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#1
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[OT] My first Halloween
Halloween wasn't celebrated here when I was a kid - we knew it simply as an
American holiday. But, seeing a marketting oppourtunity, the shops (and therefore people) in the last 5 years ago have started making a 'fuss' about Halloween, and we've had the occasional trick-or-treater knock on our door for the last few years that we've been totally unprepared for. But this year, Cary has watched enough American cartoons to realise that Halloween about dress-ups and getting free candy, and hasn't shut up abou tit. And since its throughout the shops its been hard to avoid, even if we tried (first time I've ever seen a proper orange 'carving' pumpkin ina supermarket was this year!). Unfortunately, though, Halloween celebrtions are not yet so imbedded in our culture yet that knocking on virtual or total stranger's doors (ie, the neighbours) would work, particularly since he's only 5 and goes to bed before it gets properly dark these days. So I organised for a friend to host a Halloween Party for the kids (I don't have a back yard, so a kid's party wouldn't work here). I made 'witches fingers' - short bread shaped into fingers, with a bit of red-coloured shortbread tuck on the end like a nail, 'chocolate spiders' - which are friend chow mein noodles covered in chocolate (the adult ones also having rum in them) and 'rats lungs' - raspberry jello and evaporated milk whisked into a froth and then set. Yum Yum. The Yowlet begged for - and got- a commercially made costume, "Snake Eyes" from Gi Joe. I had wanted him to go as a Mummy, because the Chapman clan *prides* itself on dress-ups. We win costume parties all the time, and I wasn't to be outdone. If he wasn't going to play *real* dress-ups then it had to be me. I made myself into 'road kill' by ripping up my clothes ont he left side, applying liberal amounts of black, green, purple & brown eyeshadow for bruising (I knew purple & green eyeshadow was good for *something*), with eyeliner, lip liner, bright red lipstick for various wounds and bruises, talcum powderto make my face pale, blue eyeshadow on the lips (and blue eyeshadow is useful too!) and the black & brown stuff in the eye sockets to look kinda dead. But the peice de resistance was the goop & glop. I made a good paste cooking cornflour & water, with a generous splash of red food colouring, the lump staying white. Once it had cooled, I smeared it generously all down my left side, with extra gloop in my hair and ear. It was itchly as hell, but it had the disturbingly real tendency to fall off in small, red ,cold, squishy peices. It looked *fantastic*. I walked into a fast food joint to order lunch with it on and had to repeat the order several times because the staff were too distracted by the glop falling off me to remember my order. The Yowlet thought it was great, and very scary. I think I was the cause of several near-crashes as the traffic noticed my get-up on the way to the party. But when I got there, I was the only grown up in costume. And within half an hour, the kids had shed their hot costumes to romp around in the pool. So I had to stay the whole party dressed up as 'road kill' where everyone else was normal. But I don't care because *by definition* I won the costume competition! (and the scary food competition, because no-one else bothered). I had *ball* doing Halloween, I can see why you Merkins love it so - what a great excuse for dressups and being scary and gross. Wish the rest of my friends could bring themselves to being a bit silly just for fun, but no mind. The Chapmans had fun, and we're gonna do it bigger & better next year! Photos of me as road kill (bad camera, and taken after the party when the makeup had faded, but still): http://www.flickr.com/photos/yowie96...7622707912752/ Happy Halloween! Yowie -- If you're paddling upstream in a canoe and a wheel falls off, how many pancakes can you fit in a doghouse? None, icecream doesn't have bones. |
#2
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[OT] My first Halloween
"Yowie" wrote in message
... Halloween wasn't celebrated here when I was a kid - we knew it simply as an American holiday. But, seeing a marketting oppourtunity, the shops (and therefore people) in the last 5 years ago have started making a 'fuss' about Halloween, and we've had the occasional trick-or-treater knock on our door for the last few years that we've been totally unprepared for. But this year, Cary has watched enough American cartoons to realise that Halloween about dress-ups and getting free candy, and hasn't shut up abou tit. And since its throughout the shops its been hard to avoid, even if we tried (first time I've ever seen a proper orange 'carving' pumpkin ina supermarket was this year!). Unfortunately, though, Halloween celebrtions are not yet so imbedded in our culture yet that knocking on virtual or total stranger's doors (ie, the neighbours) would work, particularly since he's only 5 and goes to bed before it gets properly dark these days. So I organised for a friend to host a Halloween Party for the kids (I don't have a back