So scary...

Did everyone have a happy Halloween? :) I'm actually not much of a Halloween fan, myself. I only tolerate its existence because it's the gateway holiday to the Thanksgiving/Christmas season. But in general, I find it rather annoying... not only because of the mixed messages we send kids ("Don't ever take candy from strangers... Unless it's Halloween, in which case, you should knock on their doors and demand it!"), but also because the television airwaves are clogged with horror movies and shows about haunted landmarks. I almost watched a show tonight about "the scariest movie moments ever!!!" or something like that... but then I decided it might not be the best thing to watch when Rick is in Minneapolis and I have to sleep alone tonight. (Well, alone save for my over-protective cats, who will, no doubt, curl up on either side of me and keep watch until morning...)

Instead, I opted for a show on the science channel about the myriad of bacteria, fungi and mites that inhabit our bodies on a daily basis. I know what you're thinking -- how could that possibly be LESS scary than those scary movie moments?? Um, yeah... it wasn't. In fact, this show will haunt my dreams tonight. IF, that is, I manage to fall asleep, now that I'm thinking about the millions of mites who are living in my mattress and pillow and waiting for me to tuck myself in so they can feast off my skin cells...

I was slightly worried about Halloween in a condo building, because I wasn't sure what the protocol was... would every kid in the building be running up and down the halls, knocking on every door? I never have any candy, so I wouldn't have answered... but it's not like I have a porch light to extinguish, to signal my non-participation (although according to my mom, this tactic did not work very well for her tonight... :)). And I wasn't looking forward to hearing knocks on my door for hours on end. But the other day, when Rick and I took the elevator (a rare occurrence, actually, because we're only on the third floor... but we happened to be loaded down with grocery bags...), we noticed a sign describing the "voluntary trick-or-treat" they'd organized for the building. Anyone who WANTED to give out candy could get a pumpkin sticker from the front desk and put it on their door -- that way, the kids would know to only knock on doors with pumpkins. I thought that was a great idea -- and quite effective, as I did not have one stray door knock tonight...

Although I have to admit, as I peruse Facebook and read about various friends' forays into their neighborhoods for trick-or-treating, I feel a pang of nostalgia for those plastic, orange, candy-collection receptacle pumpkins... how they would transform -- from an empty, hollow shell, to a seemingly endless pile of sugary variety. Every day would bring a new assortment of sweet treats... and an occasional reject (Black licorice? Yuck... Gum? Boooooring... And don't even TRY to pass off fruit as an acceptable Halloween giveaway...).  But now, as an adult, there's really no chance of procuring piles of random candy for free.

Maybe I'll just head over to that cupcake store tomorrow. Right after I scrub off the bacteria, fungi and mites, of course...