The Writing Dead: Party like you have to climb back into the grave at sunrise

This is your mandatory October playlist, people, write it down.

10) Odds Are

Okay, technically, this is not a "Halloween" song. But it IS my favorite band of all time AND it DOES have zombies. So, shut up. It counts.

9) I Put a Spell on You

This is one of those movies I just HAVE to watch every October.
Amuck, amuck, amuck!

8) Beetlejuice: Day-O and Shake Senora


A twofer from Beetlejuice: Yes, technically, neither of these songs are specifically "Halloween-y". But I defy you to find someone in my generation who doesn't immediately think of this movie when they hear them. 

7) Ghostbusters

  Trigger Warning: 80s Flashbacks may ensue.

6) Don't Fear the Reaper

Most people don't even know BOC even HAD other songs, do they?

Oh well. These guys still rock it.
And the guitar solo around 2:50 is almost worth including this one all by itself.

5) Time Warp

Is it even possible to make a Halloween song list without including at least one song from Rocky Horror? Or maybe two ... 

4) Science Fiction Double Feature

This one's a twofer, 'cause, sure, the classic from Rocky Horror is, well, The Classic. But I love this cover by Black Math Experiment, too (skip ahead to 1:09 for the good stuff).

3) This is Halloween! 

Another classic with a twist: "This is Halloween" from Tim Burton's iconic "Nightmare Before Christmas" - but this time performed by my favorite Las Vegans: Panic! at the Disco. Speaking of Danny Elfman .... 

2) Dead Man's Party

Yeah, it's gonna be in your head all day now. You're welcome.

1) Thriller

Oh, come on, like you didn't know this was going to be here.

Kiss Kiss, Bite Bite,
Zen

Always be yourself. Unless you can be a ninja. Always be a ninja.

My son wants matching costumes to match for Halloween - Ninjas. Cuz ninjas are cool. His was pretty easy to find:

Then we asked the costume store clerk to help us find a "matching" women's ninja costume. She brought us to this:

The mom in me thought: Holy Hell, Lady, I'm going trick-or-treating with my 8-year-old, not to a bacchanal at Hefner's house.

The martial artist in me thought: Her boob would fall right out of that thing if she tried to do a good side kick.

Both me's were pretty disgusted that this was the only women's ninja costume we could find at FIVE STORES.

So, I spent a bit of time with my pal, Google ... and came away rather horrified at the differences in the men's and women's versions of the "same" costumes.

Of course, I had to share ... enjoy the photo gallery as I rant on.

I get it: Men and women are built differently - Vive la différence! 

And there's nothing wrong with fitted or feminine costumes. Personally, I'd much rather wear a costume that's cut for my curves, than some one-size-fits-none sack.

But a LOT of these costumes sprint right past "fitted" or "flattering" or even "sexy" and dive straight into the ridiculously skanky end of the pool.

I get that some costumes have a built-in sexy factor. But it bugs me that most of the female versions of what should be gender-neutral costumes are gratuitously over-sexualized.

There's an implication that a woman can't actually be these characters -  Instead, we're relegated to hyper-sexual parodies of them.

And before someone starts accusing me of slut-shaming all those sweet college girls and hot MILFs who just want to have a little fun on Halloween: I'm not saying there's anything wrong with sexy outfits per se - on Halloween or any other day. (Well, it's probably not a good idea to wear your "naughty nurse" outfit to your kid's fall pageant; but, hey, that's up to you.)

(Caveat: there's nothing inherently wrong with an ADULT dressing in a sexy costume. You DO NOT want to get me started about the trickle down trend of "sexy" tween and kids costumes. Anybody who thinks a "sexy" kids costume is a good idea can just go stand over there in your wrongness and be wrong.)

I'm not even saying that I wouldn't ever wear a "sexy" costume - I would and I have.

But there's a line here somewhere, and I'm afraid we've trampled across it in our fishnets and stilettos.

It's getting to the point where it's becoming difficult to even find women's costumes that are NOT all bustiers and mini-skirts.

