Why just paint your face to look like ONE of the members of Kiss when you can be all four. Check out this video from James Kuhn, face painting artist:

If you’re at a loss for what to do for a costume for Halloween this year, this idea is perfect. Just wear a black turtle neck, black pants, and spray your hair black and the makeup will do the rest!

Here is his version of Miss Piggy and Kermit.

This body builder job is AWESOME!

If you go as this Cyclops, you’ll have to walk around sideways all night at the Halloween party, but you’d be a shoe-in to win the costume prize.

With just a little bit of face makeup, you can be the life of the Halloween party! Make sure you do a couple of test runs before the big night so that you are able to do it without pressure. Good luck!

This year, our Halloween theme is 60’s and 70’s. I absolutely LOVE this costume idea because it reminds me of the Roy Lichtenstein paintings in the Sixties.

This was created by a M.A.C Cosmetics artist for Halloween last year and I think it’s genius. They started by using white makeup on her face and then added the black lines to highlight the features.

Then they used a dowel twisted into red lipstick to create the red dots on the face.

The finishing touches include a bright yellow wig, oversized earrings and a dress made from polka dotted material (which might be the most difficult part of making this costume).

One note of caution: if you are going to a Halloween party, this kind of makeup is VERY difficult to keep for an entire night. One touch to the face, and the image is ruined. Make sure you do a test run at least two days before your party so you can perfect your technique and practice NOT touching your face for the month before so you have a chance of living through the night without smearing your own makeup.

Via: Go Retro!: A Halloween Costume that Really Pops

Update: 08-15-13

Felicia Day did a similar look for Comic Con this year:

I absolutely love the steampunk stilts made by Improbcat from the Pi Convention last August. It almost makes me want to take a trip to Pioneer Valley, Massachusetts just to see all the costumes!

The benefit of being so much taller than everyone else is really appealing to me because I’m pretty short, even for a girl, but the thought of balancing on stilts for an entire convention or even the Halloween party sounds like a nightmare.

Look how much taller he is than his friends:

Honestly, the entire group looks awesome!

Great work on costuming, people! Keep it up!

I can’t believe how much I love this Recyclobot Costume from Mother Rising.

• Mother Rising: Recyclobot

He took his Recyclobot for a spin at a Halloween party at our local community center and he made quite a scene. Children circled around him trying to get a closer look, and parents were taking photos. I could hear him inside saying, “I’m not a real robot…I’m just pretending”.

Not pictured, she also had dryer tubing for his arms. It was even better in real life because she used some LEDs under the bottle cap eyes to make them glow.

The tiny LED lights can be found in the wedding section at Michaels and are often used to illuminate balloons.

If you can’t find them at Michael’s, then you can buy them here for 18 bucks a bag.

• White LED Dec-O-Lite Decoration and Economy Balloon Light from Windy City Novelties

They have three settings: constant on, slow blink and fast blink. They last for approximately 8 hours on a button battery, so that’s plenty of time to last for a Halloween party.

I had never heard of balloon lights before I read this entry, so I’m excited about all the things you could do with them. High tech costuming just got a WHOLE lot easier! Imagine being able to make yourself a positronic brain just like Data in Star Trek.

When I first looked at this costume, it just looked like a normal kid’s robot costume, but when I heard about those balloon lights, my whole life shifted just a little.

Via: ikea hacker: Kiddy hacks

We have the incredible Boxborough bakers, Babycakes, to thank for the inspiration for this beautiful Steampunk Cake.

Every year, I obsess about the potluck competition of the Halloween party, but this cake is FAR out of my league. I might be able to hire a bakery to replicate this for me, but there is no way I could achieve this on my own.

Via: Steampunk Cake! | The Steampunk Workshop

Update 10-27-09: Here is a link to another steampunk cake, which is even better than this one: Steampunk Cakes! « westerblog

More photos after the break: (Continue Reading…)

Since this year’s Halloween party theme is Steam Punk, I thought this photo was appropriate:

Photo via: Silhouette Masterpiece Theatre

Today, the fourth installment of The Dowager Moncur’s Spectacles has posted on Steampunk Stories.

• The Dowager Moncur’s Spectacles: Beyond Gretna Green (Part 1 of 5) – Steampunk Stories: In which Miss Isabella Davenforth travels to Moncur Castle and remembers the chiding of the current Lord Moncur about her situation.

• The Dowager Moncur’s Spectacles: Berenice and Mystery (Part 2 of 5) – Steampunk Stories: In which our heroine, Isabella Davenforth, is introduced to the Dowager Moncur and is asked to pass a test of fortitude.

• The Dowager Moncur’s Spectacles: A Hard Day in America (Part 3 of 5) – Steampunk Stories: In which the Dowager Moncur reveals her true madness to Miss Isabella Davenforth.

• The Dowager Moncur’s Spectacles: American Notes (Part 4 of 5) – Steampunk Stories: In which Isabella Davenforth brings forth two volumes of stories to the Dowager Moncur.

This story will continue to post every Wednesday until right before the Halloween Party.

These makeup kits from the company called Imagineering, were really popular when I was a kid. They were first released in 1979, but they were in stores for a LONG time. I remember something very similar just last Halloween, actually. It’s surprising to remember that at one time, these things were NEW. They were makeup kits that came with a thin plastic face that glued on and then you put makeup on it and your real face to blend it in.

When it comes to a Halloween party, it’s best to go rather simply with the makeup and special effects. Eating food and drinking drinks can make the best makeup jobs looks silly. Whenever I choose a costume, I always make sure that I don’t have too much on my face. I want to be able to see, talk and eat.

You’d think that it would limit my costume choices, but it hasn’t yet.

Photo via: Plaid Stallions : Rambling and Reflections on 70’s pop culture: Imagineering Introduces the Face

Today, the third installment of The Dowager Moncur’s Spectacles has posted on Steampunk Stories.

• The Dowager Moncur’s Spectacles: Beyond Gretna Green (Part 1 of 5) – Steampunk Stories: In which Miss Isabella Davenforth travels to Moncur Castle and remembers the chiding of the current Lord Moncur about her situation.

• The Dowager Moncur’s Spectacles: Berenice and Mystery (Part 2 of 5) – Steampunk Stories: In which our heroine, Isabella Davenforth, is introduced to the Dowager Moncur and is asked to pass a test of fortitude.

• The Dowager Moncur’s Spectacles: A Hard Day in America (Part 3 of 5) – Steampunk Stories: In which the Dowager Moncur reveals her true madness to Miss Isabella Davenforth.

