Category Archives: Social Media

HALLOWEEN MUSIC | Epic Playlist List 💀🎃👻

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OK, I have posted my Halloween Playlists before… but there’s more. Someone asked for spooky songs on Threads today and it kicked me into Halloween mode. It’s basically October, right? You can move these to your preferred streamer with Tune My Music. I have amassed more spooky and spooky-adjacent playlists.

I may have a problem.  Let me know if I’m missing some obvious or obscure bangers!  A lot of these I will listen to on shuffle/random, because I add stuff in what could be aptly described ss manic bursts of energy. Bold ones are ones I probably hit more often.

Halloween Stuff:

Halloween Costumes & Creatures:

Spooky Vibes in General:

Playlists not by me:

I guess if you’re having a party, you might wanna add some pizza songs to your list. Like I said the last time I posted these: You can peep this Misfits tribute from 20 years ago too, and don’t forget to get some Halloween swag or solve some free Halloween mazes.

AiXeLsyD13's Halloween Playlists on Amazon Music

If you wanna do some free Halloween-ish mazes while you listen, peep these:

I probably have Halloween Mazes pop up a lot here.

Crafty-Kraft Creamy Baked Mac n’ Cheese

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I have had it in my head for a while now that I wanted some of the homestyle creamy baked mac n’ cheese. Inspiration hit with the snow coming down today, wanting some comfort food, so I just did it. I had been wondering if you could use a box of Kraft as the start to “good” mac & cheese, too. I had some stuff in the ‘fridge & pantry to make it happen. Posting it here to remember what I did.

Creamy baked mac and cheese on a white plate, topped with golden breadcrumbs. The dish is served with crumbled crumbs scattered around.
A baked mac and cheese dish with a golden brown breadcrumb topping, placed on a green towel.

I didn’t really measure, but this is close…

Ingredients:

  • 2 boxes Kraft mac & cheese (noodles & powder packets)
  • ½ cup butter & ¼ cup butter (for later)
  • ½ cup flour
  • 1 block sharp cheddar cheese (16 oz.?), grated
  • 4 cubed chunks (approx. 1″ cubes) of Velveeta (I used the Aldi version)
  • 1 cup shredded colby jack cheese
  • 2½ cups 2% milk
  • ½ cup half & half
  • ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
  • ¾ plain breadcrumbs
  • yellow mustard (a dash)
  • ground mustard (to taste)
  • black pepper (to taste)
  • white pepper (to taste)
  • salt (to taste)
  • onion powder (to taste)
  • garlic powder (to taste)
  • table blend salt-free seasoning (to taste)

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
  2. Boil the pasta in some water with bit of salt, for about 5 minutes… the time on the box overcooks them.
  3. Melt ½ cup butter in a cause pan on medium, stir in the flour (season it here), cook 2 or 3 min. until golden.
  4. Slowly stir in milk & half & half. (Season it here too.)
  5. Slowly stir in the grated sharp cheddar & chunks of Velveeta. I put the squirt of mustard in here. (Season it here too.)
  6. Slowly stir in one of the cheese powder packets from the Kraft box. (Season it here too.)
  7. Drain the pasta when it’s done while you’re doing all that, then put it in an 8″x8″ glass baking dish.
  8. Stir in your cheese sauce. (If I understand correctly, that was a roux, then a béchamel, then a mornay… right?) Season it again if you nasty, and you’re reading this, so I know you are.
  9. Melt the ¼ cup of butter in a small bowl with a handle. (Season it here too.)
  10. Stir the breadcrumbs, the other Kraft cheese packet, & the table blend seasoning into the butter bowl.
  11. Sprinkle the shredded colby jack on top of the cheese n’ macaroni.
  12. Spread the buttery cheesy breadcrumbs on that.
  13. Pop it in the oven for like 18 minutes.