Seriously: Google "women's police costume". Let me know how many pages it takes you to find one that is not "sexy".

Take a look around a Halloween store (IRL or online, take your pick). I estimate a 10:1 ratio of "sexy" costumes to "normal" costumes for women  - as opposed to something more like 1:50 for men.

And yet there are many women who rush to defend the continued skankification (technical term) of women's costumes as "empowering" because we're "embracing our sexuality".

Bullshit.

Turning Halloween costumes into glorified masturbatory aides is not how you "own your sexuality".

Is it really too much to ask for some middle ground between "men's" costumes and "sexy" costumes? Is it really so hard to make a woman's costume that acknowledges my gender without objectifying it? Are there really so few women who would prefer that?

What does that say about us? What does it say to our kids?


Just wanna be a ninja,
Zen

Wanna see something really scary? 

More comparisons of "men's" and "women's" versions of "the same" costumes:

It's like they were separated at birth.

Accio robe. 

Hers has about a 10th of the fabric and you KNOW it still costs more.

Yeah, this seems historically accurate to me.

You don't even want to see the Red Riding Hood costumes.

These two live in the same climate, right?

"Hey, you know who could be sexier? The cowgirl doll from that kids movie." 

He's covered neck to toe in inflammable protective gear.

She apparently repels flames with the power of her cleavage.

What? That's totally standard issue women's prison uniform.
Except during the nightly pillow fights, then they go naked.

Oh, look a sailor. And, um, ... a Rockette?

Insert "booty" pun here.

Those heels are going to destroy the turf.

Well, the hat and the magnifying glass are the same. 

They both have a whip, but somehow only hers implies bondage. I blame the tiny hat.

Holy Skank, Batman!

They actually managed to make a comics costume even MORE slutty than the comics usually do.

Ho Ho Ho meets 'Ho 'ho 'ho.

We don't go anywhere with "scary", "spooky", "haunted" or "forbidden" in the title

In honor of Halloween season, I'm recycling my favorite "scary" story...
 
My first warning should have been when my date told me our evening was going to be a "surprise". In my experience, surprising me rarely ends well for all parties involved.

But, I was young - 19, I think - and he was a fun and romantic guy intent on creatively wooing me. So, I thought to myself, "Hey, self, try being spontaneous for once! It'll be fun, right? Right!

- dundundun-

My only hint of what was to come before he picked me up that chilly October evening was when he told me to wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes.

Still, when he proceeded to take us far out of town into the sparsely populated countryside, I have to admit my inner monologue was starting to sound something like this:

Ummm. Okay. This isn't scary or anything. I'm sure he's totally NOT a serial killer taking me to a secluded spot to chop me into tiny pieces. But, just in case I'm wrong, let's just examine the handle on this car door in the event that I may need to jump out and run for my life.

So, I have to admit I was just a little relieved when we turned a corner and came upon a big lighted parking lot out there in the middle of nowhere.

Of course, that relief turned to dread again when I realized we were at a "Haunted Forest".

Now, here's something you need to know about your Auntie Zen, kids: I don't do scary.

I've never worn a scary Halloween costume, I don't watch horror movies; I only rarely read scary books (and then it's only during daylight hours and I usually follow it with a Disney movie chaser to get the ick out); I'd rather roast s'mores than listen to a spooky campfire story; and I've been known to totally freak myself out a la the Blair Witch Project over unidentified noises and shadows in the dark. (By the way, the person who forced me to watch the Blair Witch Project - I'm still not speaking to him.) For heaven's sake, I slept with a night light until I was ... oh, wait, I still sleep with a night light!

And I most definitely DO NOT do Haunted Houses.

So, yeah, you get the idea ... having scary things jump out at me in close quarters is pretty high on my things-I-never-want-to-do list.

My enthusiasm was for this "surprise" date was flagging just a bit at this point.

But, hey, I'm a trooper. I can do this! It will be fun! Right? Right! And, oh! Look! There's not-scary stuff here, too! There's kiddie games and a hay ride and corn maze! I can do that!

