‘nother ‘ween gone
Halloween has come and gone.
We had our usual party. It was well attended and fun. The costumes were great. The next night, Halloween proper, we got together with a few close friends and took the kids trick-or-treating around the block. I also fired up the fog machine, strobe light, and scary music while I handed out candy. A neat story came of this, read on.
At one point, while I was out trick-or-treating with Keaton, a friend stayed back at the house to hand out candy in my stead. While he was there, a young girl braved the path to our door. As happens with some of our 'treaters, they get a little scared and edgy by the time they've navigated around the pop-up coffin, an animated witch, and a hovering ghost - and by the time they get to the door it's a testament of will that they've made it. And then, just in time, a skeleton drops from the ceiling above their heads with a loud ooga-booga noise. For this girl, it must have been to much. Bill, the buddy covering candy-distribution while I was out, said she turned and ran as fast as she could into the house. Too bad the screen door wasn't open. She ran right into it at full speed. Man, why couldn't that have happened while I was there?
I'm afraid that, tonight, I don't have much for the blog. I spent most of Saturday nursing a hangover and cleaning up the aftermath of Friday night's party, and then after church Sunday I killed the afternoon taking down and storing the Halloween props for another year. Both days were long and made busy with the work of the hands. But, the house is back together and things are as much in order as the ever are. So, not much writing... but, I did find time to upload the costumes from the Halloween Bash to get the voting started. So head on over here and cast a vote for your favorites from the evening.
Yes, Halloween has come and gone; and now it's time for Thanksgiving and beyond that, Christmas. That
prince charlie
Well friends, it's Sunday afternoon and I'm taking a bit of a break from doing some housework. Keaton is dancing around in her Princess Araura costume as Animal Collective plays. She keeps singing something about finding her "Prince Charlie."
Prince Charlie... I LOL'd.
Oh and yes: housework. As the sole proprietor of this here shop for another Mr. Mom weekend, I've busied myself tidying, laundering, and scullionry. After church Keaton and I swung by the grocery store to pickup some foodstuffs for lunch (and I couldn't resist a sixpack of Sam Adams Octoberfest brew, a cold bottle of that goes so well with housecleaning). She got a turkey sandwich, some grapes the size of small eggs (which were on sale), and a glass of milk. I had a few salt-and-pepper kettle chips ("send a man shopping," they'll say...), grapes, and a turkey sandwich of my own. I heard they changed the food pyramid recently... wonder how I did?
Random topics today, if you hadn't already figured it out...
Y'know, I've got to hand it to whoever does the new Scooby Doo cartoon on TV. We caught an episode of it while in the hotel room down in Mexico, and I was pleasantly surprised at how true-to-formula it was (that formula being how I remember the show when I was a kid). The voices are spot-on, the stories develop and play out as expected, and the jokes are still aimed at adults as often as they are kids. Keaton seemed to dig it (she is my child, after all) so I was more than happy to setup a recurring recording for it on the DVR. Watching it with her is like going back in time a little. Good job Scooby people, good job.
I spent a good bit of time Saturday further tweaking all the props to get them perfectly dialed-in. And, as expected, once I had things pretty much how I wanted them, two of the props suffered major breakdowns. Always; always, always, always. The stupid coffin popper appears to have popped his pneumatic frame right off the bottom of the coffin - that's not going to be an easy fix; and I found the crank ghost as a sad crumpled mess of glowing cheesecloth, hanging by one arm and going up-and-down. Ugh. At first, I figured I'd just let 'em rot for a day or two... not wanting to see how badly things were broken and learn how long it'd take to fix it all. But, I had some free time Sunday between loads of laundry so I took a look. Happily, things were all fixed and back to working order in under thirty minutes.
Goodnight.
we’d smoke anything
Well internet, I thought I'd drop in after the week absence Mexico so lovingly provided us.
Yes, we're back... and yes, I'm back to work. Confined once again in my tiny shoulder-height grey box, staring at my monitor, typing, and talking on the phone. It's a far cry from the routine we'd fallen so easily into last week on vacation.