This story will continue to post every Wednesday until right before the Halloween Party.

Today, the second installment of The Dowager Moncur’s Spectacles has posted on Steampunk Stories.

• The Dowager Moncur’s Spectacles: Beyond Gretna Green (Part 1 of 5) – Steampunk Stories: In which Miss Isabella Davenforth travels to Moncur Castle and remembers the chiding of the current Lord Moncur about her situation.

• The Dowager Moncur’s Spectacles: Berenice and Mystery (Part 2 of 5) – Steampunk Stories: In which our heroine, Isabella Davenforth, is introduced to the Dowager Moncur and is asked to pass a test of fortitude.

This story will continue to post every Wednesday until right before the Halloween Party.

While looking at the costume sites online, I found this cool Mad Scientist Costume. You can see it in more detail here:

• Mad Scientist Deluxe – Adult Costume

When I saw this costume, I realized that it would be a perfect and easy steampunk costume. It comes with the brown robe, the apron, gloves and goggles. All you would need would be a top hat and some good knee-high boots and you’d be DONE! EASY!

From now on when people don’t know what steampunk is and still want to follow along with the theme for the Halloween party, I’m forwarding them a link to this costume.

Check out the closeup of the goggles. It’s almost worth the forty bucks just for those cool goggles:

For women it’s a little more difficult to find anything really good. I didn’t want to have a costume that was too revealing, so I used a prom dress and the corset and top from this Tavern Wench costume. If you want to go the sexy route, there are a bunch of vampire and pirate costumes that could be repurposed for Steampunk.

This pirate costume would work as a Steampunk outfit if it were coupled with leggings, combat boots and a good brass gun of some sort. Even that hat would work as long as you wear some cool goggles around your neck.

Also, the intersection of vampire costumes and steampunk are strangely similar. This vampire costume is perfect for steampunk, just lose the choker and collar. It comes with the top hat, so all you need to do is add some steampunk gear and you have an easy costume.

I’ve been planning my costume for months, so I’m feeling a little surprised at how easy it can be to throw together a Steampunk costume. Tomorrow, I’ll talk about Steampunk Gear.

After sending photos of my Halloween costume to all of my friends, I got a few emails back from them who were totally confused. The link to the Wikipedia page wasn’t enough for them, so I found this video that does a good job of describing what Steampunk is.

Here is a video from the California Steampunk Convention last year:

I’m so excited about the theme for this year’s Halloween party! Yippee!!

Many thanks to About.com DIY Fashion Gallery for this Steampunk Hat. I found a derby hat at Thrift Town the other day and I had some ideas of how I was going to steampunk it up for Halloween, but this visual not only combines what I was thinking, but also adds a few feathers to the mix that I didn’t even imagine!

Tune in tomorrow to see my totally awesome steampunk brass ray guns Mike and I made! There’s a tutorial if you want to do the same for the Halloween party!

When I saw this felted Yip-Yip Alien, I thought to myself, “Why didn’t I think of this?!” Never once did I think about making my own Yip-Yip. Not even when Rob and Mindy came to the Halloween Party as them!

• I made a mini “Yip-yip” alien!

Krissykat used the felting technique, but if I used a good yarn and crochet, I could make it look the same without the felting process. I think I would make mine “full size” and use ping pong balls for the eyes, just like Jim Hensen did.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, here is a clip of the Yip-Yip Aliens trying to communicate with a telephone.

After watching this, I realized that kids today might not recognize the telephone. Phones today look so different now. In fact, in our house, we don’t have a land line. All we have are cell phones, which look VASTLY different than the rotary dial phone sitting on this desk.

In twenty more years, the Yip-Yip Aliens will resemble HUMANS more than aliens.

Via: Craftzine.com blog: Needle-Felted Yip Yip Alien

Update 06-21-08: Craftzine.com blog: HOW TO – Make a Yip Yip Costume

Stacey has been sick. I remember her coughing at the Halloween party, so she has been sick for almost two months now. She coughed through our entire trip to Las Vegas last month. She coughed through our Sub-For-Santa shopping last Sunday. She coughed when I talked to her on the phone today.

There is something about her coughing that brings me back to our childhood. She coughed all through our childhood. I used to be able to find her in a crowd by the sound of her cough. Her coughing now sounds exactly as it did when we were children. Her voice may have changed when we grew up, but her coughing hasn’t.

When I hear her cough, it stirs a childhood protection in me. I’m the older sister. I’m supposed to watch over her. I’m supposed to boss her around. We lost her and Dan in J.C. Penney’s on Sunday and I heard her cough from across the store. I was able to tell which department of the store they were in solely by ONE cough heard from yards away.

I feel like I should be worried because this cold has clung to her lungs and throat for so long, but instead, I feel like I did when we were children. Every time she coughs, it feels like I’m a child again. Grandma and Grandpa are still alive. We still live at home. Mom still protects us from Dad. The worst thing we can imagine is elementary school drama. And Christmas is coming…

• At Weight Watchers. Had to force myself to come. #
• @Trula Maybe she meant it as a compliment. He WAS talented… #
• Finally putting the house back together after the Halloween party. Repositioning my computer on the desk. #

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Every year, we have a contest at our Halloween party for best potluck dish. Anyone who brings these cupcakes gets my vote, no matter what else everyone else brings.

• Wisdom of the Moon: It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

The variety of cute and funny cupcakes that she had made just makes me smile and be excited for the Halloween party this year. I can’t wait to see what everyone will be bringing!

Via: Craftzine.com blog: Monster Halloween Cupcakes

This method uses face paint and latex to make a disgusting and realistic wound.

• Theater Effects: Lacerations

Back in 2003, I was “The Homecoming Queen’s Got A Gun” for Halloween. I have looked at the picture of my “wound” so many times that I can’t believe I didn’t post it here. Back then I didn’t work with photos and video much, so I guess that’s why. The wound was pretty realistic and I didn’t use any latex or face paints.

When I did this, I used the directions for the Super Scabs from this website:

• Make Your Own Halloween Make-up

I did a test run a couple of days before the Halloween party. It worked so well that doing it the day of the party was a piece of cake. Using a little corn meal and Jello, you can create a scarier wound and everything came off with a shower.

When you’re planning your Halloween costume this year, don’t stress out about the makeup. Do a test run and enjoy playing with the blood and gore. I sure did!

Via: Boing Boing: HOWTO: Make a realistic, grody wound

I have been waiting all year for this month! I have an entire month of Halloween fun for you! I have been taking pictures, writing entries and scouring the web for fun Halloween things for you…

Okay, that’s a lie, they’re really for me!

