Meandering Thoughts

Our little Assassino

2011-04-04T19:58:00.007-06:00

April Fool's Day 2011. Our little Assassino was born. Ethan Ezio Crane was born at 12:40pm. He is our little assassino because his middle name 'Ezio' (pronounced 'Et-see-oh') is Italian (of course) but it is the character name of one of Colt's favorite video games: Assassin's Creed. The perfect combination of Colt and myself with the Italian blood line with video game influence.

We just love Ethan so much! It is amazing to feel the love you have for one child and have it inexplicably grow to engulf the second child. I don't feel like I had to split my current love for Cash to give to Ethan. It has truly grown exponentially. Amazing.

Anyways, our little Assassino was itching to get out all night the previous night but I tried to get some sleep. Cash had been sick and was not sleeping at all. Every couple hours when he'd wake up, I would feel some contractions but nothing painful enough to stop and think. I would try and fall back asleep. In the morning, Colt and I were prepping to get a storage unit, I wasn't feeling well enough to go to work, but I didn't want to stay in the house ALL day. I decided to time my contractions while I got ready, just as a measuring stick. I noticed that they were 2-3 minutes apart and progressively got worse throughout the hour. I finally submitted and felt like I needed to go to the hospital. Unfortunately, Cash needed to be taken to Colt's sister's (Lisa's) house...in Meridian. At first I was ok with it, but as the contractions got worse, I was really upset at Lisa (as we were driving to Meridian) wondering why she couldn't pick Cash up. In reality, though, it would have taken just as long (if not longer) to wait for her to gather her children and come and pick up Cash. Well we were driving to Meridian, weaving our way through traffic until we hit Meridian and the dreaded Sprawl. One lane roads with a HUGE line of cars that you cannot get around for any reason. Each contraction got worse and worse. I was not feeling well.

Finally we reached Lisa's house and Colt honked the horn and threw all of Cash's stuff onto the sidewalk and gave Cash to his sister and we sped off. It was hard to say goodbye to Cash because he was sick and miserable during this time, but it was also a blessing to have someone to take care of him while we sped off to the hospital.

Colt has never driven so efficiently and FAST. We flew on the freeway... who cares if we got pulled over, if anything the cop would probably give us an escort... but Colt felt that we would be fine. We passed TWO hospitals on the way back to our hospital in downtown Boise. That was torture!

I finally checked in at 11am. I was dilated to a 7 and 90% effaced. They felt there was not time for an epidural and that I would have the baby within 2 hours and so I was given an Intrathechal shot, basically a pain medication shot that would only last two hours. It is faster acting than an Epidural but the risk is if for some reason I do not deliver within 2 hours, I will not have any pain medication available for the rest of the time...well they did say I could probably get an epidural at that time, or I may be too far along for anything. A risk - but they were confident I would not go past the 2 hour time limit. I was given that shot at around 1145am or so. The doctor came in and broke my water and 15 minutes later I was ready to push my little guy out into this crazy world.

In real time, I probably pushed for a total of 5-7 minutes. Ethan came out so quickly that he bruised his face on my pelvic bone. It was gnarly! He looked like he was in a fight -he won of course - our little assassino! Having a baby is a very stressfull time for everybody involved. You can never really time things out perfectly and ultimately, things don't go as smoothly as you would like them to. The important thing is to remember that everything worked out well and little Ethan Ezio was allowed to join our family safely. Without great family to rely on, all of the stressfull and frustrating things that go along with having a baby would simply be so much harder to handle. We are grateful for the support we've received in bringing Ethan into this world.

Ethan Ezio became the greatest addition to this family we could have asked for. He is so adorable and looks so much like his brother Cash. However he does NOT have the cowlick or red hair Cash has. He has more blondish hair, that could easily become red, but no cowlick. His hair looks alot like his dad's. Next he has the Monzello nose (the nose from my mother's side) a good addition from my Italian side :)

Ethan is absolutely amazing. It is so surreal to have two children. Cash is intrigued by him. They are going to be a great duo. Kota is jealous but gentle around him. I am overwhelmed but excited for the next phase of our family. Our family of 4.

Welcome to the family our little Assassino!!

Our Little Day-Crawler is now Our Little Day-Walker...

2011-02-05T11:17:00.002-07:00

Captain Cash of the Cosmos/Our Little Ginger Day-Walker can now start living up to his nickname. Cash is our Daywalker because though he carries the Ginger-vitus gene, he can survive in the daylight unlike other ginger kids/vampires. Therefore, he is our Day-Walker; Our Walker of Two Worlds; The Man who Walks his own path. And as of yesterday February 4, 2011 he is a true Day-Walker. Basically, if you're a bit slow on the up-take, my clever and witty writing is indicating that Cash started walking.

Cash took his first independent steps on Wednesday the 2nd of February, but he more or less stumbled from the couch to the ottoman in about 2-3 steps. We were excited of course but figured it was more likely due to luck that he "walked". However, to our delight, the little man began taking more pronounced and bolder steps from furniture piece to furniture piece. And then, just as Cash was preparing to take a ride with daddy to the store, he decided to let go of my hand and take not 2, not 3, but 15 steps all the way across the living room, through the kitchen and into mommy's happy arms! Our Daywalker has grown into a little man.