yard, so a kid's party wouldn't work here). I made 'witches fingers' - short bread shaped into fingers, with a bit of red-coloured shortbread tuck on the end like a nail, 'chocolate spiders' - which are friend chow mein noodles covered in chocolate (the adult ones also having rum in them) and 'rats lungs' - raspberry jello and evaporated milk whisked into a froth and then set. Yum Yum. The Yowlet begged for - and got- a commercially made costume, "Snake Eyes" from Gi Joe. I had wanted him to go as a Mummy, because the Chapman clan *prides* itself on dress-ups. We win costume parties all the time, and I wasn't to be outdone. If he wasn't going to play *real* dress-ups then it had to be me. I made myself into 'road kill' by ripping up my clothes ont he left side, applying liberal amounts of black, green, purple & brown eyeshadow for bruising (I knew purple & green eyeshadow was good for *something*), with eyeliner, lip liner, bright red lipstick for various wounds and bruises, talcum powderto make my face pale, blue eyeshadow on the lips (and blue eyeshadow is useful too!) and the black & brown stuff in the eye sockets to look kinda dead. But the peice de resistance was the goop & glop. I made a good paste cooking cornflour & water, with a generous splash of red food colouring, the lump staying white. Once it had cooled, I smeared it generously all down my left side, with extra gloop in my hair and ear. It was itchly as hell, but it had the disturbingly real tendency to fall off in small, red ,cold, squishy peices. It looked *fantastic*. I walked into a fast food joint to order lunch with it on and had to repeat the order several times because the staff were too distracted by the glop falling off me to remember my order. The Yowlet thought it was great, and very scary. I think I was the cause of several near-crashes as the traffic noticed my get-up on the way to the party. But when I got there, I was the only grown up in costume. And within half an hour, the kids had shed their hot costumes to romp around in the pool. So I had to stay the whole party dressed up as 'road kill' where everyone else was normal. But I don't care because *by definition* I won the costume competition! (and the scary food competition, because no-one else bothered). I had *ball* doing Halloween, I can see why you Merkins love it so - what a great excuse for dressups and being scary and gross. Wish the rest of my friends could bring themselves to being a bit silly just for fun, but no mind. The Chapmans had fun, and we're gonna do it bigger & better next year! Photos of me as road kill (bad camera, and taken after the party when the makeup had faded, but still): http://www.flickr.com/photos/yowie96...7622707912752/ Happy Halloween! Yowie -- It's a lot of fun, isn't it?! I think even moresoe for adults. Here in the U.S. adults have as much (if not more) fun with costumes as the kidlets. Over the years I worked in several offices where most of the people dressed up. And didn't hesitate to go out to lunch as a group, all dressed up. Costumes are fun! In the 1980's one man came dressed as a woman (no, he wasn't a cross-dresser). I think he borrowed the clothes from an aunt. None of us knew the VP was going to take the entire department out to lunch. There he was, a 6 foot tall former Marine wearing a dress, a wig, flowery hat and high heels, carrying a handbag. He was embarrassed at first but took it all in good stride. After all, we all looked a bit mad There was a year between office jobs when I worked as a hostess in a restaurant. The employees dressed up, but the customers coming in really took the cake! One man had bought a second-hand suit jacket for a really tall man. It had no head. His actual head (painted stark white and bloodied with makeup) was held inside a cardboard box with the front cut out, being held by the pinned up arms of the oversized jacket. (And he was actually able to eat since he left a way to get his arms free.) It was a wonderful costume. Those were the days! Jill |
#3
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[OT] My first Halloween
I made myself into 'road kill' by ripping up my clothes ont he left side,
applying liberal amounts of black, green, purple & brown eyeshadow for bruising (I knew purple & green eyeshadow was good for *something*), with eyeliner, lip liner, bright red lipstick for various wounds and bruises, talcum powderto make my face pale, blue eyeshadow on the lips (and blue eyeshadow is useful too!) and the black & brown stuff in the eye sockets to look kinda dead. But the peice de resistance was the goop & glop. I made a good paste cooking cornflour & water, with a generous splash of red food colouring, the lump staying white. [...] http://www.flickr.com/photos/yowie9644/sets/72157622707912752/ You have to wonder how many accident victims get left lying in the road on Halloween because people think the blobs of brain are made of dough. ==== j a c k at c a m p i n . m e . u k === http://www.campin.me.uk ==== Jack Campin, 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland == mob 07800 739 557 CD-ROMs and free stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, and Mac logic fonts ****** I killfile Google posts - email me if you want to be whitelisted ****** |
