Halloween Decorations?

We carved pumpkins last night.  Remember when people did that?  Robb is actually surprisingly good at this.  Each year we've done it, I've ben way impressed with his designs...free hand with no stencil on that Jack Skellington.  And my pumpkin is like, "Yeah...shut up.  I'm a pumpkin, too."  I love his grumpy little face.

But that got me thinking, as I do.  Ever since companies started selling strings of orange and purple and green lights just for Halloween, along with inflatable lawn crap and light up, pre-carved, plastic pumpkins, Halloween decorations have been LAME!  Remember when your dad would build the dummy and put it out on the porch, milk carton with a mask on for a head?  Kitchen knife in its chest?  Ketchup.  Home-made tombstones and those lame ghosts made from towels and socks or Kleenex and Tootsie Pops?  Remember that?  

What happened?

Now I drive to work and I see orange pumpkin party lights, light up pumpkins in windows, giant inflatable Winnie-the-Pooh made up like a pumpkin in the yard...nothing with any character...nothing that isn't store-bought and just the same as the decorations three houses down...and does ANYONE still carve pumpkins?

I'm only 28 years old, but I feel like a grumpy old man when I say things like this and people look at me like I'm nuts.  There's just no charm to the holiday any more.

Out

It's Happening Again!!!

This Sunday is our Collage-o-Rama for National Novel Writing Month. We'll be cutting, pasting, chatting, freaking out, and generally having a great time collaging our novels into existence. Last year I discovered a whole subplot while doing mine. Let's hope I discover a PLOT this year...blah.

But it's happening! NaNoWriMo is gathering steam and hurtling toward us like a crappy metaphor I'm bound to use in my novel! It's exciting! I'm buying candy to send to our sister group in Perth, Western Australia, and they're working on getting their box of goodies to us over here! Hooray for Tim-Tams and Musk Sticks! Special requested.

Did you know that candy over there doesn't ever combine chocolate and peanut butter? Seriously. They think Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are the WEIRDEST thing. So I'll be sure to send those. And...Mike n Ikes were specially requested from us, too. Apparently they're a sought after commodity. Oh, and when we talk to them, they like to ask us about peanut butter and jelly. They think that's even STRANGER. Of course, when they sent us vegemite last year, we thought we would die.

It's like...salty motor oil? Yeah...maybe that. But it comes in those Handi-Snacks with crackers and that tiny red stick to spread it. It was...weird. Very weird.

Of course, ask my group about musk sticks and they'll tell you they're like Peeps pushed through a Play-Doh Fun Factory and flavored with old man cologne. I just think they're delicious.

There are perks to being an ML. For sure.

Speaking of...I have to rush off and check my forums...

Life suddenly became a little more exciting around here.

Out

No Alarm Clock Needed...

No, seriously. I haven't set an alarm for weeks. Why? This time, it's not the cat that wakes me up at the same time every morning. Nope.

This morning's example: "SEAN, DUDE! WE HAVE TO GO! COME ON! SHUT THE DAMN DOOR! COME ON! GET IN THE CAR! WE HAVE TO GO OR WE'LL BE LATE!"

Yeah...and Friday it was kids playing around unattended in cars. Starting them, shutting them off, slamming doors...I can't wait until they drive one through their own apartment windows and get evicted...seriously...the oldest of these kids couldn't be 8 years old yet. I'm just...so friggin done with these neighbors.

This morning I lost my cool and said, "Shut the fuck up," from bed...but I don't think anyone heard me from right below my window because they were too busy screaming and slamming doors.

My god...July can't come quickly enough...ugh. Have you ever had neighbors so bad you contemplated peeing into the fan in their windows while they were gone just for giggles?

Out