Needless to say, Cash was hoisted upon our shoulders and paraded around the house while his happy, dorky parents cheered and proclaimed his achievements to any living soul willing to listen (Kota). We love our little ginger and the happiness he brings to our lives. Well done, our little man. Captain Cash of the Cosmos the Day-Walker goes where no fair skinned child dares to even dream!

My Name is Calvin Colt Crane

2011-01-08T15:28:00.003-07:00

My name is Calvin Colt Crane. For a long time, I have gone by C. Colt Crane. I've done this for years because it is a way to differentiate myself from the numerous Calvins in my family. My official signature is C. Colt Crane and I haven't gone by "Calvin" for quite some time. I mention this because I am named after my grandfather. His name is Calvin Cottrell Crane and as of Christmas Day 2010, he passed away. I attended his funeral and as I walked through the church-house doors, there was a register to sign in the main foyer of the building. I picked up the pen and added my signature to the other names already written. I looked at my signature and noticed that I had signed it Calvin Colt Crane as opposed to my normal signature of C. Colt Crane. As I looked at my name in the book, I was overcome with emotion as I realized exactly what my name meant. Perhaps I have taken my name for granted all of these years. My name is Calvin Colt Crane and though there are many Calvins in my family, I was the only relative of my grandpa to carry the C.C.C. name until my first son was born. My son is named for myself and for my grandpa. His name is Calvin Cash Crane.

Three C's in my grandfather's name. Three C's in my name. Three C's in my son's name. Three generations of the name Calvin C. Crane. My grandfather built a legacy with his life and though I will still go by C. Colt Crane, the resonant meaning of my name is carried always within. The things I accomplish in life and the failures I endure throughout are connected through the eternities to my grandfather. He was a man of principle, hard work, and sacrifice. He built his life around the gospel of Jesus Christ and as such, he instilled in his descendants the desire and responsibility to live well. I loved my grandfather while he lived. I love him still. Since the day he passed on, through his funeral services, and even today as I write these thoughts down; the only time I wept was when I signed my name to that register. Perhaps it was seeing the ink in front of me or perhaps it was the realization and reminder of the short time we have upon this earth. Whatever it was, I know what my name represents. When my son gets older, he too will someday understand his name and the man that it honors. I hope to be a fitting recipient of my grandfather's name. Thank you grandpa, for trusting me with your name and for the happy memories that name evokes.

Our Little Ginger

2010-11-21T01:46:00.002-07:00

It's a strange feeling to look at our little man and think that in a month he will be 1 year old. It seems that it was not too long ago when Michelle and I were in the Hospital holding him for the first time and it makes me a little sad to see time slip by so quickly. However, it's nice to look back down the road we've traveled this past year and be able to remember the good and the bad. The most pure thing in our lives is our little ginger man and when I see his happy face I understand how much of a blessing a child is in our lives. I find myself missing him while he sleeps...even after a full day of chasing him around the house and picking up the disasters he leaves in his wake! Little Cash is an amazing baby boy and I love seeing his mischievious grin and his little personality. As it begins to emerge I just have to sit back and smile as I think about what's in store for Michelle and I as Cash grows and learns. Children really are the redeeming factor in our lives.

This is Halloween: Day 4

2010-10-26T14:28:00.003-06:00

For today's post I wanted to do something a little different. If anybody knows me then they also know that I am a huge of fan of Konami's horror video-game franchise, Silent Hill. Silent Hill is a game series which revolves around the titular town of Silent Hill. Silent Hill is a supernatural place where one's innermost fears are realized and where anyone unlucky enough to wander its fog covered streets might just find themselves trapped within their own personal Hell. So in conjunction with Halloween and one of the eeriest, creepiest, and downright most disturbing intellectual properties around, I wanted to compile a short list of my 10 favorite and most nightmare-inducing creatures from the world of Silent Hill.

Note: this list will contain disturbing images!!

10.) The Larval Stalker - Silent Hill

This thing is just plain weird! It first appears in the elementary school during the first part of the game and its only purpose is to mess with the player's head. Seriously, this thing resembles a shadowy child that just walks around and occasionally trips and falls down. It emits a creepy squeeking sound the entire time before it simply fades away and vanishes. It is perhaps the only Silent Hill denizen that does not attempt to maim you, but that doesn't stop it from freaking you out!

9.) Twin Victim - Silent Hill 4: The Room

This creature is disturbing for obvious reasons. Upon further investigation however, the Twin Victim becomes infinitely more grotesque and abhorrent. This thing is a physical manifestation (within Silent Hill 4's mythology) of two young children who were murdered by the game's primary antagonist, Walter Sullivan. What makes Sullivan even more demonic is the fact that the game essentially consists of his dead soul imprinting itself upon the protaganist's apartment (hence The Room moniker) in which Sullivan used to live (and subsequently sealed himself within the walls of the apartment prior to his suicide). The Twin Victim creature thus is a manifestation of one of Sullivan's more wicked crimes that he committed while alive (a bit confusing but if you're interested in the game's story, just leave a comment and I'll try to clarify).

