Every November I’m reminded of National Novel Writing Month. Every year I’m tempted to make some kind of an attempt at writing down 50,000 words. I say it that way on purpose, because I can easily foretell that if I do manage to write down 50,000 words in one month it will mostly consist of words that may or may not actually go together. I’m already a day behind, so either I will go ahead with it, or let it lie for another year.

Just one more thing. Can we please stop with all of the I’m a slutty “whatever” costumes that get paraded out every year? It was novel at one time, but now it’s becoming annoying, especially because it is typically the girls that can least afford to be running around in minimal attire that seem to be most drawn to these costumes. Don’t even get me started with the sexy tween costumes I saw at friggin’ Target. Good god people. And I’d like to be able to enjoy Halloween without feeling like I just entered a freakin’ whore house. C’mon!
With that said, this is funny:

Halloween was on the weekend this year, and as Mitzy and I were invited to two parties it made for an extended bit of fun and social intermingling. That said, the parties we went to couldn’t have been more different if they’d known of each others existences and purposefully tried to be different in order to show their disdain for the other. Friday night was a party at the home of a fellow member of our ‘travel group’, and was made up mostly of the younger types. It was mostly a drinking and mingling party, with heavy emphasis on the drinking. The whole thing was delightfully fun, and I think we finally made it home around 2:30 A.M.
We went as Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. I was Paul, and Mitzy was the Ox. I portion of costuming was pretty easy, a flannel shirt, some suspenders, a small knit cap was all I really had to get. I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to manage all of the components for a Blue Ox costume, but Mitzy managed to find a blue onesy thing at Target. And while it was originally intended as sock monkey pajamas, I think, she managed to transform it into a blue ox costume, complete with tail. Even though she had never heard of either Paul or Babe before, she went along with my idea, and I believe this means I will be Cher to her Sonny next year.
Saturday night was a party at the home of a member of our language and culture group, and it was far more sedate. We ate, talked about lofty subjects, and watched some classic Dracula. It was a fun party, but the high-light for me was the ghost story telling session we had later in the evening. The coordinator kicked it off with a neat Korean tale about spirits, and then most everyone scared some spooky story from either their personal experience, or something they had heard from a friend.
I got to tell X-2’s ghostly perfume story, and about the time that mom and I encountered some strange figure way out on Highway 84. A fellow from Nigeria shared a story about his mom and dad living in a haunted house after they moved to the U.S., and a fellow from India shared a story about his sister, or sister-in-law, getting possessed by a spirit, and one about his aunt having to break the curse of an Indian style voodoo doll. Mitzy shared some spooky stories that her family has told, and we did this all while sitting around the hooka. So that made for a pretty spooky and relaxed end to the night.
It had been a long time since I’d been invited to a Halloween party, let alone two, so it was a nice experience. Though I admit that I am a little over socialized now.
Mitzy and I rounded out the weekend by watching some more Mad Men. We’re on season three now, and almost caught up. We also watched Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘39 Steps’, which was a very enjoyable film.