5:23: No kids yet, but I've started eating some of the candy on the theory that the peanut M&Ms make a substantial dinner entree.
5:41: The first person is an adult! Weird, but female, so not scary. She's collecting nonperishable foodstuffs, and I give her some canned soup, peas, and tuna fish.
6:09: Finally, some kids. 4 teens. One was the Joker, but only one. There was also a cat, a Supergirl, and... oh, I forgot.
6:47: Uncomfortable dialogue:
Me: Are you a KKK guy?6:49: A bat and (a little girl in a tux) a magician.
Kid: Uh, no. I was asked that a couple of times. I'm a snow trooper from [unintelligible].
Me: Oh. Uh. Good. That would have been scarier.
6:59: A professional wrestler and a (very well done) wolf.
7:10: The tiniest Halloweener arrived, in the classic baby costume: pumpkin. I'm just going back and reading my original Halloween live-blogging, from 2004. Hippie was a popular costume back then. Haven't seen a hippie tonight. I think that's a sign that Obama will win. (Get it? The year the conservative won, the hippie was "scary.")
7:33: Best example of me thinking twice before guessing the costume: "Are you 80s girls?" That was correct. Prostitutes would have been incorrect.
7:42: More 80s girls. 80s girl seems to have replaced hippie. A generational shift. Also, there was a witch. I complimented her for choosing the classic Halloween costume.
8:18: It seems over. Not much of a crowd this year. There's always Freakfest, but it's said that Freakfest isn't what it used to be. For the last few years, you've had to buy a ticket to get onto State Street, and this year they've installed a lot of surveillance cameras to keep the freaks in line.
8:25: It must be over. Anyone who shows up now is a straggler. I think it's time for me to close up for the evening.
8:42: I've turned off all the lights in the front of the house. I note that there were no political costumes at all. Not one Sarah Palin. No Obama/McCain masks. Not even a Nixon ... and I think in past years, there's usually been at least one kid wearing a parent's old Nixon mask. How do I interpret the lack of political costumes? I think it reflects a relaxed confidence that Obama will win.
Posts
147 comments:
Sure, but will the kids understand your costume, the bete noir of the liberal blogosphere? ;)
No, she's wearing something cruelly neutral this year....
4 kids. Gummy ears, noses go over well.
Oops. Forgot to add Krackel. Peanut butter cups have gone missing.
LOL Simon!
I'll be heading over to my gf's to hand out candy tonight.
When my kids were young I used to love Halloween, and I lived in an area where a lot of people would come from surrounding communities because it was a great place to go trick-or-treating. One year we had close to 300 kids come to our door.
Gosh, I miss those times! (tears gathering in eyes)
Microwave popcorn, with laffy taffy as a backup.
Does that make me a fascist?
M&M's? I think last year I recommended that you scale up, or at least go to the non GMO candy varieties. In your neighborhood, could anything less suffice? Also, every tenured professor needs of of these on her porch.
Finally, keep a few pennies handy for those "Trick or Treat for Unicef" kids!
It's Skittles and Smarties for us tonight. We had to run to Target for an extra bag because it's Friday.
I've lived in my condo for 16 years and have never had a trick or treater. I think they all travel to neighborhoods in the valley. Either that or the citizens of Hollywood are barren.
Happy Halloween!
Wow, they allow M&Ms to be handed out in Madison? I would think it would be organic, free-trade whole-grain hemp nuggets.
I never liked candy much when I was a child. I always wished people would hand out savory foods at Halloween.
On Halloween I would walk with a group of about 8 kids, and one of those was Monica, my daughter's best friend. Monica had MD, and rode a powered wheelchair. Everybody knew Monica and would call out to her as we traveled from house-to-house. I felt special because Monica was with us.
Monica gave a great gift to my children, because they always treated her the same as any other kid.
Monica died during her Junior year in High School.
Pickles! Salami! Cheese n' Crackers!
Jees, I got this bad feeling there will be Obamakids and their parents cruising tonite. I now feel like abandoning my wife to front door duty and going down to Thirsty's 'till closing time.
Candy occurs on a highly secret and variable night around here. Only families with kids know which day it is. The rest of us are surprised.
5:23: No kids yet, but I've started eating some of the candy on the theory that the peanut M&Ms make a substantial dinner entree.
The reason we're giving out little rubber duckies instead of peanut M&Ms. The kids would go without and I'd have to listen to my wife complain about the weight she gained...
M&M's, according to a caller to Armstrong and Getty, are the candy to hoard for the coming social meltdown.
Everybody will have wheat, but nobody will have M&M's. Think of the trade value they'll have for you.
Lazlo Toth wrote to Herseys about a faulty Herseyette, repeatedly referring to it in the letter as an M&M. That was a nice additional tweak for the Hersey public relations department.
Suuuuuure... she skipped the Oscars, but she'll liveblog Halloween...