8.) Scarlet - Silent Hill: Homecoming

Scarlet is a "boss" character in Silent Hill: Homecoming as well as an integral part of the game's plot. Without going into too much detail and thereby spoiling the story, Scarlet begins as an old, burnt porcelain doll. Creepy enough, right? Well, eventually Scarlet the doll emerges from a large pool of blood in the Otherside realm of Silent Hill as a towering porcelain monstrosity. Fighting and defeating Scarlett requires players to first shatter its porcelain "armor" before delivering the final blow. Scarlet is tall, lanky, and pale...and it is a large, living, creepy doll!

Note: the music during this boss fight is extremely creepy!!

7.) Remnant - Silent Hill: Origins

The Remnant creature appears in the Cedar Grove Sanitarium of Silent Hill. You read that right. A large part of the game requires players to explore an abandoned, turn of the century era, insane asylum. The Remnant is fairly easy to dispatch, but its appearance is unsettling as is the noises it makes. Essentially, the Remnant is an old medical brace that was used to restrain patients' heads if they were deemed to violent. This medical brace floats however and if players shine their in-game flashlight on this Silent Hill local, a human-shaped shadow is cast on the walls and floor surrounding the Remnant...regardless of the fact that there is nobody actually wearing the medical brace! Oh, and as for the sounds it makes, just imagine a faint, feminine sobbing sound coming from an old, floating restraint device...at least until the flashlight shines on it, then the Remnant emits a piercing shriek that makes the hair on the back of your neck prickle in fear!

6.) The One Truth/Wall Men - Silent Hill 4: The Room

This...thing is weird. Again from Silent Hill 4, The One Truth/Wall Men is a creature (or creatures) that serves as a gatekeeper. The gate that it protects is a small door that accesses the inner subconscious of Walter Sullivan. Remember Sullivan? The serial murderer responsible for the #9 entry on this list? Yeah, he's still pretty messed up...I mean, look at this thing! Now, like I said, The One Truth/Wall Men is a creature that guards a serial killer's subconscious. The latter part of the game tasks players with literally going deeper and deeper into a sociopath's mind via a downward, spiraling staircase (if you haven't realized it yet, Silent Hill is heavy on symbollic imagery). Anyway, you face this creature and...you know what? I don't want to talk any more about The One Truth because this picture is creeping me out. Instead, just let it invade your nightmares and explain itself...

5.) Robbie the Rabbit - Silent Hill 3

This is only 1 of 2 entries on this list from Silent Hill 3. The 3rd game in the series is probably my least favorite because it simply rehashes what was learned in the first game of the franchise...it's kind of a lame cop-out, but what it lacks in story and character exposition, it definitely makes up for in creature design and overall creepiness. Robbie isn't necesarrily a creature as he is a mascot of Lakeside Amusement Park on the outskirts of Silent Hill. What else is creepier than a souless, amusement park mascot? Robbie shows up in a few Silent Hill games for the purposes of fan service. I still hate him!

4.) Puppet Nurse - Silent Hill

No Silent Hill entry would be complete without mentioning the Nurse creatures. Appearing in every Silent Hill game, this list will feature the original and most grotesque version of the Nurse. Known as the Puppet Nurse in the first Silent Hill game, this creature is named for the parasitic growth bursting from its back. The growth pulsates and quivers as the Puppet Nurse moves. Carrying a small and deadly scalpel, the Puppet Nurse is definitely creepy. Also, you have to face them in the hospital level of the game and everyone knows how creepy an old hospital can be!

3.) The Man in the Blue Coat aka Walter Sullivan - Silent Hill 4: The Room

Well, here he is. If you've been reading this blog entry then you've seen this freak's name pop up a few times. The most "human" villain in the Silent Hill universe (even if it is by mere appearances only), Walter Sullivan is creepy. At times, he'll be found sitting on a set of stairs talking to a shabby and creepy looking doll. Other times he's chasing you down with a chainsaw and a lead pipe. These are the most normal circumstances under which players will encounter Walter Sullivan. Abnormal encounters with Walter include an old hospital where he is found casually gutting a fresh corpse on an operating table. His influence permeates the entire game and sometimes if you look through the peephole in your apartment door (in-game), Walter will be there staring back at you and grinning.

2. Valtiel - Silent Hill 3

Valtiel is an odd character. Its name is a play on the French word valet which means servant. In Silent Hill 3, Valtiel is only a background creature (meaning, players never interact with it directly) who controls the "shift" to the Otherside in the world of Silent Hill. Some information states that Valtiel is the "servant of god" meaning the "god" in Silent Hill who is actually a demon worshipped by the Cult of Silent Hill. Whatever Valtiel is, it's definitely creepy. Although it never antagonizes the player throughout the game, Valtiel is always nearby doing odd things like turning valves or hanging corpses from the walls (see picture). You may notice that he is similar in appearance to the next and final entry on this list.

