actress in whatever we're watching together, that was on DS! My hubby has come to expect it, er, dread it.

[shadow=purple,left,300]
Always, Minja ;)
[/shadow][/size]
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: Cassandra on January 21, 2003, 01:31:10 PM: Oh yes, I can certainly relate to this! I have this certain coat that I wear only in bitter cold weather that has pockets so big they're practically down to the floor. Well everytime I leave the house I usually have a million and one things to carry downstairs and I sometimes wish that God gave us three hands instead of two. Well, here I am with both hands full of stuff and no more room to carry anything else so I decided to fill the rest of my things into those long deep pockets of mine and when I get downstairs my Mom says to me "you look like Magda the gyspy in that coat!"

Cassandra[/font]
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: Misty on January 22, 2003, 03:31:31 AM: I don't have to go far for daily reminders of DS. I have always been fascinated by the furniture used in both the Old House and the Big house. So through the years I've picked up some antique and Gothic pieces that I use every day. I've even been able to find afghans and quilts similar to those I've seen on the show. My very favorite is a poster bedroom set ---------made in 1898 in Bavaria.

Misty
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: Raineypark on January 22, 2003, 03:48:35 AM: I'm with you, Misty.....I ADORE Gothic style. But you really have to have the right house for it. It's hard to pull off in, say, a 50's ranch house!

Some of you are very familiar with the Lyndhurst Estate in Tarrytown. You all would have loved the original Transfiguration R.C. Church in the same town, which was torn down in the mid 1960's to make way for the current church.

It was built in the mid-to-late 1800's in the epitomy of Victorian High Gothic style....dark stone, arched windows, tall graceful spires and a huge carved wood altarpiece. If not for it's being consecrated ground, it would have made a PERFECT set for either of the DS movies. Even after almost 40 years I can still close my eyes and recall that sharp scent of old wood and frankincense.

rainey
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: Birdie on January 22, 2003, 04:59:30 AM: I love antiques. Would love to get my hands on any number of things that they used as props on DS. Funds in the pocket book seem to hold me back from so many dreams. I tend to go for the more early american style. I have noticed Victorian styles are coming back into vogue. Anyone of you familiar with The Christmas Tree shops? They have quite a few lamps with the glass prisms hanging from the shade.

I bought two pewter candlesticks with glass globes to put on my fireplace. My daughter said I was trying to have it look like the fire place in the old house. In her next breathe can we light the candles? I didn't put blue candles in them though.

Birdie
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: Carol on January 22, 2003, 05:42:43 AM: Quote
Anyone of you familiar with The Christmas Tree shops? They have quite a few lamps with the glass prisms hanging from the shade.

Let's go shopping, Birdie! Just LOVE that store!
Quote
I bought two pewter candlesticks with glass globes to put on my fireplace. My daughter said I was trying to have it look like the fire place in the old house. In her next breathe can we light the candles? I didn't put blue candles in them though. Birdie

You'll just have to get Willie to put those blue candles in those candlesticks. I'm sure he must have a loose box laying around somewhere.
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: onyx_treasure on January 22, 2003, 05:43:44 PM: There is a "Reverend" in my area that seems to be a replica of the first Rev. Trask. The newspaper refers to him as "so called" Reverend and "self-styled" Reverend whenever he causes a fuss about something. Several years ago, he was going to have a bonfire in a public park to burn Harry Potter books but the town refused him a burn permit. He ended up in the park anyway but just cut the books up. There was a lot of people at the park to protest his group's message. In fact, there were quite a few librarians at the counter-protest. I can only imagine what he would think of Dark Shadows. The Reverend's most recent statement regarding another matter in the news was "I will stop protesting when everyone realizes I am right and they are wrong". Reverend Trask would be so proud.
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: CastleBee on January 22, 2003, 09:07:29 PM: Quote
There is a "Reverend" in my area that seems to be a replica of the first Rev. Trask. The newspaper refers to him as "so called" Reverend and "self-styled" Reverend whenever he causes a fuss about something.

