Halloween 2021

The trinity atop the TV in Mom's living room wish you and yours the happiest of Halloweens.

Halloween 2020

This is the shirt I'm wearing to this year's Halloween Movie Bash at JB's place tonight. 

I bought it from an online outfit called Wicked Clothes, which I found, oddly enough, through a popup ad in my email. 

They even sent me a Halloween-themed face mask as a free gift. I'm wearing that to HMB tonight, too.

Whatever you do to celebrate this holiday, do it safely...but do it, even if it's watching horror movies by yourself in the dark. We have to get some fun out of life, even amid the pandemic. As I've long said: "Play Safe, but play."

Every Picture Tells a Story 8/26/20

 

Most years, I would decry the sale of Halloween cards at such an early date. But you know what? This year? We need all the feel-goods we can get. So bring on Halloween...NOW.

Shocktober's End

Even Michael Myers knows we've reached the end of another Shocktober season. Many thanks to all those who've visited here the past month. Expect Thanksgiving and Holidaze photos soon.

(Almost) That Time of Year Again...

This morning on my way to work, I couldn't help but notice the autumnal snap in the air. The leaves on the trees are still green, but a strong northerly breeze sends the unmistakable signal: Fall is almost here.

As regular readers might know, I love Fall more than any other season. The coolness. The colors. The horror movies on every station that still shows movies.

And in the stores? All Halloween, all the time.

Been that way for years now--They don't even wait for Labor Day anymore. Now? Pumpkins and witches and spiders galore can be found on display in every store. From the neighborhood Family Dollar (a converted Woolworth's, if I'm not mistaken) to the local Targets (seems you can't shake a broomstick without hitting one) to even Walgreens and CVS, the summer stuff has been put away, and shrieks and screams from all sorts of window hangers abound.

Most years, I've held to a strict routine: Wait until October. Wait until the month of Halloween. Wait.

This year? No waiting.

This year? I'm ready.

NOW.

So drag out your jack o'lanterns, dust off your rubber rats (sorry, JB) and string those cottony white spider's webs across front yards and windows. Hang your cardboard vampires and werewolves from your doors. Dangle those skeletons in your entry halls.

I'm ready for you all. Bring. It. On.

Halloween 2013, Part 3

I hope everyone's Halloween was truly scary--in the nicest, most entertaining way possible. Thanks for stopping by.

"The Wettest Halloween in 19 Years"

That oddly specific phrase kept popping up on weathercasts and websites in the days leading up to All Hallow's Eve. Weather is of some importance on this day, as you might well imagine--trick-or-treaters and their parents need to know whether their little boys and ghouls need to wear a parka or rain slicker over their costumes. We've even had snow on this day, though (thankfully) not very often.

But rain. Oh yes, we've had rain. 19 years ago today, we had buckets of it.

The odd thing is, I remember that specific Halloween--for reasons that really didn't have much to do with the rain.

It had more to do with Gretchen.

Long before she was Mrs. Fluffy, Gretchen (pictured above in Millennium Park with JB)and I dated for about six months. We broke up formally on Valentine's Day 1995--a shitty memory to have of a day I don't particularly care for anyway--but remained close friends until her passing in April 2011.

Gretchen loved her some Halloween, and we wound up celebrating three or four together--she attended at least a couple of HMBs, including the second one ever (at JB's place) and the first one ever held at the original La Casa del Terror--but only one as a couple.

The forecasters of today don't exaggerate the weather that day in 1994: it was coming down in blinding sheets sweeping out of the north on howling winds. Awesome weather for sitting inside and watching horror films. Horrible weather for doing damn near anything else.

Gretchen and I lived within walking distance of each other then--she in Wicker Park, I in Ukrainian Village--so I hoofed it as fast as my long legs would carry me to her place--which was, unfortunately, north and east of me, so I spent the whole time walking right into the wind. Even my leather motorcycle jacket was no protection against the gale. By the time I got to Gretchen's, I was utterly soaked. Even my underwear needed to be rung out. And it was a cold rain, too--good thing I had a warm apartment (and warmer woman) waiting for me at the end of my trek.

We didn't watch monster movies that night. Instead, we watched the Monsters of the Midway--the Bears were playing the Packers on Monday Night Football. That turned out to be a horror show of a very different kind, with the Bears getting crushed 33-6 by their arch rivals in a sloppy, muddy, bruising mess of a game.

At least Gretchen made dinner--she was a more-than-fair cook--and we had a great evening together, even if the weather and the Bears tried to dampen (see what I did there?) our spirits.

