Halloweenies Part TWO: The Halloballoo!
Say what you will about the insanity of downtown and the virtues of staying home in your PJs and watching Star Trek. Any other day, I'm right there with you with a caramel apple and no inclination to step out there. But on Halloween night, which I first experienced only a week before the Boyfriend and I became official nearly two year ago now, the city is a good place to be.
Nevermind that that year we saw two different guys open their respective car doors and puke on the street as well as a rhinestone Elvis giving me the eye all before we even got to the center of Waikiki; it was wicked good fun.
This year, Sue drove me up to meet The Boyfriend with his homemade Day of the Dead mask as he got off work, and while Sue went home to chill and pass out candy, Skullface and I drove to the heart of Honolulu, into a giant music and art festival taking place in Chinatown.
All the bands were fantastic, just plunked down at different areas of the city and rocking out, but in particular this New Orleans-derived blues/rock group that would make The Black Keys pee their pants. They had a man on tuba who was using it to play the bass part. Have you ever HEARDA that shit? Well it was great. Band was called Anders Osborne. During their performance two different guys, Cheech Marin included, spilled their beer on my same foot. But it was chill.
The best costumes of all were those handmade, and this guy blew me away. Yes, that is a Tetris piece in blue behind him -- there were a couple going as Tetris.
I just like this shot because everyone looks like ghosts.
The Sexy Ninja. He moved slowly for the crowd, often stopping in mid ninja-pose. His friend informed me that he was stuffing.
I enjoy this shot of the lone flapper.
Ahh, the Hatter! He was marvelous, and very genteel. He drew me in next to him with all the practice of a delightful rake, plucked my camera from my hand and insisted we have a picture together.
The zoom was a little off. He grabbed a stranger and we tried again.
He was a real darling, and when I saw him again later on, he tipped me a wink as I passed through the crowd.
One of my all-time favorites.
At this point I want to talk about the general mood of the whole festival, which might be surprising in that everyone was so damn nice. It was incredible! No one was crabby or boisterous or getting in each other's hair, everyone was sweet and ready to have a good time. If I wanted a photo of someone, all I had to do was ask and they were all delighted, and would take the time to help me get a good picture. When I asked this next fellow for his photo he said, "You want a picture? Hang on..." He posed for me like so:
Others on the street started snapping and one chick said, "Here, Snow White, sit down!" and grabbed my camera. Ordinarily, a stranger taking my camera on the street -- especially one demanding that I sit on a human toilet in front of a throng of onlookers -- would make me nervous, but as I said, the general mood was of such fellowship and goodness that we all loved and trusted each other at once, and deserved it.
So I got on the can.
After I snapped the gorgeous and sweet Princess Leia, she passed her camera to a demon walking by and asked if I'd take a picture next to her as well. The Boyfriend took one of us together, which he assures me will always have a special place in his, er, heart.
Zombie Snow White, sensing a sister in me, asked me to find her a prince, so I did.
You can't tell, but his guy is my friend Raul, who is ridiculously good-looking.
Baby Superman was digging the music, so he was bouncing up and down in his stroller while Daddy Captain America danced with him.
Dr. Venture and Dr. Girlfriend! Yes! Venture said his buds were there as Hank and Dean, but we couldn't find them. Poo.
Jellyfish Rasta actually lit up with blue lights on a battery pack. Way cool!
The Sexy Ninja was back! He rode the mechanical bull set up outside Next Door, a club where The Boyfriend used to DJ. Try as it might, the bull couldn't shake the ninja, though I worried for him.
One of the best: a Dia de los Muertos couple! They were very sweet and liked The Boyfriend's sugar skull mask.
These guys must have been gay strippers. They were on stilts and their costumes were lit up with a hundred white lights!
At the head of the costume contest parade were some Wild Things.
Geishas! And what a colorful shot of everyone, if I do say so myself.
Where's Waldo? Can you spot him?
A very sweet Hatter and incredibly beautiful and appropriate Cheshire Cat. Has she got just the smile for it or what?
Thing 1 and Thing 2!
He looked so perfect, it was startling. I almost asked him for a haircut.
As we were leaving, we saw these guys walking up. We both shouted, "Hey Ghostbusters! Can we get a picture?" They were so adorable! They emphatically said yes, absolutely, and they whipped out their guns and posed for us. As if we were their best friends, they demanded that we have a happy Halloween and I said, "I will, now I know who to call!"
