Halloween Memories Part 2

I had too many memories for just one entry, so I decided to make it a two-parter. I covered my childhood Halloween memories, so now I suppose I must chronicle the Halloweens of my adolescence and early adulthood. If you don't give a fuck, I suggest you turn back now.

Halloween 2001, Age 12: That year, I decided to go as a dance hall girl, like my sisters did when they were around this age. I had an old salmon-colored bridesmaid dress that I used for dress up. My mom trimmed it in black lace and tucked the skirts back to form a bustle. We bought fishnets, and I wore my little ankle boots. I got to wear really dark red lipstick, and a fake rose in my hair. I was very impressed with how pretty I looked.
A girl in my class, also named Sara, was throwing a Halloween party, but I opted not to go, in favor of trick or treating one last time. I wore my costume to school again, which garnered me lots of attention, as it usually did. When I went out with my sister that night I carried two bags, hoping I'd get lots of candy. I didn't. I don't even think I filled one bag. I also had to wear my jacket because it was so cold. Instead of looking like a glamorous can-can dancer, I ended up looking like an Ellis Island immigrant. I got very stale gum from an old lady.

Halloween 2002, Age 13: I decided to eschew trick or treating with a firm hand, and go to Sara H's party. I would be going as a gypsy. It was a pretty neat costume, with a patchwork skirt, and scarves and boots. An off the shoulder chemise accentuated my premature busty figure. I actually looked like a gypsy. But I didn't wear the costume to school. Instead, I dressed up like a punk rocker (not realizing that months later, I would actually adopt the style full-time). I looked pretty epic as a little punk. Sophie Clarke (of Survivor fame) was in my English class and she stared at me rather creepily as I sat there with my spiked hair, chains and torn clothes. When school was out, I walked home and got ready for the party.
The party wasn't as fun as I'd hoped. The boys teased me every time I got up to go to the bathroom. I tried singing karaoke with the girls, but after awhile they didn't want me singing with them (for reasons unknown to me). Victoria asked me if I stuffed my bra. Never have, never needed to, not even then. The highlight of the evening was when I won the costume contest for my gypsy costume. I was very pleased with this, and quite surprised that I had actually won something and that they liked my costume. When I got home, I watched the end of The Faculty and mooned over Elijah Wood while eating candy.

Halloween 2003, Age 14: Obsessed with The Lord of the Rings, I decided to go as a wood elf. We made a tunic, and I wore a pair of tight green pants and some neat leather boots. Katie tinted my hair green, and tried doing forest camouflage on my face. Mom bought me a plastic sword.
A week before Halloween, I went to a party at my mom's work, where I would end up meeting my best friend, Amanda. She was a vampire, I was an elf. I told her I like her jacket and we became fast friends.
At school, I dressed as a goth vampire. I took my sister's feather witch hat, and pinned down the crown so it would look like an Edwardian hat. I had a bad day at school. I got teased at the pep rally, and some bully named Eli snatched my hat. I got him back though. He hid, but I found him, grabbed my hat and kneed that fucker right in the balls. I didn't even get in trouble, and his female friends didn't blame me for it, even when he whined.
Katie and I went trick or treating that night. As usual, the two of us had quite good time. When I got home, and washed off my costume, some popular kids pelted my house with onions. Or maybe that happened in 2002. Regardless, I never found out who did it, but I will always have my suspicions.

Halloween 2004, Age 15: Our last Halloween in Willsboro. This year I was going as a pretty flower fairy. I wore a wispy green skirt, and a green belly shirt. Mom made me beautiful gold net wings. We got a lot of pretty shimmery green makeup. I wore this costume to the party at mom's work, where my wings kept falling off. I also froze my ass off. But Amanda got some really pretty pictures of me from that night.
Because I froze my ass off, I couldn't possibly wear that costume on Halloween night. When I went to school on Halloween, I dressed as a Medieval lady, in a red houppelande. With my short hair and glasses, everyone assumed I was Harry Potter. Sophie Clarke antagonized me all day with "Are you Harry Potter? Are you Harry Potter?". If she's grown out of her obnoxiousness, I do not know. When I got home, my mom, sister and I turned fairy costume into a punk fairy costume. Mom sewed my gold wings into a leather jacket. I wore a black mini, a black shirt, holey tights and boots. Katie did my makeup. She put on some bunny ears (she was a were-rabbit) and off we went. It was a great night. The best Halloween ever. We got lots of candy, and some creeper thought I was supposed to be an angel. My ex-boyfriend's little brother shouted at us from his back, but it didn't seem to matter. We ate apples by the river.

