Fortunately is isn’t that cold at my house. Right now it is in the high 50’s (F) and pouring gallons of rain.
That said, today is Saturday and time for Burning Question #48. Yes, I’ve been doing this for 48 weeks and almost forgot about it this week. Sorry folks, I drew a blank today.
As my cat would say, “I got nuttin.”
Only two more to go before we get to 50. Feel free to have a nice discussion or leave comments, or questions after you’ve answered the poll. I’m curing up in a chair and going back to sleep.
And hey, thanks for dropping by to answer another BURNING QUESTION. Vampires. This is sort of a Vampire kind of blog so let’s think about it again. Or you can think about something else. Just answer the poll and leave a comment.
Burning Question #48: You see a Vampire…?
I’ll see you next Saturday for Burning Question #49. It will be a real BURNING QUESTION.
As I write this post, just a few weeks before Christmas, I am looking out onto my backyard filled with orange and lemon trees. Roses and succulent plants are blooming in my front yard. It still feels like Christmas time with lights all a glow and the steady parade of mail, Fed-X, UPS, and Amazon trucks. We’re even wearing sweat shirts and sweaters.
Snow is something we (people who live where I do) drive to see. It is only about an hour to get to the first patches and then thick blankets of higher up the Sierra Mountains towards Lake Tahoe. From where I live we await the first look at snow covered mountains in the distance.
I’ve never had a White Christmas in all of my 159 Vampire years.
Some of you reading this have your good Christmas snow memories. Feel free to share your stories or comments after doing the poll.
Burning Question #41: Are you dreaming of a white Christmas?
Feel free to leave additional comments about snow, holiday songs, cover songs, Vampires, or anything else you care to talk about.
And if you vote YOU GET A STICKER. And if you vote by mail you can feel good about yourself knowing that you voted.
My message is for everyone to VOTE on Tuesday. I might not agree with you or even respect your opinions BUT I DO respect your right to vote. I honor your right to vote. And remember…there are people in other countries who DIE for their right to vote (yes, that still happens).
Also do your RESEARCH. Know WHO and WHAT you are voting on. The ads on TV and the radio don’t tell the truth or only tell half truths. Don’t listen to actors or comedians or late night talk show hosts or haters. Listen to the words of the people running for office. Look at their records. Look at the facts. The better informed you are the better you’ll feel when you vote.
Don’t be IGNORANT. It isn’t attractive. I always tell my children to never date anyone who doesn’t vote. Yes, I do have strong opinions on this subject.
Burning Question #35: Are you going to vote?
By the way, I’m working as a Poll Officer on Saturday, Monday, and on Tuesday. THAT is how much I care about this. And yes, we do take an oath to make sure you get to vote. Also, don’t yell at your local poll workers – they don’t make the rules. Call your local county officials and yell at them.
My husband Teddy, Cody (our Vampire in training – a new Vampire from the Silicone Valley), Lola (my great great great grandmother), my brother Val and the two extremely elderly Vampires (who were sitting on the floor doing bead work or something crafty).
Cody asked “You’re all US citizens, right?.”
“Of course we are,” said my husband Teddy.
“You were born in Panama.” Teddy always thought that was one of the cool things about Teddy.
My parents were US citizens. I was born along the way when they headed out for the Gold Rush in 1849. That made me a citizen of the United States, because my parents were citizens.
“What about you?” He asked Lola and the ancient ones.
“I was born in Rome but I have lived here since 1801.” Lola’s father was a Pope a very long time ago but that is another post.
“The places we were born don’t exist anymore, at least not as cities.” Called one of the ancient Vampires from the floor.
“Vampires vote.” I said. “As do Werewolves. We all work, pay taxes, send our kids to public schools. We drive on the roads, use the parks, need law enforcement and the help of the fire departments. And there aren’t enough of us to help with National Defense. So of course we vote.”
“We pay taxes,” said Val, “more than our share.”
“What about ghosts?” Cody just had to ask.
“They’re dead.” We all said that at once.
“Zombies?”
“If they’re not quite dead yet they can vote, but if they’re dead with complete brain failure and their soul is gone they can’t vote.” I said
“Do Vampires ever run for office?” Cody looked at all of us.
Val answered. “We have but it isn’t a good idea these days with the media being all over the private lives of those running.”
“It could endanger us all,” I said. “We prefer to work in the background. After all, more often than not it is the background people who make the decisions and really run the show.”
“Has there ever been a Vampire president?” Cody asked.
“Not a president but there have been a few elected officials in high places,” Lola answered. She would know. “A Vice President or two.”
