A week or two ago I found bulletins taped to the honeycomb of mailboxes at the top of the hill. They proclaimed that Trick-or-Treating in my neighborhood would be on Sunday the 28th from six to nine PM. I normally object to off-day treating having done it on the actual day of Halloween since I was strong enough to haul a bucket, but at least this way I'd still be able to hand out candy.
Sunday I made a hundred mile round-trip with my dad to help pick up a quarter of beef my folks ordered. Then I was off to the local farm market whose name I can't spell for pumpkins & Sam's Club to purchase a couple boxes of king-size candy bars. I made it back with just enough time for
renny1780 to come over & help me carve said pumpkins before the treating began. The treating began.Nothing. Not a sausage.
I cooked my famous beef stew with dumplings, we watched a little Eerie Indiana, Space Ghost and later, Monster House. Still no little visitors. Vicious as it was, I sincerely doubt my Jack-O-Lantern (pictured above) frightened them all away. Not even calling out "I have candy!" & later, "I still have candy!" drew any near. My lights were on, the pumpkins were out & the House of Evil™ should have looked warm & inviting. Peeking out, I saw a few neighbors also had porch lights on but no one was braving the darkened streets. Evidently the kids didn't get the memo. I bet the streets will be full tomorrow tho', despite plans of my landlord. It's a good thing I bought candy I liked.
Saturday I made my now annual escape to Spring Green & The House on the Rock. I don't know anyone who appreciates the place nearly as much as I do so I've made it a simple personal excursion to relax & recollect myself. Things have changed a bit since last time. The house & collections tour has been split up into three separate tours with a flat rate for each & discounted price for all three at once. This suited me that day since all I wanted to visit was the house proper & I spent most of the afternoon there for eleven dollars & change. This time I brought along The Hobbit, inspired by recent acquisition of the Lord of the Rings special edition DVDs. I read for a few hours, delving deep into the story & soaking up the atmosphere. I even acquired a few compliments of people joking that I might be Alex Jordan himself. I had a wonderful time but ultimately left early. I wasn't feeling spectacular that day & it's a long walk from the house to the nearest restroom. I look forward to going back in the spring (if at all possible) with my friend Anjean in tow.
After the House I went straight ("straight" meaning I went to Best Buy & bought the special 2-disc edition of Gojira along the way) to
crabmoon's Halloween party. Most of the people who read my journal were there. Unfortunately I was in one of those queer moods where I wanted to be near people but had next to nothing to contribute to anything going on around me. Perhaps it was a residual mood from the solitude earlier or a lingering affect of my mild unwellness. I still had a good time & seemed to feel better once we ordered & devoured pizza. It helped that Daylight Savings Time ended that night providing an extra hour let things work out. By the time I left I was tired but content, broken momently only by having to change a bunch of clocks once I returned home (my two biggest are still an hour ahead since I'm rather partial to them being in perfect sync when I adjust them.)I heard the riot on State Street didn't happen this year which is good, I suppose. Prevented mostly, I suspect, by people willing to pay $50 on beer not willing to give over $5 for admission to the area. Having read reviews of the non-catastrophe in the State Journal today I almost wish I'd been there. It would have been a first since recent years have provided a smidgen too rambunctious for my tastes. Ahh, but for a public event as such my costume would be a little too subtle.
Yes, I have changed my appearance for All Hallow's Eve but only those who know me would notice the difference. I suspect it will garner the most attention at work which is really the only reason I'm doing it. But it's something different & kind of fun. Sometimes the best thing you can be for Halloween is yourself.
- E V I L O U T -
P.S.
I'm going to have a special upload available for Halloween midday. Stay tuned.
Later
Aw crap. Yousendit has again decreased it's max file size for non-premium members. I wish I could make this easier but here's a Bittorrent for Gary Larson's Tales from the Far Side TV special from 1994.