#4
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[OT] My first Halloween
"Jack Campin - bogus address" wrote in message
... I made myself into 'road kill' by ripping up my clothes ont he left side, applying liberal amounts of black, green, purple & brown eyeshadow for bruising (I knew purple & green eyeshadow was good for *something*), with eyeliner, lip liner, bright red lipstick for various wounds and bruises, talcum powderto make my face pale, blue eyeshadow on the lips (and blue eyeshadow is useful too!) and the black & brown stuff in the eye sockets to look kinda dead. But the peice de resistance was the goop & glop. I made a good paste cooking cornflour & water, with a generous splash of red food colouring, the lump staying white. [...] http://www.flickr.com/photos/yowie9644/sets/72157622707912752/ You have to wonder how many accident victims get left lying in the road on Halloween because people think the blobs of brain are made of dough. Not funny, when you read this story: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...,3558556.story Neighbors thought dead man's body was part of Halloween display The body of Mostafa Mahmoud Zayed, 75, an apparent suicide, sat decomposing on his Marina del Rey balcony for days because neighbors thought the lifeless figure was a dummy and didn't call police. |
#5
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[OT] My first Halloween
Magic Mood Jeep wrote:
"Jack Campin - bogus address" wrote in message You have to wonder how many accident victims get left lying in the road on Halloween because people think the blobs of brain are made of dough. Not funny, when you read this story: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...,3558556.story Neighbors thought dead man's body was part of Halloween display The body of Mostafa Mahmoud Zayed, 75, an apparent suicide, sat decomposing on his Marina del Rey balcony for days because neighbors thought the lifeless figure was a dummy and didn't call police. Oh, that's really gross. The only "comfort" I can take from it is that at least he was already dead, and not *dying*. It's not like someone was allowed to lie there and die when they could've been saved, because people thought it was part of a joke. Joyce -- "Sentimentality" -- that's what we call the sentiment we don't share. -- Graham Greene |
#7
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[OT] My first Halloween
Cheryl wrote:
There are periodic reports of people who are found months or years after they died - generally, they're inside, though. So it's not that unusual for neighbours to assume everything's OK with someone who's been dead for a long time. Some people think that people dying alone and not being found is becoming more and more common with smaller and more scattered families, and basic payments like mortgages or rent coming directly out of bank accounts. It's more of a problem with natural but sudden death, than suicide, I think, since suicides can plan to be found. If the person is still working, the employer might send someone over, but friends and acquaintances tend to assume they just haven't heard from someone in a while, and not to take action. That's why I try to stay in much closer touch with my friends, or at least a few of them. I do have a some friends who, if they didn't hear from me for a week, would start worrying about me. Of course, a week is a long time to lie dying, or in a "fallen and can't get up" situation. Modern culture fosters much more superficial relationships than I think people had in earlier centuries because they *had to*. I do what I can to fight that superficiality in my own relationships. I'm always suprised that the smell isn't noticed sooner, but to judge by news reports, the body is usually discovered when the money finally runs out and the business to whom the money is owed starts legal action. There's an old Unix fortune that says, "If you think nobody cares whether you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments." Joyce -- Teach a child to be polite and courteous in the home and, when he grows up, he'll never be able to merge his car onto a freeway. |
#8
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[OT] My first Halloween
"Cheryl" wrote in message
... wrote: Magic Mood Jeep wrote: "Jack Campin - bogus address" wrote in message You have to wonder how many accident victims get left lying in the road on Halloween because people think the blobs of brain are made of dough. Not funny, when you read this story: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...,3558556.story Neighbors thought dead man's body was part of Halloween display The body of Mostafa Mahmoud Zayed, 75, an apparent suicide, sat decomposing on his Marina del Rey balcony for days because neighbors thought the lifeless figure was a dummy and didn't call police. Oh, that's really gross. The only "comfort" I can take from it is that at least he was already dead, and not *dying*. It's not like someone was allowed to lie there and die when they could've been saved, because people thought it was part of a joke. There are periodic reports of