Halloween 2005, Age 16: We moved to Bellows Falls, VT earlier that year. I'd made some friends in a local Anime club, and we put together a trick or treating expedition. I dressed as Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas. My mom made the dress, and we used white tights that we drew stitches on to make my rag doll arms and legs. My godmother bought me a red wig, and we used eyeliner to make stitches on my face. My friends and I all met up at the library, and then we went trick or treating. We were an interesting group. There were ninjas, fairies, changelings and pirates. Arielle wore a goblin mask and a pretty dress. Whenever anyone asked what she was supposed to be she said "I'm your ex-girlfriend".
Sometime during the night we all got split up. This distressed me quite bit, and as a result, I was in a rather surly mood for the rest of the evening. By the end of the night, most of the party reunited, and after some of them went home, Hannah, Caitlin, Nina and I crossed the bridge into Walpole, NH to trick or treat there and visit Caitlin's grandma. When I got home, my mom had a pizza waiting for me, and thus ended my first Halloween in good ol' Fellows Balls.

Halloween 2006, Age 17: Like last year, my friends and I were going to go trick or treating. I was disappointed however, when Hannah decided to go trick or treating with some people who I rather disliked at the time. But as always, I had Arielle, and other friends.
I was going to go as the Evil Fairy Queen. Mom bought me a black and white velvet gown that was supposed to be a zombie bride costume, but would work as a fairy gown too. She also bought me black glittery wings, and an evil fairy crown and wand.
At school that day, I borrowed Caitlin's insanely high platform Mary-Janes and wore the shredded veil that came with the zombie bride dress. I got laughed at by some bullies, but I thought I looked pretty awesome. I told everyone I was supposed to be Anne Boleyn's ghost, but none of them got it.
Also like last year, I was to meet my friends at the library. Hannah, Caitlin and Nina were there with my then enemies. I felt left out and hurt, but soon Arielle arrived and soothed that hurt. We met up with the rest of the group and headed out. That night was a riot. We tried trick or treating at the funeral home, and got yelled at by the director. The lights were on, and naively, I assumed they were doing something for the holiday. They were not. They were holding a funeral. Mortified, we left hurriedly. Who has a fucking funeral on Halloween?
As we walked around town, we collected more people we knew. We all got pretty rowdy, and when a cop drove by Arielle called him a pig. He pulled over, and we all ran like little bitches while Arielle dove into the bushes. He fined her 500 dollars!
It was a crazy night, and we all got lots of candy. It was the coolest Halloween ever.

Halloween 2007, Age 18: This was a Halloween that should have been awesome, but turned out kind of lame. I went as a Japanese Ghost. Mom made me a white burial kimono, and some tabi socks. I wore a black wig, and we painted my face like a corpse. Then we dumped fake blood all down my front. This was one of the coolest costumes I ever had. I couldn't wear it to school though, so at school I just dressed up as a cat.
Arielle and I went trick or treating, and we brought our friend Tony. All night long, Tony kept introducing himself to everyone person who handed out candy. Eventually Arielle and I got a little annoyed at this. Then Tony and Arielle had a fight. Arielle and I ended up going home much earlier than we wanted, because we were so cold and frustrated. But we had a good amount of candy, and mom ordered pizza because we hungry.

Halloween 2008, Age 19: My friend Kim and I went trick or treating even though we were both much too old. I had gained weight in the past year, and had a lot of trouble planning a costume because of this. Mom bought me a witch costume, made of black velvet and green satin, with fishnet sleeves. The hat that came with it was too small, so she bought me a new one, of green satin with feathers and a spider decorated veil.
This year turned out great. Kim and I had a good time together, and even though we didn't get much candy, it didn't seem to matter. No one seemed to mind that we were adults going trick or treating. If only all Halloweens could be this nice.

