Small Talk: a.k.a. 'The Meet Market'

[Camera One]

How about Zelena dressed as Maid Marion?

[ABitOFluff]

How about Zelena dressed as Maid Marion?

That could work. Medieval with a hint of green!

[HoodlumSheep]

I vote for elphaba!

I wish I knew what I was going to be for halloween. Usually I scrounge up a costume at the last minute from stuff I find around the house. Last year I was Fisherman Gorton. I had fun confusing children. Most of them were not expecting to hear a girl's voice. Lol.

Let's see, I've been a Lumberjack, Ernest (the Jim Varney movies), a fly fisherman, a flower girl...at least those are the most recent ones I can remember. Oddly enough, I've never been a ghost. Maybe I can find a spare sheet and be the Charlie Brown ghost.

[sharky]

I'm putting together a costume with existing clothes as well. Once again, I'm going as a '80s chick complete with leg warmers, jean jacket and New Kids on the Block shirt. And I'm probably going to put a hole in the ozone layer with all the hair spray I'll be using.

[daxx]

Pirate again. Spent too much not to use it more than once. Besides I'm really broke this year. It's not nearly cold enough for my Professor McGonagal costume. Black, high collared, long sleeve wool dress and green cloak.

[Camera One]

Easy costume idea: Dress up as Bad Writing.  All you need is a DVD set of this show.  

Edited October 25, 2015 by Camera One

[Shanna Marie]

For Halloween itself, I'm going to be a lazy single woman without plans for the evening, after having been a chorister in the morning. But for a night in, I'm tempted by the Princess Leia pajamas I saw in the Target circular with today's paper. They have a hood with the buns on the side! Though that seems like it would be really uncomfortable for sleeping in, unless you sleep on your back.

 

I was going to wear my pirate costume to the Halloween carnival on Wednesday, but I'm doing the cookie decorating booth, so I'll probably be wearing an apron. Black and orange icing and small children aren't a combination to go with anything white or that needs dry cleaning. I guess I could wear my pirate hat and be the chef on a pirate ship.

[HoodlumSheep]

I'd like to call an emergency (well it's not an emergency) meeting: I know someone's mentioned being in a similar situation as I now find myself to be, so I thought I'd ask for advice.

One of my old classmates from high school just recently moved back sort of near town. We've known each other since Kindergarten and were good friends throughout all of school. He's been off to school for 4ish years and we stayed in touch through email for the first year or so.

Anyways, he's recently wanted to hang out lately. We met up about a month ago at our old school's homecoming football game. Otherwise, I've basically avoided hanging out with him, but it's because I'm kind of anti-social.

Well, he just PM'd me on twitter and has basically admitted his feelings with me, and he doesn't care if I don't like him back, he just wants to talk and hang out because we're old friends. And to add to matters, my other high school friend (whom i haven't heard from since HS graduation) just PM'd me and said I should date him>_<.

Blah. I don't know what to do! I'm not good at this sort of stuff. Like, he's a really good friend (heck, I'd probably consider him one of my best friends) and a great guy but I don't think it goes any farther than that for me.

Like, I like emailing and chatting with him over twitter and stuff and hanging out with him if we bump into each other at some community event or something, but I'm kind of an anti-social person (I think it's people anxiety).

??? Any advice?

[OnceUponAJen]

Be honest! That's the best you can do.

[HoodlumSheep]

Be honest! That's the best you can do.

Ugh. I don't want to hurt his feelings. I kind of had a feeling this was coming. He liked me in HS but I just figured he eventually managed to grow out of it. Basically, all throughout HS we were the two everyone assumed were together (even though we weren't). All my friends, the teachers, even the principal thought we were "in like with each other" when he asked why we weren't walking buddies for the high school grad ceremonies one time.

I'm probably not going to be able to sleep for days now. The anxiety and stress is going to eat away at me pretty quickly.

[OnceUponAJen]

I know it's hard, but he'll appreciate the honesty. Better than him holding out hope, I would say. I've been in his place before. I'm sure it will hurt, but these things do I guess. Sorry.

[HoodlumSheep]

I wish I could handle these situations better! I told him I'd get back to him tomorrow (I panicked). Probably not the best response, but better than continuing the conversation over Twitter private-messaging. This'll give me time to process hopefully. I've completely lost my appetite now.