people who are found months or years after they died - generally, they're inside, though. So it's not that unusual for neighbours to assume everything's OK with someone who's been dead for a long time. Some people think that people dying alone and not being found is becoming more and more common with smaller and more scattered families, and basic payments like mortgages or rent coming directly out of bank accounts. It's more of a problem with natural but sudden death, than suicide, I think, since suicides can plan to be found. If the person is still working, the employer might send someone over, but friends and acquaintances tend to assume they just haven't heard from someone in a while, and not to take action. I'm always suprised that the smell isn't noticed sooner, but to judge by news reports, the body is usually discovered when the money finally runs out and the business to whom the money is owed starts legal action. -- Cheryl I've worried about that sometimes. It would be horrible to find somebody - especially a loved one - who had been dead for a long time. My kids and I had a habit of calling or emailing occasionally, and we get together for birthdays and some holidays, but quite a bit of time could go by if I should suddenly drop dead. Now I have indoor only cats, it's even more of a concern. Some time ago, I finally made an arrangement with my kids. I email them every evening, just to check in, and let them know if I'm going anywhere in the next couple of days. The idea is that, if they don't hear from me by the next morning, they email me. If they don't get a response within a few hours, they call. If they can't get hold of me either one of them comes here or they call my next door neighbors, who have a key (because they feed my cats when I go away. Joy |
#9
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[OT] My first Halloween
"Yowie" wrote in message
... Halloween wasn't celebrated here when I was a kid - we knew it simply as an American holiday. But, seeing a marketting oppourtunity, the shops (and therefore people) in the last 5 years ago have started making a 'fuss' about Halloween, and we've had the occasional trick-or-treater knock on our door for the last few years that we've been totally unprepared for. But this year, Cary has watched enough American cartoons to realise that Halloween about dress-ups and getting free candy, and hasn't shut up abou tit. And since its throughout the shops its been hard to avoid, even if we tried (first time I've ever seen a proper orange 'carving' pumpkin ina supermarket was this year!). Unfortunately, though, Halloween celebrtions are not yet so imbedded in our culture yet that knocking on virtual or total stranger's doors (ie, the neighbours) would work, particularly since he's only 5 and goes to bed before it gets properly dark these days. So I organised for a friend to host a Halloween Party for the kids (I don't have a back yard, so a kid's party wouldn't work here). I made 'witches fingers' - short bread shaped into fingers, with a bit of red-coloured shortbread tuck on the end like a nail, 'chocolate spiders' - which are friend chow mein noodles covered in chocolate (the adult ones also having rum in them) and 'rats lungs' - raspberry jello and evaporated milk whisked into a froth and then set. Yum Yum. The Yowlet begged for - and got- a commercially made costume, "Snake Eyes" from Gi Joe. I had wanted him to go as a Mummy, because the Chapman clan *prides* itself on dress-ups. We win costume parties all the time, and I wasn't to be outdone. If he wasn't going to play *real* dress-ups then it had to be me. I made myself into 'road kill' by ripping up my clothes ont he left side, applying liberal amounts of black, green, purple & brown eyeshadow for bruising (I knew purple & green eyeshadow was good for *something*), with eyeliner, lip liner, bright red lipstick for various wounds and bruises, talcum powderto make my face pale, blue eyeshadow on the lips (and blue eyeshadow is useful too!) and the black & brown stuff in the eye sockets to look kinda dead. But the peice de resistance was the goop & glop. I made a good paste cooking cornflour & water, with a generous splash of red food colouring, the lump staying white. Once it had cooled, I smeared it generously all down my left side, with extra gloop in my hair and ear. It was itchly as hell, but it had the disturbingly real tendency to fall off in small, red ,cold, squishy peices. It looked *fantastic*. I walked into a fast food joint to order lunch with it on and had to repeat the order several times because the staff were too distracted by the glop falling off me to remember my order. The Yowlet thought it was great, and very scary. I think I was the cause of several near-crashes as the traffic noticed my get-up on the way to the party. But when I got there, I was the only grown up in costume. And within half an hour, the kids had shed their hot costumes to romp around in the pool. So I had to stay the whole party dressed up as 'road kill' where everyone else was normal. But I don't care because *by definition* I won the costume competition! (and the scary food competition, because no-one else bothered). I had *ball* doing Halloween, I can see why you Merkins love it so - what a great excuse for dressups and being scary and gross. Wish the rest of my friends could bring themselves to being a bit silly just for fun, but no mind. The Chapmans had fun, and we're gonna do it bigger & better next year! Photos of me as road kill (bad camera, and taken after the party when the makeup had faded, but still): http://www.flickr.com/photos/yowie96...7622707912752/ Happy Halloween! Yowie -- If you're paddling upstream in a canoe and a wheel falls off, how many pancakes can you fit in a doghouse? None, icecream doesn't have bones. Glad you guys had fun (albeit itchy fun) |