Halloween 2009, Age 20: This Halloween, things were looking grim. I was having trouble getting a costume, and all my plans kept falling through. Everyone was bailing on me. But shortly before Halloween I got a job working at a movie theater in Plattsburgh, NY with my Dad. I moved up to Alburg, VT to be with him. Since I had to work on Halloween, and I didn't know anyone in the area, I couldn't go out. But I was determined to celebrate anyway. I couldn't afford to buy a costume, nor did I have time to make one, so I just whipped something up from what I had on hand. I wore my magenta and black tutu, my Nightmare Before Christmas shirt, my striped leggings, silver knee high combat boots and cat ears. Dad bought me some glitter eyeshadow, and I did my makeup as goth and glamorous as I could. Glitter got all over the bathroom.
We drove to work. It was raining, and there weren't a lot of trick or treaters out.
At work, my teenage coworkers oohed and aahed over my outfit. I told them I was just a catgirl, but what I was really supposed to be was a "Zydrate Addicted Scalpel Slut Catgirl".
I watched two movies for free that night. First, I watched Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D, and then I watched Paranormal Activity. I smuggled some candy in to eat, a big bag of Wonka Candy and a Mr. Goodbar of epic proportions. The movie was boring at first. The teenage girls behind me kept squealing like little idiots every time something would happen. It didn't get scary until the end, but the camera work made me nauseous.
When the movie was over, I ate my dinner and read a book while waiting for Dad to finish security so we could clean. Then I changed out of my impractical clothes, and into a witch shirt and khakis, so I could work. I spent the rest of Halloween cleaning movie theaters and bathrooms. When I went to bed that night, I was so spooked by Paranormal Activity, that I slept with the lights on.

Halloween 2010, Age 21: My last year trick or treating. It should have been great but it was a drag. I made a neat pirate costume with a bunch of skirts, a chemise, a shawl made into a vest (the chemise was see-through), boots and a black velvet pirate hat trimmed in gold and a little feather. I went out with Arielle, Allison and Arielle's boyfriend (at the time), Leighton.
A dreary night. I was cold, and I kept getting nosebleeds. People stopped giving out candy at seven PM and we spent most of the night in a bad mood, looking for houses still giving out candy. Arielle and I sniped at each other, and Leighton kept whining about needing coffee. We decided to go home, and I vowed I would never go trick or treating again. I was just too old, and an activity that once held so much joy and wonder for me had lost its charm. I got home, got into pajamas, and ate my candy while watching The Walking Dead with mom.

This Halloween, I'm 22. I'm going as an Evil Fairy again, and my friend Kenny and I are throwing a party. Halloween still has not lost its magic and wonder for me, but I'm ready to celebrate it like an adult, now.

The ABC's of my life

A is for Abenaki- I'm Abenaki Indian and very very proud. Except when people say we're not a real tribe anymore, and then I get pissed off.

B is for Breast Reduction- Being of a rather busty nature, my back can't take it no mo'. So it's time to surrender to the scalpel and get a new set of knockers.

C is for Cats- Preferable to people. Except when they pee on the floor and kick cat litter all up in this joint.

D is for Dominic Monaghan- Former hobbit and jolly good egg. Is teh sex.

E is for Egg Salad- Something I'm rather good at making. Don't leave it in the sun.

F is for FaerieInCombatBoots- My favored username on the internets for the last eight years.

G is for Graveyards- Cemeteries, boneyards, corpse gardens. Love 'em to death. Pardon the pun.

H is for H Cup- An unbelievable size. My bra cups, bigger than my head.

I is for Internets- Where you can always find me.

J is for Jack Sparrow- Captain Jack Sparrow, if you please.

K is for Kittens- Balls of fluff with sharp little claws. Good cure for depression.

L is for Lady Gaga- Say what you want, her music stole my heart.