He's one of the very few friends I have.

[Shanna Marie]

I know someone's mentioned being in a similar situation as I now find myself to be, so I thought I'd ask for advice.

That would be me, and kind of the story of my life. It's funny, I spent my teens and 20s falling for guys who just saw me as a friend, like a sister. Then in my 30s it switched around, and all these guys I only liked as friends were falling for me.

 

First, you have to be really clear about where you stand. I've heard from these guys that they really just don't get hints. You have to flat-out tell them that it's not gonna happen. Even then, it may take repetition coupled with action to make it sink in, and you'll need refresher updates to make it clear that you haven't changed your mind because even if they say they got the message, they're going to be thinking that if they stick around and keep being good, you'll change your mind. If you ever do change your mind, you'll have to make that clear, as well. Hints won't work.

 

Second, you need to set clear boundaries to avoid confusion. I avoid all physical contact with these people, if at all possible. No hugging, pats on the back, or anything like that. I'm not a touchy person, in general, but that's a good way to make it very clear it's just friends. I also always pay my own way when we go out. That keeps it out of "date" territory. I'm generally also careful about not dressing to impress because even though I know that women usually dress for themselves or to impress other women, men read it as you dressing to impress them. It's really annoying, too, because I don't get out much, so I like to dress up when I do, and I have to be careful about the signals I'm sending. Sometimes I may want to feel sexy when I'm out, but I know that it will be read the wrong way if I take it too far.

 

And it helps that I tend to be anti-social. That limits the personal interaction. We chat online, sometimes talk on the phone and get together for particular events, but I also make sure to fit in plenty of alone time and time with other friends. I try not to get into too many "we always get together every weekend" patterns.

 

If any of these things bother or offend him, then he doesn't really want to be friends with you. He wants more and is hoping to wear you down.

[HoodlumSheep]

I think it's true what he said about being okay with just being friends, if I don't feel the same way. I think he just wants to hang out. I think he might be lonely (pretty much everyone from my class is away at school--many of them should be on the verge of graduation soon), I don't think he has anyone to hang out with from school or anything.

I don't really like socializing though. I'm kind of a hermit in a certain sense. I'm fine interacting with my family and friends (when I bump into the latter--which is extremely rare), but I don't know. socializing itself makes me feel extremely anxious.

Thanks for all the advice, you two! I'll try processing tonight. And try to figure out what to do tomorrow.

[Shanna Marie]

If he really is okay with being just friends, then you can tell him that's all you want without hurting his feelings, and it's best to make that really clear up front. I had a lot of awkwardness when I thought I was sending clear messages about not wanting more than friendship and the message he was receiving was that I needed to be pursued harder, so it was more difficult later to make it clear than it would have been up front. I had to get borderline nasty (and he was being borderline creepy).

 

And it's okay to tell him you aren't big on socializing if that's the truth. If he's a friend, he should get it. Speaking as a raging introvert myself, I really have to limit my social time because it drains me. If I have something going on during the weekend, that's it for weekend activities, period. That means some of my friends have to wait a while to see me. I start getting stressed when I have too many things on the calendar or too many weekends in a row with things on the calendar. Just tell him that, that you like chatting with him, but you aren't big on getting together with people.

[Mari]

I have no helpful advice, HoodlumSheep, but understand feeling uncomfortable, stressed, and trapped with social expectations--and know how miserable it can be, and how little others can understand.  I'm sorry you're dealing with this, and hope it gets better, soon.

[KAOS Agent]

I once dated a guy whom I considered a friend and nothing else. There were a lot of reasons behind why I was doing it, but it made me feel horribly guilty when I knew he felt a lot more for me than I did for him (no one was going to get too hurt in that situation though because we both knew going in that it was a short term relationship due to circumstances). It's not something I would recommend.  I'll also admit to turning a guy down by claiming I already had a boyfriend, which was easier for me to say than I'm just not into you. This is mostly because I suck at saying no and I admire anyone who has the guts to ask me out and don't want to discourage them from asking out others. However, in your case, I wouldn't advise anything other than telling him you're not looking for romance. 

