is there a silence on this earth before every tear's been cried?

Europa's oceans may have an "Earthlike" chemical balance. And this coming Monday, September 26th, NASA's going to hold a press conference to announce evidence of "surprising activity" on Europa. So watch for that.

In other news, peripheral serotonin--AKA, serotonin produced in places other than the brain--is apparently a thing. I did not know this. In even more surprising news, it's been discovered that humans have a "second brain"--a collection of neurons and neurotransmitting fibers lining the walls of our alimentary canals--that help to control moods and behaviors. Thankfully it doesn't actually think, but it does feel, and we react to those feelings. That's...well, I wanted to say mind-boggling, but--which one?

Moving on to other matters. In Wish Master, there's an Adult-rated sim called the Haunted Home of Frankenstein. I was curious, so I went.



Graveyard, swamp shack, haunted house, crypt, orphanage, insane asylum...everything's here. All the cliches. All the tropes. All the same boring skeletons in the same boring closets.



There's a fairly good soundscape, but it gets repetitive, too.



Granted, it's a slight transition from the expected to have the haunted asylum open to the elements, but...not enough.



And why clowns? Why does the haunted orphanage always have clowns? (Though this fellow, he was from the crypt in the graveyard.)



Bleh. I am so, so very tired of seeing this Alice mesh...



Is it me? Is it just that Octoberville won't be around this year? Am I looking for a similar experience to the Japanese hunt-haunts, to the rich pageantry of Octoberville puzzles? Am I judging all these haunts too harshly? What am I seeking?

Whatever it is, whatever it may end up being...Haunted House of Frankenstein didn't have it. I'm not saying it's a bad haunt, just...a very expected one.