I shouldn't have bought all those bags of candy last weekend, and I really shouldn't have bought a bag of Twix. The kids are left with M&Ms, Butterfingers, Krackel (both kinds. Did you know there is a new caramel layered Krackel?) and Mars Bars.
Been out sweeping the leaves away from the porch. Now I will sit on my steps trying to look friendly as I have the house back away from the street and with a narrow lane to the front door through boxwoods taller than most of the kids. It does look a bit like a witch's house.
Wow Donn, that kinda hurt but I'm glad you shared it.
While Althouse is passing out candy and discussing shoes or something, here's BHO's scary plan for pre-teens. He wants kids 12 and under to join his movement. Not only that, but he wants to use those pre-teens to get votes.
No, really: it's right on his site.
Apparently Althouse doesn't have a problem with someone who has a plan that sounds like it was ripped off from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_movement
I'm going post-modern this Halloween and dishing out Sushi to the kids.
It is past 7:15 here. The cute enthusiastic kids are done. We are left with the Jr. High School set who is too lazy to even throw a pillow on their back and call themselves hunchbacks. I give them candy because even though they are lazy they might have enough energy to egg my house. Do kids still do that to folks who don't hand out candy? I do give extra candy to the older kids who do dress up like the Sumo wrestler that just stopped by.
It's still too early out West... last year we lived in Florida and the costumes were pretty old-fashioned, you'd never see a Raggedy Ann & Andy in PC California.
Too many jims: Last year three teen girls rang the bell, they didn't even bother to dress up (beyond their usual hooker attire) all three were on their cell phones. They held out shopping bags and waggled them without even acknowledging I was there.
"Oooo!" I exclaimed, snapping on the strong overhead porch light "I love your costumes!"
"Costumes?" they chimed in unison caught like deer in headlights
"Yes" I replied "let me guess; spoiled teenagers, right?!"
***crickets****
All three turned tail and ran. I thought for sure they would probably return and TP our Queen palms later in the night. I would have.
The best of the night were three stair steps brothers from ages about 8-11 in Star Wars storm trooper costumes and they were so dialed. I always ask the kiddies to participate in some way and admire their costumes so they get a buzz out of dressing up and role playing too.
The little storm troopers did a light saber fight while dad watched from the curb in a Darth Vader helmet and cape. It was majorly cool.
Had couple of cutie pie princesses and a gaggle of pirates too. So of course, they had to talk like a pirate for the candy, which made everyone giggle profusely.
I'm cooking up a pot of braised short ribs with red cabbage, potatoes and apples for dinner..that's our treat.
Here in USDA Zone 6b, Mrs. Bissage is in charge of the Halloween treats. This explains why there is a 21 gallon Rubbermaid storage container by the front door straining to hold a whole heaping load of: (1)Twix; M&M Regular; Mounds; Reese’s Stix; Snickers and Kit Kats. (She dictated as I notated.)
I am in charge of restraining the dog.
It is 7:25 pm and there have been no takers.
I find myself feeling both sad and nostalgic.
Usually that means an excess of brandy and then later a diffuse rant about why the world has gone to hell because I can no longer watch “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” with the same sense of wonder as before.
Tonight is, indeed, a night of harrowing frights!
LonewackoDotCom said... about the same thing as LonewackoDotCom always says. One track minds really don't work here. You've got to be able to, you know, mix it up; to take the secular with the sacred, the rough with the smooth, the politics cut with frivolity; to be prepared to argue third party standing doctrine one minute and discuss the relative merits of Sasha Cohen and Maria Sharapova the next.
Okay, I swear to God this is true.
As I typed the last comment, the doorbell rang, the dog went ape-shit and I ran downstairs.
Mrs. Bissage opens the door and a bird flies inside the house.
The dog goes even more, extra-special ape-shit.
The cats all go SUPER-DUPER, MEGA-EXTREME ape-shit!
The kids get their candy and I manage to trap the bird in a bedroom. It was a Carolina wren that had been sleeping in the wreath Mrs. Bissage had on the front door.
The wreath looks nice.
Anyway, long story short.
I get the cats out of the bedroom but not before one of them draws blood. (The little bastard!)
I open a window and the bird flies to F R E E D O M !!!
All right . . . since I did those last comments, a bunch of other kids have come to the door.
(When it rains, it snows.)
This must be the witching hour.
I should man-up and go to work.
See ya!
integrity,
Visited friends in Hollywood 10 years ago on Halloween (also in a condo), and there was no chance of making it back home 50 miles away before 10 pm, so, my 12 year old daughter was given a sheet to cut bu our friends 10 year old and they became ghosts (a little too sexy for her father's taste). We knocked on 5 doors before one opened, and it was a guy in drag. Long story short, he invited us allin for a party that was starting later, mostly gays, but we had an uproarious time until leaving around 10. Nothing offensive or 2 adult, just a lot of silliness and laughter. Yhere wer about 20 people when we left
The reason this is weird is because I voted Yes in prop 8.
All the good parties should stay on the other side.
BJM said...