For reference, that routine went exactly like this: Wake up at 8am, get Keaton and Sharaun up. Change into swimsuits and lube up with the sunblock. Meet our co-vacationing friends for breakfast at 9am. Poolside by 10am at the latest. Bloody Mary or Malibu and pineapple to start the day. Swim; read; lounge. More drinks. Lunch around 1pm. Swim; read; lounge, drinks. Back to the hotel to shower and change around 6pm. Meet for dinner at 7pm; switch to martinis. In bed by 11pm to do it all again tomorrow.
Blissful; it was blissful. But being back is OK too. We got home at past midnight on Saturday (OK Sunday), and I spent Sunday putting up all the Halloween decorations. Got everything up too, but things need the usual tweaking and yearly repairs. Coffin guy needs a new head, time has disintegrated the plastic near entirely. The ceiling dropper's rope broke from friction and strain again, so I have to replace that once more. The ghost needs to be re-tied at better heights so her motion is more natural, and the witch's dress needs a new pinning to keep it in place. But, over the years I've streamlined the setup so much (with permanently installed hooks, platforms, and ties) that everything went up easily. So easily, in fact, that I'm thinking of trying to finish off an old prop concept I started and never finished...
Today at work Buffalo Springfield’s “I Am A Child” shuffled up on the iPod. Any time I hear Buffalo Springfield, I get mega-nostalgic. For whatever reason, the part of the past when I bought their greatest hits record, back in middle school, is indelibly burned into my brain. I write a lot about how certain music melds with memory for me, forever linking a song or album or sound to some event – and Buffalo Springfield is one of the strongest of those associations. I have the clearest memories of sitting in my room back in Florida listening to that album over and over. One memory in particular is actually strange enough to share.
Before I was exposed to marijuana, I was already fascinated with the concept of smoking something to “get high.” After all, practically every 60s musical and cultural icon I idolized as a teen glamorized the experience… how could I be expected to not want to try it? At one point, I can remember hearing, somehow, that cloves could get you high. This led to Kyle and I rolling up and smoking cloves, yes… plain old dried clove, whole and un-ground from the spice rack, and nearly coughing to death as we tried in vain to catch a buzz. Ditto with the recipe for “banandine” we got from the Anarchist Cookbook. Try as we might, we couldn’t seem to figure it out. But really... try we did. I mean, we'd pretty much smoke anything.
I remember one afternoon, while listening to the Buffalo Springfield album that spurred this whole ramble, actually smoking and inhaling some spent firecrackers I had in my room. Over the years I've wondered where I would even get such an idea... I used to be obsessed with fireworks (well, fire and fireworks in general, really). I used to ride my bike around the neighborhood early on the morning of July 5th, collecting the burned shells of the previous nights fountains and bottle rockets and roman candles. Not only did I love the labels and packaging, but I loved the burned-out smell of the things. Maybe that's what made me decide to try and "smoke" one. Buffalo Springfield in the background, bedroom window open, and I'm sitting there "smoking" a used ladyfinger.
Goodnight.
same old stuff
Monday.
The weekends are never long enough; this one was no exception. Despite being jam-packed with activity, it still managed to feel too short by half.
The weather cooled off significantly Sunday, so much so that, after church, I opened the house wide to get the fresh air in. After reneging on what would've been my second kids' birthday party of the weekend, Sharaun took Keaton off and left me to the breezy Sunday afternoon. After a nice sandwich, I settled down on the couch for a long nap while the iPod provided background. But, that's not why I started this paragraph. In fact, I wrote it to talk about the weather and how it's turning (which isn't really happening yet, but today's cooling got the ball rolling) gets my brain turning to the Fall. My favorite season; Fall.
This morning Sharaun called from Ross, "Hey," she said, "They have this big animatronic witch here, she stirs a smoking cauldron and you can speak through her with a wireless microphone. It looks pretty cool and expensive, but they have it on sale for $60." I was vaguely interested, but having not seen the prop myself not quite enough to recommend a $60 purchase. Then, later that day, after checking the mail, a Halloween costume catalog arrived. In the catalog Sharaun found the very same witch she'd seen earlier at Ross, but retailing for $230. Being able to see the thing in the catalog, I realized it's actually pretty dang cool, and that $60 is a pretty hefty discount from a $230 pricetag. So, after dinner we stopped by Ross and picked her up. Could be an easy "gimme" prop for the year... but I still think I'm going to try and build something. Buying props already...