I was pondering whether or not I might have preferred the "So I Dated an Axe Murderer" scenario when said date grabbed me by the hand and enthusiastically led me right past the kiddie games and the hay ride and the corn maze and straight to the "Haunted Forest".

Oh, Hell.

Okay. Pull it together, you. Look at the little kids going in there in front of you! If they can do it, you can do it.

Just about then, the screams started drifting out of the thicket of trees.

"Um, so, are you sure you don't want to go do the bean bag toss or bob for apples or ... " I started.

"Oh, don't be scared," my date was the picture of manly support. "I'll be right there with the you the whole time."

More screams. And now, growling noises.

Ohmigawd-ohmigawd-ohmigawd. Self, we do NOT want to go in there, right? Right!

"Or we could go make out on the hay ride!" I said, desperate now.

That almost did it. He paused, but then laughed and handed our tickets to the witch at the entrance. "Don't worry, it's just good fun."

Famous last words.

Okay, self, suck it up. You can do this. Oh, and self, you should maybe not squeeze your date's hand so hard. I think his fingers are turning blue. And try not to think about the dark branches that seem to be reaching out to grab you... or the dark, tight space closing in on you ... or that rustling noise in the bushes ahead ... or that sound like heavy breathing near your ear.

I was pressed up against my date so tightly at this point that you couldn't see light between us - even if there had been light to see. Which there wasn't. Because it was freakin' dark in there. Did I mention I don't like the dark?

Okay, breathe, you can do this. Right? ... Right? Um ...

I honestly could not tell you a single thing about the first 1/3 of that haunted forest, except to say that it scared the bejeebus out of me. Apparently, I've blocked out all of the traumatic details.

But I do know that I was damn-near hyperventilating by the time the werewolf jumped us.

We were coming around a corner when the werewolf leaped out of the bush right next to me - meaty arms raised, sharp claws reaching, pointy canines bared, a deep throaty growl on his bloodthirsty lips ...

Yeah, it was exactly like that.

What the hell do you think I did? I shrieked like a little girl and jumped about two feet backwards - tripping over an exposed tree root in the process and landing on my ass - but not before I heard an ominous *snap* from the general direction of my ankle.

My date honestly did not believe me at first when I told him I was pretty sure I'd broken my ankle. But I guess the screaming and falling back down when I tried to put weight on my leg did the trick. He jerry-rigged a (pretty decent!) field splint and helped the EMTs carry me basket-style out of the thick trees. Then he followed the (probably unnecessary) ambulance to the nearest emergency room. And he sat with me in the exam room and entertained and distracted me while the (definitely necessary) pain meds kicked in.

Ahhhhh, drugs are good. Everything will be okay, now right? Riiiiight.

I still think he only really believed my ankle was actually broken when the doctor showed us the x-rays. But he was still very chivalrous and attentive during the whole evening.

Especially when the werewolf showed up again.

Yep, the young man who played the werewolf at the Haunted Forest actually stopped by the emergency room when he got off of work to check on me. Wasn't that sweet?

I gave him a hug. Of course, I was all hopped up on those really good pain meds by then, so I'm pretty sure I was hugging nurses, doctors, x-ray techs, and anybody else who said a kind word to me at that point.

I think my date was just a teensy bit jealous when the werewolf - who was kinda cute without his mask - gave me his phone number and asked me to call him to let him know that I was okay. There might have been growling. (Please note me NOT making the obvious dogs-fighting-over-a-bone joke here. You're welcome.)

For their part, the Haunted Forest folks sent me a bright orange t-shirt that said "I survived the [redacted] Haunted Forest". (Later, I corrected it by adding "barely" with a Sharpie.) They also sent me some free passes to come back.

Riiiiight.

Believe it or not ... this is not the weirdest date I've ever been on. Or even the only date to end in medical treatment.

Even more amazing? There was a third date with Haunted Forest guy.

But that's another story ...


