The 536th Annual Vampire Awards

Vampire's Castle aka The Tower of Shadows  See more of this artwork at http://redhoodstudio.pl/o-firmie

Every year, The Nether Realm has a gothic, luxurious banquet for vampires and their guests.  It is a “by invitation only” gala event. You cannot get past the lion statues poised at the front stone gate without producing the written invitation. It is rumored that these lions will come to life and attack you if you are caught attempting to crash the party.  It may be worth the risk. There are glamorous gowns, elegant tuxedos, divine decor, the most wonderful wine any world could offer, and food that is a feast for all the senses.  Yes, they have real food there (for the guests not the vampires) and no they are not trying to fatten people up to drink their blood. They have not done that for over 300 years despite what Bram Stoker says. 

 

The Nether Realm’s 536th Annual Vampire Awards Night was held on Saturday, December 12, 2015. 

The theme at this year’s event was: “Be responsible. Be kind.” A grand prize was given to the vampire who had drawn the most blood without turning or killing its donor. The grand prize was a fabulous all-inclusive trip for two to the romantic resort known as Camelot for an entire week of feasting, jousting, dancing, and hunting.  Here are this year’s winners:

Camelot



1st place Lucius DuGreco aka the King of Vampires

Lucius has been successfully draining blood since the late 17th Century.  With the help of an influential physician, Lucius has developed a system to perform blood transfusions.  These transfusions were often very dangerous to the subjects.  Knowing that this procedure would help his kind and the human race, Lucius worked diligently to perfect the procedure so that no one would get hurt.  Because of his perseverance, determination, and compassion for all living things, he succeeded in his quest.  Since then, blood is donated, the subjects are safe and vampires are well fed.
 

2nd place Nico Adessi, Vineyard Owner
Nico has always been a strong supporter of the blood drive in Europe.  He and his wine company have what many people call "Blood Parties”.  He supplies good food at the blood drive for those who give and a small bottle of champagne to every 15th person for their troubles.
He also throws lavish fundraisers where he encourages others to donate blood. All the proceeds are sent directly to the blood bank.   

 

3rd place. Jaqueline Mallory, Famous Artist

A blood drive activist, Jacqueline volunteers for any blood donor clinic in the Nether Realm or Earth Realm that she happens to be near.  She watches over the people giving blood there to reassure and comfort them with her gentle but witty bedside manner.  She uses her influence in the art world to spread the word about the need for blood.  She rarely fails to bring up the subject.   She mentions it in all of her lectures at art schools and during her art shows, classes and workshops.  

It's true that the way vampires get blood hasn't always been humane. But we shouldn’t be too judgemental because historically humans haven’t always been particularly humane in getting their food either.  We need to eat to survive and will get our food wherever and however we must.   Thankfully, we all have grown and evolved.  We now live in time when we have more options and most of us try to do things (even hunt) in the most benign way possible.  So for the sake of both vampires and humans be sure to donate at your local blood clinic.  We need it. Blood is the gift of life.  Wouldn’t this be a fabulous Christmas gift?


 

New Orleans Post 3 - The Museums and Culture

This Journey takes us to New Orleans Museum of Art or NOMA for short.  This is the place to find amazing works of art from the medieval ages to our modern society.  From east to west, Native to European, the art here is varied and beautiful.  A fascinating piece of history sits right before you with an explanation and a story to fascinate even the most uninterested of people. 

My personal favorite was the portrait of Marie Antoinette by Vigee Le Brun.  Big, tall and majestic.  That is exactly how I would have pictured her.  And I also liked the Chinese Snuff Bottles that were made from various materials such as jade and brass.  As you all well know, we still use those in our world.  We often use them for medicines or small potions but the humans (both Chinese and Europeans) used them for containing powdered tobacco.  If you are feeling homesick, take a look at these lovelies and know that its not as far as you think.

My next visit is to the Botanical Gardens that are just next door of NOMA.  Now this is a place where the flora captures you in an art all of its own.  I don't know about the rest of you but the majesty of nature always inspires me.  There are not as many flowers at this time of year but there are some that are not around where I am from (especially this time of year).  Floral trees, beautiful fountains, trees that seem more alive than anything else and little wild flowers popping up where you would least expect them.  And I can not forget the statues that remind you of Ancient Greece.  Go there to meditate or catch a glimpse of the wonderful plants.  It's not expensive at all either ($4.00 USD) when you want to connect to nature.

When it comes to learning more about history, there is a museum that you must go to and that is the World War II Museum.  Real life WWII Veterans will be happy to share their stories with you.  They are very intense, tragic and make you appreciate what we have today due to these noble people who sacrificed so much.  Even the locals speak really high of it and you get a first hand education of what happened in those days.  You won't get a better one. 

Now for something really unique, visit the Sculpture Garden.  The oddest and coolest structural pieces are there including what looks like a giant spider.  Something's you have to use your imagination for but others you can not help but admire the effort that these artists put in the detail of all these pieces. 

If you want art, history or getting a first hand experience of the culture that New Orleans provides check these places out.  You will find the wondrous in each and every one of these places.