Edited October 28, 2015 by KAOS Agent

[HoodlumSheep]

*hugs for everyone* thanks for all the support!

I think i'm freaking out about it more than I really should be, but that's probably because I've never been in a relationship before and have never really entertained the thought of having a relationship. Probable anxiety issues don't help the cause either. But, as someone who finds social activity draining, I'm perfectly happy being my lonesome self currently, and I've happily pegged myself as a hermit of sorts or a future crazy cat lady. My feelings (about wanting a boyfriend or just wanting to be more social) could change down the line, but for now I'm happy.

I'm thinking about inviting him to pass out Halloween candy, though. I used to always do it with a couple of friends throughout high school and once or twice after we graduated. I could use the typical social event to my advantage, I think. Granted, there might not be time to really discuss stuff, and I'm probably making this way more complicated than it should be, but I'll manage somehow. Plus my parents and brother will be around. probably not the best plan, but I'd at least feel less anxious. I'd prefer to just PM him on Twitter, but that'd probably be rude and insensitive.

It's just so strange. I've kind of seen it coming for a while, yet I wasn't really expecting to happen so out of the blue tonight. Is it because of the Full Moon? My other friend who I've been messaging back and forth with tonight says it's been 10 years coming (I'm kind of wondering if she may have poked the bear concerning this. I haven't talked to her in about 4 years, and we've only just connected again through Twitter). so when she randomly PM's me that I "should date ___," I'm thinking those two were talking about it to some degree.

I'm shaking my fist at her though. In the world of OTP's she might be our number one fan in terms of us getting together or dating, but she's going to be disappointed. Lol. I'm just a little bit miffed with her.

Sorry or the long posts, but I find that typing this all out is helping ease the anxiety. And yes, I'm writing this at 1 a.m., because I'm too anxious and stressed to sleep right now. I tried to go to bed early, because this whole relatively small debacle had left me feeling psychically nauseous. I couldn't finish my dinner. I almost threw up. In all honestly, I've never suffered this badly from anxiety before; and it being over something that kids in high school can deal with so nonchalantly.

:( that tumblr post about anxiety I've seen floating around has me pegged.

Sorry for taking up all your time and all the drama!! I just needed to vent. Maybe I'll actually get some sleep now :P.

[OnceUponAJen]

No apologies needed! I'm the same way....introvert and social interaction drains me. I understand where you're coming from!

[HoodlumSheep]

There, I've invited my friend to pass out Halloween candy. At least I'm considerably less stressed today.

I've officially decided to be Lucy from The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown special. The witch costume she wears; it's simple enough to make with stuff from around the house. I made the red hat yesterday. My mom found an old white curtain sheet that'll work well enough, and I'm making a mask today (just out of posterboard).

Reminder:

https://twitter.com/tcm/status/659372052005146624

The Disney Vault stuff is on tonight on TCM. The Headless Horseman starts at a decent time, but I'm kind of bummed that the other stuff is showing so late. We don't have a dvr and our weird tv/cable box set-up won't let us record stuff on vhs.

[Shanna Marie]

It's easy to say to be honest with someone, but it's pretty hard to do, and I still tend to talk around it. I was a bad case of an ugly duckling as a teen -- in high school I was pudgy, had terrible hair (hadn't learned to deal with the curls -- my nickname was Bird's Nest), and had either horribly crooked teeth or braces. On top of that, I was the school brain and my dad was a teacher in my school. I didn't get asked out on dates at all (yet I was oddly popular other than that and hung out with the people who were Homecoming Queen, etc.). So when I was in college and someone finally asked me out, I was so excited to be wanted that I didn't even think about whether I wanted him. I think the thing I liked most about the first few guys I dated was the fact that they liked me. That continued on into my 20s, and I went through a number of disastrous relationships and dates where I found myself thinking the entire time that I'd be having so much more fun at home, either watching TV or reading a book. I got set up for a lot of blind dates because I was always getting the "gee, I can't believe you're single when you're so cute and funny and nice and a good cook" reactions, and I felt obligated to agree to them, even if I'd been introduced to the guy and wasn't interested at all. As people kept telling me, and I kept telling myself, you never know what could develop. I also got a lot of "he's a great guy, he just needs some confidence, and going out with someone like you would really boost his confidence" set-ups.