Ahhh... who am I kidding. I've got nothing more to write. Good weekend, busy week, same old stuff.
Goodnight.
halloween bash ‘08 in pictures
Hello again from Monday.
Wanted to have this done last night but had a ton of redeye to process out (not very skillfully, as I was in a rush, I may add) of the costume contest photos. Anyway, I got through about half yesterday and finished up early this morning prior to "going in" to virtual work here on the couch with my laptop, cellphone, and bluetooth earpiece. So, what do we have?:
Click here to see the Halloween 2008 costume contest. Looking over the pix, I notice there are more than a few folks we missed getting snapshots of; so if you were there and have pictures we missed - send 'em along. And remember, you can vote on the pictures to voice your favorite. Have fun!
Click here to see a bunch of randomly-chosen, totally un-retouched candid photos from the evening's festivities. Enjoy!
If you weren't there, you totally shoud've been! Love ya, have a good Voting Eve!
and all i can think about is the music
7:15am on Sunday morning.
Sharaun's arrived safely in Florida last night, and I spent the day cleaning and recovering from the party. People ended up coming over for football Saturday, despite most of them having just left the night/morning prior, and we grilled ribs in the rain (with a huge umbrella shielding the fire). I steam-cleaned the carpet and did general pickup and tidying. Place looks good for a guy left alone for a weekend, I must say.
Keaton's in the kitchen eating her waffle and yogurt (one of her favorites - Sharaun had a stroke of brilliance substituting syrup for a yogurt "dip sauce" and it works great). When she's done I'll get her down and jump in the shower to shave and get ready for church. Don't tell Sharaun, but I brought her into our bed last night to sleep with me; I mean, it just seemed like there was so much empty space there. And plus, it's just her and I this weekend - so I can do what I want. (I was beaming proud inside of the ponytail I gave her the other day when people told me it was an exceptionally good "Daddy do.") Since I'm working remotely tomorrow with her, I think we'll go on a picnic for lunch.
OK, what about Halloween?
Halloween went great this year. And not just the props or the party, but the trick-or-treaters too. We got quite a few more than in years past and all of them seemed to get a kick out of the setup. A setup which, by the way, remained 100% functional all night - gremlin-free for the first time ever. So, yeah, Halloween night was the single solitary rainy and windy day all month... but ain't that always the case? Just before dusk fell on the street I had two uprooted tombstones needing repair and one backwards-facing witch I had to tweak. But, things totally came together in the end and the wind even died down enough for the fog chiller to do it's business.
The party also went off swell, with a great turnout and honestly one of the best times we've had at a party we're "in charge of." Several people mentioned that it was fun - so I'm happy. And guys, one of the best moments of the whole night for me was when the second distinct person came up to me and praised my garage playlist. One guy even said, paying his third or fourth compliment, "Where can I buy this playlist?!" Well, he screamed that, actually - over the cacophony of Wreckless Eric's "Whole Wide World." Being that it was a somewhat hasty and totally eclectic mix, I was worried. Look, I've now written something like three paragraphs about the dang iPod playlist... sheesh.