This picture is the “theme” for my Halloween party this year. The invitations, party favors and prizes will all have this image on them. Every year I choose a theme from various collections of old pictures from greeting cards. This one is a little on the cute side for me, but I like it.

Welcome to October!

I should have taken a picture of it. My words are not nearly descriptive enough to fully illustrate the purple fondue.

Mike and I first made it months and months ago. We decided to make fondue at the last minute and the only wine we had was a tiny individual serving bottle of cabernet sauvignon. The fondue was purple. Not burgundy, or a healthy color of a dark wine, the fondue turned out grapety purple. It looked like Play-Doh, but it tasted delicious. The peppery undertones of the wine accented the cheese and garlic beautifully. Mike and I ate the whole thing happily despite the color.

We kind of forgot about the purple fondue for the next few months, but when Mike asked me what I wanted for Valentine’s Day, I told him I wanted to stay home and make purple fondue. We used the leftover half of bottle of cabernet sauvignon from the Halloween party and it was perfect. It was so good, we decided to have Stacey and Dan over to feed them purple fondue.

“You weren’t joking about the Play-Doh.”

That was the only negative thing that was said because after they tasted it, we kept eating until it was gone. Carrots, cauliflower, apples and three types of bread all happily dipped into the purple goo. The house smelled like garlic, wine, onions and cheese. We talked and enjoyed the food.

I don’t know why this hasn’t caught on. I found one recipe (Red Wine Fondue Recipe) online that calls for a red wine, but the cabernet sauvignon is the best to use with cheese and there is nothing out there. I guess it’s because the color of the fondue looks far too much like purple Play-Doh.

I should have taken a picture…

Update 04-14-08: Mike made Purple Fondue for my birthday this year and we finally took photos of it.

Update 02-02-12: I swear I wrote the recipe down, but when I searched for the words, Purple Fondue, all I got was this entry. Here is the recipe we usually use.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup cabernet sauvignon (we use the Yellow Tail brand because that’s what we used the first time and it worked so well)
• 1 tablespoon flour (we use tapioca flour because I’m gluten sensitive, but wheat and rice flour work as well)
• 1 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded
• 1 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 cup Emmentaler cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• Cracked pepper to taste

Directions

• On medium heat, melt the butter in the electric fondue pot and add the garlic and onions. Brown the onions until they turn clear and leave lots of brown bits at the bottom of the fondue pot.
• Increase the setting to high and add the wine to the pot. Stir it around until it sops up all the brown bits on the bottom of the fondue pot (lots of good flavor there). Bring the wine to a boil.
• While the wine is coming to a boil, add the flour to the cheeses in a large ziploc bag and shake them around until all the shreds of cheese are coated with a fine dusting of flour.
• Decrease the setting to medium and add the cheese to the boiling wine mixture in small handfuls, stirring with a fork. Keep adding the cheese until you get a thick consistency that bubbles like a Yellowstone paint pot.
• It will be QUITE purple. Don’t let that stop you. I promise. It doesn’t taste like a grape Jolly Rancher.
• Once the fondue is thick and bubbling, adjust the temperature so that it keeps warm, but doesn’t burn. Add the green onions and cracked pepper on top and you’re ready to dip in!

Fondue Dippers

• Cut green apples
• Bite-sized pieces of celery
• Baby carrots
• Stale bread chunks (gluten-free bread is ALWAYS stale, so that’s easy for me)
• Small broccoli bites
• Cauliflower

Purple Fondue has become our traditional Valentine’s Dinner. For the last six years, we’ve had Purple Fondue every year, even when we were in San Diego, visiting Matt and Christy Strebe. We all enjoyed Mike’s lovely concoction. I can’t wait for Valentine’s Day this year!

I became self-employed at the end of October, right before the Halloween party. It took me over two months to get into a writing rhythm that works for me. It all started with the way I was eating:

• Starling Fitness » The Zig Zag Diet

I wrote about a way of eating that has helped me get off my plateau that I had been on for about two years. It involves eating more calories on the days that I exercise and eating less on the days that I don’t. I’ve been zig-zagging for a couple months now and it has really helped me stay away from bingeing and keep my eating healthy.

Last month, I thought, what if I zig-zagged with my writing?

To keep afloat, I need to write 35 entries a week. To start building up my two-week backlog, I have to write at least 50 units a week. I wondered if I could write every other day and be able to write more than I did when I was trying to write every day.

Writing every day would consist of writing 10 entries a day, which is a lot. Writing every other day, would consist of writing 15 units on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and fitting in 5 more units somewhere. Could I do it?

The answer was amazing to me. Not only could I easily write 15 units a day when I knew that if I did I would get the next day off, sometimes I’m able to do it by noon. They key to it all is the reward of having a day off. I was unable to do 10 units a day before, but suddenly, I am easily able to do 15 or more a day.

The essential thing for me is having a complete day off inbetween. After writing, I really need a rest and zig-zagging helps me with that. Of course, something inside of me thinks that if I can write 15 entries in a day, I should be able to write 15 units every day. I think I could do it for about three days in a row, but afterward, I would need to rest for two weeks.

I don’t know what my limits as a writer are yet, but I’m willing to see much I can do. For now, I’m zig-zagging.

If you are having a Halloween Party this year, it’s probably tonight. Here is a great website for some last minute ideas.

• Haunted Wisconsin – Party & Decorating Ideas

There are so many good ideas here that I’m hard pressed to choose my favorites. The saddest story this year, however is from Kimberly King’s Website:

• King’s Home Halloween Party Ideas

Their home was destroyed by Katrina this year. They lost everything and the only remaining glimmer of their Halloween decorations survived in pictures on her website. They are starting from scratch next year, because this year, they are just trying to find a place to live.

In December of 2003, we got hit with a massive snow storm. All of us were buried under three or four feet of snow. My little Beetle got stuck in the middle of the road right in front of my house. I talked about it briefly when it happened.

What I didn’t tell you was about my neighbors. Rick, next door, and the guy down the street helped Mike and I push the Beetle into the driveway. Once it was there, it stayed there for two days. My tires were so bald that I knew that I would get stuck again if I ventured out. I already appreciated Rick for all the things he did when we moved in, but the guy down the street was a new Samaritan for me. After that day, that guy down the street was top on my list.

We invited him to our Halloween party, but he didn’t come. He has a cat named Spumoni that is a fat calico that comes over and eats the cat food that Rick leaves out for his feral cat that won’t come into his house. The guy down the street has a son with a wreck of a car that was parked in front of his house. He was scared that someone would call the city on him and asked us not to. It didn’t even occur to us.

