Tragic's Wake

Sunday Stealing: The Never Ending Meme, Ends

36. Have you watched American Horror Story?
I have not but I plan to. I’ll likely wait until a season or two has passed and then catch up while waiting for another season to drop. I don’t have cable TV so I pretty much rely on internet services for my televised convenience.

37. Baseball hat or toque?
Either, depending on the season. I live in Canada, hats are a national pastime.

38. Do you shampoo or soap up first in the shower?
I shampoo first and the put in my conditioner and soap up while it sets that way my conditioner has time to cook and I get it all done at once.

39. Wet the toothbrush or brush dry with the toothpaste?
Wet the brush, it’s always better wet where mouths are concerned.

40. Pen or pencil?
Pen for writing and either for drawing, it all depends on what I’m doing.

41. Have you ever gambled at a casino?
No, I have a terrible feeling that it would be the end of life as I know it or perhaps the beginning of a spiral into depths that I’d rather not visit.

42. Have you thrown up on a plane?
No, most likely because I’ve never been on a plane. Gods willing, I never will.

43. Have you thrown up in a car?
Yes, I get motion sickness. It was really bad when I was a kid but now I can go in a car for an hour or so without getting sick but by the two hour mark, I usually need to get out, walk around, and have something to drink before I can carry on.

44. Have you thrown up at work?
Yes, yes I have. I’ll not get into that, thanks.

45. Do you scream on roller coasters?
I don’t do roller coasters. Really, I don’t do rides at all.

46. How many shoes do you have?
Holy crapknuckle, I’m not even sure anymore.

47. Who was your first roommate?
Margaret T was my first official roomie. We were best friends but then I had to move on and she was bitter about it and she started a bunch of shit about me that probably could have ruined my life were it not for the fact that everyone knew she was a bit of a drama queen. Her sister had a crush on my boyfriend so it all went to hell in a handbasket. Knowing what I know now: I should have handed him to them on a silver platter, he did nothing but fuck my life anyhow. Karma was a cunt to him though, and he deserved it.

48. What alcoholic beverage did you drink when you got drunk for the first time?
Royal Reserve Canadian Whiskey. I was twelve years old. I think it nearly killed me but I really can’t remember much outside of puking all over the bathroom at the Aquatic Center and then Vance carrying me halfway home. I jumped off his shoulder, ran under the bridge and slept there for about six hours. Eventually I somehow got home and passed out again on my porch. My parents didn’t even notice.

49. What was your first job?
Babysitting little kids in my neighbourhood. I was good at it too because unlike the adult sitters, I actually played with the kids and taught them stuff like making bracelets and I fed them fun things like grilled cheese sandwiches with thin sliced tomatoes and real mayo. You’d be surprised how many families kept the mayo for the moms and gave the kids that gross Miracle Whip shit. Tomatoes were expensive and nobody bought them, my dad worked at a giant food warehouse and got our tomatoes cheap so I brought my own.

50. What was your first car?
I owned my Daddy’s Chevy Celebrity for a few weeks after he died. I never drove it though. I never bothered to get a license and I really have no desire to drive on public roads.

51. When did you go to your first funeral?
I was twelve, it was my older brother. Twelve was not a good year for me.

52. How old were you when you first moved away from your hometown?
That’s hard to decide? I mean I should know but I’m not sure what counts. When I was four we moved to St Stephen and then back to SJ but then when I was twelve I moved back to St Stephen and later back to SJ. I spent a lot of time on Campobello too. I guess if I knew what “hometown” was actually even my own, it would be a far easier call to make.

53. Who was your first grade teacher?
Mrs Richards. She was a sweet old lady with a dolly curled butter-grey permanent in her hair, practical 1960′s horn rimmed eyeglasses, and an unending supply of coloured chalk, and every possible colour of polyester slacks.

54. Where did you go on your first airplane ride?
I never did, I never will.

55. When you snuck out of your house for the first time, who was it with?
I was twelve, I ran away from home and went to my best friend’s house. She had a tent in her backyard so she said I could live there forever and she’d steal some sandwiches from her mom to feed me.