"It's still too early out West... last year we lived in Florida and the costumes were pretty old-fashioned, you'd never see a Raggedy Ann & Andy in PC California."
In California, I'd think it'd be a slutty Raggedy Ann. It's gotten a little risque in costumeland.
Bissage,
Great story.
I was always told that you could prevent a cat from scratching you by holding it by the nape of the neck.
Well, I found out a few months ago that's wrong! Cats are far more agile than I expected.
The daughter and her friends are handing out candy here this year (Reeses and KitKat). If she were still out marauding for candy, she would certainly pass your house. She always said Univ. heights yielded the best haul, even better than Shorewood Hills, because the houses in University Heights are closer.
MM (M&M), yeah, exactly. The combination of wealth and close-together houses is just perfect here.
Also, Shorewood lacks sidewalks! So kid-unfriendly.
My neighborhood is the best.
Ooooooooo Twixxxx aaaaarrrrrrrgggggh.
LonewackoDotCom,
Simon's right buddy. No one - and I mean no one - who has ever posted here wants an Obama admin l;ess than me. But if he wins, I will celebrate and send him a congratulations, then get back to undermining his tenure the best I legally and morally can.
You've got to set aside some time for enjoying yourself, your family, and your fellow Americans (yes, even the wrong ones, too).
It's 5PM here and still a little early for the beggers. My daughter (13) is hanging loose as she is going to do the bratty tean routine later with her friends, like bjm mentioned above.
They won't let me out of the house to go to the bar.
Since it is 8PM on the east coast, are there any commenters on line? What's TorT like in NYC? Trooper, any kids come to your door for candy? how about to Lee Lee's?
Keep it comin', Bissage. You're hilarious!
Ann, if you give us a street in your neighborhood (not your actual address) we can look at Google Maps Strret View and see what you're bragging about.
The "KKK" snow trooper was probably an Imperial Snow Trooper from The Empire Strikes Back.
Sheesh, Ann. Were you raised in a culture-free environment or what? :)
Are M&Ms perishable? Sounds like the adult lady could have used a bit of dessert to go with her collection.
Bissage, love the sudden transition from nothingness to drama . That's what Halloween is all about.
Makes me think of the flying animals I've gotten out of the house since summer started.
Big front windows, and leaving the doors open to help air flow in hot weather, has kept me somewhat busy this year. I'm pretty good at it now.
Let's see. I've rescued a few each of chickadees, juncos, and sparrows. Two hummingbirds. A bumble bee (who wants to kill a bumble bee?), a goldfinch, two bats that found their way in through unknown means, a butterfly last week. Two jays have gotten in, but they were just looking for peanuts and knew exactly how to get out again. Same goes for the chipmunks.
No kids around here. Semi-rural and hilly streets, where most of the other homes are vacation homes, makes for no rag tag bands of costumed youth.
I was always amazed -- she'd come home with 5 or 10 full-sized candy bars! It made me want to go out in costume -- especially to get those full-sized Milky Ways. Mmmm. Milky Ways. We just give out the little bars here on the impoverished south side of Regent St.
The son just came by with his friends. He actually had a costume on, so his sister gave him candy.
...and let me just say how nice it is that it's warm out! What a beautiful night to trick or treat.
Snowtroopers are Imperial Stormtroopers in cold weather gear, as seen in the movie The Empire Strikes Back. You know? Second movie in the Star Wars franchise?
That is to say, the impoverished area south of Regent Street. I would never live on Regent Street. Way too busy.
Integrity -
Do you even have candy in the off chance a couple lost kids stumble by?
You could give them each a dollar. In our old neighborhood a lady gave out 50 cent pieces once.
The don't even make Planters Peanut Block anymore.
Did George Will once say we spend more on Halloween candy in one year than all the money spent on political campaigns in 4 years? Or was that Easter candy?
Well, my daughter and friends gave up, so now I have to man the door.
There's a house not far from mine where the owner gives out quarters. Maybe some year I'll give out dollars.
It seems to have quieted down here. The beauty of this neighborhood is that by 7:30 or 8 it's all done.
John,
Trooper's blogged about Halloween in Brooklyn.
Check it.
"In California, I'd think it'd be a slutty Raggedy Ann. It's gotten a little risque in costumeland."
All women's costumes have gotten "a little risque". It's the general trend that Halloween is an excuse for young women to dress up (and act like) trashy sluts.
I mean, even more like trashy sluts than usual.
There are a lot of candy wrappers on the porch. Daughter and friends were snitching!
It's all middle schoolers now.
Every little kid came with his or her own flashlight. Cutest so far was Madeline who kept losing her hat. I've had three pink poodles! One Elvis, an Iron Man, and one I'm thinking might have been Johm McCain? He had a flight jacket with military patches on over his Spiderman costume.
Thanks Blake,
Our blogress said - Hippie was a popular costume back then. Haven't seen a hippie tonight. I think that's a sign that Obama will win. (Get it? The year the conservative won, the hippie was "scary.")