He’s kind of a scruffy guy. Sometimes he talks to people in cars. They drive up, they talk and they drive off. We live on a dead end, so it’s easy to notice those things when they happen. I sometimes wonder if he’s a drug dealer, but I have a hard time reconciling my concept of a drug dealer with the guy who pushed my Beetle into the driveway and has a cat named Spumoni.

The other day, I saw him talking to someone in a car. The person in the car handed him something and drove away. The neighbor noticed me and waved, raising the hand that held the package from the car. He waved at me with a DVD of The Incredibles. I felt silly for ever thinking he could be a drug dealer.

Speaking of the test of a true artist, major props to Something Positive and Queen of Wands. Since I’ve been sick, I have been reading web comics obsessively. I didn’t have the energy to do anything else when I was at home or work. I have read the entire archive of Something Positive, Queen of Wands, The Red String, and Questionable Content. All of them just make me want to start a web comic of my own.

Being completely unschooled in Manga or comic drawing in general doesn’t daunt me. The fact that I haven’t finished Looking for Christ does, though. So, I have an additional incentive to get cracking on the book because as soon as I finish it, I can start a web comic.

It doesn’t help that Cory Storm is thinking of starting a comic of his own with Chuck Perkins. Cory has major artistic talent and Chuck has intriguing sci-fi ideas, so whatever they produce will be totally cool. They haven’t done anything about it just yet, but it is all in the works.

More importantly, web comics are few and difficult to find. Typing romantic web comics into Google doesn’t produce any worthwhile results and I’ve only been able to find what I have by following links and adverts. I want there to be more web comics in the world, so I feel it is my duty to create one, even if it sucks.

Of course, all of that is on hold right now. I’m sick. I can’t even keep up on my weblog, much less add further commitments to my schedule. First, I’m going to get well. Then, I’m going to host the best Halloween party EVAR. Then, I’m going to finish my book. After I’ve got all that past me, I’m going to start a web comic. I’ll keep you posted.

I’ve spent every extra ounce of energy today on the Halloween Party. We throw only one party a year and it’s the best damn Halloween Party you’ve ever been to in your life. This year, though, I’ve been sick, so getting things ready has been harder in that respect.

It has been easier in some respects. I’ve planned all year. I got the horror movies months in advance. They’ll be no last minute runs to Blockbuster, hoping they will have something classic to play in the background. I got Metropolis, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, The Birds, and The Masque of the Red Death to play silently on the television.

I’ve automated so many of the processes. Last year’s slide show of Costumes of Halloween Past is still saved on the hard drive. All I had to do was add last year’s to the mix and now it’s ready to go.

Last year’s invitation, CD sleeves, CD labels and Prize Tags were carefully saved. This year, all I needed to do was change the dates and the theme picture and they were ready to go.

Mike took care of me this year. He hooked me up. He put a super fast DVDR/CDR burner in my computer, so when it came time to burn the CDs (I give them away as party favors), it took one evening instead of four days.

All of the Halloween decorations are still in storage, so I have a lot of decorating to do to get our house up to party level. I also have a lot of cleaning to do to get it up to company level.

Of course, the food is left up to fate (potluck). I’ll bring a vegetable tray and Mike is planning on preparing a licorice tray. Other than that, the food is a mystery to me and that’s a good thing. I release the worry of food to the Party Gods. Even when they play a practical joke on me, it’s still funny.

The attendees are a sort of mystery to my also. Some have definitely responded with positive or negative responses, but there are always the multitude that don’t respond and show up, adding spice and interest to the evening. I’m excited to see who shows up. The people who are coming to the party are the ones that I’m pushing myself for. I’m so excited to see their costumes and their potluck dishes and their happy party faces.

Now, I just need to hang the birds from my halo for my costume. You’ll never guess in a million years what I’m going to be!

10-07-04: From my morning pages…edited only to preserve privacy.

10:30 am: I’ve got to write my pages so I can write some blog entries so I can write on my chapter. I have so much writing to do because I haven’t bothered to write while I’m at work. I’ve been reading comics online and just messing around. I guess I am just tired right now. Ok, that’s bullshit. The house is a mess, I’m worried about the Halloween party and I’m letting that stuff suck out my energy. Instead of just cleaning up the house and letting myself get some work done, I’m letting it drain my life force. I need to just spend all day tomorrow cleaning up the house and getting my costume ready for the year. Then I won’t have to worry about those things and I can just feel better.

I had a pretty busy morning yesterday. We got the books ready for the project and then there was nothing to do. I volunteered to go home so that I wouldn’t be bored all day at work. I thought that I could go home, enjoy some time with Mike and clean up the house. I did the first two on the list, but then I just slept. He went right back to work, but I just fell asleep. I made him dinner, which was a nice thing to do for him while he worked. I let myself have fun, too. I watched Mean Girls and crocheted. I never let myself watch the movies that I get. I really wanted to see that movie in the first run theater, then it was in the dollar theater and I wanted to see it, finally, I saw it at Blockbuster the other day, so I rented it. We went in to find the Babylon 5 pilot, but they didn’t have it. We ended up buying that one.

That’s another thing. I have spent all this time finding the Babylon 5 DVDs and I haven’t even seen any of them. We saw the pilot on Sunday and we plan to watch one every Sunday, so we’ll see how that works this weekend. I DID let myself have fun yesterday, but I think I should have cleaned the kitchen or tried to write a blog entry. I should have done a little bit of work yesterday. Should should should. I could should on myself all day. What I need to do is gonna.

Ok, I have tomorrow off, so I’m gonna start my day cleaning the house. I’m going to use that as my exercise time. I’m going to get the dishes and the laundry and clean the bathroom. I’m going to pick up the clutter on the table and at my desk. I’m going to burn DVDs all day that I’m going to pick up tonight. I have a ton of things on hold for me at the library, so I’m going to pick them up tonight. Maybe I’ll even go to the storage unit and pick up the decorations and take over some things that could be put away for the season. I guess I should make a list.

11:19 am: I didn’t make a list. I ate my snack instead. I don’t know what is the matter with me. I’m just not up to writing right now. Even writing my pages is like pulling teeth. I write a few sentences, send Mike an email. I write a few sentences and help with the toner. I write a few sentences and eat a pear. I am just having a hard time writing today. Usually writing my pages is enough to spark my creativity. I have things that I want to write about like the concept of infinite wishes and the Mean Girls movie that I just saw last night. I have things to write about, but I’m just not feeling like writing. It’s like the words don’t want to come out of my fingers.