Notes:

  • I popped it in for 20 minutes, and while the breadcrumbs got a little overdone, they weren’t quite burnt. I may cover it in foil for a bit next time, or put the breadcrumbs on after a bit of cooking?
  • I’ll use a bullion cube in with the macaroni next time. I do that with pasta a lot but was worried the Kraft cheese packets may be salty, they weren’t as bas as I expected.
  • I needed some grated parmesan shake cheese, but didn’t use any because I couldn’t find it. Ha ha.
  • What about crushed Cheeze-Its instead of breadcrumbs? What about bacon pieces in there?

Have you done this? Obviously I could just use regular pasta & forgo the Kraft powdered cheese sauce concoction. Got any tips or tricks? If you say nutmeg or cinnamon you can see yourself all the way out.

Share your thoughts in the comments!

That one time one of my mazes was in the Fat Wreck Chords ‘Zine/Catalog…

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Anyone remember punk rock compilation CD’s, & their ‘zine/catalogs? I remember lots of ‘zines out there, and still love all the great punk rock that I found through Fat Wreck, Epitaph, Lookout!, Asian Man, Honest Don’s, Drive-Thru, No Idea, Hell Cat & more.

It was fun to be included in stuff like this! (I got some art in the 90’s FIEND CLUB Bleeder’s Die-Gest too!)

Check out the maze, and the pages it was part of:

A hand-drawn maze with the text 'Help FLOYD get to the refrigerator for a beer!' at the top and 'FAT WRECK CHORDS' in the center, with an illustration of a refrigerator at the bottom marked 'FINISH!'

You should try to solve it, post your solution, & tag me @AiXeLsyD13 on your preferred social media platform. And, of course I spelled refrigerator wrong. 🤦🤷

A vintage punk rock compilation catalog featuring a maze and an order form for Fat Wreck Chords merchandise, with playful illustrations and text related to punk culture.

You can check out a few more pages on my Threads post or on Instagram:

Did you dig the Survival of the Fattest, Punk-O-Rama, Greatest Shits compilations, & all the associated bands? Who were your favorites?

Snuff, Guns ‘n’ Wankers, & Dogpiss always stood out to me!

Culinary Anarchy | You don’t have to parboil the lasagna noodles!

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A slice of lasagna on a white plate, showcasing layers of pasta, ricotta cheese, meat, and marinara sauce.
Leftover Lasagna – about to be re-heated in the microwave.

I have seen it out there on the internet for years, and I was afraid. Surely the ready-to-bake lasagna noodles are drastically different from the regular ones, right? I’m not talking fresh pasta that needs no prep… I mean the dried boxed stuff that food snobs will tell you is inferior.

I did it. No one died. Everyone seemed to like it. I’ll put my recipe down here first & the shenanigans after that… because Threads gave me some shenanigans. Trigger warning for Nonnas worldwide: I put brown sugar in jarred sauce. Proceed with caution.

Here’s what I did…

Ingredients:

  • (3) 15 oz. containers ricotta cheese
  • (2) 8. oz/2 cups bags shredded Mozzarella/Provolone cheese
  • (1) 2.41 lbs. package 90%/10% ground beef
  • (1) small zucchini, shredded (maybe 2 cups?)
  • (3) 24 oz. jars marinara sauce
  • (1) 1 lb. box Barilla lasagna noodles
  • (2) eggs
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan/Romano cheese
  • shredded parmesan (to taste)
  • fresh curly parsley (to taste)
  • Italian seasoning (to taste)
  • dried parsley (to taste)
  • brown sugar (to taste)
  • jarred minced garlic (to taste)
  • garlic powder (to taste)
  • onion powder (to taste)
  • black pepper (to taste)
  • paprika (to taste)
  • Mrs. Dash table blend (to taste)
  • salt (to taste)