She has thrown down the gauntlet. No more innocence-of-youth-trick-or-treating, or homey stories of past Halloweens tonight, its back to the election.
I just had a mime. He wouldn't say Trick or Treat. I let him have candy anyway
We just had a young girl that didn't like what we gave her, and asked if she could look in the bowl and pick one. (We had an assortment.)
The sense of entitlement is going down generation.
Please take pictures.
I had a sexy Devil Girl (black sequined top and barely there skirt with red horns and red sequined wings - looked fabulous) show up with her little Batman. She obviously has better plans for later in the evening.
All women's costumes have gotten "a little risque". It's the general trend that Halloween is an excuse for young women to dress up (and act like) trashy slut
And this is a problem because . . . ?
Time to eat a peanut butter cup!
We've got everything set up, got the really good candy (this year it's Kit-Kat, Whoppers, and Milk Duds), and have the warning about the veggie-eating dragon on the door.
So far only one little extortionist has shown up.
I really hope no kids come here before I leave for the night. My mom bought shitty candy: a cheap mixed bag of Dum Dums, Tootsie Rolls, and Candy Corn. So horrible. I can't believe she did this.
I am embarrassed to have to pass it out (mom is gone for the night with her nephews trick or treating, which means I have to answer the door!), and I'm tempted to go out to the store and buy some normal, good candy, like Twix or Reeses or those mini Hershey's bars.
We have an Obama sign in the yard (I live in a conservative gated community in Orange County), so hopefully this will scare off all the Republican parents in the neighborhood.
It's the general trend that Halloween is an excuse for young women to dress up (and act like) trashy sluts.
What a fabulous modern age we live in.
6:09: some kids. 4 teens.
.
.
6:49: A bat and (a little girl in a tux) a magician.
.
.
6:59: A professional wrestler and a (very well done) wolf.
.
.
7:10: The tiniest Halloweener arrived, in the classic baby costume: pumpkin.
That's kinda sad. Are there so few kids in Madison?
Revenant said..."The "KKK" snow trooper was probably an Imperial Snow Trooper from The Empire Strikes Back. Sheesh, Ann. Were you raised in a culture-free environment or what? :)"
I actually saw "The Empire Strikes Back" when it originally came out, but I didn't remember the names of various entities. It sounded Star Warrish, but there wasn't any sort of a plastic head covering. It was a pointy, sheet hood. It looked totally KKK! In Madison! And the poor kid! Every Madison homeowner thinking he's KKK. It's like going as Chaplin and having everyone think you are Hitler.
ZPS, go quick and get good candy. We'll reimburse you.
Oh, and remember to save your receipt.
ASKING kids if they're supposed to be a KKK guy on Halloween????? Sheeshh...why not just heat up the pennies in a frying pan on the stove and drop them in their little hands?
I didn't want to ask, but he looked exactly like a KKK guy, and other people were asking him the same thing. I said it in a jovial way, not in an accusatory way.
Isn't it cute when you put out the bowl of candies to the littlest kids and tell them to take what they'd like and they empty the whole bowl?!
I said it in a jovial way, not in an accusatory way.
Excuse me if I seem to be lacking in certain social skills, but how exactly does one ask someone if they are KKK in a jovial way?
Are there certain inflections that are proper?
Do you ask it in a leading way?
"You're not really KKK, are you?
LOL! I'm glad you asked the young child in a jovial way if he was supposed to be a KKK guy! I myself am making them all sign a release form before I give them candy.
It's not what you say, it's how you say it. Usually.
So, wait, using your logic, the KKK should have a big resurgence since there are no KKK Halloween costumes? %-)
I always thought it would be funny to go as the dick-in-a-box guy.
Ann, my hope for the future was a bit restored by you, because, you see, I thought that certain delicacies regarding the Klan were a lost art.
At least among common people, as we are.
No porch light on means "don't bother with this house". All the locals understand that, but the section 8 douches don't - so up they troupe, the dogs go crazy, and after enough barking, the stupid fucks move on, heading to the next dark house. Dim but slow.
All praise to Barry who art Heavenly - with his guidance section 8 will grow and his issue shall be numerous.
I also find it interesting about the eighties girls. And if you see a third one, it's a trend.
Face it, boomers. You were no more special than the kids who were listening to Toni Basil and Dexy's Midnight Runners. Suck on that.
Bleeper -- That's a pretty lame comment. It's up to the people who know the unstated rules to teach the ones who are not privy to them. That means you.
Steven said...
"Snowtroopers are Imperial Stormtroopers in cold weather gear, as seen in the movie The Empire Strikes Back. You know? Second movie in the Star Wars franchise?"
And the best one, in my humble opinion. The two best movies in that franchise are III and V, because they're the only two where the story arc forced Lucas to paint in darker, more complex colors. IV is really good. VI is okay. I really think that there's a tremendously potent, compelling story struggling desperately to escape from the star wars saga, like an athlete trying to escape from a fat suit. The execution never really allowed it to flourish; Lucas just couldn't write it and he wouldn't let anyone else, so it was left to people like Tim Zahn to create enough space to tell really compelling stories in that universe.