I’m staring at my Halloween invitation. It’s sitting on my desk. I need to print about twenty or thirty more so that I can give them away at church this weekend and give them to the neighbors and such. I don’t know why I haven’t printed up more. I guess I am just waiting until things are slow and I can just sit and fold them without worrying about writing. It’s like the dishes in the sink at home. These unwritten chapters and blog entries are sapping the life out of my body, making everything else hard to complete. I need to get the petty things in my life fixed so that I can enjoy the fun fully. I had fun yesterday, but I felt guilty about not cleaning. Heck, I even felt guilty for not playing DDR. I feel guilty for not having all the fun that is possible to have sometimes. Isn’t fun just supposed to be fun? Can’t I just enjoy it and not think about the other fun that I could have.

Well, I’ve written two paragraphs, so now I’m going to go cook my food and eat my lunch. 11:47 am: Lunch eaten I’m back. Thinking about putting the food I’ve eaten into my Palm, but feeling guilty for not finishing these damn pages and I want to know what the hell is the matter with me. Maybe I need to get back into The Artist’s Way. I never finished that book. I need something to jump start my creativity. It’s not like the ideas and words aren’t there. It’s like my fingers are tired of typing. I don’t know what’s the matter with me. Maybe I’ll just finish my pages and post them unedited online. Ok, I named names, so I’ll have to edit them some. Editing itself sounds like a burden.

12:03 pm: I put my food into my Palm. I played a game of BeJeweled and got a high score. I played a game of Collapse and got a high score. I played a game of Nisqually and realized that I’m still figuring that game out. I am going to finish these pages if it kills me. I am just going to write about crap until I get to the end of the page and I’m not going to let anything else get in the way. I’m just going to type until I fill the page, even if I fill the page with, “I have nothing to say today,” over and over again. I am just going to keep typing until I’m finished.

I just feel so empty. I know I have ideas. I know I have things that I want to say. I know that I’m going to eventually write them down. I just don’t know why they don’t want to come out of my fingers right now. As I am typing this, I’m thinking about Chapter 10. I have ideas for it. I know what I want to do with it. I don’t have to worry about anything, yet I’m not writing them down. I’m not putting them into motion.

I’m not putting pen to paper either. It’s not like I’m writing in another medium. I’m not writing by hand. I’m not typing on the computer. I’m not tapping out on the Palm. I’m doing nothing. I’m not even being creative in a different art. There is an unfinished painting in the basement that just needs to be whitewashed to be finished. It hasn’t been touched for months. At first it was drying, but it has been dry for so long that it is technically forgotten right now. I haven’t sung with the choir this year. They started meeting again in August, but I haven’t attended once. I haven’t drawn anything for a long time.

I’m not dry. I have plenty of ideas. They just won’t come out of my fingers. Maybe I need to do some finger exercises. Maybe I need a finger massage. I just don’t know what I’m going to do about this. I guess I’ll just write my morning pages every day and just post them. That’s all I can do sometimes.

Please read Part 1.

After the Halloween party, would I live a different life? After I had been given undeniable proof that God existed, knew about our lives and could see into the future, would that change the way I lived? Maybe.

One thing that I would do differently is pray. I don’t pray now. I haven’t prayed since I was a child and really believed in Armageddon. Not having proof of God’s existence really dampens my suspension of disbelief to the point that it makes praying impossible. I’ve tried meditation and I have found it to be reasonably helpful in calming my tempestuous moods, but I don’t really consider that praying. Prayer implies a higher source.

Mike and I had this discussion about prayer. Ok, it was a fight. It’s always a fight when the dictionary is brought down from the bookshelf.  The minister at my church had a sermon called, “It’s OK to Pray” and I was trying to convince Mike that meditation counts as prayer. In the end, Reverend Dennison also considered meditation prayer, but the definition of prayer implies a higher source. Once I knew that the higher source existed, I might be tempted to pray.

Of course, God himself told me that he probably would never visit me again, so really what is the point of praying to God when there is little hope of a response? Maybe I would just obsess over the visit, trying to find clues in it. What did he tell us when he was here?

He doesn’t like generic brand ranch dressing. Who does? He likes Oreos, chocolate pudding and Milano cookies. Who doesn’t? He knows everything we do and think every day and into the future. The last thing he said was, “Enjoy yourself.”

No, I don’t think I’d live my life any differently than I did before he visited. He told me to enjoy myself and that’s exactly what I’m doing now. Does that mean I break laws? No, there are natural consequences to breaking laws that I don’t want to experience. Does that mean that I would suddenly become promiscuous? No, I stay faithful to my husband because I love him and I couldn’t live with myself if I was dishonorable. Does that mean that I would abuse drugs, tobacco or alcohol? No, I want to keep my body healthy so I can stay on this planet for a long time.

Aside from the praying thing, I pretty much would live my life exactly how I live it today if I had such a casual and happy visit from God himself at my Halloween party. Maybe that’s why he hasn’t bothered visiting me.

Real Live Preacher is having a crisis right now because some weasel of a Christian called him a false prophet. As an atheist, it just bugs me because RLP is a good writer and I enjoy reading his weblog every day and some fundamentalist moron just peed on his parade.

Whether he is a false or true prophet doesn’t bother me because I’m an atheist. He writes well. He spins stories that make me cry and laugh. I don’t care about whether he is leading God’s flock astray because I don’t believe in God. It’s all irrelevant to me unless RLP lets this jerk wreck his mojo.

I wish I could believe in God. I have no faith in God’s existence, but the belief in God seems to bring so much solace to so many people that sometimes I wish I could believe. But I’m a scientist. I’m not just a scientist, I’m a mathematician. I need to see the proof on paper.

Even if God visited me personally to prove its existence, I wouldn’t believe it. I would check myself into a hospital. I would get a CAT scan. I would talk to as many therapists as I needed to. I would find the brain tumor or the suppressed memory. I would solve the problem and find Occam’s solution.

I wish God would visit me and all of my closest friends at a party so that I had witnesses to what I experienced. Is that asking too much? If God is really omnipotent and omnipresent then it would be nothing to just pop in at my next Halloween party and visit all of us. I can just imagine what it would say to us.