 

It wasn't until I was in my late 30s that I finally decided that I didn't even like dating all that much, so I wasn't going to do it unless I was really interested in the guy. I'd never had anything positive end up developing when I gave someone a chance in spite of not being interested. I also decided that it wasn't my job to boost anyone's confidence, and that it wasn't helping these guys for me to go out with them once and then be incredibly busy for the next six months so that I couldn't go out with them again or for me to tell them flat-out that it wasn't going to happen. I've also realized that it's so much easier to say no to the first date invitation than to agree to that one and then have to say no later, when it feels more like breaking up. I haven't really dated since then, and I've found that I'm totally okay with that. There are a few guys who seem okay being just friends. I just have way more people in my life and way more things going on than I can deal with, so I tend to do things in groups. That way, I can see all my friends at once. If I socialize one on one, that means I'm getting distanced from all my other friends because that eats up my social energy for the week.

[OnceUponAJen]

Oh, I know it's hard to be honest. But it's still the best thing, I'd say. I've been on the receiving end of that so I'm trying to speak from my own experience. There's no "good" way to do it that I can think of.

[HoodlumSheep]

I finished my costume, but now I'm second guessing it. Lucy's mask seems rather cartoonish in the special, but when you actually make it (out of posterboard)...it's the stuff of nightmares. I'm actually concerned I might scare little children with it. I kind of look like a psycho killer. I'm surprised Lucy didn't scare away everyone in the cartoon!

[Curio]

Lucy's mask seems rather cartoonish in the special, but when you actually make it (out of posterboard)...it's the stuff of nightmares. I'm actually concerned I might scare little children with it.

 

You say this like it's a bad thing...

[HoodlumSheep]

Haha, yeah. I'm still probably going to wear it.

Never thought I'd end up dressed like a movie psycho killer. I'm thinking of tweeting a photo of my costume to the Peanuts twitter account. I wonder what they'd have to say?

[KAOS Agent]

We used to make our house a haunted one for Halloween. Smoke machine, black lights, scary sound effects, the whole thing. For years, we didn't even oil the hinges on the front door because we wanted it to creak when it opened. I dressed in all black and wore a basic white mask. Someone else would slowly creak open the door and with the black light, the effect was a disembodied head floating down the hallway to the door. Then my mom would start down the stairs dressed in a hooded cape and carrying a dim lantern. I had kids who were so scared they wouldn't even come up and get candy from me. There were a couple kids who I could tell really wanted it, but just couldn't bring themselves to come to the door, so I threw it to them. My next door neighbor's little boy was so scared of my house that he wouldn't even come over six months later. Halloween is so much fun when you let yourself get into it.

[Sabs]

LOL about scaring the kids.

THere is a house down the street that only my oldest will approach for teh same reason.  The younger boys stand on the street and hold hands hoping she comes back alive.  It is hysterical.

[ABitOFluff]

In my teens-very early twenties, and still living with my parents, I used to carve fancy jack-o-lanterns each year. I never thought much about it. Then the year I moved into my own place, my mother told me the neighborhood kids who came to the house Halloween night asked her what happened to the cool jack-o-lanterns. One toddler was even a little pissed about not seeing one.

 

If I had my own house, I'd be one of those people that goes all out for Halloween. But in my apartment, I have my year-round artificial tree lit up with orange and purple LED lights and various spooky stuff scattered about. I haven't decided to go out or stay around for trick-or-treaters. I doubt I'll get many, but I actually enjoy giving out candy and seeing the kids' costumes. 

[Shanna Marie]

We had our church Halloween carnival that's open to the whole town tonight. They really go all-out, with a bounce house, pony rides, petting zoo, "trunk or treat," carnival games, face painting, a cakewalk, hot dogs, and a chili cookoff. I was doing cookie decorating -- we had a box of sugar cookies, with vanilla icing for the kids to spread on and then a ton of different kinds of sprinkles. I was impressed by the number of sprinkles some of these kids managed to get on a cookie.