You know, I respect many people in the clergy I really do. But I really believe that some people go into this line of work in lieu of a legitimate career in show biz...they seem so NEEDY for public attention. For a wide and disgusting selection of neo-Trasks check out so-called Christian broadcasting at almost any given time during the day. Sheesh, some of these characters could teach Trask how to be more Trask-like!
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: Birdie on January 23, 2003, 03:42:12 AM: Carol,
Anytime you are in MA. let me know. You can come to the Chirstmas Tree with me anytime. It is tradition to get beer and nacho's after shopping. Would love to have Willie working around my house. I need him this week. Life is so out of control. My oldest goes back to school on Friday. The rest of my evenings are watching Basketball games. My daughter is on two teams and my youngest on another.

Birdie
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: Carol on January 23, 2003, 05:33:21 AM: Quote
Carol,
Anytime you are in MA. let me know. You can come to the Chirstmas Tree with me anytime. It is tradition to get beer and nacho's after shopping.
Our Xmas Tree Store is in Colonie Center next to Boscov's & I can spend a fortune in both!

Quote
Would love to have Willie working around my house. I need him this week. Life is so out of control. My oldest goes back to school on Friday. The rest of my evenings are watching Basketball games. My daughter is on two teams and my youngest on another. Birdie

Our daughter went back to college last Sat & I promptly cleaned her room. It's been nice to have house back to normal. I finally have time to myself again.
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: Birdie on January 23, 2003, 06:04:37 AM: Carol,
I tend to go to a X-mass Tree in Shrewsbury, Ma. Than again I have been seen in ones on the Cape, and one somewhere in Conn. near Vernon.
I wish I had time to clean any room in this house. We won't mention how often I am sitting at the computer. I wasn't kidding I need Willie to come help out. Just not motivated coming in a 6:30 at night.
Oh well, a clean house is a sign of a mispent life.

Birdie--Don't you just love a bargain
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: Misty on January 23, 2003, 07:03:28 AM: Carol, The Christmas Tree shop sounds wonderful. I live in the Boscov area. Which store are you referring to? I've been to those in Scranton - Wilkes-Barre area and Reading. I'm not familiar with that shopping center. Is it near King of Prussia? This sounds like a store I've got to see!
Misty
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: Carol on January 23, 2003, 07:19:48 AM: Quote
Carol, I tend to go to a X-mass Tree in Shrewsbury, Ma. Than again I have been seen in ones on the Cape, and one somewhere in Conn. near Vernon.

This Xmas Tree store is the first in our area altho many of my friends have been aware of this store in Ma. for years and always raved about it.
Quote
I wish I had time to clean any room in this house.
Hubby & I did some early spring cleaning right after New Year's when I took down Xmas stuff.
Quote
We won't mention how often I am sitting at the computer.
At work or at home? My hubby wonders who I "talk" to online. When I tell him that I'm at my DS sites, he shuts up.
Quote
Oh well, a clean house is a sign of a mispent life.
Tell that to my hubby. He complains about all my stuff all over the house. I told him that I can't live in a museum.

Quote
Birdie--Don't you just love a bargain

Girlfriend and I had dinner tonight & we spent time wandering around our big mall, Crossgates. Bought a 100% cashmere sweater for $36 at T.J.Maxx. It is SOOOO soft.
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: Carol on January 23, 2003, 07:30:11 AM: Quote
Carol, The Christmas Tree shop sounds wonderful. I live in the Boscov area. Which store are you referring to? I've been to those in Scranton - Wilkes-Barre area and Reading. I'm not familiar with that shopping center. Is it near King of Prussia? This sounds like a store I've got to see! Misty

My Boscov's is in Colonie Center in Albany, NY. It's the first one in area altho I had been in Boscov's years ago when they were in Jersey. We're slowing getting a variety of NY & Jersey stores up here. H&M opened over a year ago & Delia's(Junior clothes)this past summer. We've been to both of those stores in NYC. Would you believe we have a store called FCUK here, too! With that name, it does make you STOP & look.
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: jennifer on January 23, 2003, 10:41:19 AM: Quote

My Boscov's is in Colonie Center in Albany, NY. It's the first one in area altho I had been in Boscov's years ago when they were in Jersey. We're slowing getting a variety of NY & Jersey stores up here. H&M opened over a year ago & Delia's(Junior clothes)this past summer. We've been to both of those stores in NYC. Would you believe we have a store called FCUK here, too! With that name, it does make you STOP & look.

been shopping at The Christmas Tree for many a year < first one in Yarmouth on The Cape have to admit they used to be better but what hasn't?I bet that store
gets a second look carol!
jennifer
my brother lives about a mile from the Shrewsbury store Birdie miss calverts though!
and Castle bee most of am talk radio sounds Rev Traskie
IMHO also what is up with Bill O'Reilly and George Clooney!
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: Birdie on January 23, 2003, 04:09:44 PM: Jennifer,
I miss Calverts too. It amazes me we have probably crossed paths somewhere it time. I live about 25 minutes from Shrewsbury. Today I am off with my friends to Solomon Pond Mall and lunch. I don't need to spend anymore money. He wonders why I get nothing done.