“Hello, Laura, I know that you’re in the middle of hosting a party, but I thought I would drop by to acknowledge my existence. Can your friends see me? Ah yes, I see you waving at me, Dawni. Yes, you’ve been a very good girl. I’m so proud of you.  By the way, I’m male. You keep calling me he/she/it. That doesn’t really bug me, but it’s technically wrong. I chose the male persona about three thousand years ago. I had been female for so long that I thought I’d try this one out. I don’t know how long I’ll stay male, but at least as long as YOU’RE alive.

“Was there anything else you needed, Laura? Well, besides the meaning of life because I don’t think you have time for that right now, with all the drinks you need to mix and don’t forget those tombstone pudding cups in the fridge. You’ve forgotten them two years in a row now and I really think they are adorable and your guests never get to see them. Speechless? Wow! That’s a first for you.

“By the way, Dan, you really have never beat the Jesus costume that you wore the first year. I’ve looked into all that Halloweens of the future and you keep trying, but you never really feel like you reach that spectacular height again. Maybe that will make Halloween a little less stressful for you. Next year, you and Stacey are going to go as The Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood and win all the prizes, but for some reason, you will still feel that you can’t beat the Jesus costume. You might want to look into that feeling, especially now that you know that I exist.”

I can just imagine God looking around the party. The music from the computer would be playing Blasphemous Rumors by Depeche Mode and we’d feel a little guilty for never believing in him. He would dip his finger into the ranch dressing on the vegetable platter, tasting it and wrinkling his nose. “Hidden Valley Ranch!” I’d think to myself, wishing that I had thought to make the ranch dip myself instead of just using the no name brand that came with the vegetable platter. He would bring out the tombstone pudding cups from the fridge, taking one for himself. He’d spoon the chocolate and crushed Oreo confection into his mouth and take the Milano cookie tombstone out, dipping it into the pudding and taking small bites. I can imagine him looking at me.

“Is this enough? Great party, by the way. Last year you had a Dracula DVD playing, but I think Metropolis is just as spooky. I guess you all are thoroughly convinced, aren’t you? Do you need a miracle or something?” He would touch one of the wilting houseplants on the bookcase and it would bloom and flourish. “Is that enough? Ah, I can see that it is. Well, goodbye, then. I probably won’t visit you again and some of you will shake your heads and pretend it never happened. That’s ok with me, by the way. Enjoy yourself.” And he would be gone.

Today is Halloween. I must admit I don’t care anymore. My huge Halloween party was almost a week ago. Even though it went perfectly, I have to tell you that I’m ready for the holiday to pass. I think I spent too much time thinking about the party this year instead of reason for the holiday.

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping? Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven, 1845

There is a large flock of crows at the park nearby my work. I am on my lunch hour, sitting in my car at the park and writing an early Halloween entry with a shiny and bitten No. 2 pencil. I am watching the black birds search the grass for food and listening to their calls. They remind me of a different black bird.

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter, In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore; Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven, 1845

I’ve never seen a raven. I may have seen one on television or at an aviary, but I have never seen a raven in the wild. And like most of us, I’ve never had a raven come into my home and say, “Nevermore.” Every time I read that poem, I visualize a crow.

Maybe it’s because I’m a Western girl. I may have been born on the East Coast, but my body belongs to the mountains and the salty water of Utah. Something has agitated the flock of crows and they are all speaking at once. They almost sound like ducks when they argue. Maybe my teenaged mind couldn’t fathom a bird that didn’t frequent the valley of Salt Lake and replaced the raven with a crow. The call of one bird was exchanged with the call of another, neither one sounding like the word, “Nevermore.”

Quoth the raven “Nevermore.” Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven, 1845

Those words can hold so much regret. Never more will I see her smiling face. Never more will I hear his tender voice. Never more will I laugh with them. To hell with regret. Winter is coming. If I brood with regret, I may never see spring.

From now on, those words will mean “Enough! Basta!” Just like the mob boss who stopped the killing, I will say the same to all that is evil in my life. Never more will I allow someone to be mean to me without comment. Never more will I stay quiet while another is unjustly maligned. Never more will I allow my wit or malice to cut another. “Nevermore”

And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting? Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven, 1845

The flock of crows have quieted and all I can hear is the call of one bird in the playground. One by one, I’ve watched the individuals of the group leave and fly off. They stopped by my park to remind me of why Halloween is scary. We can honor the dead with a “Nevermore” of determination or a “Nevermore” of regret. The choice is ours and I needed a reminder of which one would work for me.

If you’ve been paying attention, you would know that my choir is performing today. Even though I had a huge Halloween party the night before, I’m “Up and At ‘Em” today to sing. The song we are performing is “No Man Is An Island” and I’ve had the hardest time with it. It’s not the vocal range. The first soprano part is very high and I have to stretch to make one note and hold it, but that’s only one note of many.

Q: Why are Unitarians such bad hymn singers? A: We’re too busy reading a line or two ahead to see if we agree with it. UUC Home Page, Unitarian Humor, May 1998

True to form, the part of the song that I’m having trouble with is one line from the song, “Each man’s grief is my own.” I don’t experience this with people other than my closest of friends and family. I have plenty of empathy for the good things, but for the bad things, I separate myself from the pain. I don’t really feel that connected to humanity.

I am a rock. I am an island. And the rock feels no pain And an island never cries. Simon & Garfunkel, I Am A Rock, 1966

Sometimes I would rather live in the “I Am An Island” world instead of the “No Man Is An Island” world. Simon and Garfunkel had it right. “Each man’s grief is my own,” just doesn’t ring true for me. People try to spread their grief on me all the time. They tell me their sad stories in an effort to relieve some of their pain and I’m sure it works for them to some extent, but their stories rarely grieve me. I usually just listen with anticipation, hoping I can cull them for something interesting to think about and move on. Their grief isn’t my own, it’s my fodder.

If somehow you could pack up your sorrows And give them all to me. You would lose them, I know how to use them. Give them all to me. Tom Paxton, Pack Up Your Sorrows, 1966

I’m more like the song that Peter, Paul and Mary recorded called Pack Up Your Sorrows. “You would lose them, I know how to use them.” That’s more like me, a peppy little ditty about taking the grief of others and transforming it into energy. I prefer that song. Why aren’t we singing that in choir? I’m not in charge, that’s why. Singing in a choir isn’t about being the one in charge. Ironically, when you’re in charge of the choir, you don’t get to sing.

Think of me today. I will hit that note and hold it. I know this because I’ve practiced alone all week. Singing in the choir isn’t about singing alone. It’s about singing together. Just know, however, that while I’m singing “No Man Is An Island” I will be thinking about Peter Paul and Mary.

