Happy Halloween! Working it

Campus Life Services does their best to get everyone at work into the spirit, so to speak, and they sponsor a door decorating contest among the departments at each campus, as well as a lunchtime party and costume contest.  I am unnecessarily judgmental of Halloween costumes anyway and was selected to be a costume judge this year. I was pleased with the winning group costume, which was the Red Riding Hood ensemble.


We did not win the door decorating contest, which would have chafed me if OB/GYNs Raiders of the Lost Funding hadn't been so well done. The personally commissioned life-size Arc of the Covenant was sort of a ringer though.

We have two doors to our department, and decorated one as a cemetery (the grounds used to be one) and the other elaborate spiderwebs.






And I of course dressed appropriately for the day.

when I go

this is how I want to go.

Although it does seem very Once More with Feeling.

spooky fun

From Incidental Comics
(via Laughing Squid)

morning silly

Shared with me (but not mine).



Sigh. [Giggle] sigh.

Happy Halloween! Sundance Saloon

After the day down the coast I got a disco nap before I made my costume for the Sundance Saloon costume ball. That's always a fun party, but it's difficult to make a costume that is comfortable to dance in, can sweat in, and can exchange the undershirts as they gets too sweaty. Usually the dancing fever also means that face paint it out. This year I thought I'd just have an accent I could wipe off and reapply as necessary. I'm still taking it east on the knees and foot since Stompede, so I only sweat through two shirts this time. Again, not really an "I'm going as such-and-such" costume as just Halloween dress-up. Still "costume" though.


Liam and friends brought it as usual, with a classic:


And the fun people all participated.








Is that a genie in my pocket or am I just happy to see you?


Ah, Johan. He was a genie in a bottle, and I wanted to rub him the right way. Which, incidentally, would be granting one wish.

Bonus: Sundance arranged for a big screen to show Game Four in the bar.


Watching the game was such a nail biter, and I am so glad I was there to witness the final pitch.

Holy Halloween. The streets were insane trying to get home though, as I had to traverse the length of Cesar Chavez. Stupid, stupid girls running in the darkened streets in the mist wearing all black into very fast six lanes of traffic dodging construction. While waving a broom. She almost got killed, and I would have been first in line for the witness stand defending the poor motorist who smacked these stupid people throwing themselves into traffic because the Giants won. Almost as stupid as the rioting and setting shit on fire to celebrate civic pride. Friends were movie uploading from the Castro, which was merely revelrous with the most vandalism being toilet paper from the muni wires. Friends have posted some great shots of the celebration, but by the time I got there the streets had cleared so I headed home.


Around 4:30 a.m. though, another crew tore through the Castro, clearly not locals, and smashed windows to stores, clinics, and the LGBT History Museum. I hate stupid people.

But love the Giants! Between the team and the holiday, I have had to ration the orange and black!


I love this town for fans though. The non bridge-and-tunnel riot set. The view of the City at night as you crest over Twin Peaks is a sight to see: City Hall and most of the downtown buildings have changed their exterior lighting to all orange. As is the beacon atop the TransAmerica Pyramid. Nice.

And then there was this:


I'll keeping singing the song: I love this town.

Happy Halloween! Harvest Fun

After much scheduling, I was beside myself happy to get quality catch up time with The James. And an entire afternoon with road-trip-share-time to boot. Nice.

The James and I took a trip along the coast past Half Moon Bay to Arata Farms to tour the pumpkin patch and explore the hay maze.


The last time we did that was back in 2006. Man time flies.

The maze is cool, but it became really fun when genuinely got lost. James timed us and it was an almost even thirty minutes from start to finish, but we were really enjoying ourselves and took our time.










Aside from the stellar company, I really enjoyed the photo opportunities a pumpkin patch offers. The alternating sunny/foggy weather, smell of hay, and the generally festivities of the pumpkin patch really put me in the Halloween spirit. So to speak.
















I had buy the one that looked like a giant nipple.


Boo y'all.

Happy Halloween! Drag Saturday

This weekend was jam packed of pre-Halloween goodness. I spent Saturday night in my favorite Halloween tradition: celebrating Drag Saturday at Twin Peaks Tavern at Castro and Market (see 2011). As we do, we get there as early as we can, set up a table, and watch the parade through the window, and drink with out be sties, usually in group-drag ensemble. I haven't done drag since the Rodeo Drag-A-Thon, but always come up with a Saturday-specific costume and celebrate my friends who completely bring it. Much love and constant air kisses to Michael Smith. He may deny it, but I think he is the ring leader/creative director of the this particularly flawless rabble.

I still haven't quite recovered myself as 100% into the super happy fun times, and sort of phoned in my Saturday costume this year. As usual, I don;t care for actual "I'm going as such-and-such" costumery, rather I just play an elevated level of "dress up." It 's costume, but not usually character. See "conflict of interest."

This Saturday I pulled out a black shirt I had wired up with several dozen tiny white LEDs and wired up some black jeans to match. With the bare tree across my face, I was a starry night in the woods.


Or rather, I said "I am the woods at night. That can be very scary."

As a big fan, I thought the gaggle of Phyllis Dilers was a nice tribute.


Of course, my friends were glamawesome as usual. This year, they were The Cougars."


Michael's expression is priceless.


Loves my courgars.


And they love me.


Rawr.

As did the paparazzi.


Halloween note: I don't care how twinky or hot you are, nearly naked is not a costume. Sure, some of these guys were ridiculous hot wearing a thong, but it wasn't a costume. It was the desperate teenage girl wearing Slutty Nurse/Slutty Cat/Slutty Girl. Also, we can tell what is an effort at Halloween and what is Leftovers from Burning Man.

However, there was other Halloween hotness.


And Tom, in a variation on his teen In-N-Out uniform, was definitely hanging a little out.


HUGE shout out to MJ. He is a serious comic book geek, and has total comicon hard-ons for Aquaman and Dazzler. No relation. MJ rocked Dazzler.




The eye makeup was spot freaking on.


Other honorable mentions of the night: early 80s nostalgia, with Labyrinth and The Never Ending Story representing.




and The Fantastic Four:


This cracked me up so much as there were just three of them...because you can't see the Invisible Woman!