It's 8 PM here -- I think we're done.
It is appropriate, however, to ask Bleeper if HE'S supposed to be a KKK guy.
It's traditional for Halloween costumes to be of scary monsters, right? So what's the big deal if the kid was sposed to be a KKK guy? Anybody see any kids in an Osama bin Ladin costume? I guess the difference is cause when you dress up like a flesh-eating zombie or Michael Myers or Jason and emulate a serial killer everybody knows those monsters don't really exist. Why does it become offensive when you dress up like a monster that people know does exist?
To counter Ann's totally gratuitous comment about the lack of Hippies this year meaning Obama is going to win:
A witch and a hippie just left our front door, two kit-kats richer. Of course, AZ ia a bit redder than Wisconsin, but I'll take a good omen where ever I can find it.
Chip Ahoy said - Please take pictures.
I can see that playing out well. "Oh hi, what a darling costume. Arent you cold? Can I take a picture of you to put up on the internet?"
Simon, I'd go farther and say that "Empire" is the only really good Star Wars movie and that was written by Leigh Brackett, who had a real pedigree as a writer.
It's not a matter of darkness, really. The entire set of prequels are dark.
III is stupid beyond compare. I think the critics gave it good notices on the premise that there wouldn't be any more.
Vader--the symbol of pure evil in the first two movies--is turned into a wuss in the prequels.
Plus, "I have the high ground"? Are you *(&*(& me?
Somebody claimed upthread that we collectively spend more each year on Halloween candy than on four years of political campaigns. Does anyone doubt that the money spent on candy passed out to each others' kids in the neighborhood does so much more good for the harmony of society than the money wasted on our vicious political entertainments?
I suspect the dearth of kids is due to "Harvest Parties" held by churches as a safe and sane alternative to Hallowe'en.
"Sarah Palin" came to the door handing out McCain/Palin stickers and flyers. A very pretty and nicely dressed 17-year-old. I had to ask her age because she looked so grown-up. Her sister did, too. I looked into the sister's eyes and spontaneously said, "You don't go to public school, do you?" She said, "Oh no, we're homeschooled". I said, "I thought so, you have a look of intelligence about you." :-) And they did. I can always spot the home-schooled kids. Their faces look more peaceful.
I hate teenagers right now. Buncha snots.
Speak of Raggedy Ann!
Just had TWO young girls (I guess 7 - 9 yr old) show up as together as Raggedy Ann. One was Asian and one black. Adorable. Wife a picture of them. The mom escorting them was dressed like Jennifer Beales in Flashdance. At least she's creative.
This is our fourth Halloween in this house, which is in a neighborhood without street lights or sidewalks. For the past three years, we've had zero trick-or-treaters. So, naturally, my husband bought three large bags of Hershey chocolate bars, Milky Ways and M&Ms Peanuts. I'm glad to learn that M&Ms Peanuts are a balanced meal.
I saw three hippies in the span of one NYC block today? So who knows ... :)
The son says the Mayor gave out full-sized 3 Musketeers this year. Mayor Dave is always good for awesome candy!
Harriet: Well, I don't know. My child is homeschooled now, and I'm not sure that's how I'd describe even his face (though in his Halloween costume this year, in a public performance at our church prior to the trick-or-treating part, his expression was one of pure joy).
Sheesh, I dislike sweeping conclusions. Weirdly enough, one of the things I like most about homeschooling is the opportunity to discourage that. That part ROCKS!
My kids are home with their loot.
The candies are smaller this year, and I see far, far fewer actual candy bars.
-- Steven said...
All women's costumes have gotten "a little risque". It's the general trend that Halloween is an excuse for young women to dress up (and act like) trashy slut
And this is a problem because . . . ?"
Well, here's one because:
I went to dinner at my favorite Thai restaurant tonight. (Yes, I was ducking the T&Ters.)
The entire staff was dressed for Halloween, all as more-or-less slutty vampires or zombies and the like. This worked quite well for the younger ones.
It didn't work as well for the owner's mother, pushing 90. I will spare you the description, but it certainly took the edge off appetites.
Blake, I'll mount a limited defense of III. Something had to turn Vader; people don't just wake up that way one day, and they don't go to the dark side for cookies. McDiarmid and McGregor really give very good performances given what they're given to work with and the environment in which they have to do it. At any rate, giving Vader a motivation that was something other than just a lust for power made it less cartoonish, but Lucas just didn't have the gifts to mill down the story or the humility to give it to someone who could.
Also, John Williams really dug deep and pulled it out of the bag. The the order 66 sequence is painful.
How do I interpret the lack of political costumes? I think it reflects a relaxed confidence that Obama will win.
I'm catatonically relaxed in my confidence that Obama will win Madison, Wisconsin.