Still easily spooked,
Zen


How about you? Have a good haunted house (or forest or whatever) story? Gather 'round the virtual campfire and do tell ... 

*Post title from: Scooby Doo

Everyone hail to the pumpkin song

Since Christmas decorations are in the stores, I guess it's time to start thinking about Halloween.

In truth, my kids have been thinking about Halloween for weeks. The Professor wants to put up gravestones and scary ghosts ("But not too scary, Mommy.") in the yard. (Me, I want zombie arms.) And BamBam has been changing into costumes from the dress-up box and asking "Today is Ha-ween?" almost daily. And last weekend, my parents took The Minions to a Pumpkin Patch. So, I need to start planning this year's Pumpkin Post Mortems, as well.

And then there's the costumes.

My kids have changed their minds so many times this year about what they want to dress up as, that I can't even keep them straight anymore.

I can't figure out if it's best to just make them pick something early to give me the time to purchase/make whatever we need ... or to just let them keep randomly cycling through their preferences until the week before Halloween and then *shudder* fight the crowds to get what they want.

So far this year, The Minions have "decided" they want to be:

• Batman and Robin
• Adam and Jamie from Mythbusters
• A Knight and Dragon (which is what they were last year)
• Jedi (two years ago)
• Shaggy and Scooby
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Superman and Batman
• Indiana Jones and Chewbacca*

I suspect they will settle shortly on Batman and Robin. You'll note that The Minions tend to forgo the more traditional ghosts and witches and vampires and even the more mundane police officer or firefighter or doctor. They tend to gravitate toward more geeky guises. I can't imagine where they get that from.  Ahem.

And yes, I am the dork who thinks its fun to dress my kids up in matching outfits. In fact, one of these days (before the boys think Mom and Dad are so totally unhip that they can't hang out with us anymore) I'm going to get my act together and plan costumes for all four of us around a theme.

Because, yes, I'm also the dork that thinks it's still fun for adults to dress up for Halloween, too. The ZenHusband and I have been doing it since before The Minions even came along.

< tangent >

What is it about Halloween that brings out the inner slut in so many women?

I admit that I've been somewhat guilty of this one myself: The ZenHusband and I did Batgirl/Penguin one year (tight); Peter Pan/Cap'n Hook another year (sorta skimpy) and Pirate/Wench (cleavage-y) yet another year. (We're still planning to do a Red Riding Hood/Big Bad Wolf combo one year, too. But we're looking for just the right wolf costume.) So, yeah, I've worn costumes that were a leeettle bit on the risque side. But, I think, still within a certain level of decorum.

I don't have anything against "sexy" costumes, per se. But, wow! Some of the costumes I've seen women sporting look like they came out of a fetish magazine. Or at least Playboy. It's getting to the point where you can hardly even find an costume that's not overly sexualized.

And I suspect that most of the women wearing these x-rated costumes are all buttoned-up-and-denim 364 days a year. But October 31 rolls around and that gives them an excuse to go all fishnets and stilettos and barely-there. Why is that?

I suppose it wouldn't be so bad if these women were built like the models on the costume packaging. But, really? A-Cup Vampira and Muffin-Top Wonder Woman are just wrong.

< /tangent > 

Bottom line: While Thanksgiving feasts are great and I do love me some Xmas mornings, Halloween is, to my mind, the big winner on the Holiday Fun-o-Meter. And I'm ready to get revved up for this year's Spooky doin's.

How do YOU "do" Halloween?

Quivering with antici ...
Zen

*Okay, so technically, Indiana Jones and Chewbacca don't "match" like the others, but my ruling on the field is to allow it under a general "George Lucas" theme.

Post Title: Do I really have to tell you this one?

Treat Exchange: Uber-Krispies

Veronica at Another Suburban Mom is hosting a Treat Exchange!

Now, it's pretty well known, that' I'm not much of a cook. But I do enjoy a tasty treat. And this is my favorite. It's my mother-in-law's "secret" recipe for Rice Krispie Treats. 'Round our house, we call them Uber-Krispies, to distinguish them from the vastly inferior, made-with-marshmallow variety.