Oh, and just in case you're that guy... here... it's just over six hours of music and it's way better than Sharaun's:
Grandaddy - A.M. 180
Nine Inch Nails - All The Love In The World
Cut off Your Hands - As Happy as Can Be
Ben Folds - Bitches Ain't Shit
2 Bad Mice - Bombscare (Original version)
The Breeders - Cannonball
Kanye West - Celebration
The Cure - Close To Me [Closet Remix]
Shout Out Louds - The Comeback
Phoenix - Consolation Prizes
The Hold Steady - Constructive Summer
Led Zeppelin - D'yer Mak'er
Of Montreal - Eluardian Instance
Cut Copy - Feel the Love
Animal Collective - Fireworks
Band of Horses - The First Song
The Streets - Fit But You Know It
Modest Mouse - Float On
Modest Mouse - Florida
Black Moth Super Rainbow - Forever Heavy
Jimi Hendrix - Foxey Lady
The Chemical Brothers - Fuck Up Beats
Wailers - Good Good Rudie
Kanye West - Good Morning
Clor - Good Stuff
Led Zeppelin - Good Times Bad Times
Slade - Gudbuy T'Jane
The Helio Sequence - Harmonica Song
Cut Copy - Hearts On Fire
The Cloud Room - Hey Now Now
Explosions - Hip Drop
Black Kids - Hit The Heartbrakes
The Bravery - An Honest Mistake
Animals - The House Of The Rising Sun
T. Rex - I Love To Boogie
Of Montreal - Id Engager
Modest Mouse - Interstate
The Strokes - Is This It
Bob Marley & the Wailers - Jamming
The Go! Team - junior kickstart
The Go! Team - ladyflash
The Chemical Brothers - Leave Home
The George Baker Selection - Little Green Bag
Iggy Pop - Lust For Life
The Hold Steady - Massive Nights
Chuck Berry - Maybellene
Ohgr - Minus
The Cribs - Mirror Kissers
Led Zeppelin - Misty Mountain Hop
The Strokes - The Modern Age
Malajube - Montreal -40°C
Soul Brothers - Mr Kiss a Bang Bang
Johnny Osbourne - Murderer
Menomena - Muscle N' Flo
Cloud Cult - No One Said It Would Be Easy
Animal Collective - Peacebone
The Most Serene Republic - Phages
Built to Spill - The Plan
Alexander Henry - Please Be True
Prodigy - Poison
Jay-Z - Public Service Announcement (Interlude) (Produced By Just Blaze)
Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze
Prince - Purple Rain
Wolfmother - Pyramid
Nirvana - Radio Friendly Unit Shifter
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Refugee
The Strokes - Reptilia
The Beatles - Revolution
The Rolling Stones - Rocks Off
Jason Collett - Roll On Oblivion
Beastie Boys - Root Down (Free Zone Mix)
Clash - Rudie Can't Fail
Weezer - Say it ain't so
Of Montreal - A Sentence Of Sorts In Kongsvinger
Beastie Boys - Shake Your Rump
Lily Allen - Smile
Beastie Boys - So What'cha Want
Wolf Parade - Soldier's Grin
Ben Folds Five - Song for the Dumped
+/- - Steal the Blueprints
The Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever
The Hold Steady - Stuck Between Stations
Postal Service - Such Great Heights
Prince Buster - Ten Commandments of Man
Kanye West - Touch The Sky (Feat. Lupe Fiasco)
The Arcade Fire - Wake Up
Vampire Weekend - Walcott
Lou Reed - Walk On The Wild Side
Eagles of Death Metal - Wannabe in L.A
Pixies - Where Is My Mind?
Wreckless Eric - Whole Wide World
Cloud Cult - The Will Of A Volcano
Jackie Opel - You're Too Bad
Wolf Parade - You Are A Runner And I Am My Father's Son
Spoon - You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb
The Faint - Your Retro Career Melted
The Strokes - 12:51
Jay-Z + DJ Danger Mouse - 99 Problems
Goodnight.
see ya tonight
Happy Halloween folks.
We do our annual (but for last year) party tonight, and the latest pollsters are predicting record attendance. As always, I'm both excited to have fun and leery of the logistics and cleanup. I always fret over the same things: Will there be enough beer? Will people have a good time? How bad is the mess gonna be in the morning? Ad-infintum.
This party is complicated by having the fear that Keaton won't sleep well over at the babysitters (really the parents of friends of ours who're doing us a favor) and the fact that Sharaun has to be at the airport for her flight to Florida around 10:30am the next day.
Sharaun and I are going through our iPods and music right now making the party playlists. I'm in charge of the garage list, which tends to reflect my tastes more, and she's in charge of the house mix, which, as you'd expect, reflects hers. So, in the garage you'll hear a mix of what I think are some of the more "accessible" tracks from my favorite discs this year, and in the house you'll hear what Clear Channel decided they'd make people like so far this year (mixed with a good dose of classic party tracks that get people in a good move, such as the venerable "Bust A Move").
We still have to move furniture, toys, clean up, re-arrange, decorate, pick up kegs, pick up ice, pick up this and that and the other thing... oh man... I'm freaking out.
There's so much left to do... we're gonna be up forever... I have to go.
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