 

Elsa's still a very popular costume, but I think the predominant princess this year was Cinderella, mostly the new movie version. There were a couple of more authentic, non-branded medieval or Renaissance princesses, and one non-branded "snow queen" kind of costume. Among boys, there were lots of Stormtroopers and other Star Wars characters, but I think Batman (a variety of types, from the old TV show to more modern versions) was the most popular character. Among really little kids, policeman and fireman costumes were very common, with a couple of Dalmatians in fire hats and coats. Cutest family costume had mom dressed as Cruella, dad wearing white shirt and pants with black spots and newborn baby in a Dalmatian sleeper. And because I go to a very geeky church, we had a kid dressed as the Empty Child from Doctor Who (British schoolboy clothes and gas mask). I was irked that he didn't come decorate a cookie because I was dying to say, "Are you my Mummy?" More signs of church geekiness: the pastor wore his clerical robes and a Darth Vader mask and was "Darth Pastor" and the assistant pastor was the Dread Pirate Roberts. Among older girls, "50s" outfits were really popular, though there was one 80s girl, who I freaked out by recognizing it and then speaking to her in Valley Girl talk. I had to tell her that I actually was an 80s teenager.

 

This is my equivalent of Trick or Treating, since I never get trick or treaters. Alas, I was too big and too busy for a pony ride, but I did get to squee over the baby animals in the petting zoo before I got busy. Next year, I need to come up with a costume that won't get in the way of what I'm doing and that doesn't involve any items that will get blown around if it's windy. I ended up not wearing my pirate outfit (we had a few pirates, boy and girl), and it was good because that hat would have gone flying.

[sharky]

I've got an '80s girl costume for this weekend! Our neighbors are having a Halloween party so I'm pulling out my hair spray and New Kids on the Block shirt. And yes, I bought it in the '80s. As for the hair spray, I'm going big hair since, unfortunately, my hair isn't long enough for a side pony tail.

[Shanna Marie]

The 80s hair everyone in my school wore was the borderline/faux mullet, and I've seen similar hairstyles in the movies, so it wasn't just us. Bangs that look like they were done on a curling iron (one roll curving down over forehead), the rest of the hair on top of the head done to look poofy, sides slicked back, curls/perm in back.

 

Apropos of the anti-socializing discussion ... I don't really have anxiety about socializing. I just find it very draining, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Being around people wears me out, and the more fun I'm having, the more tiring it is. There are rare exceptions of people I can be one-on-one with without ending up tired, but they're few and far between. If I spend the day with friends, I come home and collapse. If I go to a party on a Saturday night, I'm useless on Sunday. I know that if something's coming up that's going to require energy, I need to build up a "charge." I'll need to have a lot of quiet alone time in advance. So this is a big weekend for me. The "main event" is a major choral work concert Sunday night, and I have my first big solo for this kind of thing. I'm rather nervous, mostly because I'm a raging perfectionist and am actually nervous that I'll get nervous. The rest of the piece is also draining because it's difficult, but I also love it so much. Saturday morning is the dress rehearsal with orchestra, which is also a little scary because I'll be singing in front of professional musicians I don't know. I've been doing it fine in front of the choir, but this will be closer to a real audience. And on top of that, I'm also in a small chamber ensemble that's singing for two services Sunday morning, so Sunday's going to be something of a musical marathon for me.

 

But now my friend who's into me when I'm not that into him is sulking and whining because I didn't want to go out with him tonight. He thought that skipping the Halloween party was enough down time. I told him about all the other stuff I have going on, and he complained about how scarce I've been lately. But I've been busy and not really in the mood. When I'm working on something, I kind of need to retreat into my cave and work on it. I'm sure he's not going to be too happy because his last e-mail asked if I was ever going to be free on a Friday again, and I won't be for more than a month, and it has nothing to do with him. I just have limited amounts of social energy, and he doesn't get all of it. There are other things I have going on, other things I want to do, other people I want to spend time with. I've already agreed to a Saturday hiking trip with him in November. And I'm in a choir, so the holiday season gets to be really busy. It's not going to get better. I just hate it when other people try to tell me how much alone time or quiet time they think I need, or assume that all my free time should be devoted to them. Reason #4,698 why I'm not romantically into this guy. I'm restraining myself from making passive-aggressive Facebook posts about introvert woes.