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 375° (Next time I may do 350° for a longer time, but we were in a but of a hurry.)
  2. Brown the beef in a pan on the stove with some of all your spices to taste. (I could/should have included onion here.)
  3. Mix the ricotta, one bag of the shredded cheese, the grated parmesan, a bit of the shredded parmesan, the eggs, fresh parsley, & shredded zucchini in a large bowl, again with all the spices including the garlic.
  4. This filled two 9×13″ glass baking dishes for me. I think I layered them both a bit different. Follow your heart. Put sauce on the bottom, sprinkle in some brown sugar, the dry lasagna noodles, the ricotta mixture, the ground beef, some more shredded cheese, more sauce, more noodles, and just keep going. I did put a very little bit of water in the jars of sauce to swirl around & empty more.. and put that into the dishes too. Sprinkled cheese and made sure there was lots of sauce on top of each.
  5. Cover them tightly with foil & put them in the oven for 50 minutes.
  6. Take out, sprinkle on some more of the shredded parmesan, cook for another 10 minutes.
  7. Pull out, rest for a bit, then serve.
A serving of lasagna on a white plate, showcasing layers of noodles, marinara sauce, ricotta cheese, and ground beef.
Two glass baking dishes filled with baked lasagna, topped with melted cheese and marinara sauce, resting on a wooden surface.

Notes:

  • Like I said, lower & slower next time. Maybe 350° for an hour then uncover & go for another 15 minutes?
  • Carrots may be good in with the ground beef… and/or mushrooms?
  • Maybe spinach in the cheese mixture or as another layer. Let’s get some fiber up in here.
  • I don’t generally like sausage, but if you do it’d be good here for sure.
  • What would you do?

🍝

Readers, let me tell you… people have feelings about calling that strip of pasta a “lasagna noodle.” There is also the fact that “American” lasagna has ricotta, but traditional does not. I was even told that because I added shredded zucchini it is no longer lasagna. I have made it replacing the pasta with long thinly-sliced zucchini planks and still called it lasagna.

People have lost their damn minds. No one knows that food and language evolve over time and across regions and even households?

I did plug my ingredients list into Gemini, ChatGPT, Perplexity, & Copilot to see what they would churn back out, but honestly I didn’t follow through with any of their advice.

I also make wedding soup incorrectly and put beans in chili. Clutch those pearls! Enjoy a meatball club. Hell, join the meatball club!

I look forward to your thoughts about lasagna, your tips, tricks & recipes, and the nuance of semantics involving pasta naming conventions in the comments. How do you layer yours? I feel like I need a way deeper pan. Do you go “traditional” and eschew ricotta? Do you call lasagna noodles lasagna noodles or are you pretentious?

I leave you with the discourse:

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🏴‍☠️ Curses, Cutlasses, and Cauldrons | Joel Fatal, Local Troublemaker

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Curses, Cutlasses, and Cauldrons by Joel Fatal, Local Troublemaker

I’ve posted before about other friends that have written books. That’s not new. I know some cool-ass people. This scoundrel has an Ernie and the Berts tattoo though.

I was on a boat in the ocean exactly once in life. We were far enough out that we could not see land. I was told it was a rather calm sea that day. I still puked over the side. I caught an amber-jack, that apparently was not good eating because of a potential parasite? I am deathly allergic to shellfish, and I am not a fan of the beach. I have probably only had rum a handful of times and it was always mixed with Coke or Dr. Pepper. Still though, who doesn’t love the romance & adventure of pirate imagery, and pirate songs?

Here’s my review of Joel’s book:

This collection of thoughts, reflection, & feelings is delivered not unlike catching a glimpse of a ghost ship in the mist on the barely discernable horizon. Sometimes it’s just hinted at on the whispers of the wind or waves of the open sea. Then, all of a sudden you’re in the crow’s nest surveying the chaos of the poop deck in a storm or in the captain’s quarters as he sips rum and recounts tales of anarchy, punk rock, rebellion, & love by candlelight. Maybe it’s the brig? Or a deserted island. It’s left to the reader to fill in the gaps as they dream of their own adventures, shenanigans, & longing. Who can’t relate to a journey, physical or metaphorical? What is the line really? Get lost in this book, & create your own treasure map to get out or to get further lost. 🏴‍☠️

You should pick it up on Amazon via KDP or check out the Goodreads page.

A hand holding a book with an illustration of a witch stirring a cauldron against an orange background, featuring a skull and crossbones in the upper corner.
Curses, Cutlasses, and Cauldrons by Joel Fatal, Local Troublemaker

After you read Joel’s book, you’ll probably want to listen to my “Let’s Get Scurvy 🏴‍☠️🦜“ playlist, and maybe even try my treasure map maze (from my book, You Can See Yourself Out). Tell me what you like from the playlist & make suggestions for more songs in the comments!