I often tell my husband the real reason I married him was to get my hands on this recipe. Yeah, they're that good. And they are so easy to make! 

Uber-Krispies

6 oz Butterscotch chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
4 c Rice Krispies

Melt chips and peanut butter together in saucepan. Stir in Krispies, coating the cereal.

1 tsp water
6 oz chocolate chips
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp butter

Combine in saucepan and melt.
Layer in greased pan: Coated kispies, chocolate mix, coated krispies.

Refrigerator for at least an hour. Overnight for best results. Serve chilled.

Tip: I usually make two pans. One for me and one for everyone else. ;)

Don't forget to stop by Veronica's blog to see what other good eats are being offered up in the Treat Exchange.

ETA:

Couple of suggestions: I like to melt the chocolate in a double boiler - I use a stainless steel mixing bowl on a medium-sized saucepan filled with soft-boiling water.

The most important thing with the chocolate is to heat it until it's melted, but not to "cook" it. Overheating it will cause textural issues when it cools. 

Basically, once you start heating the chocolate -don't take you attention away from it. And stir often. As soon as it's melted, take it off the heat and and pour/spread it into onto your bottom krispie layer right away.

Second, chilling it overnight is best. To let the layers set. Otherwise, they will be (more) crumbly and less cohesive. (I am usually way to impatient to follow this rule.)

Oh, and I forgot to mention that we like to make it a little more festive by putting fine red and green sprinkles on top at Christmas time. (Or orange and black at Halloween or red and pink at valentines day, etc.)

Death of a Pumpkin

As promised, the Zen Family Theater proudly presents, Death of a Pumpkin ...

So, y'all know we went to the Pumpkin Farm last week. And we rounded up a few smallish specimens.

But, we weren't worried about size. Because we knew we already had a behemouth of a squash at home.

Minion The Elder helped his Papa grow this uber-pumpkin in Papa's garden this summer as part of his activities to earn his Spiral Scouts Gardening Badge.

That one was just too big to carve up, though. So we let the Minions have at it with paint instead. They had a blast.

The smaller pumpkins, though, weren't so lucky. They were dispatched humanely - one quick blow to the cranial stem - and then their squishy innards were removed.

And then the fun began ...

Believe it or not, there's like 4 or 5 more.
(My dad and I went a little overboard.)
But these are my favorites.
They ought to look pretty cool all lit up tonight, don'cha think? :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make it

October is a rough month for me.

Oh, it's not because October is when things really start to heat up at work. And it's not because the weather starts to turn chilly and I'm a wuss about the cold. It's not even because it's when the deadly Valley fog starts rolling in, making my morning commute a life-threatening activity.

No ... It's the movies.

I love scifi movies, action movies, even a very small handful of whatcha might call "scary movies".

But I HATE "horror movies".

You cannot pay me enough to make me watch movies like Hellraiser or The Ring or The Grudge or The Hills Have Eyes or The Blair Witch Project or those damned ubiquitous Saw movies and the like.

I. Will. Freak. Out.

Urban horror? Slasher flicks? Anything with guys named Freddy or Jason? Fugeddahboutit - I am not watching. I don't even want to see the commercials or trailers for them. And please don't tell me about them.

I am just not constitutionally capable of watching stuff like Paranormal Activity or even The Exorcist.

Do. Not. Want.

The weird thing, though, it that there are "scary" movies that I DO like.

Vampires? Werewolves? Zombies? Space Aliens? ... I'm your gal! All over it!

I love Aliens, Predator, Resident Evil, Evil Dead 2, Dracula, The Mummy, Frankenstein, Shaun of the Dead, Night of the Living Dead, Dusk til Dawn, Silver Bullet, An American Werewolf in London, Hellboy, Underworld, Hitchcock movies ... hell, I even like the uber-cheesy ones like Dracula 2000, Doom, Ghosts of Mars, Bats and Bubba Ho-Tep.