M is for Morpheus- The Dream King goes by many names, this is one of my favorites.

N is for Noodles- Om nom nom...

O is for Otters- They eat on their tummies.

P is for Paranormal- A favorite subject to discuss and research.

Q is for Queen Anne Boleyn- My role model when it comes to love and ambition.

R is for Repo! The Genetic Opera- Zydrate comes in a a little glass vial.

S is for Squirrels- Totem animal and all around fluffy good eggs.

T is for Terrance Zdunich- Listen to 'Needle Into a Bug' and you'll understand why he's on this list.

U is for Underwear- You can never have too many pairs.

V is for Vagina Monologues- The best play I've ever been in. Take that Shakespeare!

W is for Winooski- Four years. Many memories. Some good, some bad.

X is for Xanadu- I've never seen Xanadu. I just needed something that begins with X.

Y is for Yan Yan- Tasty snack. Greasy little sticks, sweet creamy stuff.

Z is for Zoloft- A pill a day keeps the crazy away!

Volume 2 of the Vow Renewal Weekend: Saturday

Here is the account chronicling my day at the Great Escape with my Uncle.

Part 1: A Few Minor Setbacks
I woke up on July 10th, wrapped in my favorite purple Afghan, the sweet coolness of the air conditioner blowing on my face. This morning I would be going to The Great Escape. I got out of bed, and shuffled downstairs to use the bathroom, which was adjacent to the kitchen. Why is it bathrooms are always right next to the kitchen? In almost every house I've ever lived in or visited with the exception of a few, the bathroom is near the kitchen.
My aunt was already awake and she asked me if I wanted any breakfast, and told me she had eggs, toast, fruit and cereal. I took a bowl of cereal, even though eggs did sound very good, mostly because I didn't want to heat up the kitchen with any kind of cooking. In hindsight though, I probably should have had my leftovers for breakfast, after all, I ended up leaving them at my aunt's.
So I poured myself a bowl of Life cereal and ate it as fast as I could. Life is one of those cereals that gets soggy very quickly. That sounds like a wonderful metaphor, doesn't it? But I'm being literal here, as tasty as that cereal is, you have to eat it fast or it will become Mush City.
While I ate, my cousin watched Futurama on their Netflix. It was the Beast of a Billion Backs episode arc.
My mom was up, and she joined us in the living room. I got out my Vermont Monster Guide to show my cousin, he flipped through it and then quickly gave it back to me. I
Eventually, I wandered upstairs to get dressed. I put on my bra and underwear, my plaid Bermuda shorts (which make me feel incredibly butch), my Repo! The Genetic Opera t-shirt and my socks. I went to put on my pentacle, but was shocked when I found that the chain was broken! This was the first of a few minor setbacks. The second occurred when I descended the staircase and stepped right in a puddle of puppy piddle, (a present from Lucy) ruining my only pair of socks. Then to top it off, it was raining, when I was supposed to be at an amusement park all day. Trouble always comes in threes.
My aunt told me she would get me a pair of socks, then told me she'd made me a cup of coffee. It was just the way I like it too, with plain milk, no sugar or fancy creams.
While I drank my coffee, I checked my facebook and my Stardoll account on my aunt's laptop. I played around idly on the computer waiting for my uncle to get up.

My Uncle Russel descended the stairs. He seemed excited about the coming day, despite the weather, which was beginning to clear up. My aunt lent me a pair of her socks, which were almost exactly like the pair I had been wearing. I packed all my things. My duffel bag and bedding went into my mother's car. My backpack, which contained my bathing suit, towel, wallet, moist towelettes and medication would be going into my uncle's car.
While my uncle and I would be riding roller coasters and water slides, my sister and mother would be spending a day with my grandmother at Aunt Jenny's cabin in Schroon Lake. My mother and uncle discussed how I would get from Lake George to Schroon Lake at the end of the day, while I finished up my business online.

