2005-11-01 - 7:41 a.m.
Boo. Boo, I say.
Well, Halloween was fun, even though Bob wouldn't let me hand out matches, aerosol cans, and alcohol miniatures to the trick-or-treaters. Not even one, though we did all decide that beer for the dads whose kids drag them all over the neighbourhood in search of free candy might have been a nice touch. On the other hand, we'd get even more repeaters than we did. I should say Alan and Gen did; we went over to their house to hang out and hand out candy, since the apartment complex decreed that anyone who wanted to hand out candy should go out on the sidewalk and wait, so that kids weren't knocking on everyone's doors. While it probably seemed like a good idea at the time, it was 44 degrees for the low last night, and my costume was cute, but not suited for the weather. (I was the bad prom queen - pink floofy dress and a black corsage.) So we hung out at A&G's, and gave candy to kids who for the most part made a stab with an extremely blunt butter knife at wearing a costume. I don't understand this myself; I *loved* dressing up for Halloween, even though my mother wouldn't let me go trick-or-treating after I was 12. Even when I had no money, I could make *something* to wear - at the very least, I could wrap a sheet around myself and claim I was a ghost. (Of course, these days, I'm more likely to wrap a sheet around myself and claim I'm a giant doobie, but those were slightly more innocent times.) (Slightly.) Teenagers have been refusing to dress up, preferring to go around threatening people until they hand out candy anyway since I was a kid, so it's not like it's a new phenomenon, but it remains irritating after all these years. If it's acceptable to knock on strangers' doors and demand candy, then surely it's okay for me to go around knocking on doors and demanding cash, right? (Now I'm thinking it would be even more effective if I dressed up as a zombie and went around knocking on doors in say, July.) Bob argues that letting kids act like monsters on Halloween (demanding candy, smashing decorations, and so on) lets them get their destructive tendencies worked out so they can behave the rest of the year. I think it just allows us to pick out who's going to end up in jail sooner. I was never much of a vandal; smashing assorted squash species on halloween night just wasn't that appealing. I found it much more fun to dress up and try to get boys to kiss me. Vandal of love, baby. *smooch*
Dorsal - Ventral
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all words copyright Laura Mellin 2000-2005
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