56. Who was your first best friend and are you still friends with them?
My first best friend was a girl named Zora who lived in my building. I don’t even know what ever became of her now but I hope her life has been beautiful. She had a hard childhood when I knew her. People were mean to her because her skin was dark and her religion was different. I got beat up because I was skinny and my mom was psycho. We found stability in each other and we were safe when we played together.

57. Where did you live the first time you moved out of your parents’ house?
I moved in with my dad’s ex-wife, again — when I was twelve. Ma was a far cry better to me than my blood mom, at least Ma actually loved me and fed me and didn’t knock me stupid for breathing too loud. Ma was a good woman.

58. Who is the first person you call when you have a bad day?
Probably Kylearyn or TGrrl. Sometimes TWysted. It depends on what the main issue was because each of my friends is better at coping in certain areas..

59. Whose wedding were you in the first time you were a bridesmaid or a groomsmen?
I have never been “in” a wedding that way. Unless I get to choose the dress, I pray that I never will.

60. What is the first thing you do in the morning?
I go pee. Then I start a pot of coffee, then I start harassing the children into getting up. Then I pee again.

61. What was the first concert you attended?
I’ve never been to a “real” concert, just bullshit dead end indies here on the boardwalk over the years. Oh wait, Kim Stockwood! But I left partway into the second set, it was truly painful. She sounds much better on the radio.

62. First tattoo or piercing?
First piercing was my ears at age seven. First ink was my “survivor” tat on my belly, aged twenty nine.

63. First celebrity crush?
Johnny Depp! Johnny Johnny JOHNNY! I was actually dating this crush the other day (not *dating* him, but working out how long I’ve adored him, which dates ME, but I digress..) I started adoring him in 1984, the only Nightmare on Elm Street film that I didn’t fall asleep through. I think I already loved him before he got sucked through that mattress but if I didn’t, that certainly clinched the deal. Also, yes. I know he looked bloated and tired in “The Tourist” but you would be too if you worked as much as that man! He didn’t look too fantastic in The Secret Window either but then he was filming two POTC movies and his Captain Jack makeup is waterproof so nearly impossible to scrub off completely after ten hour days of filming in the burning hot Hawaii sun.. Stop stop STOP! Yes, my name is Jean and I fucking love Johnny depp.