Eventually it was time to leave. As my uncle and I headed out the door I promised my mother that I wouldn't die in a horrible roller coaster accident. She told me to give her a hug and a kiss in case I did die. I did just that, giving her a big hug and kiss.
I threw my backpack in my my uncle's backseat, then climbed over the driver seat to get into the car. I was excited, but oddly calm. Usually when ever I go on a trip like this I'm like a pot ready to boil over. I suppose this is a good thing, perhaps it means that at least some of my anxiety is beginning to get under control.

Coming up next...the beginning of an epic adventure.

Friday Part 4

Wow, this took much fewer chapters than I had imagined. This chapter also may contain spoilers for a crappy movie that none of you may ever see.


Part 4: A Picture of Batman Eating Noodles
The Pasta Factory is a restaurant which mainly serves Asian and Italian noodle dishes. They also serve things like salads and soups, but most people come for the delicious noodles.
Allover the walls were drawings kids had done of their pasta dinners. Most of them were scribbles, but I saw a few cute anime drawings done by older kids and even a drawing of The Flying Spaghetti Monster! With this portrait of FSM came some sort of joke, that clearly came from a certain anonymous forum, which joke it was, I can't remember. This was very amusing to me and I wanted to draw my own lulzy pasta related picture. I recall asking my sister to draw me a picture of Batman eating noodles. Not that she ever did. Or would.
I ordered a sesame noodle dish with chicken. I had originally planned on getting an Italian dish, but at the last minute decided I would prefer some Asian fare. Then after we ordered, I got my drink and sat down at the large circular booth with my family. I sat with my sister at my left, and my uncle at my right.
Dinner passed pleasantly, with plenty of conversation. I didn't get to eat very much though, because Uncle Russel wanted to take my sister and I to see a movie, which would be starting soon. But my noodle dish was very delicious and I wish I had eaten more of it. I never got to eat the leftovers either. I would end up leaving them in my aunt's fridge.

My uncle wanted to take us to see Predators. The movie theater was in a mall adjacent to the restaurant, so it was only a minor trip across the parking lot to get to there. I wasn't sure I would like the movie, but I went anyway. Who knew, it might be good.
As my uncle bought the tickets, we heard some people discuss the new Last Airbender film. I said, loud enough for them to hear, that I had heard that the movie was so awful that it punched you in the soul. I wonder if they still went to see the movie. I haven't heard the very best reviews for it.
We bypassed the concession stand and went straight into the cinema. We took seats near the front, and I made a quick bathroom run before anything started.
I'm going to tell you this now. I found the previews more interesting than the movie itself. I recall in particular seeing a trailer for a movie based off of the Scott Pilgrim comic book. I had a minor geek out, seeing as I had read the first volume a month prior.
God, Predators was awful. The 'plot' (if you can even fucking call it that) was this whole stupid thing about the Predator Aliens, who look like Rastafarians with vagina dentata mouths, kidnapping Earth's best warriors and place them on their home planet to use as prey in their little hunting games. There wasn't much by way of a back story, the movie starts with the group of kidnapped humans: a couple of soldiers, a Yakuza gangster, a Mexican drug runner, a Russian Spetsnaz, a deathrow Convict, an African Guerrilla soldier and Topher Grace. That's right friends and neighbors, our sci-fi gorefest had Topher Grace in it.
The movie was boring as fuck. I actually fell asleep within the first twenty minutes of the film! I was a little bit ashamed by this, but figured that it only made sense, seeing as I'd been on the road all day. Hoping to wake up a little bit, I got up and went to the bathroom. On my way out, I briefly made conversation with the guy who collects ticket stubs (I used to work at a theater, and the kids who do that job are always so bored), then entered the ladies room.
There was a woman with two small kids and an infant in the ladies room. She was changing the baby on the counter by the sink. I asked if there was a changing table in the bathroom (not rudely, just with exasperation and surprise. It was pretty obvious that they lacked a changing table). When she replied that there wasn't, we briefly discussed the ludicrousness of this situation. Why wouldn't a bathroom have a changing table? In this day and age it just seems strange. But changing the baby on the counter was better than changing it on the floor, which is what I think people used to do.
After I washed my hands I applied my Hard Candy lip stain and gloss. After I painted my lips with the berry colored stain, I added the thick minty scented gloss, hoping the smell and taste would keep me awake. During this glossy procedure, the woman's kids watched me intently, which I found unnerving. Why is it when you put on makeup in a public bathroom the other people in there stare at you? It's not just kids that do it either, I've had adults eyeball me while I'm doing a few touch ups. At least when kids do it, they're just being curious, they don't know that it's rude to stare. Adults should know better than to stare. Their stares always seem so judgmental.
Oh, but I digress.