And Jason X was the notable exception to my "no Jason or Freddy movies" rule. Because it was all scifi and comedic, so I just closed my eyes during the gory parts.

I even like Stephen King's It - Oh, it scared the bejeesus out of me - but I've still seen it five times. Because it had such a great story and such a life-affirming message under all of the OMFG-it's-a-man-eating-clown.

What's the difference? How is it that I can love Zombieland and hate Saw? Where do I draw the line between "horror" movies and "scary" movies?

I dunno. But it's there. Maybe somebody else can 'splain it to me. In the meantime, I will pass on the "horror" movies ... but you can pass the popcorn, please, for Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

What about you? Do you like horror movies? Scary movies? Vampires, weres and zombies, oh my?

* Inspired by DaddyGeekBoy, who is a self-proclaimed scary movie wimp. ;)

SF Junkie: Books that Suck

Apparently, vampires are hip again.

Yay!

Earlier, I shared about my SF addiction and my favorite Kick-Ass-Chicks books of that genre. But I intentionally left out one of my favorite "Guilty Pleasures" - Vampires.*

Love 'em. Can't lay off 'em.

I can't remember my first vampire book (oh, wait, does Bunnicula count?), but I do know that Anne Rice, Bram Stoker and The Darkangel Trilogy by Meredith Anne Pierce were among the early ones.

But it was probably Anne Rice more than any other author who really "turned" me (I know. Vamp puns: *groan*) and Lestat is still one of my all-time favorite preternatural characters.

But, I'm a sucker (Oops. did it again.) for anything with fangs. I read (and watch) all kinds of vampire books (and movies and TV shows). Even the cheesy ones. :)

I could write a whole post about the fascinating psychological and cultural aspects of our attraction of vampires (and, knowing me, I probably will eventually), but today I just want to share a few of my favorites.

Astute readers will notice that there is some cross-over between my favorite fang-fiction and my proclivity for Kick-Ass Chicks. :)

Charlaine Harris
Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 1: Dead Until Dark
How much am I hating the fact that I don't get Showtime now that they've made these fabulous books into a TV show? Oh well. The books are still awesome. I just finished #9 Wednesday night. Sookie is a great protagonist and Harris' vamps have a lot of life in them. Harris has several other great series, too. The others are more mysteries than scifi, though one is a bit of both. But the recurring theme in them all is strong women protagonists. I pretty much love everything she's ever written.

Laurell K. Hamilton
Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 1: Guilty Pleasures
I really loved the first ten or so books in the Anita Blake series. Unfortunately, the last few books have been really disappointing to me as Hamilton basically turned them into erotica. I mean, I don't mind a little romance or a few steamy sex scenes, but they should support the story, not supplant it. But, again, the first ten or so? Awesome.

I should also mention Hamilton's Merry Gentry Series (A Kiss of Shadows, Book 1). They're about fairies rather than vamps. I love Merry as a character and I love the stories - especially the way they touch on Celtic and English mythologies. But, again, the copious, gratuitous, graphic sex tends to be - to me - more distracting than enhancing. Still, I keep reading them. So, there must be something good there. :)

In the most recent Merry and Anita books I've read, I noticed that there was a little less sex and a little more plot. So, I'm hoping that maybe these books are heading for a return to their previous greatness. We'll see.

MaryJanice Davidson
Queen Betsy, Book 1: Undead and Unwed
These books make me laugh out loud. Really. Davidson has a talent for telling a great story without taking herself too seriously. Betsy is a reluctant vampire queen more addicted to shoe shopping than blood. She is hilarious and every book is an irreverent romp. For the record, I like Davidson's non-vampire books, too.

Nancy A. CollinsMidnight Blue: Sonja Blue Collection
This is an great trilogy that doesn't get the attention it deserves. Probably because it's darker and more violent than most modern vampire stories. Readers looking to pick up the latest Twilight-style paranormal romance would probably suffer serious culture shock with the Sonja Blue stories. It's gritty, violent, gory vampire-punk. These vampires don't woo teen girls. They just eat them.