I wonder if kids in more conservative areas dressed up as Keith Olbermann .
Image a hoard of little Olbermann's at your door.
I'm an apartment dweller and am feeling deprived - I'm a hopeless cornball and love few things more than kids in great Halloween costumes. In a nostalgic fit, I dug up a photo of yours truly as Snoopy in 1967, looking a little dazed.
"I think it reflects a relaxed confidence that Obama will win."
Like Pauline Kael, they don't know a single Republican voter!
ripper - evidently Ben Affleck is working on a killer Olbermann for SNL tomorrow.
I live in a controlled-access apartment building on the edge of a downtown in its second year of a thirty-year resurgence; mean household size is 2.6 and income is $20k, and if it weren't for all the police cars constantly next door due to the 24/7 emergency mental health access services people, my car would have been stolen about twenty times by now. I didn't get any trick-or-treaters, in other words, though John McCain did drive by on his way to hang out with my former governor at the hockey arena.
My sister reports from suburbia that it was a "slow night" -- only about 60 kids. A good night would have been more like 150 for our neighborhood. But, when we were younger and lived in Connecticut, we specialized in going down the steep streets no one ever bothered with, so I'm used to thinking of a "slow night" as a lady giving the three of us girls four full-sized 3 Muskateer bars because there was no chance any other trick-or-treaters would come by and she didn't want the temptation.
(the "snowtrooper" line would only have given it away to a total geek -- cut the professor some slack, people.)
Zogby..... +1 McCain
Scary. boo!
I used to make a point of getting full-size candy bars. But they are hard to find around here. So I buy the "fun size" that everyone seems to get these days. I do give 3 apiece though.
Simon--
Lucas had three, count 'em three movies to set up something great.
Long movies, too. They're each about 6 hours long, so, somewhere in there he could've really built to something.
The original concept of Vader was that he was seduced by the power of the Dark Side. Instead, he was a whiny little bitch who gets his wife killed and then actually yells "Noooooooooooooooo."
Pfeh. Glad it's over.
Dozens of kids came to the door last year but only 4 so far tonight. I wonder if the empty foreclosed house next door and the one across the street have anything to do with that.
"I think it reflects a relaxed confidence that Obama will win."
Ok, now you're trying to be tiresome!
jdeeripper said...
"I wonder if kids in more conservative areas dressed up as Keith Olbermann[?]"
Why would they dress up as a douchebag?
I think it reflects a relaxed confidence that Obama will win.
It was the night of November 4th that November 5th became September 11th.
ZOGBY SATURDAY: McCain outpolled Obama 48% to 47% in Friday, one day, polling. He is beginning to cut into Obama's lead among independents, is now leading among blue collar voters, has strengthened his lead among investors and among men, and is walloping Obama among NASCAR voters. Joe the Plumber may get his license after all...
Good evening fellow republicans and the happiest of Halloweens to you.
Living on the fabulous 11th floor of a loft I don't get any trick or treaters.
I did go to the doggy park though and there were many parents and little kiddies running around.
Also, every year the older neighborhood kids go to the park and throw eggs at each other.
The rare clumbers and I left before the egg throwing.
Now how is everyone?
I am fine thanks for asking.
When I was young I hated Halloween. I never went out because that was the time that kids would beat me up.
"80s girl seems to have replaced hippie."
Wow. They certainly did.
Happy Halloween!
Trey
How do I interpret the Althouse's lack of political blogging right before the election? I think it reflects an unenthusiastic admission that McCain will win.
Hey! This is really easy. I do expect better political commentary here, though.
P.S. I don't get any trick-or-treaters either. It doesn't work in condos, for whatever anthropological reasons.
Ann Althouse said...I used to make a point of getting full-size candy bars.
My favorites were the giant Three Musketeers bars.
I hated those giant flat raisin mush bars, I don't know what they were called. Old lady house. Yuck.
And orange peanuts. Double yuck!
Now candy is everywhere. Takes the edge off of the free candy hunt aspect of Halloween.
Bissage, love the sudden transition from nothingness to drama . That's what Halloween is all about.
Zero-to-berserk in 6 seconds is what cat ownership is about.
Before dark a 49er family. Dad in a Bajema jersey, mom and young daughter as cheerleaders with a two-yr old #14 QB and the baby in a stroller was a fuzzy little football! Too cute.
-Sharpay and Gabriella seem to be big with the pre-teen girls.
-Middle schoolers as the cast from "House".
-Quite a few witches, cute not scary and a vampire.
-a skeleton and Spidey and quite a few Ghosts from "Scream".
-A Tigger and Pooh
-A bride and Frankenstein
-An 8 ball! very well done!
-A flock of little sibling angels with wings & halos.
Seems to be tapering off a bit now.
"But, when we were younger and lived in Connecticut, we specialized in going down the steep streets no one ever bothered with, so I'm used to thinking of a "slow night" as a lady giving the three of us girls four full-sized 3 Muskateer bars because there was no chance any other trick-or-treaters would come by and she didn't want the temptation."