A hand-drawn treasure map maze featuring a pirate ship, sea creature, palm tree, and treasure chest, set against a background of winding paths. (Hand-drawn by AiXeLsyD13)

You can get this one on a T-shirt, and a ton of other stuff too.

But really, buy Joel’s book. Tell me what you thought about it in the comments, you barnacle-ridden bilge pump!

A person with a beard and glasses (Joel Fatal) holds four copies of a book with a pirate-themed cover featuring a skull and crossbones.

Shameless Plug: Get a Turkey Maze T-shirt! 🦃✍️

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I love Thanksgiving. It’s coming soon. This is some Turkey Day attire that you can relax in. Wear it under a nice cozy flannel. It appears to be on sale at both my TeePublic and RedBubble shops currently. You should take advantage of that if you’re so inclined.

A green Thanksgiving T-shirt featuring a colorful turkey maze design, available for sale.
Green t-shirt featuring a colorful turkey design with maze patterns, labeled 'Turkey Maze 2023 Essential T-Shirt' with a price discount.

You can get this design on an apron, a coffee mug, a tote bag, a hoodie, a blanket, a pillow… or all kinds of stuff really. You can change the clothing color with a bunch of options & styles at each site too. Poke around & see if you can find something you like!

Also, you can print this out & try to solve it for free. Or do it on your phone/tablet/whatever. You can post it on social media & tag me @AiXeLsyD13.

A colorful maze illustration of a turkey with intricate patterns in its feathers, depicting a fun Thanksgiving theme.
A maze illustrated in the shape of a turkey, featuring intricate labyrinth patterns throughout its body and feathers.

Of course, I have a buch of other Thanksgiving themed mazes too:

I suggest printing the mazes for guests to compete to see who can finish first while dinner is being cooked. I have my recipes tips & tricks for that too… as well as recipes Turkey Noodle Soup and Thanksgiving Sliders. I’ll even hit you right in the stuffing nostalgia.

Hey, this pumpkin maze works for Halloween and Thanksgiving if you ask me. And, you can get two versions of it on all kinds of stuff too:

Illustration of a pumpkin designed as a maze with intricate lines and an orange color scheme.
Black and white illustration of a pumpkin designed as a maze.

You can get the full color orange one on stuff at TeePublic and at RedBubble. You can also get the black & white one on stuff at TeePublic. I thought that might look cool on an orange T-shit.

You can do all that while listening to my Thanksgiving Playlist too, on Amazon Music or whatever you listen to.

@aixelsyd13

Get my #Turkey #Maze T-shirt from #TeePublic or #RedBubble now so you can impress your friends & family by wearing it on Thanksgiving. https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/53088197-turkey-maze-2023 https://www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/Turkey-Maze-2023-by-AiXeLsyD13/154800158.6ATOD 🦃✍️  @TeePublic @Redbubble

♬ Oh You Cant Find This In The Store – THE TUMBLER AMBASSADOR ✨

🍗 Have any suggestions for Thanksgiving recipes, songs, or mazes? I’m all ears. 🌽🌽 Hit me up in the comments!

Spiderweb Maze 🕷️🕸️🪰

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I felt like drawing another Halloween sort of maze. I will probably do some more. I wanted to give this a bit of color too. As always, I’d love it if you solved the maze on paper or on a screen, posted it so social media, & tagged me.

Have fun with this. Print it for your Halloween parties, to pass out with candy, or just for fun. Free to use, just don’t steal & sell it.

I really used to be super creeped out by spiders. Perhaps I should make a series of different kinds of spider mazes. The fly is kind of a blob here. I may do a cleaner version at some point. Still working out if I want the next book to have a theme or just be chaos (again).