Exhausted and happy, The Boyfriend and I then retired to snag a burger and head home to bed. It was a crazy, but incredibly fun night.
Nevermind that that year we saw two different guys open their respective car doors and puke on the street as well as a rhinestone Elvis giving me the eye all before we even got to the center of Waikiki; it was wicked good fun.
This year, Sue drove me up to meet The Boyfriend with his homemade Day of the Dead mask as he got off work, and while Sue went home to chill and pass out candy, Skullface and I drove to the heart of Honolulu, into a giant music and art festival taking place in Chinatown.
All the bands were fantastic, just plunked down at different areas of the city and rocking out, but in particular this New Orleans-derived blues/rock group that would make The Black Keys pee their pants. They had a man on tuba who was using it to play the bass part. Have you ever HEARDA that shit? Well it was great. Band was called Anders Osborne. During their performance two different guys, Cheech Marin included, spilled their beer on my same foot. But it was chill.
The best costumes of all were those handmade, and this guy blew me away. Yes, that is a Tetris piece in blue behind him -- there were a couple going as Tetris.
I just like this shot because everyone looks like ghosts.
The Sexy Ninja. He moved slowly for the crowd, often stopping in mid ninja-pose. His friend informed me that he was stuffing.
I enjoy this shot of the lone flapper.
Ahh, the Hatter! He was marvelous, and very genteel. He drew me in next to him with all the practice of a delightful rake, plucked my camera from my hand and insisted we have a picture together.
The zoom was a little off. He grabbed a stranger and we tried again.
He was a real darling, and when I saw him again later on, he tipped me a wink as I passed through the crowd.
One of my all-time favorites.
At this point I want to talk about the general mood of the whole festival, which might be surprising in that everyone was so damn nice. It was incredible! No one was crabby or boisterous or getting in each other's hair, everyone was sweet and ready to have a good time. If I wanted a photo of someone, all I had to do was ask and they were all delighted, and would take the time to help me get a good picture. When I asked this next fellow for his photo he said, "You want a picture? Hang on..." He posed for me like so:
Others on the street started snapping and one chick said, "Here, Snow White, sit down!" and grabbed my camera. Ordinarily, a stranger taking my camera on the street -- especially one demanding that I sit on a human toilet in front of a throng of onlookers -- would make me nervous, but as I said, the general mood was of such fellowship and goodness that we all loved and trusted each other at once, and deserved it.
So I got on the can.
After I snapped the gorgeous and sweet Princess Leia, she passed her camera to a demon walking by and asked if I'd take a picture next to her as well. The Boyfriend took one of us together, which he assures me will always have a special place in his, er, heart.
Zombie Snow White, sensing a sister in me, asked me to find her a prince, so I did.
You can't tell, but his guy is my friend Raul, who is ridiculously good-looking.
Baby Superman was digging the music, so he was bouncing up and down in his stroller while Daddy Captain America danced with him.
Dr. Venture and Dr. Girlfriend! Yes! Venture said his buds were there as Hank and Dean, but we couldn't find them. Poo.
Jellyfish Rasta actually lit up with blue lights on a battery pack. Way cool!
The Sexy Ninja was back! He rode the mechanical bull set up outside Next Door, a club where The Boyfriend used to DJ. Try as it might, the bull couldn't shake the ninja, though I worried for him.
One of the best: a Dia de los Muertos couple! They were very sweet and liked The Boyfriend's sugar skull mask.
These guys must have been gay strippers. They were on stilts and their costumes were lit up with a hundred white lights!
At the head of the costume contest parade were some Wild Things.
Geishas! And what a colorful shot of everyone, if I do say so myself.
Where's Waldo? Can you spot him?
A very sweet Hatter and incredibly beautiful and appropriate Cheshire Cat. Has she got just the smile for it or what?
Thing 1 and Thing 2!
He looked so perfect, it was startling. I almost asked him for a haircut.
As we were leaving, we saw these guys walking up. We both shouted, "Hey Ghostbusters! Can we get a picture?" They were so adorable! They emphatically said yes, absolutely, and they whipped out their guns and posed for us. As if we were their best friends, they demanded that we have a happy Halloween and I said, "I will, now I know who to call!"
Exhausted and happy, The Boyfriend and I then retired to snag a burger and head home to bed. It was a crazy, but incredibly fun night.