That's the greatness of America and free enterprise (not to get too political). If there's a niche, someone will fill it. It might not be everybody's cup of tea, but for those willing to do the extra work, the extra reward is there for the taking.
One thing of which I am proud on October 31 is that Mormons have no doctrine and no church teachings whatsoever regarding Halloween.
Mormons don't do harvest festivals or fall parties as a cheap substitute. Mormons don't preach about how it is all of the devil.
Actually, Mormons believe the devil is much more intelligent and capable, than needing to use the juvenile appeal of a styrofoam ninja turtle costume as a means to spread his influence.
But I’m sure that some evangelicals would say it is another sign of our cult status.
But given how Halloween tends to bring neighborhoods together for a few hours, that's pretty good evidence that Halloween isn’t where evil's at.
Evil is in the things that divide us as families, friends, and neighbors.
Titus, here are some trick-or-treaters just for you.
I am now watching Die Monster Die on TCM starring Boris Karloff and Nick Adams. It was from 1965.
I didn't even know Boris Kaloff was around in 1965 but he was.
Thank you.
Boris Karloff died at 81 in 1969.
Last night I was sleeping with the rare clumbers and one of them threw up all over the place.
I woke up with throw up all over me.
I used the throw up as lube to jerky my hog.
It is beautiful here tonight. I have the juliet balcony door open and the towns people are very loud tonight.
A kid dressed up a an ACORN rep stopped at one of McCains houses and asked.... (dont ask what he look like)
Trick or Treat?
A broke McCain says.. Trick
Kid looks at him and says...
November 4th ;)
He comes here just about midnight...
I am now watching The Shuttered Room with the fabulous Gig Young.
Host with the Most said...
integrity,
Visited friends in Hollywood 10 years ago on Halloween (also in a condo), and there was no chance of making it back home 50 miles away before 10 pm, so, my 12 year old daughter was given a sheet to cut bu our friends 10 year old and they became ghosts (a little too sexy for her father's taste). We knocked on 5 doors before one opened, and it was a guy in drag. Long story short, he invited us allin for a party that was starting later, mostly gays, but we had an uproarious time until leaving around 10. Nothing offensive or 2 adult, just a lot of silliness and laughter. Yhere wer about 20 people when we left
The reason this is weird is because I voted Yes in prop 8.
All the good parties should stay on the other side.
Funny, especially how you tell the fun story and then...BAM. Had to be provocative, you couldn't fucking resist. Love to pick a fight. Only I wasn't here.
Well I voted No on 8 and all of the props. And even though I can't comprehend why a gay person would want to get married, I do think gay marriage should be legal.
Ya know, you can't socialize everyone to be uber-conformist and then bitch piss and moan when they conform to your shitty ideas. You people have managed to so oversocialize these people that they want children too. You are reaping what your demand for conformity has sewn. The irony of it all is that if you were to put any group of married men and married women under sodium pentathol and ask them about marriage I believe you would get at least 75% of each gender telling you that they had to due to societal pressure, and they really want out. And yet you've brainwashed the gays into wanting this stuff too, amazing. You are a dodobird.
john said...
Integrity -
Do you even have candy in the off chance a couple lost kids stumble by?
You could give them each a dollar. In our old neighborhood a lady gave out 50 cent pieces once.
I'm a candy junkie. I currently have snack size butterfinger, kit-kat, babe ruth, peanut chews, snickers and payday that I could give out. I just got home and there was not one kid anywhere on my street.
Integrity -- The primary reason any sensible male would want to get married is for the stability that the social institution creates for children. Any male who tells you differently is lying, mostly to themselves.
As the old saw goes, no matter how hot she is, there's some guy out there who's tired of fucking her. I'm quite sure the saw goes for gay men, too.
But, anyway, about Halloween.
Simon said...
jdeeripper said...
"I wonder if kids in more conservative areas dressed up as Keith Olbermann[?]"
Why would they dress up as a douchebag?
A first, I've never heard you use douchebag. I did a double take when I saw it. Funny.
What IS a douchebag?
I didn't keep count, but I'd guess we had at least 60 kids come by. Between Trick-or-Treaters, I clipped the old raspberry canes. Later, they went into my neighbors' fire pit.
This was the warmest Halloween that my kids can remember. They didn't need to wear coats over their costumes.
My son went as Joe the Plumber -- all it took was a name tag and a plunger. We tried, but decided to pass on the bald wig. He got third place in his school's costume contest.
Sure, the little kids are cute, but my kids are old enough to head out with friends. It's sweet being able to stay home and not have to worry about them.
A block over, someone dressed up as Forrest Gump to hand out candy. He had the suitcase, the green bench, and the Bubba Gump Shrimp hat. He talked to the kids in character, and opened his suitcase to offer them their candy.
Only a few kids on my block this year. My neighbor ran out with a nice dog treat (she owns a pet store) when I walked my boys early in the evening, so I guess, technically, I went trick or treating.