Carol,
Remember I have four children, two in college, he gave up on a museum a long time ago.
Don't have the internet at work. That is most likely a good thing. It would be far too tempting to do a little surfing. The very young women I work with would never get DS. They don't get any of my pop culture references. I only work part time.

Birdie
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....T
Post by: Misty on January 24, 2003, 01:50:30 AM: Thanks, Carol. I didn't realize Boscov's had expanded that far. I remember shopping in the original store---a hole in the wall----in Reading,PA when shoes and dry goods were their specialties. I'll keep looking for the Christmas Shop---sounds great.

Misty
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: Philippe Cordier on January 24, 2003, 08:06:41 AM: Birdie, I've been thinking on the exact same wavelength as your topic for the past few days ... maybe it has something to do with my just having purchased one of the Josette's Music Box replicas ...

Besides having the music box now, as well as a Barnabas ring (which just sits closed up in the box), I have a couple of other items that remind me of DS. Both of these are placed on the very crowded top of a large oak bookcase I have with four glass doors.

One is a tall glass antique-style oil lamp I've had for some years. I hoped to actually use it and thought it would cast a warm, comfortable glow, especially during the winter. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to use it. The lamp oil I purchased was called "pure and odorless," but it still gave off fumes that really bothered me. In the 19th century, my understanding is that the finest oil used was whale oil, which probably didn't have the irritating effects of kerosene (which is all that today's lamp oils are, though supposedly more refined).

The other item is a hand-crafted model ship from the East coast that was given to me when I was 10 by a distant cousin who was visiting from Europe. I mentioned this model ship once in the past and referred to it as a schooner (thought I'd try to get technical in my description), but my nautical knowledge is practically nil and I realize now that it isn't a schooner. It looks exactly like the ship used in the movie "The Bounty" (the Mel Gibson version) and also like the one in the movie "Moby Dick" (the TNT version -- don't remember the ship from the original movie). Does anyone happen to know what kind of ship this might be a replica of?

Finally, when I was growing up my sister and I sometimes played on the grounds of a Jacobean-style mansion built in the early 1900s and situated on a lake shore. Although the exterior doesn't resemble Collinwood, there is a small 19th-century-era cemetary adjacent to the grounds that's enclosed by a wrought-iron fence. The interior of the mansion, which I've seen a couple of times, does remind me of Collinwood, with the dark carved wood paneling and stained glass windows on the landing.

Not to mention the fact that I came very close to moving into yet another "Collinwood" just a couple of weeks ago ... and the fact that there is still another house, even closer to where I now live, that is built in the same style as the Old House (albeit on a much smaller scale). It has the same white columns built around the circular rotunda (I know that's not the correct term but I can't think of what it's called -- similar to Monticello.) When I walk by, I often wonder if Barnabas is home and am tempted to go up and knock...

* * *

Midnite, did you have to rub it in about sitting outdoors in a tropical garden?!? :(
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: Midnite on January 24, 2003, 08:37:36 AM: Quote
Midnite, did you have to rub it in about sitting outdoors in a tropical garden?!? :(

Ulp. [woryb]

To make it up to you, Vlad, if you'd like a photo posted of the bookcase with the lamp and ship, just say the word.
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: jennifer on January 24, 2003, 08:44:10 AM: Quote
Jennifer,
I miss Calverts too. It amazes me we have probably crossed paths somewhere it time. I live about 25 minutes from Shrewsbury. Today I am off with my friends to Solomon Pond Mall and lunch. I don't need to spend anymore money. He wonders why I get nothing done.

Birdie

LOL Birdie we probably have crossed paths!hope we can meet at a fest i live right next door to Cambridge
think Steve is probably the poster here i live closest too
which is kinda fitting since we are such big Don fans!

jennifer
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: CastleBee on January 24, 2003, 06:27:19 PM: Quote
Castle bee most of am talk radio sounds Rev Traskie IMHO also what is up with Bill O'Reilly and George Clooney!
Sorry - a little late responding to this...A.m. radio OH YEAH! Five minutes of Dr. Laura will either have you laughing or wanting to find her studio and choke her to death. I don't make a habit of listening to her but I have a time or two out of curiosity - especially after the hysterical parody of her in that Frasier episode. LOL!