1.) Pyramid Head aka Red Pyramid - Silent Hill 2

This creature is the unofficial mascot of the entire Silent Hill series. Pyramid Head is grotesque, brutal, and unstoppable. Pyramid Head takes its name from the strange helmet it wears which was designed as an archaic torture device to be constantly worn for past sins. Other trademarks of Pyramid Head include its butcher's apron and its Great Knife. Yes, the creature also carries around a massive and deadly, sword-like weapon (called the Great Knife). The Great Knife is so massive that Pyramid Head has to drag it behind him as he walks creating a horrific, metallic scraping sound whenever it is nearby. Pyramid Head likes to kill things. Pyramid Head not only stalks the player throughout the game, but it is also encountered in the act of murdering whatever is in its way. Even other Silent Hill creatures have fallen victim to its massive blade.

In Silent Hill lore, the appearance of Pyramid Head takes inspiration from the garb of the town's old executioners. As frightening as Pyramid Head's appearance might be, it pales in comparison to the creature's origin.

The story of Silent Hill 2 follows a man named James Sunderland as he searches the haunted town for his dead wife. You see, Sunderland receives a mysterious letter from his deceased wife telling him that she is waiting for him in Silent Hill. Over the course of the game, Sunderland encounters Pyramid Head multiple times, with each encounter more harrowing than the previous. During the game's finale, players finally discovered that Sunderland himself murdered his wife (who was sick with an incurable disease) out of disgust and self-pity. Driven insane by his heinous act, Sunderland's guilty conscience constructs a fantasy meant to force him to face and take responsibility for his actions. This brings us to Pyramid Head. Pyramid Head is a physical manifestation of Sunderland himself. Pyramid Head is brutal, murderous, and unstoppable which is a reflection of Sunderland's true self. The most frightnening aspect of Pyramid Head is that he is essentially a dark shadow of human nature, human greed, and human selfishness...and much like Sunderland discovered, Pyramid Head can exist within any of us!

Anyway, that's the end of my list and I hope you've enjoyed a glimpse into what keeps me awake at night. Sweet dreams!

This is Halloween: Day 3

2010-10-22T13:24:00.008-06:00

Alright! Day 3 of my Halloween-themed blog is here and to celebrate, I wanted to share a story that I heard when I was a Boy Scout. To fully appreciate this story, you need to imagine the circumstances that existed when I first heard it. We (my scout troop) were on an overnight campout somewhere in the mountains around Oakley, Idaho. I don't remember exactly where, but I need to research it so I can go back there. The place we were camping was really close to a set of old canal tunnels that had been cut through the mountain to allow for water to run through them. These canals and tunnels were not in use and hadn't been for years. Anyway, our scout leader takes us on a hike and we end up inside the longer of the two tunnels. After walking through it for a few minutes, our leader stops us and tells us to sit down because he has a story to tell. We all sat down in a small cirlce on the dirt floor and we are told to turn our flashlights off. Once the lights were out it was pitch black in the tunnel. We couldn't even see light shining in from the tunnel's entrance. And so, with the mood appropriately set, our scout leader told us the story of...

The House of Dust

There was a doctor that lived in a small mountain village during the time when technology was just beginning to emerge. As a result, the doctor was one of the only people in town to own a working telephone. The doctor had opened a modest medical practice to serve the little village which consisted of miners and sheep-herders. There was something unique about this little village, however. High up on the mountain overlooking the town there was a rather impressive looking old mansion that had been abandoned and in a state of disrepair for as long as anybody could remember. Every window and doorway was boarded up and the mansion was the subject of many of the villagers' superstitions and campfire stories.

So it was that the doctor spent his days helping the villagers whenever they had fallen ill, or broken a bone, etc. After an especially tiresome day (it was the rainy season and bad luck seemed to follow the village during this time of the year), the doctor finally closed up his little practice for the night and returned to his way home at the edge of town. The rain seemed to be especially cold and stinging as the doctor made his home. Upon reaching home, he went inside and sat down to take his wet and muddy boots off when suddenly, his telephone rang. Sighing at the prospect of having to set another broken bone, the doctor begrudgingly picked up the receiver.

"Hello," asked the doctor.

There was no response from the other end.

"HELLO," said the doctor again, louder and increasingly irritated.

Just as he was about to hang up, he heard a faint wheezing sound on the other end.

"Who is this," asked the doctor. "Are you hurt?"

"P-please...help me," said the faint voice and then the line went dead.

"Wait," yelled the doctor. "Who is this?" But the storm outside had likely severed the connection.

The doctor hung up his phone and thought for a moment about who could have called. He knew that nobody else in the village had a telephone, but he seemed to remember somebody once telling him that they had once heard that the large house overlooking the village had a telephone similar to the good doctor's. Without any other option, the doctor opened his door and headed back out into the storm.

As he made his way up the tiny path which led up the mountain toward the mansion, he started to doubt his trek.

"What if this is someone playing a trick on me," he thought as he stumbled through the mud.

After slipping and falling for what seemed like the hundredth time, the doctor thought that it was surely somebody playing a joke on him and was about to turn around and head home when the thought occured to him that if there were someone in the old house in need of help, he had to take the chance or regret his decision for the rest of his days. So after what seemed like an eternity, the doctor finally made it to the old mansion.