#10
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[OT] My first Halloween
Good on ya, Vicky! Halloween is a big deal here in the USA. I had Dear Heart
do the honors of answering the doorbell and doling out the candy, as I did it for the last 10 years when he was in another state working! It is a lot of fun for the kids and I know the grownups have huge parties to celebrate the day. Glad you and the Yowlet had fun. Lily & her mama "Yowie" wrote in message ... Halloween wasn't celebrated here when I was a kid - we knew it simply as an American holiday. But, seeing a marketting oppourtunity, the shops (and therefore people) in the last 5 years ago have started making a 'fuss' about Halloween, and we've had the occasional trick-or-treater knock on our door for the last few years that we've been totally unprepared for. But this year, Cary has watched enough American cartoons to realise that Halloween about dress-ups and getting free candy, and hasn't shut up abou tit. And since its throughout the shops its been hard to avoid, even if we tried (first time I've ever seen a proper orange 'carving' pumpkin ina supermarket was this year!). Unfortunately, though, Halloween celebrtions are not yet so imbedded in our culture yet that knocking on virtual or total stranger's doors (ie, the neighbours) would work, particularly since he's only 5 and goes to bed before it gets properly dark these days. So I organised for a friend to host a Halloween Party for the kids (I don't have a back yard, so a kid's party wouldn't work here). I made 'witches fingers' - short bread shaped into fingers, with a bit of red-coloured shortbread tuck on the end like a nail, 'chocolate spiders' - which are friend chow mein noodles covered in chocolate (the adult ones also having rum in them) and 'rats lungs' - raspberry jello and evaporated milk whisked into a froth and then set. Yum Yum. The Yowlet begged for - and got- a commercially made costume, "Snake Eyes" from Gi Joe. I had wanted him to go as a Mummy, because the Chapman clan *prides* itself on dress-ups. We win costume parties all the time, and I wasn't to be outdone. If he wasn't going to play *real* dress-ups then it had to be me. I made myself into 'road kill' by ripping up my clothes ont he left side, applying liberal amounts of black, green, purple & brown eyeshadow for bruising (I knew purple & green eyeshadow was good for *something*), with eyeliner, lip liner, bright red lipstick for various wounds and bruises, talcum powderto make my face pale, blue eyeshadow on the lips (and blue eyeshadow is useful too!) and the black & brown stuff in the eye sockets to look kinda dead. But the peice de resistance was the goop & glop. I made a good paste cooking cornflour & water, with a generous splash of red food colouring, the lump staying white. Once it had cooled, I smeared it generously all down my left side, with extra gloop in my hair and ear. It was itchly as hell, but it had the disturbingly real tendency to fall off in small, red ,cold, squishy peices. It looked *fantastic*. I walked into a fast food joint to order lunch with it on and had to repeat the order several times because the staff were too distracted by the glop falling off me to remember my order. The Yowlet thought it was great, and very scary. I think I was the cause of several near-crashes as the traffic noticed my get-up on the way to the party. But when I got there, I was the only grown up in costume. And within half an hour, the kids had shed their hot costumes to romp around in the pool. So I had to stay the whole party dressed up as 'road kill' where everyone else was normal. But I don't care because *by definition* I won the costume competition! (and the scary food competition, because no-one else bothered). I had *ball* doing Halloween, I can see why you Merkins love it so - what a great excuse for dressups and being scary and gross. Wish the rest of my friends could bring themselves to being a bit silly just for fun, but no mind. The Chapmans had fun, and we're gonna do it bigger & better next year! Photos of me as road kill (bad camera, and taken after the party when the makeup had faded, but still): http://www.flickr.com/photos/yowie96...7622707912752/ Happy Halloween! Yowie -- If you're paddling upstream in a canoe and a wheel falls off, how many pancakes can you fit in a doghouse? None, icecream doesn't have bones. -- Irulan from the stars we come to the stars we return from now until the end of time. |
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