[HoodlumSheep]

^ poor you. You'd think hanging out didn't have to mean on a weekly basis or whatever. :( i had hung out with my guy friend about 20 days ago, but he claims I've been avoiding him. *shrugs* like, I know I have nothing going on in my life right now, but I just don't feel like hanging out more than just occasionally running into him and emailing him/PMing him through twitter. I find socializing to be draining. Usually after immediate family Holiday gatherings (which I have fun at), I just like lounging around for a few days afterward to recover. If I have to interact with strangers usually I end up rambling something, look at the ground, end up covering my face, and then just proclaim "I don't know" a couple times. And of course I attach myself to the hip of my family members. Whether it be my mom, dad, or brothers, I basically never stray far from them. But I guess that's due to anxiety.

Anyways, back to what I came here for: to rant about cookies I am trying to make.

I tried to make some Taste of Home Owl cookies for Halloween today. Hasn't gone very well. First we had run around to multiple stores to find ingredients we didn't have. Then, after we get home and I start making them, it turns out that We did not have enough of the correct peanut butter (I needed the creamy style, and I specifically asked my mom, brother and his girlfriend whether we had enough of that specific kind, and they were all like, "yes"). So I had to use crunchy, which completely messes with the consistency of the dough, and turned it into a crumbly mess. I was supposed to be able to roll it up and slice it into 48 pieces (which would make 24 cookies), but instead I only got 32 slices out of it because the dough was a mess.

And because the slices are so thick they take longer to bake. I also had to send my mom back to the store again, because we were out of chocolate chips when we usually have a couple bags on hand for back up.

Arrrggh!!! Now we only get 16 cookies, and I am at my wits end.

**and because I didn't know how long to cook them, and couldn't tell when they were done (they're brown to begin with, so it's hard to see if they've browned on the bottom)...they burned. Yay. I feel like flipping some tables.

Edited October 30, 2015 by HoodlumSheep

[ParadoxLost]

Had a ton of trick or treaters an hour before dark.  Almost none since dark.   I think all the Dad's are trying to get Halloween over with so they can catch Game 4.

[Mari]

Had a ton of trick or treaters an hour before dark. Almost none since dark. I think all the Dad's are trying to get Halloween over with so they can catch Game 4.

I'm a little jealous. We've not had any, yet, and will probably have less than 12 in total. It's sad.

[OnceUponAJen]

It's raining here, so there haven't been as many as usual. Most are wearing raincoats.

[ParadoxLost]

I'm a little jealous. We've not had any, yet, and will probably have less than 12 in total. It's sad.

 

I was in a full blown panic because multiple groups of at least a dozen each, half of which were kids, were forming in the neighborhood an hour before they usually come so I adjusted the candy per kid.  So now I'm probably going to have a ton left over.  I'm going to up it now.

 

Meanwhile, apparently the weather channel has Halloween programming which is weird.  Watching a program about a ghost that predicts storms.

[Mari]

**and because I didn't know how long to cook them, and couldn't tell when they were done (they're brown to begin with, so it's hard to see if they've browned on the bottom)...they burned. Yay. I feel like flipping some tables.

Are they edible? Because if they're not, you could save them to throw at the TV tomorrow when you're ready to strangle the writers or a character. It would be a switch from flipping tables.

Also, we had our first trick or treated. He was a strangely adorable red headed zombie, accompanied by older family member dressed to match.

[sharky]

I left a bowl out and went trick or treating with the kids. Came back with a tired little one to find one piece left. Oops! Needless to say, the latest trick or treaters have been getting the candy from my son's bowl that I don't want. :) And yes, my husband is now happily in front of the TV watching Game 4.

[HoodlumSheep]

Are they edible? Because if they're not, you could save them to throw at the TV tomorrow when you're ready to strangle the writers or a character. It would be a switch from flipping tables.

Oohhh, never thought of that. That's a good alternative.

They're edible. They are definitely a cookie that needs to be dunked in coffee or milk. They taste like the generic Betty Crocker peanut butter cookies. They look adorable though.

Well, it was windy and rainy, so the numbers were definitely down...a lot. We were done about 30-40 minutes before the end of the Trick-or-treating hours. A lot of the kids wore coats, so it was hard to tell what some of the costumes were. There were only 2 generic princess costumes, and marvel won the night: 2 Iron Man's, 1 Cap, 2 or 3 Spiderman's. I think there were about 2 Batman's and a Robin.

