Trying to buy a last minute pumpkin (4, of them to be precise) was almost impossible today. At the first place I stopped in Seneca, a lawn/garden place, the woman let her rheumy dog soak me with snot and when I asked how much for the pumpkins, she said "Bring the ones you want inside and I'll tell you how much they cost." "I'll just go somewhere where the price is marked," I said. She sighed loudly and annoyed, "I told you, carry them in here and I'll tell you how much they are." I left.

At the second lawn/garden/pet place in Seneca, the propiertess was carefully hidden, enabling a merry game of hide and seek until I finally prevailed. "How much for the pumpkins?" I asked. "$6," she said.

Now look, I really, really wanted to buy local, but when there's a $5 difference between basically identical pumpkins, a $20 for the whole purchase, and I had to hunt you down to be ripped off.

No. I'm sorry. My wild eyed screaming treehugging only goes so far.

I bought them shipped from God knows where at the local supermarket. For a buck a piece. It is, after all, the day before Halloween.

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More on this later this week, but remember, the First Venango Digital Film Festival kicks off this weekend:
Friday 11/2 at the Barrow-Civic Theater in Franklin, 7:00 - 9:00 pm.
Saturday, 11/3 at The Latonia Theater in Oil City, 7:00 - 9:00 pm.
Short films by Western PA filmmakers compete for a cash people's choice award. $5 Tickets available at the Barrow, the Latonia, Chambers of Commerce, and Transit Fine Arts Gallery.
I'll be there. Be nice and I'll save you a seat.

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Something good to come out of the TSA.

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What would The Shining or Night Of the Living Dead look like reenacted by cartoon bunnies in 30 seconds or less. Yup. Like that.

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BTW, did you know Night of the Living Dead is part of the public domain?

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Fall of Autumn Press lists a guide on booking a DIY show.

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The music magazine Paste is following Radiohead's lead and is offering "pay what you want" subscriptions ($1 minimum).

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Want a creepy Venango County eye from the olden days?

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Matt Croyle reflects on his first production, Wine Cheese and Poe.

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Meadville's VooDoo Brewing is finally selling their beer...But locals have to drive to Pittsburgh to buy it

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StylusMagazine.com, a portal for fans of experimental and independent music, will cease publication at the end of the month after almost five years

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I can't stop telling everyone I know about the Elk County bigfoot. Photos here and here. Be careful out there Parsons.

Meadville's Artist Cup Cafe will be featuring live music all day Saturday with no cover as part of the city's Halloween festivites. The 1-2 slot is still open. Call 814-337-8287. They're also looking for an artist to play November 23rd.

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Crazy Scaife's Trib Review explores ways to enjoy Pittsburgh's arts on the cheap.

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This weekend is the Monroeville "The It's Alive! 2007 Zombie Fest.":

[They're] less fancy than vampires. I think, overall, zombies are just sort of a nice all-inclusive group. They aren't discriminatory about whose brains they eat.

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This Sunday, at 2 pm, Dr. Louis Zona will give a gallery talk at Youngstown's Butler Art Museum entitled Wyeth in Context, The Continuum of American Realism as part of the museum's "Andrew Wyeth: Watercolors and Drawings" show that runs through December 21st.. Free, call 330.743.1107, ext. 210 to reserve.

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