Geek side-note: It's published by White Wolf. If you know who they are, you know what that means. If you don't, then don't worry about it.


Anne RiceThe Vampire Chronicles
Again, no list of vampire books could possibly be complete without Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. I mentioned earlier that she was pivotal in drawing me into the genre. I liked Interview with a Vampire. But I was completely hooked by The Vampire Lestat. I adore Lestat. These were among my first "adult" vampire stories and my first introduction to the blood-sex-life-death themes in vampire stories.



I've read lots of other vampire books and books-with-vampires, of course. Some that were good. And some that were not so good. But these are my favorites. The ones with ... bite. (Oh gawd, I really can't stop myself, now.)

You'll notice Twilight is conspicuously absent from the list. My sister-in-law did give me the first book for Christmas. But I haven't read it yet.

To be honest, I'm a little afraid to. They seem to be the kind of books that suck (Oh hell, will someone just stake me and get it over with?) people in. And I have a tendency to get just a teesny bit ... rabidly obsessed(?) over a really good series. But I suppose I'll get to it eventually.


So ... what're your favorite vampire books? Anything I should add to my must-read list?


*I mentioned a few other books with vampires in my Kick-Ass-Chicks post, too. But vampires aren't the focus of those books, thus the distinction.

The Force is strong with this family

Friday, we took the Minions to trick-or-treat at the "Zoo Boo" - an annual Halloween party at our local zoo.

In true geek-family fashion, the minions went as Jedi. Minion #1 was a young Obi Wan and Minion #2 was Yoda.

Adorable, they were.

We saw one or two other Padawans wandering about, but not many. It seems Spider-Man was the Tickle-Me-Elmo of Halloween this year. You could hardly turn around without tripping over a friendly neighborhood web-crawler. There were also a suspicious number of pirates about.

I suspect the fleet was in town.

For the girls, of course, it was all about the Disney Princesses. Though I did see several witches and some female super-heroes - which would have been encouraging had it not been for the fact that some of the costumes were way to0 sexy for six-year-olds. That just made it kinda creepy. Can I just say one more time how happy I am to have boys?

Sorry, where was I?

Oh yeah: Trick-or-treating Jedi.

The boys had a good time wandering about scavenging candy from the vendor tables and seeing the animals at night. We are members and visit the zoo a lot, so you'd think they might have been a little blase' about the venue. But no, they had a blast.

"Obi-Wan" can't wait for Halloween now ... wants to know when he gets to don his light saber and "get more treats". In fact, he's hardly put his light saber down since Saturday. He'd have slept with it last night if I'd let him. :)

"Yoda" isn't old enough to to have developed the candy avarice yet ... but he had a lot of fun people-watching. So I think he'll enjoy our little outing on the 31st, too.

We don't do the traditional door-to-door thing on Halloween, because: 1) The kids are really too young, and 2) Mommy's never liked it ... dark streets, candy from strangers, and teens who think the night is designed for mayhem? No thanks.

Instead, we go to our local mall's Trick-or-Treat Party. Lighter, safer, climate controlled ... Now that's my idea of a good time. :)

Personally, I think the best part of both the Zoo Boo and the Mall Party is just seeing all the kids (and some adults) in costumes. (But if you ask The Husband, he'll tell you it's the candy.)

Anyway, here are a few of my favorite adult costumes from the Zoo Boo:

Cute, huh?

I think the guy "riding" the ostrich is my favorite, but you totally have to give props to the bald guy donning the pumpkin stem, eh? The girl? Well, it's HP - I couldn't pass that up. There was a also a cute trio of witches a'la Macbeth, but I didn't get a pic.

I also didn't get any good pics of other kids - but there were several cute and clever costumes, including twins dressed as Mario Brothers, an adorable little Raggedy Anne and Andy pair, and a jumpsuited Elvis, thankyouverymuch.

So, what are you going to be for Halloween?