I'm not familiar with O'Reilly enough to know what you meant jennifer and I hadn't heard anything about Clooney - what IS up with them?
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: Philippe Cordier on January 25, 2003, 01:54:37 AM: Quote
Vlad, if you'd like a photo posted of the bookcase with the lamp and ship, just say the word.

The photo in question is in said moderator's hands ... but I haven't exactly given her the go-ahead. I'm not sure if it would make me feel overly "exposed"! :0
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: Dawn on January 26, 2003, 05:37:18 PM: In response to daily reminders of DS...I have a picture of Grayson next to the home computer and at work, I have a picture of our dear Robin V. that brightens my day. (Yes Sis, there's a picture of you over my computer.) Now, if I could just get that stained glass block DS done....:) Dawn
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: Midnite on January 28, 2003, 06:30:25 AM: on Jan 23rd, 2003, 9:06pm, Vlad wrote:

Besides having the music box now, as well as a Barnabas ring (which just sits closed up in the box), I have a couple of other items that remind me of DS. Both of these are placed on the very crowded top of a large oak bookcase I have with four glass doors.

One is a tall glass antique-style oil lamp I've had for some years. I hoped to actually use it and thought it would cast a warm, comfortable glow, especially during the winter. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to use it. The lamp oil I purchased was called "pure and odorless," but it still gave off fumes that really bothered me. In the 19th century, my understanding is that the finest oil used was whale oil, which probably didn't have the irritating effects of kerosene (which is all that today's lamp oils are, though supposedly more refined).

(http://www.dsboards.com/images/bookcase.jpg)

The other item is a hand-crafted model ship from the East coast that was given to me when I was 10 by a distant cousin who was visiting from Europe. I mentioned this model ship once in the past and referred to it as a schooner (thought I'd try to get technical in my description), but my nautical knowledge is practically nil and I realize now that it isn't a schooner. It looks exactly like the ship used in the movie "The Bounty" (the Mel Gibson version) and also like the one in the movie "Moby Dick" (the TNT version -- don't remember the ship from the original movie). Does anyone happen to know what kind of ship this might be a replica of?[/i]

--Vlad
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: Raineypark on January 28, 2003, 06:56:11 AM: I can't tell you what "kind" of ship the Bounty is, but I can tell you that I've seen the one that was built for the Marlon Brando version of the movie....up close and personal.

You'd be amazed how SMALL that ship actually is. I can't imagine getting onto a ship of that size, knowing it was going to have to take us half way round the world.

It sails into Greenport Harbour on the extreme eastern tip of the North Fork of Long Island every so often....for festivals and special events. I've seen it in port but never managed to catch it under sail. Now THAT would be something!

raineypark
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: Philippe Cordier on January 29, 2003, 08:03:21 AM: Thanks for uploading the photo of my bookcase, Midnite -- BTW, the folders and binders you see stacked there are mostly my DS "archives" -- printouts from the VantageNet board. They're not organized in any way so it's nearly impossible to look up any given topic ...

Josette's music box had to go on another bookcase where I managed to find about 4-square inches of available space!

Quote
You'd be amazed how SMALL that ship actually is. I can't imagine getting onto a ship of that size, knowing it was going to have to take us half way round the world.

I prefer looking at the ships, or models of ships, than actually going on one. I've toured a docked ship, but that's as far as I'll go ... (though come to think of it I've been on a fair number of smaller boats).

*******

P.S. I do have a Danish connection in my ancestry, but don't know enough about that branch of the family to see if I could make a link to DS ...
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: Carol on February 02, 2003, 11:30:17 PM: I think my husband has somewhat accepted DS in his life. He has named the illusive mouse in the house that 3 cats can't catch--BARNABAS! I asked why and he said "because it only comes out at night". Eeeek!
Title: Re: Dark Shadows in our everyday life....
Post by: ROBINV on February 03, 2003, 10:44:22 PM: Which proves what I've wholeheartedly believed about DARK SHADOWS (and the Hotel California) all these years:

You can check out anytime you like--but you can never leave!

Love, Robin