• That’s that. http://t.co/A5v3YFyM #
• ★ New post: Tragic’s Wake | Twitter Weekly Updates for 2012-01-14 | http://t.co/64yFEBIT #
• Grrl Face: A Beauty Collective is out! http://t.co/aE7kdvvP ▸ Top stories today via @nerdyblonde_ @fairtailwedding @tori_l_m @fashion_fame #
• …and then there was you. #
• The last episode ended with a Dionysian orgy and I can’t just stop there so I’m going to watch one more and try to think about rainbows. #
• Grrl Face: A Beauty Collective is out! http://t.co/aE7kdvvP ▸ Top stories today via @sallyapoole @elenarudaya @hnsnead @njbafb #
• ★ New post: Tragic’s Wake | Sunday Stealing: And Then There Was You.. | http://t.co/gQMHdULO #
• #ThatAwkwardMoment when you finish an entire cup of coffee, start on 2nd, fully wake up & then realize that the cream has turned.. >_< #
• -18C but it feels MUCH colder. These old bones ain’t cut out for Canada no more. I’m thinking Cuba or maybe Brazil. Who’s in? #
• Grrl Face: A Beauty Collective is out! http://t.co/aE7kdvvP ▸ Top stories today via @fuzzi_dot_es @coremovemnt @hollygowersmua #
• Interesting how many hypocritical bullies come out to shout #loveislouder isn’t it? But it’s “different” when they’re doing it, eh? #
• Because sometimes we all need to be reminded.. Pass it on! http://t.co/UKgchpJF #
• This is a suitably delicious BlackBerry theme, methinks http://t.co/r2XyoDpq #
• “Droid Angel” @AndroidSolution really is sent from some celestial place, they sure saved MY butt today! Thank you wonderful angel! #
• I suck. Here are some cats: http://t.co/OZYcOnAE #
• Grrl Face: A Beauty Collective is out! http://t.co/aE7kdvvP ▸ Top stories today via @shycheeeks @radiancetweets @droushankar @meganblake #
• SHAZAM?! *sizzle* *plop* tsssssst…. #
• ★ New post: Tragic’s Wake | We Are All Real [photo edit] | http://t.co/X5EBQ67d #
• When People Ask Why I Have a Problem With Religion… | Unreasonable Faith http://t.co/vFrcHyZD #
• Does the wikipedia blackout only apply to USA? Front page IS “dark” mode for me but individual pages in search results are fully functional. #
• Grrl Face: A Beauty Collective is out! http://t.co/aE7kdvvP ▸ Top stories today via @gdlstreets @opinionnothing @j3sslynch @myposhbeauty #
• Support for Internet Bill Wanes as Protests Spread – http://t.co/0nU7Re06 http://t.co/lLeeYo92 #
• ★ New post: Tragic’s Wake | Strange Sounds 2012? | http://t.co/cIFbslJ7 #
• Screw blacking out the internet, we should all fire up a torrent client, go download something perfectly legal and crash the bloody net.. #
• Oh hey, hi there! http://t.co/WyWH88xH #
• Tragic’s Wake Facebook Page: http://t.co/IbUb8lpG #
• Yes, I know. This page is pretty quiet. I figure y’all can pop over anytime for a spell, have a chat, start a… http://t.co/x3U33sou #
• Dear @ShinobiBombay : have I told you lately that you’re quite appreciated? Thank you for being. #
• The guy who plays Bud the Sheriff in True Blood is also Larry from Newhart! I’m laughing so hard right now! Holy crap he looks different! #
• 8 Gratuitously Violent Horror Movie Scenes (from the Bible) | http://t.co/lrQQUgRS http://t.co/dEWzO6eZ #
• I’m gonna repost this because I find it fascinating Strange Sounds 2012? http://t.co/cIFbslJ7 #
• Oh this is wild! http://t.co/c4bIvP1X #
• Sex workers join registry in case they’re murdered – Saskatchewan – CBC News http://t.co/ioXILZcx #
• So when everyone was losing their shit about the wiki blackout yesterday: did no one read that wiki mobile did not blackout for anyone? #
• Grrl Face: A Beauty Collective is out! http://t.co/aE7kdvvP ▸ Top stories today via @deluxe97 @mamadramanyc @bellakong @erica_markgirl #
• Zigabyte <3 http://t.co/KtfKeB0Q #
• I Am Asexual (and It’s Awesome!) http://t.co/NkdwMgve amazing article. #
• Stupid storm. http://t.co/LoTJfJSk #
• Grrl Face: A Beauty Collective is out! http://t.co/aE7kdvvP ▸ Top stories today via @kozmeticzspot @clhaden @collifornia @boni_witm #
• Godspeed Miss Etta James, a life well lived and a beautiful art shared.. http://t.co/ZIJvfnkH #
• Dyeing ♥ #

Youtube has been flooded with “Strange Sounds 2012” video clips that claim to be everything from HAARP to Alien contact to the  trumpets of Judgment Day. Some of the videos have obviously been faked because you can either hear the characteristic tick of a cheap AV dub or you can play two or more videos at the same time and even match up the exact bird sounds. One that I heard even had Iron Maiden‘s “Number of the Beast” playing in the background!

There is a blogger logging everything s/he finds (I really don’t know the gender and it really doesn’t matter) and there seems to be a treasure trove of documentation, thoughts, and ideas regarding this bizarre topic, I’ve not even come close to fully examining the site but I’ve subscribed because I find it fascinating.