By now, the storm had subsided some and he had a clearer view of the old house. Never having been there himself before now, the doctor looked in awe at the large and forbidding structure looming over him. He climbed the front steps to check the door but found it to be bolted and boarded up tight. There was no possible way for him to get inside, this way. The doctor began walking around the edge of the old house in search for an alternative entrance: a side door or open window, but every possible orifice into the building was blocked. Just as the doctor was deciding to head home, the moon broke through the clouds and illuminated the ground. The doctor saw faintly in the mud, a set of footprints leading to the back of the house. The doctor retraced his steps and found that the footprints led to a cellar that he must have missed during his first inspection. The doors to the cellar were unchained and so the doctor grabbed hold of the old wood and pulled the doors open, revealing a staircase leading down into the darkness. Cursing himself for not bringing his lantern, the doctor felt his way down the old creaking staircase and came to a heavy oak door. The door was unusual for a cellar entrance and was complete with an old brass door knocker designed to look like the face of an extremely ugly little man. It almost looked like the gnomes he had read about in picture books as a child only this creature seemed more human-like somehow.

Shaking off the eerie feeling that he felt when looking at the door knocker, the doctor tried the heavy cellar door and found it surprizingly easy to push open. Once inside the cellar, the doctor had to wait for a moment for his eyes to adjust to the blackness around him. Once his eyes had focused somewhat, the doctor felt around and finally found an old brass lantern on a nearby table. Searching his coat pockets for his tobacco case, he found a small box of matches and used them to light the lantern. Grateful for some light, the doctor looked around and discovered that the old cellar was full of strange looking objects that wouldn't have been out of place in one of those creepy fortune-telling shows that sometimes accompanied traveling circuses in the big cities he had lived in while studying medicine. Finally, the doctor located a stairway leading up into the house itself and so he continued on his mission.

As he climbed the stairs, the doctor noticed that the floor was covered in a faint green-tinted dust. He was just thinking about the odd color when he came to another heavy oak door at the top of the cellar stairs. This door also had a similar looking door knocker that resembled the ugly little man. Again feeling slightly unsettled, the doctor pushed open this door and was shocked by what lay beyond it.

The room he had stepped into was a large dining room that was covered in warm light from numerous, wall-mounted lanterns and a large roaring fire in an elegant fireplace. The doctor was amazed and confused. Surely he would have seen the light through the cracks in the boards covering the house's windows. As strange as the sight was, the doctor felt some relief in realizing that somebody in need of his help was indeed in this house as evidenced by the fire and the lit lanterns.

The doctor was encouraged by this realization and began crossing the dining room to the only door in sight. While crossing the room, the doctor again noticed the green dust covering the floor. The dust seemed somehow thicker in this room than it was in the cellar, but the doctor put it out of his mind. The cellar was lit only by his own small lantern and the dining room was extremely well lit, so he logically assumed that that was reason the dust seemed thicker. As he looked closer at the green dust, two things stood out to him. First, the dust only covered the floor. It wasn't on anything else in the room. It wasn't on the furniture, or the pictures on the wall, nothing. It was as if somebody had dusted the entire room but had neglected to sweep up the floor. The second thing he noticed which seemed odd, was that there were again faint footprints in the dust but they did not lead toward the door. Instead the led toward the wall next to the fireplace where an old picture in an elaborate frame hung. Following the footprints in the dust, the doctor veered toward the fireplace. As he approached the picture on the wall next to the fireplace, he noticed that unlike every other piece of decoration in this room, the picture had small traces of the green dust covering the man in the picture. As the doctor studied this picture he was unnerved to notice that the dust seemed to change the man's appearance just enough to resemble the ugly little men that the door knockers were fashioned after. As he stared at the picture, he felt the hair on his neck prickle as he thought of the door knockers and their creepy, gnomish appearance. Soon though, the doctor found some more green dust smeared on one corner of the picture's frame. He reached out, grabbed the picture frame, and lifted it. To his surprise, he heard a grinding sound and leaped back as the fireplace shifted to one side, revealing a small passage hidden behind it.

The light danced as the doctor held his lantern up and peered into the dark passage way behind the fireplace. The footprints in the dust indeed led into the shadows of the passage and so the doctor swallowed his unease and stepped inside, having to stoop to accomodate the passage's tight structure. The doctor followed the passage for a brief time when he came to another heavy oak door. This door was designed in the same fashion as the other doors of the house (complete with the "ugly man" door knocker) except that this door was smaller in size to fit the dimensions of the small passage. The doctor hesitated briefly before deciding to press on, wishing he had brought something along besides his medical bag...something preferably sharp and pointed! He reached out and grabbed hold of the brass door-knob and pushed the door open to discover another staircase leading down into the bowels of the old mansion.

As the doctor descended the stairs, the green dust was indeed growing thicker as it covered the toes of his boots as he followed the footprints into the maw of darkness. Soon he came to another oak door that was even smaller than the previous door. Sure enough this door had a brass knocker resembling the "ugly man". To far into this mysterious house to turn back, the doctor twisted the door-knob and pushed open the door out of sheer, macabre curiosity. Light burst through the open doorway and the doctor had to squint at the brightness of it after being in the dark passage for so long. As his eyes grew accustomed to the light, the doctor saw a long oak table in the center of the room and a roaring fire in another elegantly decorated fireplace on the opposite wall. The floor in this room was covered in the now familiar green dust and it was so thick that it completely covered the doctor's boots up to his ankles. The doctor gazed around the room in awe at the strangeness of the place.