“Why don’t we just come out of the closet?” Cody was new to all of this. The new ones always ask this question time and time again.
“They’d kill us,” said Val. “That or try to put us in camps. It would be a blood bath. No pun intended.”
“People are afraid of what they don’t understand.” The elders said in unison in their quiet musical voices.
“And most people don’t want to understand,” I added.
Teddy looked up and took off his reading glasses. “It is easier to stay ignorant than informed. So let’s get back to the facts.”
So we sat with our voter books and laptops and did our research. Most of us had made up or minds but it was always good to take another look.
I’ve posted a few times about my Zombie friends (see below for “Lunch Date With Zombies)but what about Zombies who aren’t our friends? You know the type. So enough of the fluff, let’s use or lose our brains and get down to business.
So when you see rotting Zombies shuffling your way…
Burning Question #34: Are You Ready for a Zombie Apocalypse?
I know, everyone from Val Lewton to Shawn have covered Zombies. You know what they are. You know who they are.
So are you ready? What would you do? What HAVE you done to get ready? Tell us below. And let me know where you’ll be when WWZ arrives. Let’s get this party started!
And last of all don’t forget to see the new movie “There’s No Such Thing As Zombies.” A new thriller written by my friend Michael Haberfelner.
~ Juliette aka Vampire Maman
A Lunch Date With Zombies
(a true story from Juliette Kings)
Fridays are usually my lunch hunt date. I switched things up this week and took Cody, my young “Vampire in Training” out with me on Monday.
Lunch dates are fun ways for Vampires to hunt right out in the open. They involve fun, flirting, a bit of seduction and just enough blood to get you going for the weekend ahead. And regular humans never even suspect. They just leave the situation feeling warm and fuzzy, a little tired, and they think they’ve, well, you know.
Cody and I had arranged to meet an old friend of mine at my office with an associate of his. They were Lobbyist for the farming industry (after all we’re in the State Capitol and in the largest agricultural state). Mike and Melissa. I’m in public relations and do work for them from time to time.
Cody is shy by nature, a sweet likeable young man, but when it comes to hunting he is extremely shy. Most new Vampires can’t wait to get hunting, but with Cody it is more of a sweet romance, rather than just taking what one wants.
So to make a short story long, a guy in a suit shows up at the door. He looks like he’s been to hell and back then I recognize him as Mike. Behind him is Melissa, who is usually the perkiest blonde I’ve ever met, looking ashen and un-perkey.
I wonder if someone died, then realize, somebody has. They don’t smell right. They don’t look right. My stomach turns. Even Cody is picking up on something.
I step back.
“Juliette” says Mike “You have to help us.”
He puts his hand on my arm and I immediately feel it – ZOMBIES.
Funny, likable and extremely smart Mike, a sixth generation California farmer, graduate of UCD (THE Farm School) and successful advocate for the farmer is now…for all practical purposes DEAD.
And don’t give me any crap about being a Vampire. My flesh isn’t rotting and I’m not craving human brains for lunch. Plus I know where my soul is.
I’m confused. Both Mike and Melissa look good, all things considering.
Plus I thought all the Zombies had been confined to a compound in the Mojave Desert outside of Barstow.
“We’ve taken massive amounts of antibiotics to help prevent the rot and we’ve been drinking a lot of embalming fluid. That keeps the smell off and slows down the rot.” Mike told us.
The pair was driving across the Imperial Valley when they were stopped at a roadblock. Little did they know what seemed to be police were actually rogue Zombies. Later that night they were picked up by the authorities and brought to the super secret Area Z, where Zombies are kept to be monitored and studied.
I thought of long afternoons with Mike and how sweet his blood tasted. I thought of the slow seductions and languid after glows. Now here he was, doing everything he could to keep his skin from falling off in sheets. Holy crap, this was bad.
“What do you need?” I asked.
Mike put a hand to his face, adjusting his left eye back into the socket. “I want you to turn us into Vampires.”
OK, this is where the sound effects do a screeching halt. The very idea of a Zombie is revolting but putting my lips on the flesh of a Zombie and sharing blood. Putrid rotting blood.
“Has this ever been done?” Asked Cody.
“No, or at least never that I’ve heard of.” I said. “So much could go wrong.”
“Nothing could be worse than it is already.” Melissa wailed and watched as her thumbnail fell to the floor along with the tip of her thumb.
I thought about it for a moment then spoke in secret to Cody. I had an idea. If it worked we’d be heroes. If it didn’t we’d have to kill the Zombies, no matter that they were our friends.
I took Cody into the small kitchen area of the office where we bit into our wrists and let our own Vampire blood drain into two coffee cups.