I wish Gretchen were here to celebrate this Halloween--and a lot more Halloweens to follow. But that's not how things worked out.

Still, legend has it that on Halloween, the barriers between the here and the hereafter are at their weakest and spirits can come and go as they please.

If that's the case...hop on by, Gretchen--I've got a fresh, hot bowl of white borscht soup waiting for you and a pumpkin-scented candle to light your way.

Halloween 2013, Part 2

Take a good look, kids--this is the closest I get to a Halloween costume these days.

Halloween 2013

Another Shocktober comes to an conclusion--and what better way to end it than with a picture of the fearsome Lon Chaney is his best known role, The Phantom of the Opera?

Happy Halloween, everybody!

Shocktober: Creature Features Intro (sort of)

I was fortunate enough to grow up in Chicago, where I had many local TV viewing options when I was young and impressionable.

Not only could I enjoy the antics of Svengoolie (both the original, Jerry G. Bishop, and his replacement--still going strong after 30 years!--Rich Koz), but I could cower on the couch of what passed for our family rec room as the strains of Henry Mancini's "experiment in Terror" played over the intro to WGN's Creature Features, which played the classic Universal horror films from the '30s and '40s, as well as various sci-fi flicks and even the occasional Godzilla film.

The aforementioned creepy intro was accidentally thrown out by WGN ages ago, and no videotape has turned up (most people didn't have VCRs in the early '70s). However, an enterprising soul has re-created the intro on YouTube, using an audio recording of the program to add the spooky voice of newsman/voiceover guy Carl Grayson to the footage of the Wolf Man, Frankenstein Monster and Dracula stalking the night.

Enjoy.

The End of Shocktober (for this year, anyhow)

Happy Halloween, everybody!

Shocktober: Friday is Bring Your Vampire to Work Day

Or, at least it is on this Friday before Halloween, when Bela Lugosi, Jonathan Frid and Christopher Lee are gracing my workspace with their fiendish presence. Coworkers have had little trouble recognizing the two actors who played Dracula on the bir screen, but have struggled to identify Barnabas Collins in the middle--perhaps because Dark Shadows went off the air before most of them were even born. (Yes, I'm old.)

Shocktober: Squeak for Your Treats!

At lunchtime today, I snuck outside to enjoy some crisp autumn air and the buzz and hustle that is downtown Chicago. I needed to get out of the office and let my eyes adjust, for but a few fleeting moments, to the wonder that is natural light.

This didn't last long, though, for near my workplace, where an empty storefront (formerly occupied by an "express" version of one of those gargantuan office supply stores) had stood, now a Halloween-themed outlet beckoned. I didn't bother with even token resistance.

It turned out to be more of a costume shop than a tchotchke place--great if you wanted to dress up like Michael Myers, Princess Lea (Slave Girl version), a saucy witch or a naughty nurse, not so much if you just wanted another pumpkin or skeleton for your casa (like I don't have enough of those already). Aside from a really cool, really affordable Guy Fawkes mask, there wasn't much there to hold my interest.

Of the many costumes on display, only one truly perplexed and appauled me: The Giant Rat costume.

Can someone--anyone--explain the appeal of this costume to me? Is there a child out there anywhere who would request or willingly submit to being dressed as an enormous rodent (and not of the Mickey Mouse or Ratatouille varieties)? Is there a parent out there anywhere who would think this is "cute" or "funny," as opposed to, say, "guaranteed to be brought up repeatedly in expensive therapy sessions in about 15-20 years"? Why not just dress the kid in a t-shirt with 'KICK MY ASS, PLEASE" in big block letters across the chest? Even if I hadn't recently had a bad experience with a rat, this would seem like a bad idea.

I left without buying anything, but scarred nonetheless.

Welcome to...SHOCKTOBER!

This is my month.

You are, of course, invited to share it with me. You know I'm not greedy like that. There's more than enough Shocktober to go around.

There will be the usual updates during Shocktober--about my state of mind and heart, about Ms. Christopher's health, about sports (how could I not have at least some small comment about the fact that both the Cubs and the White Sox are playing in the postseason in the same year for the first time since they faced each other in the World Series in 1906?), about the weather, about...you know, the usual babble.

But I'll also be writing more than usual about horror movies, dancing skeletons, glowing pumpkins--all the things that make this month so much fun.