"Surely, a mad-man built this twisted residence," he thought to himself.

The doctor gazed at his strange surroundings for at least 5 minutes before he realized that he was not alone. At the end of the long oak table near the fireplace, a small figure was sitting in an ornate chair, slumped over the edge of the arm.

The doctor rushed over to the chair, turned it around, and came face to face with the ugly little man that adorned every door in this house. The man's eyes were closed and he appeared to be dead. In his hand was a telephone receiver that was attached to an old telephone sitting on the end of the oak table. As ugly as this "man" was the doctor was shocked to discover that his skin was a pale green color and that he was very small. The doctor estimated that the little green man was only about 3 feet tall. The doctor set his medical bag on the table and touched the green man's neck, checking for a pulse. Suddenly, the green man's eyes rolled open and he stared at the doctor with small, black eyes. The doctor stood transfixed by the green man's gaze. Everything about this night was strange and the doctor could not begin to imagine explaining this to anybody from town. The doctor snapped out of his trance and asked the man if he was ok. The green man opened his mouth and let out a piercing shriek that made the doctor's very soul shudder in fear. As the green man howled, the doctor heard a loud banging sound coming form the house above and he realized that every single one of the brass door knockers were banging vigorously as the green man screamed. Then, there was silence.

The green man grasped the doctor's wrist and smiled as a small trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth. As the doctor tried to pull away, the green man crumbled into a pile of green dust. The doctor jumped back in shock and then noticed that his wrist where the green man had grasped him had an itching sensation to it. Looking at his wrist, he realized that his skin was beginning to turn the same shade of green as the green man and the dust scattered all over this bizarre house. The doctor leaped across the table and grabbed the telephone and wheezed into the receiver:

"P-please...help me."

This is Halloween: Day 2

2010-10-21T14:30:00.006-06:00

Hello Again! For today's spooky post, I decided to share a poem that I wrote a while ago. The poem is based on a rather odd and disturbing dream I had one night. In my dream, I was lying in bed and there was a scratching sound coming from the floor. As I investigated the noise, I discovered that there was an odd little man living in the space underneath the floorboards. The man in the floor was short (around 3 to 4 feet) and he was bald except for a few wisps of bright yellow hair dispersed across his head at odd intervals. He was very thin as if he had been living in the floor for a very long time and thus suffered from malnourishment.

Other than his appearance, he didn't disturb me in any other way while I was dreaming. Even the fact that he lived in the floor didn't seem to upset me and I went about my day (in my dream) as if this were normal. The man in the floor would scuttle along wherever I went in the house, but that was all. He wasn't overtly intimidating in any way.

When I woke up from the dream, I began to get progressively more and more creeped out about the man. The more I thought about him, the more uncomfortable I felt. I decided to write a short poem about him for no other reason than to share my discomfort of the dream with anyone willing to read it.

So, I now give you...

The Floor Man
By C. Colt Crane

"Last night my mind wandered through dreams while I slept.
Through my dreams as I slept, the Man in the floor crept.
The Man in the floor, he scratched and he scuttled,
Yet through the noise of my dreams, my mind was not troubled.
So with my mind far away and my cares obsolete,
I traveled my dreams until a child I did meet.
The child, so young, broke the silence and screamed:
Beware of the Floor Man, the Stealer of Dreams!"

So there it is, nothing too fancy but I hope you enjoyed it for what it is. The Floor Man intrigues me and I find that he is always lurking in the shadowy recesses of my thoughts, waiting to frighten me with his scratching and scuttling!

This is Halloween!

2010-10-20T11:33:00.009-06:00

In honor of Halloween and the numerous spooks and spirits that roam the land during this frightful month, I thought it would be fun to post a few creepy experiences and tales of the macabre that have occurred recently. I will be posting the stories throughout the rest of the month so stay tuned and Enjoy! (Make sure your speakers are on to appreciate the full effect)

The Last Apartment: Part I

So, some of you might know this already but for those that don't I will fill you in quickly. Michelle, Cash, and I currently live in an abandoned apartment complex. We live in the only finished apartment and I act as a caretaker/security detail to dissuade any ne'er-do-wells from vandalizing the premises. As part of my duties, I walk the grounds every morning and night to make sure doors are locked, no trespassers are around, etc. This story happened on one of those nights.

It was dark out and I was making my rounds, making sure everything was as it should be. As I came to the final building in the apartment complex, I noticed something odd about the apartment on the farthest side of the property...there was a light on in the bathroom (I could see this through the window). I checked the door to the apartment and found it unlocked. This was a little unnerving since it was dark out and there was a very good possibility that a transient had decided to squat in this apartment for the night.

Mustering my courage, I pushed the door open and called out to see if anybody was inside the apartment. I heard no answer or any other indication that a person was inside so I entered and slowly made my way into the bathroom (which was the master bathroom off the main bedroom in the back of the apartment). I reached the bathroom and switched the light off after making sure nobody was in there. As soon as the light was out, I heard a noise behind me and spun around to see the bedroom door slowly shutting by its own accord. I instantly froze not knowing what to think as the door closed itself completely. I saw and heard the click of the door's mechanism as it was "pulled" shut.