I returned to the movie, and stayed awake for some of the action. The humans got picked off one by one, and I have to admit that some of the death scenes were pretty badass. There was even a scene where a guy had his skull and spine ripped out. It reminded me so much of Repo! The Genetic Opera that I quoted a RepoChat in-joke.
"He's got your back"
But despite these gruesome death scenes and cheesy gore (the Predator's blood look like Nickelodeon slime!), I fell asleep for a second time.
I woke up long enough to see the end of the movie, complete with a twist ending (Topher Grace is a bad guy! WTF). When the credits rolled, strange cheerful music poured from the speakers, music that did not match the film's "seriousness". It was as if the filmmakers had simply given up. My sister, uncle and I left the theater, unimpressed with the mediocre quality of the movie. It was one of those films that relied only on its special effects.

The passenger door to my uncle's car did not work. If you wanted to sit in the passenger seat, you had to climb over the drivers seat to get there. Since I was wearing a miniskirt, my sister took the front passenger seat, so I wouldn't flash my swirl patterned knickers to the world. So I took the backseat, which I didn't mind doing.
The drive back to my aunt and uncle's house was very pleasant. We talked about all kinds of things, mostly movies.
Back at my aunt's house, my mom had gotten my cousin bathed and into bed. We had to get ready for bed ourselves. We took our bedding out of the car, and went up to my cousin's room (he would be staying on a couch in the office) to inflate the air mattress. I would be sleeping in my cousin's bed, and my sister and mom would take the mattress. After we were all set up, I changed into my over-sized wolf t-shirt (stolen from my dad) and my Mutts PJ pants with the delightful hole in the seat. I then shuffled downstairs where my uncle was watching South Park and my mom was reading. I tried to read too, but got distracted by the TV.
My mom went up to bed, and my sister joined us in the living room. After South Park finished. my uncle deliberated on what to watch next. He has Netflix for Wii, and so we sifted through titles of different movies, including horror movies. On the list I saw a favorite of mine, called Imprint. It is a really fucked up Japanese horror film that I like for its visuals and disturbing quality. It's strange that I saw it on there too, since I had mentioned it to my uncle in the car. A movie my sister had discussed was there too.
My uncle chose Imprint. Before the movie started, there was a creepy opening sequence for a production company. I do not know if it was a company that brought the film to the US, or the company that initially made it, but it was a very disturbing sequence. My cousin happened to walk in the room at this moment with my aunt, which made my uncle and I scramble to pause the film. Sam asked what we were watching. I didn't know how to answer. My aunt explained to him that we were watching something scary and that he should be in bed.
The movie was very gross. I had forgotten how gross it was, and because of its gore, I was kind of ashamed that I had picked it. I even apologized to my uncle for it. There is a torture scene, that is horrifying not just because of the content, but because of the sound effects. My uncle and I were both sitting there wincing and making noises of disgust. There were also a lot of aborted fetuses in this movie, but I didn't find that very gross. I'm not sure what my uncle thought of them. I do not know if he liked the movie or not either, just that he and I both thought it was very fucked up.
After that fucked up, disturbing movie finished, I went up to bed. My mom was reading and my sister was asleep. Or was it the other way around? I talked briefly with my mom, and then tried to read a little bit.
The next day, I would be going to the Great Escape with my uncle. I needed to get some sleep, so I would be rested for the next day. Thankfully I fell asleep as quickly as I had in the movie theater. After all, I had had a very long day.
The End of Volume 1.

Coming up: Volume 2 starts off with a fizzle instead of a bang! What is a girl to do?