Shocktober got off to a rousing start this a.m. at La Casa del Terror, where the recouperating Ms. Chris, after nibbling at some Friskies and having a deep drink from the same water dish she's sipped from for the past 15 years, suddenly jumped off of what's left of the couch, ran across the livingroom and caught, killed and ate (not sure it was exactly in that order) an insect (don't ask me what kind--she ate it too quickly) on the floor before the TV--her tribute to Renfield, perhaps?

Whatever the case, I took it as a good omen for Shocktober. May the rest of the month be so lively.

Quickies

No, not that kind of quickie. Get your minds out of the gutter for just a moment. As most of you know, my job is keeping me insanely busy and likely will through Thanksgiving, if not Christmas. That being said, I'd still like to sneak in updates where I can. So here are a few short ones, most of which go back to essays past:

My Artistic Friends
Superbadfriend used to be a co-worker and is still one of my best friends. She's also one of the most creative people I know, working with encaustics (paint made from pigments, beeswax and resin) and found objects. And now? She has a website. Go there and check out her amazing work. If you see something you might want to hang in your own home (like the miniature pieces I'm honored to have hanging in mine), shoot her an email and ask about prices. And even if you don't want to buy anything right now, just shoot her an email anyway--she's one of the sweetest, most friendly, most supportive people you'll ever talk to.

This Sporting Life
Cubs fans: You don't need Alex Rodriguez--you already have enough overpriced players who can't hit in the playoffs. White Sox fans: Aaron Rowand is a free agent--hope the team signs him and regains some of that spark back that they had when they won the World Series. Blackhawks fans: Getting home games on TV is a great place to start--hope they put something on the ice worth watching. Bulls fans: You don't need Kobe Bryant--he won't win you any more championships by himself than he won in LA by himself. Bears fans: With no running game, defenders who can't tackle and a former Pro Bowler with an arthritic back and a pissy attitude (hey, it's the media's fault your back hurts, Mr. Urlacher), the quality of your starting quarterback is suddenly the least of your concerns--happy now?

The Daley Grind
So nice of you, Mr. Mayor, to set aside your obsession with the 2016 Olympics (which a lot of Chicagoans don't want anyway since it'll make us more of a terrorist threat and create bigger traffic headaches than we already have) and your record tax increase proposal (so enormous that quite a few of us, myself included, might have to move out of the city in the near future because we won't be able to afford to live here anymore) in order to focus, if only for a minute or two, on the budget crisis at the CTA. Good to know you can pay attention to the near future--as in literally days from now--instead of going glassy-eyed like an addled 5-year-old who starts dreaming about Christmas Day in April.

Speaking of the CTA...
All those lovely, laminated signs you have taped up at bus stops and those equally eye-catching ones on the trains where paid advertisements usually are found must have cost some serious coinÑcoin you keep telling everybody and anybody with ears on their heads you don't have. I know the CTA needs a permanent funding solutions, I don't want any of my bus or train routes getting axed, and I do want our Governor and Speaker of the House to stop their dick-wagging contest because they're both coming off like short, short men. But printing and distributing all those signs and flyers makes it look like you've got money to spare or that the agency isn't particularly well managed or both--not the best impression when you've got your hand out.

The Rainbow Bridge
Sometimes, pet names qualify as truth in advertising.

Example: Stubby, a gray calico who was small, short and missing at least three joints off her tail. Her nickname, Squally, fit as well: for something so small, she sure was loud. She lived a long and mostly placid life with Mom, but even long and placid lives have an end. She'd been sick for some time--can't remember whether it was her kidneys or her thyroid--and when scheduling dinner recently, Mom told me Stubby' s time was nearly at hand; she was barely eating and had lost a lot of weight (and she never weighed much to begin with).

So the next time I came over, I sought Stubby out. She was in a cardboard box in the dining room, small and frail in the darkness. I reached in and stroked her head; she rubbed against my hand and purred loudly. As I walked away, she rose unsteadily, vaulted from the box to the dining room table (as much as a cat on her deathbed can actually "vault") and staggered unsteadily after me. I picked her up (she weighed next to nothing), carried her to the living room and set her in my lap, where she stayed for the remainder of the evening, alternately purring at being petted and staring off into the distance at something the rest of us couldn't see.

One Last Thing
Halloween is my favorite holiday. Has been since I was a kid. Always loved decorating my apartment for the occasion, watching movies with my friends, the whole deal. (Okay, not so much the dressing up part--once you spend an evening in a Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp costume, you're pretty much scarred for life.) So tonight, I'll be in front of the TV in La Casa del Terror, tasty treats at hand, remote in hand, and monsters traversing my scream...er, screen. Have a happy and safe Halloween, one and all.