We packed it in about 7:30 and went to the mall, to the Apple Store. Surprise! That's where all the kids are! I mean, maybe a thousand kids, all in costume, cycling with their parents and siblings around the mall. The stores were giving out candy, there was a train to ride, and I guess it's the new, safe, community celebration for tots. Little tots.
I saw lots of fairies, with some excellent wings. Superman and Superwoman. Two small Chinese boys in silk Chinese pajamas. Boba Fett. A tiger. It was fun.
"How do I interpret the lack of political costumes? I think it reflects a relaxed confidence that Obama will win."
SRSLY?!? IM O RLY???
Would you really feel safe with your kids in an Obama mask or Palin wig?
Trick or treating at a mall. Man, I'd hate to be a clerk working in that mall tonight. Little kids hyped up on sugar in an enclosed space. Pass. All that noise noise noise noise.
I'm glad kids in liberal old Madison can do trick or treating the old-fashioned way: outside in all kinds of weather, with a parent on the sidewalk reminding them to say thank you. Two hours, from 6 to 8 (well, the 2-year-old from next door stopped by at 5:40). There's no ordinance to say when trick or treating is, but in this neighborhood, that's just the unwritten rule. By 8 all the outside lights are off.
Tonight I realized that we didn't do pumpkins again this year. Don't have to compost them.
Halloween is my favorite holiday next to Christmas. I generally go as Rob Roy or William Wallace.
This year was William Wallace and I even did the era inappropriate woad face paint. Naturally all the ladies ask the usual question about men in kilts and yes, I went commando.
And yes, I scored. :-)
Just back from the Blackhawks/Stars game...a Sarah Palin-esque "Hockey Mom" won the women's costume contest between the 1st and 2nd periods (over a 'Dead Barbie' and a 'Good Witch'. She got a mixed reaction, but overall positive and much better that I expected for a Chicago crowd. For the men, a man dressed as a bottle of mustard won...seriously.
My three year old was JoJo the clown (my wife actually worked on the show so its a bit of a in-joke), and my 8 month old was a caterpillar.
It's definitely my favorite holiday as a parent (even more than Christmas since they are still too young to 'get' Christmas really...but candy is a universal language)
Absolute beauty of a night here in the People's Republic of Monona. I tell you what.
Anyways as long as I'm listening to it this one goes out to Beth.
Ba-nah-nah--nah--nah--nah--nah-na-na-nah--na
Life is good.
How do I interpret the lack of political costumes? I think it reflects a relaxed confidence that Obama will win.
More likely it means that even the kids are sick of politics.
I got an auto-email from my daughter's school telling me how important it is that kids voices be heard and where to take them to "vote".
My daughter, who with great enthusiasm went to an "Obama" vs. "McCain" debate staged by supporters of each, snorted and agreed with me that getting kids to value voting by hauling them off to cast "votes" that didn't count for anything, just taught them that their votes don't count for anything... like mandatory volunteering makes volunteering a chore to be avoided... same thing.
(At the debate "McCain" was, she said, a flamboyantly gay teenager with the cutest lisp. It seems that "young Republicans" are inclusive.)
"Zero-to-berserk in 6 seconds is what cat ownership is about."
Cat and I were reading the paper when the doorbell rang. Cat took off for the bedroom, sending my wine glass off the table in an equal-and-opposite reaction.
Remember the days when kids went out trick-or-treating without the parental escort?
Anyways as long as I'm listening to it this one goes out to Beth.
Ba-nah-nah--nah--nah--nah--nah-na-na-nah--na
Oh you must be kidding. Jesus Christ and his Saints that sounds like a funeral dirge.
Now HERE is some music.
Damn wankers
Oh, I'm loving the caterpillar Ron.
I saw a Raggedy Ann costume tonight too - the classicism was lost due to the fact that it was worn by the 7-foot-tall, 50-year-old dude bagging my groceries.
We took out four kids under the age of 4. My butterfly fairy didn't know quite what to make of it, but the boys had fun.
One guy gave out pretzels, PRETZELS, right? - except they were in Halloween packaging and the pretzels themselves were shaped like bats and jack-o-lanterns. Ended up being the hit of the night with the kids, all eating their pretzels.
Did they do something to Laffy Taffy? I didn't think I liked it but holy crap was it good tonight.
The neighborhood seemed much quieter this year. Someone stole all of the candy we put out when we were trick-or-treating and STOLE THE BOWL TOO.
Tonight I got to watch my kid try candy for the first time. It was a peppermint patty she snagged and started munching through the paper at first. Huge smile.
Your pictures are fantastic!
* glees *
Seems like you started too late. Here in NJ we get most kids between 3 PM and about 5:30 PM, for obvious reasons. They travel in packs usually, maybe 5 to 10 kids with a couple of adults.
My car got silly stringed, and we got the usual toilet paper.
Cool. I like Halloween.
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