A black and white maze depicting spider webs with a spider and a fly, featuring the text 'HELP THE SPIDER GET TO THE FLY!'
A Halloween-themed maze with a spider at the top and a fly at the bottom, featuring intricate web designs and an orange gradient background. The text at the top reads, 'HELP THE SPIDER GET TO THE FLY!'
A Halloween-themed maze illustration featuring a spider and a fly. The maze is intricate with spiderweb patterns, and a red text prompt reads 'HELP THE SPIDER GET TO THE FLY!'

You can get the black & white version on all kinds of stuff like stickers, T-shirts, mugs, & wall art at TeePublic & Redbubble.

You can also get the orange version on all kinds of stuff like stickers, T-shirts, hoodies, & aprons at TeePublic & Redbubble.

There’s a whole Halloween category of my stuff at Redbubble. I got some stickers for myself to pass out in our non-food Halloween treats bowl.

We are a food allergy household, and while peanuts, tree nuts, or chocolate aren’t triggers for us, we participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project & offer 3 separate bowls… of “traditional” stuff, stuff that is does not contain or is not processed with nuts or chocolate, & total non-food treats. The non-food stuff goes well every year!

Don’t forget to check out my other Halloween mazes like the Haunted House/Graveyard, old Halloween maze merch, and stuff from long ago, or even longer ago!

You can try to solve some of these while listening to my Halloween & monster playlists! Or, check the newest one (I cannot stop!): Halloween | Certified Bangers 💀🦇🕸️🕷️

Haunted House & Graveyard Mazes

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Have you noticed that I like Halloween? I made some more Halloween-themed mazes. I felt like doing a haunted house and a graveyard. My drawing skills have waned, I need more practice. Third book? Maybe. I have sold 10’s of copies of the others so far. If you try these mazes out, be sure to post your solution on your social media of choice, and tag me. I’m @AiXeLsyD13 just about everywhere. You can even listen to one of my Halloween playlists while you do it… or the monster playlists, or the newest one: Halloween | Certified Bangers 💀🦇🕸️🕷️

You could even print some out for kids at a Halloween party. Just, please, don’t steal & try to sell them.

Also, check out the versions I colored with paint.NET below, and you can get them on stuff at my TeePublic & RedBubble shops.

A Halloween-themed maze illustration featuring a haunted house with intricate maze patterns and a bat flying above, set against a full moon.
A black and white maze design featuring a graveyard theme, with intricate paths and outlines.
A whimsical illustration of a haunted house maze under a full moon, featuring two bats flying overhead and orange-lit windows.
A Halloween-themed maze featuring gravestones, with clear markers indicating the entrance and exit.

You can get the haunted house maze and the graveyard maze on T-shirts, hoodies, stickers, etc. at TeePublic & Redbubble.

Who gets better monster songs?

Posted on by Standard 2

In addition to my plethora of Halloween & Halloween-adjacent playlists, I recently created some rather specific ones.

Which mythical ghouls get the best songs… Vampires, werewolves, or zombies?

These are my lists (so far):

If you have any glaring omissions, I’m all ears! I mean, cryptids, aliens, or mummies may sweep in with a win, too?

Do you base it on one song? On the whole work? On a few standouts?

I mean, the Vampire team has “You’re Dead/Vampire Ska” by We Are Union (not to mention the originals), “Sacrifice Theory” by AFI, & “(She’s My) Vampire Girl” by The Groovy Ghoulies.

The Werewolf team has “I Was a Teenage Werewolf” by the Cramps, “Werewolf” by the Five Man Electrical Band, & “Bark at the Moon” by Ozzy.

Zombies are rocking hard and apparently dancing with “Do the Zombie” by the Eyeliners, “Zombies Ate My Pirate Ship” by Alestorm, & “Re Your Brains” by Jonathan Coulton. I think I may be leaning zombies because it was hard to pick just 3 songs.

I wanna hear your take! Hit me up here or on social media at @AIXeLsyD13.

A collage featuring three scenes from a horror-comedy film: the top scene shows a zombie with blood on its face, accompanied by an anguished character; the middle scene features three vampires in dark attire; the bottom scene depicts a werewolf dressed in a basketball uniform, holding a basketball, in a gym setting.