Tricks and Treats

Well, it's almost Halloween. This year, I did as many "Octoberness" activities as I could. I've learned that I pretty much have to make my own fun most of the time. And make it I did.

I started the "season" early, in September. Six weeks of autumn flavors and favors. I bought Halloween decorations, I even got to go to a corn maze this year. I tried to make up for the lame previous year as much as I could. I bought a bunch of Halloween-appropriate books, movies, and music, expanding my Autumn/Halloween "queue."

And the best part of expanding my queue is, I get to do it all again every year from now on. Sure, they won't be "new," but reruns eventually become classics. Cabin in the Woods will be such a classic.

Some of them already are. By that, I mean that I bought some old books I read when I was a kid, such as the Alvin Schwartz Scary Stories trilogy of anthologies, and the J.B. Stamper Tales for the Midnight Hour series. On top of that, I bought a ton of other anthologies that I haven't read before. Too many, in fact, to even get around to reading this year!

I went overboard with pumpkins this year, partly because I have a digital camera for the first time. I created an "Octoberness" picture album on Facebook, posting everything relevant: decor, pumpkins, the corn maze, and even my Halloween costume (I'm going as an evil pumpkinhead scarecrow). I carved twelve pumpkins this year... I think? Was it twelve? Wow.

There's a stray black cat in the neighborhood who comes by frequently, constantly meowing to be let in. I refer to this cat as Professor McGonagall. Just for the opportunity of taking snapshots of a black cat, I let her into my apartment. I got a couple of Halloweeny pictures out of the deal, but then I sneezed for two days and she hangs out on my doorstep even more than before. I'm not sure it was worth it. But it just wouldn't be Halloween without a black cat!

Sierra Nevada Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale. I discovered this delicious beer this year. Try it. You'll love it. It seems like there are a few other things to mention, that you should try, but I can't think of any. I bought several autumn-themed Gooseberry Patch recipe books (what can I say, Amazon is a great place for dirt-cheap used books), which in turn inspired me to use a hollowed-out pumpkin as a soup pot to bring to someone's house one night. But mainly the Sierra Nevada is the big discovery this season.

Though it may be an oxymoron, I'm going to a non-alcoholic Halloween party on Tuesday the 30th. Juliet and I both work on Halloween night anyway. So, for me, the season is pretty much done. I wore my costume tonight for a piano lesson, and I look forward to wearing it again Tuesday for a bigger "audience."

My only regret is that I didn't get to go to House of Torment, the famously epic haunted house. I already went over budget, and then some stuff came up with my car, so... yeah. Maybe next year, though I read somewhere that this is their last year. I think maybe they just meant this is their last year at that location. I'm sure business is good enough that they'll be back next year. Somewhere. But the corn maze I went to was on their first year, so I definitely intend to go back next year. Until then...

Happy Halloween!