With the door shut and my blood pounding in my skull, I stood in the center of the bedroom with my flashlight for a good 5 minutes trying to work up the courage to cross the few feet seperating myself from the doorway so I could get out of that apartment. Finally I made up my mind and I crossed the room, grabbed the doorknob and twisted it open, stepped quickly into the hallway and made a dash for the front door feeling for sure that something was following me all the way out into the cold, dark night.

Once outside, I was able to breath again as a realized that I had been holding my breath. I locked the door and went inside my own apartment for the night after making sure the doors were locked behind me and all the windows were closed tight!

The Last Apartment: Part II

The following night, I was again making my rounds and again I approached the last apartment to once again find another light on inside. This time it was the hallway light. I checked the front door and it was still locked just as I had left it the previous night. I found the key to the apartment and opened it slowly, again calling out to ensure the place was indeed empty and void of any human presence. There was no response. Luckily, I didn't have to traverse the deeper rooms of the apartment as the switch for the hallway light was close to the front door. I flipped the switch and exited the apartment, locking the door behind me. Since that night, the light has remained off, but I still get a weird feeling when I walk past the door to the last apartment.

As a side note to this story, Kota (our dog) does not enter this particular apartment with me. He has no qualms about entering any of the other apartments, but as for the last apartment. He stops at the door and waits for me to come back...creepy.

Comments are welcome and appreciated for this post.

Another Blog

2010-10-10T10:51:00.002-06:00

We have found that blogging is not our forte. But here we are adding another one to let all (or one) of our faithful readers know that we are pregnant again. Yes that's right, we are expecting another child in a few short months. Due date is 4-7-11. I know what you are thinking and Cash will be 16 months when the new child arrives. Here we go again!

A curse upon us

2010-01-25T11:13:00.009-07:00

When Colt and I first moved into a current apartment, which in actuality is an old...old house fixed to be split into two apartments in downtown Boise, Colt immediately went exploring. Now I must preface that we love older homes. The character they have and the unusual-ness that we encounter with them. Granted, living in older homes comes with its drawbacks. For example, our cold water faucet runs (yes there are seperate faucets for hot and cold), and we cannot get it to stop without turning off the water beneath the sink. The shower periodically becomes extremely hot for a short period and then returns to normal. And of course the possibility that something crazy happened in this exact place many years ago! All small adventures we endure to live downtown and in a unique place.

Colt went exploring and found the entrance to the upper part of the house, which for apartment purposes has been boarded up. I stayed behind because my pregnant state prevented me from climbing up the hole in the ceiling and hoisting myself into an unkown, unstable upper section of an old house. He came back with tales of a devil worshipping room/"black mass room" and other unsettling markings. A couple days later I woke up went out of our bedroom on my way to the kitchen and I stopped in my tracks facing a creepy picture strategically placed by my husband so that I would see it. It was an old class photo presumably in the 80's of an all girl class at a private school - because every child had a catholic type of plaid skirt and blouse uniform. It was faded and dirty. The photo in combination with what was found in the upper part of the house, I can only conclude one thing; One of the girls in the photo was murdered by her classmates in the upper part of the house. Others came and tried to contact the disturbed spirit of this girl through demonic means.

Take a look at the photos of the sealed and cursed rooms in the upper part of the house:

"Seance Candle"

Do Not Enter the "Door to HELL"

"Black Mass Room"

Now that Colt has opened the sealed part of the house, the girl's troubled spirit now haunts us - Its good that we are friendly to the disembodied residents of our home, well we like to think so.

Anyone else have a Ghost adventure or experience with the paranormal??

Transitions...not so easy

2010-01-05T20:41:00.006-07:00

Colt and I have had Cash in our home for 2 weeks now. We thought we were adjusting just fine. I was getting up during the night to do feedings (Colt helping out where he could), taking turns changing diapers and hanging out, etc...but today we had a hard dose of reality. Colt went back to school yesterday and is gone every day now. I get to stay home but I realize how much I relied on the company of him and his assistance. Colt came home today exhausted, the lack of consistent sleep has caught up to him and I have been overwhelmed with being alone and having only Cash to watch over. I never thought not working would affect me the way it has. I guess since I have been working, having a job all of my life, being on maternity leave now is totally new and somewhat unnerving.

Aside from figuring out our daily schedules, I realize that there is still so much to learn. You just hope that you are doing the right things and pray that your child is happy. It is overwhelming and scary and confidence goes out the window. Then there is that moment when you look at your child and realize he is so amazing and then you think maybe it is all worth it.

Perhaps this is how parenting is. You think you have the hang of it and then BAM! your confidence is shaken to the core and you question everything...until you realize that you are maybe not as terrible as you think you are. I must say it is an adventure but one I am happy to be on.

Calvin Cash Crane is by far the cutest baby ever...