The Zombies drank and before our eyes their skin went from gray to the color of their former living flesh (peaches & cream and coffee & cream – Vampires always think of everyone in terms of food, we can’t help it).
“I won’t turn you, not yet, but see if this helps. Don’t tell a soul, or anyone without a soul. Don’t tell anyone or I will hunt you down and kill you myself. Do you understand?”
They said they understood. I thought my stomach was going to drop out and my head would explode as they left the building.
Cody was about to speak when I told him. “The same goes to you Cody. If you tell a soul I will kill you and it won’t be fast or painless.”
“Got it.” Said Cody. I thought of my favorite movie line and said to Cody. “This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
Cody smiled. Then and there I knew he’d make a great Vampire.
I’ll keep you posted on Mike and Melissa – when and if I hear anything.
Due to the fact that I’m incredibly tacky and that this is one of the best bands I’ve ever seen live I’m starting this week’s Burning Question with some introduction music.
I know it doesn’t really have anything to do with this but…
This blog is known for fourfive seven things:
Parenting
Vampires (and parenting)
Love Letters (and parenting and vampires)
Short Stories (and parenting and vampires)
Taking your kids to rock concerts (parenting)
Romance (with vampires, and on rare occasions parents who are romantic with each other)
Burning Questions (with vampires and maybe parenting and mermaids)
Burning Question #33 (out of 50) is a last minute thing since the Internet was down for about 24 hours at my house. Even an old (almost 160 year old Vampire) like me needs the Internet. Sure I read, talk to my family, listen to Science Friday, pet my cat, play with my dog, but the Internet was DOWN all over the neighborhood. I live at the end of the line and in an Internet desert where our only choices are well, they’re crappy. So enough with excuses.
Oh, one more thing… after the poll, which I expect you to answer, I have posted something I wrote a while back about romance with Vampires. You can learn a lot from it. If you change your mind after reading it you can do the poll again (get out of the page then get back in.)
Kissed by a Vampire
Burning Question #33: Would you kiss a Vampire?
Your Homework Assignment (read it and tell me about it)
Love Bites, Love Bleeds, Falling In Love With A Vampire
Falling in love with a Vampire can suck. It bites. Vampires will leave you cold and in the dark. A Vampire lover will leave you drained and feeling dead inside.
All puns aside, it isn’t a good idea. For the most part, ok for all part, Vampires are cold-blooded predators. Sure we’re sweet and charming and fun to be around, but the embrace of a Vampire is dangerous place to trust your heart and soul. Well, of course unless you ARE a Vampire then the arms of a Vampire is the perfect place to be.
If you’re alive, I mean, a Regular Human, and if you’re lucky, a Vampire lover will leave you feeling the most alive you’ve ever felt. You’ll feel like you want to live forever. Your Vampire lover will fascinate you in every way imaginable.
Proceed with caution, for that good feeling will become like the highest high you’ve ever felt. The cold touch of your Vampire lover will be like the worst of the worst of addictive drugs. It will be both the beginning and the end of you. Then again, sometimes it can be just a normal strange relationship. It depends on how strong both parties are and what the end game is for both parties.
Kind of breaks your heart. I mean, it broke my heart.
Vampires also become attached to humans, especially the young and new. We love knowing that things will change. We won’t change much but everyone else does.
There are those who keep their hearts cold to the warm-blooded kin, but that makes for a dull existence lacking the richness one gets from the company of others who are different and alive (so to speak.)
Sometimes we just can’t help it. I mean, can anyone help who they fall in love with? My own brother Andy spent 40 years with a woman who died a natural death, old for her time. She never allowed him to change her. He never left her. She knew the risks but also the rewards of loving a Vampire. Andy still speaks of her. It is heart breaking but at the same time, I am rewarded in the knowledge that they found real love. But what the found was rare. It was rare for anyone.
Then again, let me muse here a bit, falling in love with a Vampire carries risk. Let me tell you the risks.
You might die in the arms of your lover from blood loss, or alone in a back alley.
And you could return undead, without a soul of your own, a shadow in the dark.
Or you could end up like your Vampire lover and be part of his/her life for centuries, but that rarely happens. Rarely. More than likely you’ll still get dumped and find yourself in a strange world all alone. It is just all in a day’s work for a Vampire.
Now answer the poll and tell me what you think.
~ Juliette aka Vampire Maman
No, this is not you and your Vampire girlfriend. It is not going to be like this. You’re just a dude in love with someone you have no business being with. Run away. Run away. She has fangs. Run away. But then again if you’re in love with her…