Today is my Halloween party. I only throw one party a year and I plan for it all year long. The costume, the mix CDs, the movies in the background, and the slide show are all mulled over and thought about starting in February. This year, I’m going as “The Homecoming Queen’s Got A Gun.” It took a long time for my costume to evolve into what it is, but now I’m decided. It’s too late to change it anyhow.

Partying is such sweet sorrow. Robert Byrne

The people I know fuss about the party more than I do. “Who’s coming to your party?” She has given her excuse for not coming but she’s still interested. I’ve told her twice, “I don’t really know. I pretty much only get negative RSVPs. It’s always a little random.” That answer isn’t good enough for her. If it were, she wouldn’t have asked me twice.

“Have you planned the food?” She knows it’s pot luck, but she still asks, “Well, I just thought that you would assign things to people who couldn’t decide.” I just shrug at her and say, “No, it always seems to work out.” I can feel it, she’s worried that everyone will bring the same thing, “Just think about it, if everyone brings Oreos, it will be the funny party where all we had to eat was Oreos.” We make some jokes about what to do with extra Oreos and she calms down.

Watch out for the fellow who talks about putting things in order! Putting things in order always means getting other people under your control. Denis Diderot (1713 – 1784), Supplement to Bougainville’s ‘Voyage,’ 1796

The strange thing is that I love this party. I have it within my power to plan every facet of it. I could only invite those who I KNOW will show up. I could plan all the food and beverages. I could even pinpoint the time during the party in which they would eat. I could plan and control every thing. Doesn’t that sound like fun? Not even close.

There are some things that I want to control. If there is good music, people have something to talk about, thus the mix CDs. If there is something for them to watch on TV, they can escape people and just be alone with the television if the socializing gets too much for them, thus the scary movies. If you show them that you care, they will automatically enjoy it more, thus the slide show of Halloweens past. Those are the things that I can control.

I’ve found that the parties that are the most fun have some element of chaos to them. I don’t want to control who attends my party. I would much rather invite everyone and let the Gods of Chaos work it out. Dealing with the food is stressful. I would much rather let Chaos Theory take care of it. The one party where everyone brought chicken was still a good party. We had chicken curry, Kentucky Fried Chicken, chicken wings, some great chicken thing that Don brought and I don’t even remember the rest. Neither does anyone else. We just remember the funny party where everyone brought chicken.

That which is static and repetitive is boring. That which is dynamic and random is confusing. In between lies art. John A. Locke

That’s what a party is about: talking, fun, not getting overloaded, caring and funny memories. I won’t report about how it turned out. I can tell you right now. It was great fun and a little random.

Last year, my sister, Stacey, came as Effie Trinket from The Hunger Games. She won for Beast of Show, meaning that she got 3-4 votes in EVERY category, giving her the most votes anyone received last year. It’s not surprising, because her costume was PERFECT!

We worked long and hard on her clothes, turning a horrendous pantsuit from the 80s into the jacket. A overly frilly t-shirt from the 90s became her skirt. She went to extra effort on her flowery headpiece and choker as well.

And her HAIR!! That is HER hair (not a wig), curled, backcombed and sprayed white and pink! She said she had to take a TWO hour shower to get all the coloring out of her hair.

You can barely see it, but we even were completely authentic with her finger nails.

After gluing on artificial nails that were the proper length, I used Sally Hansen’s Gem Crush in Lady Luck for the base.

Using a makeup sponge, I dabbed on China Glaze’s Cleopatra glitter polish on the tips.

I followed this YouTube tutorial:

It’s surprising how little details like your manicure can make or break a costume. Stacey went all out last year and she ended up with the Beast of Show prize for it!

On Jan 31, 2013, at 10:03 PM, a NICE FRIEND wrote:

Hey. I stumbled across your website while trying to find some information about Daybreak. My family is relocating to SLC from ANOTHER CITY this summer. I have been hellbent on moving to Sugar House to be near downtown and in a diverse area of the city. Well, the more I look, the more discouraged I get at the prices and what you get for that price. So, today I started opening the search. Daybreak looks like the kind of place my 3 kids would love. I will hate being that far away from the city but a newer house would be nice with all the amenities it has to offer. Cutting to the chase, I am in-active (hate that word!) Mormon living with a very active husband. I wonder how life would be socially? I want to meet people who enjoy a glass of wine and going out. How is it being a non-mormon in that community? I know in Sugar House it is very diverse with lots of places to go out at night. Thanks for your help!

Dear NICE FRIEND,

Thanks for emailing me about Daybreak. I still live here and I still love it dearly, but it IS different than living in Sugarhouse.

I have ZERO friends in this neighborhood, aside from my sister and her husband, who moved here because we live here and another couple who were our friends before they moved to South Jordan. In Sugarhouse, I knew the people on both sides of our house and across the street. They came to my Halloween parties, which are decidedly non-Mormon parties, and they were great acquaintances. I don’t have that here.

In all honesty, I think it was because we didn’t have children. All the families came over to introduce themselves, but when they saw that we had no children for their kids to play with, they never spoke to us again.

On the other hand, your children will be PAINFULLY lonely in Sugarhouse. There will be NO children within walking distance to play with. I had the hardest time finding kids to shovel my walk or mow my lawn. They just weren’t there and my friends with children who live in Sugarhouse have to drive them to play dates. That is not the case in Daybreak. It’s like Lord of the Flies here and most times, you will wonder where the adults are.

You might have an easier go of it because your husband is LDS. That will provide you with introductions in the neighborhood that I haven’t had. Even if you only go to church with him every other weekend or so, you will have a much larger social life in Daybreak because of that advantage.

More importantly, crime is nonexistent in Daybreak. In Sugarhouse, our bike (and yard ornaments) were stolen, a man was arrested by the police in our backyard and panhandlers KNOCKED on our door asking for money. I haven’t had any problems like that here and I LOVE Daybreak for that.

The drive downtown is arduous, however. If you or your husband are employed downtown, then you will be looking at a 45 minute commute each way. That time estimate is a hopeful one, so if there has been an accident on the freeway or if it snowed the previous night, you’ll have to leave an HOUR before work to get there on time. The same is true if either of you is employed in Provo. If, however, you work in Sandy, West Valley or anywhere else in the central valley, you’ll be just fine.

Daybreak DOES have a wine club and all the people there are very friendly. I’ve only been to a couple of the get togethers, but they were fun every time I went. You can find them here: Daybreak Wine Club. They didn’t have anything like that in Sugarhouse, or if they did, I never found it.