2009-12-23T16:10:00.004-07:00

So, it has finally happened! Cash came as an early Christmas present to his mom and dad, considering that Michelle's due date wasn't until January 3, but Cash just couldn't wait to be born. I think he wanted to open some presents himself on Christmas morning! Our baby boy was born on December 20, 2009 at 11:42 p.m. He weighed in at 7 pounds 10 ounces and 20 inches in length with a pretty glorious head of auburn-colored hair.

Sunday afternoon on December 20, Michelle began having contractions less than 5 minutes apart and so we decided to go to the hospital just to be safe. We expected them to send us right back home, but Michelle had gone into natural labor and was admitted around 3:00 p.m.

At 11:42 later that night, little Cash came into our lives after about 10 hours of labor. Michelle had a perfect delivery and we feel blessed to have such a precious boy in our family. We stayed in the hospital for the next two days and were able to come home Tuesday afternoon. Kota has been very curious about his new friend but is being a very good dog and not getting too jealous.

Cash sleeps alot and I've noticed that he tends to sleep like me: with his right arm above his head and his left arm across his chest. It has been a very humbling and spiritually uplifting week for us and I can honestly say that I have never been so tired and so happy at the same time!

Michelle is recovering well and has never looked more beautiful than she does now. We are blessed to share a wonderful love between us and now we have a little boy to share that love with!

Blood, sweat, and tears...and paint

2009-11-22T08:20:00.009-07:00

When Colt and I moved into our current rental facility, the 2nd bedroom (which we knew would be our child's room) was more like the Joker's hangout spot where he liked to chillax and get high with his buddies. You know, black light chill zone. Unless we wanted our boy to have seizures and create mayhem in an unknown large city in the future, only to be chased down by some self-righteous vigilante, then we knew we had to change it. We agreed to move in with the stipulation that we could paint that room. Now 5 months later we have finally taken care of that! It is now a calm and soothing, luscious Dandelion green with a subtle creme edging. I, being the expert - born and raised in a professional painter's home (and working my butt off for him), could not be a good assistant besides having the critical eye. But I must say that Colt did a great job! He taped everything off, cleaned the brushes, mixed the paint, let alone actually paint the whole thing...aww my father would be sooo proud! I know that my father will now try to recruit him to "take over the business". That will be two fathers, now, trying to persuade Colt to take over the family businesses.

Colt is such a hard worker, he did our baby's room while going to school and never getting behind on his schoolwork. He also had to endure me nagging him to clean the brushes good and watch the lines on the wall and 'remember 2 coats!' We are very excited to have our little boy come into our lives and this was a big step to make it more realistic...he is actually coming!

Check out the before and after photos....and yes we chose green...and no it was not because we are naming our boy Cash (or was it??)

I'm a good blogger...

2009-11-10T01:44:00.001-07:00

So, I last updated this blog last January and now I am just getting around to posting a new thread. I guess you could say that I'm pretty good at this stuff! Anyway, things have been pretty busy for Michelle and I. In just a little under 2 months we will be welcoming our little baby boy (Calvin Cash Crane) into our family and we're getting pretty excited! We've got a baby room full of toys, clothes, and baby paraphanelia that needs to be organized so that we can re-paint the room (the room currently looks as if The Joker used to hang out there...the walls are entirely purple).

Michelle has taken up knitting as a new hobby since she's been pregnant and she's getting pretty good at it. I'm still plugging away at the seemingly endless college career I've been at for years now. However, I recently registered for my final semester and I'm set to finally graduate in the Spring with a degree in Communication/English with a Journalism emphasis and a History minor.

School keeps me pretty busy most of the time, but I'm also writing a book when I have a little spare time. I am no longer writing for BSU's The Arbiter since my semester is pretty full as it is. It is something I miss now and again but I hope to come back to it in the future.

Well, thanks for reading...I know you've got nothing better to do!

Hellooooo! La, la, la...

2009-01-22T11:21:00.000-07:00

This is the my first entry (obviously) into the blogging kingdom. Hopefully, it will serve as a starting point for my wife and I to allow others a small glimpse into our life and the things that we enjoy and strive for.

Recently, I've noticed the tremendous amount of family and friends with personal blogs and I thought that it might be fortuitous to attempt to live my life in a manner that might elicit aspects that are pleasing to read about. In reality though, I simply wanted to create something that friends and family would be interested in reading and give something to help them keep up with our lives.

I started school again this semester, and though I am not pleased with the classes I am taking (or not taking, as the case may be) I am happy to understand that I have an opportunity to advance my learning in at least some degree. I've also been asked to serve in a mentoring capacity to a new journalist.

For those who do not know, I have been writing for Boise State University's school newspaper, The Arbiter, for the past three semesters. This will be my fourth semester with that great publication and I am grateful for the experience. I feel honored and humbled to be asked to mentor a new writer and I hope that my experiences might help him realize his potential and hopefully increase his love for the written word. Consequently, if anyone is interested in my articles, you can find them at http://www.arbiteronline.com/. Just search for C. Colt Crane and they should pop right up.

My wife, Michelle, is awesome...that much is apparent. She works hard and is good at her job. I admire her talents and her desire to help others and I hope that I might be as caring as her. Anyway, I hope to continue writing about my thoughts on a frequent and regular basis, but until I can think of more to say...this will have to suffice for now.