Overall, a disappointing year for trick-or-treaters. At least there's lots of leftover candy!

I was dressed as Lucy (from the Peanuts) dressed in her witch costume, my brother was the Mr. Hyde-looking ghost from the Peanuts as well. We looked like a pair of psycho killers from a slasher movie. If the Peanuts weren't copyrighted, we'd totally make a slasher flick.

My guy friend dressed as Batman, which worked out great. He gave candy to the toddlers, because Batman can be trusted and kids aren't scared of him. My brother's and my costumes were too scary for the younger kids. Which is ironic because we were dressed as Peanuts characters.

Favorite costume of the night (because you could tell actual work was put into it--it was homemade): Marvin the Martian from the Looney Toons.

Cutest costume of the night: a 1-ish year old (he could walk but he was quite wobbly) in a monkey costume.

Now we have a fire going, we're sipping on cider punch, and eating cider donuts.

I carved a Slimer jack-o-lantern and etched gollum (the cartoon version) into another.

Don't forget to set your clocks back! Happy Halloween everyone!

[Camera One]

I put a Dark Emma robot shedding tears on the porch and no kids are approaching.

[KAOS Agent]

It's not even 8:00 and I've had over a hundred kids. They're screwing up my efforts to have lots of candy left over that sadly must be eaten by me. Apparently, my impulse purchase of Pixie Sticks was a good one since they seem to be very well received.

Edited November 1, 2015 by KAOS Agent

[HoodlumSheep]

^ I love Pixie Sticks!!! They're basically straight up shots of sugar! What kid wouldn't love that?

Congrats to American Pharoah for winning the Breeder's Cup and achieving a Grand Slam!

[Mari]

4 kids. That's it. It's even unseasonably warm here--no need for winter coats.

[KAOS Agent]

Some kids just had a brawl in my front yard. Halloween is never not entertaining for me.

[Camera One]

That's horrible.  It sounds like a warzone with the fireworks at the nearby park.

[Shanna Marie]

No trick or treaters at all here. I live in a bad place for it, as I have a townhouse that faces a courtyard, not the street, and you can't see my front door from the street. All the other people in my little corner are older single women.

 

My friends were all apparently either totally deluged or got a lot fewer kids than normal. Next year, I may go over to a friend's house to help her hand out candy. Her husband does a really flashy light display, so they get lots of people.

 

I had to sing for two All Saints services this morning, so it was an early night. I got to be one of the torch bearers for the remembrance part of the early service, but I was rather disappointed to find that they were using flameless electric lanterns. I was looking forward to being allowed to set things on fire in church.

 

I'm currently fighting back an anxiety attack about this evening's concert. I'm having this weird fear that I'm going to be afraid, which is bizarre, as I've sung this piece repeatedly, in front of people, including twice yesterday. And yet I suddenly have a bad case of the shakes. I'm doing yoga breathing to try to settle down, and I think I may go take a walk to work off some of the jitters.

[HoodlumSheep]

Good luck, Shanna Marie! I'm sure everything will go smoothly!

[Shanna Marie]

The concert did go well. Of course, I think I could have done better because I'm a raging perfectionist, but people I didn't know stopped me afterward to compliment me, and I got compliments from a few professional musicians. Whether or not my notes were absolutely perfect, apparently I managed to convey some emotion that really touched people, which I guess is the aim. Now I'm in that wired/tired state. And I'm a little sad not to be singing this work anymore. I'll miss it. At the same time, I feel like a weight has been lifted. And in a couple of weeks, we start Christmas music (well, one of the groups I sing with is already working on Christmas music).

[Camera One]

I'm glad your concert went well.  

 

My PVR didn't work tonight, so I'll have to wait 'til I get home from work tomorrow, when ABC has the episode on the website.  It's tough to see all the topics light up and not be able to enter, LOL.

[Souris]

We had fewer trick or treaters than usual. We expected more because it was a Saturday, but we got fewer -- maybe they were at parties. We had a TON of candy left over, most of which went to a friend who throws out candy from a holiday parade float.