I maybe have a theory and if it turns out to be true then some PR dudes are really going to fucking hate me, true story. Go to youtube and do a search for “Tripod Sounds War of the Worlds” and compare it to the sounds heard in the “Strange Sounds” videos linked above. You can just click that handy link I provided, you’re welcome..

Interestingly, a new War of the Worlds film was completed in July of 2011 by Pendragon Pictures. The sounds videos started appearing mostly in August of 2011. The site for “WOTW: The True Story“  is proudly announcing a year long showing tour for 2012..

WOTW has been lauded by some as being the greatest media hoax of all time being that it was broadcast as though it were entirely real. There was panic in the streets, people went Arkham level batshit during the first broadcast. Is this perhaps a case of a PR team quietly reaching out to certain skilled netizens in hopes of raising some interest? As we all have seen, it only takes one video to be a smidgen interesting and then you’ve got piles of copycats and attention seekers jumping the bandwagon with their own versions, right? Just look up “Shit ____ Say” or “Nyan Cat” and you’ll catch my drift.

Suffice it to say that even if this is not a hoax (and it most likely is) I don’t believe for a second that it’s good old Gabriel tooting on his massive horn.  I highly doubt it’s actually HAARP because that shit has been blamed for bloody near everything and let’s face it: the American government just ain’t that bright, some money hungry asshole would have given up the dirt by now.. It very well might be Alien contact, sure. On that note: do you really think for a minute that the real visitors sound exactly like the dudes from WOTW? And also, perhaps the rash of “Lights in the Sky” shit from last year may have inspired this new hoax panic simply because everyone wants the drama of a potential alien attack.

I don’t know any more than you do and I don’t really care until they’re fucking around on my block and then brothers and sisters: they better be offering tidings of good will or else shit is gonna get real, and fast. Just to be safe though: if you have any additional links or information, please throw it my way. I’m incredibly interested on so many levels. If it’s real I totally wanna be on that boat and see it all go down and if it’s a hoax, it’s one fuck of a great sociological experiment for the books.

[EDIT] January 19th, 2012 (8:00AM):
Yesterday morning I scoured the web and the vast social net trying to find any reference to viral marketing because I really wanted to know if anyone else saw what I thought I saw. I couldn’t find any mention of it but then today, results are rolling on by: Here, here, here, and I’m expecting many more before the day is out. I still think there’s at least something about aliens if not WOTW (but it just sounds so bloody much like the tripods again!)  People are also questioning the veracity of the blogger I mentioned above as well, personally I think I’ll reserve judgment for now, I really like the blog whether it’s a ploy or not

More info: here, here, here, another blog dedicated to the sounds, and a ton more references are rolling in here.. Even Huffington Post has weighed in here.

[UPDATE -- January 22, 12:34AM, 2012] I have no real updates on this weird shit right now, not anything that you couldn’t easily google yourself plus I’ve had a hella long weekend and I’m coming down with a feverish flu. I did find an interesting post over at Strange Sounds by Jay Man, it seems the internet machine has come alive on the poor bugger and they’re readying the torches and pitchforks as I type.. Apparently they believe that he’s entirely behind the whole bloody thing. Incidentally, I don’t have a clue who he is at home or what game he may or may not have but really, I doubt he did this whole thing. I mean one of the biggest arguments is that he registered the domain privately. Yeah? So did I! Ya know why? Because the internet is FUCKING CRAZY! I ain’t want none of the nutbags that roam free out here having ANY handle on my postal code or phone number, no way and no how. Keep fighting the good fight Jay, fuck’em, they’re not worth your time or your talent.

[UPDATE 2 -- January 24, 2012, 4:16PM] This video is a must see. This clip actually debunks many of the videos that are raising a bit of the panic recently..

[THE END -- January 27th, 2012, 3:21PM] There has been a confession.  You can find it here in full and you can also read Jay Man’s take on it over at Strange Sounds.

Well folks, that’s a wrap!