If you had asked me a few years ago why we were so close to our neighbors in Sugarhouse, I would have said because our houses were so close together, but I live in a part of Daybreak where our houses are JUST as close as they were in Sugarhouse. I have NO idea why things were friendlier in Sugarhouse than they are here in Daybreak.

In the end, making friends as an adult is difficult. When we were kids, we were thrown together by school and proximity and sometimes I think the sheer repetition of seeing the same faces made them precious. As adults, it’s difficult to reproduce that experience. I wish I had an answer to problem, but I really don’t.

I DO know that whether you move to Sugarhouse or Daybreak, I’m perfectly willing to meet up with you for lunch. Moving to a new state is difficult, but at least you have one friend here already.

Best,

Laura Moncur

P.S. I’m putting this on my blog for other people who are trying to decide where in the valley to move, but I’m removing your name (and origin city) so that you stay anonymous.

Last year, when I wanted to be a mummy, I had a bit of a problem. The mummy costume that had been handed down to me by Stacey was too tight. I had a choice. I could find (or make) a new costume or lose ten pounds. So, I looked for a mummy costume that would fit me a bit better than the old one. All I could find in the stores was the costume on the right.

It wasn’t really what I was looking for. I didn’t want to be a sexy mummy. I wanted to be a scary mummy. The theme for our party last year was Scary Monsters, Super Creeps. In the end, it was easier for me to lose the weight (only lost seven pounds, but it was just barely enough) to fit into the old costume than to find a new one that wasn’t overtly sexualized.

If you are sick of the Slutty Costume Phenomenon, then here is an alternative.

• Take Back Halloween!

These folks have a ton of suggestions for costumes of women that are inspirational, powerful and not particularly slutty. Of course, lots of the costumes are just famous women from the Victorian Era, which is kind of disturbing to me because they forgot all the women like Madeline Albright and Margaret Thatcher because they just wore normal women’s business suits.

Of course, every damn one of these costumes would turn into an evening of, “Who are you?” questions, followed by the boring explanation. Lisa Meitner might have been the woman to discover nuclear fission, but NO ONE has heard of her, so your costume just turns into a boring lecture on patriarchy in the sciences. The best costumes don’t need to be explained, so choose wisely.

Ironically, I won the prize for Sexiest Costume last year, even though I tried so hard to be scary. And the most ironic thing of all is that it felt REALLY GOOD to win that prize.

Today, the final installment of The Dowager Moncur’s Spectacles has posted on Steampunk Stories.

• The Dowager Moncur’s Spectacles: Beyond Gretna Green (Part 1 of 5) – Steampunk Stories: In which Miss Isabella Davenforth travels to Moncur Castle and remembers the chiding of the current Lord Moncur about her situation.

• The Dowager Moncur’s Spectacles: Berenice and Mystery (Part 2 of 5) – Steampunk Stories: In which our heroine, Isabella Davenforth, is introduced to the Dowager Moncur and is asked to pass a test of fortitude.

• The Dowager Moncur’s Spectacles: A Hard Day in America (Part 3 of 5) – Steampunk Stories: In which the Dowager Moncur reveals her true madness to Miss Isabella Davenforth.

• The Dowager Moncur’s Spectacles: American Notes (Part 4 of 5) – Steampunk Stories: In which Isabella Davenforth brings forth two volumes of stories to the Dowager Moncur.

• The Dowager Moncur’s Spectacles: What the Dowager Moncur Told Isabella (Part 5 of 5) – Steampunk Stories: In which the Dowager Moncur finally reveals to our brave heroine about her curious spectacles.

Since I wrote an entire story about my Halloween costume, you can imagine how excited I am for the party this Saturday! I hope it goes well!

For the last two years, I’ve made Halloween cupcakes for the party. I’ve gotten lots of votes for them, but I don’t end up winning. This book, Hello, Cupcake! has lots of ideas for cool cupcakes to bring to the party, but I don’t think I’m going that route this year.

Tofu and Cupcakes tried the werewolf recipe from this book last year:

• Tofu and Cupcakes » Blog Archive » Werewolf Cupcake from Hello, Cupcake!

The werewolf got rave reviews…but I can tell you that the ones from the book look 100% better than mine! I should have gone with a stiffer icing (like Swiss meringue buttercream), I used Hershey’s “Perfectly Dark” chocolate buttercream. The book detailed a method of the “fur technique” using a regular ziplock bag as a pastry bag. They even used two-toned frosting on theirs.

Her cupcakes look pretty good:

Considering how steep the competition is every year for the potluck award, maybe I should put a little more effort into my costume instead.

Via: Craftzine.com blog: Werewolf Cupcakes

• @livehigh5 Gay doesn’t mean pedophile, you DORK! #
• Firefox Cross-stitch pattern: http://tinyurl.com/3efj8q #
• Halloween Food for the party: http://tinyurl.com/45hcjs #
• Barack Obama Party at Acme Burger TODAY 10-15-08 at 7pm htttp://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/debatewatchparty/gs5yzw #
• Literal Take On Me: I wonder what A-Ha thinks about it. http://tinyurl.com/4ybadz #

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I got an email back in January:

This morning I googled “Tres Hombres” to find some information for work. I came across your “found” Halloween photo, and thus began a wonderful one-hour journey into your site: the Halloween subsection (I’m a huge Halloween fan), a short foray into Laurie Lipton, party photos etc, etc. I notice you’re located in SLC, as am I; then I came across your Halloween photos. The Norton’s photos surprised me as I’ve known David and Mary for several years. Wow…what synchronicity! I think when she was the kitchen witch in that photo she was wearing a hat she borrowed from me. =D

As you’re a costume aficionado I’ve included a couple photos of my own…and two photos I took at the cemetery in the Avenues for a photography class. I’m looking forward to future visits to your site and seeing more about our common interests.

Regards,

TaMara Gold

And what costume photos! They are totally AWESOME! Check them out here:

Tune in tomorrow to see her cemetery photos in their spooky brilliance!

This arrived a little late for me to incorporate it into my Halloween invitation to the party, but I’m eager to use it next year.

• Skull-A-Day: FREE Skull Font!

I just have to learn how to install a font on my Mac. I’ve never had to do that before.

Via: Craftzine.com blog: Free Halloween Skull Font

Halloween is coming so soon and I don’t have a costume ready or anything. These will come in handy for the party, though.

• Haunted Paper Toys

There’s nothing like the phrase “Free Toys” to make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, even if the free toys are a little spooky!

Via: STANDING ROOM ONLY – Everything You Need To Know – by Hugh Elliott