Halloween of days gone by...
Well, it's 4:00 pm on Halloween day. I got my flu shot for this year, helped my pop bring his car over to the engine place, and right now I'm watching King of Queens on TBS. It's almost like a freakin' monsoon outside with all the wind gusts and down-pours. It got me to thinking how this day (or evening) was a lot more special several years back. I've been in Florida four years now, always prepared for Trick-or-Treaters who never come. This year, I'm just turning out the lights, turning on They Live on the DVD player, and chilling out.
I remember how old I was on my last year of trick-or-treating. Twelve years old, sixth grade. I went as The Grim Reaper. The Bill & Ted sequel was hot at the time, so I wore black sweats and a black hooded sweatshirt, and my face was covered in white greasepaint. The rules in middle school were: You could wear makeup, but no full-blown costumes. So minus my prop sickle, I looked like a normal kid - who just had to put up with starvation jokes all day -lol. That night, however, I met up with my best friend at the time - Scott Feltmate - and his neighbor (Andy King), as we went door-to-door on their street. Scott went as a ghost, wearing a beadsheet and a Z100 painter's cap, and Andy was in full-blown ninja attire. The Grim Reaper in the B&T film had a German accent. I did my best to replicate it, but I sounded more like Dracula. :)
It was fun. Sure, there were Halloween costume parades in elementary school, and a bunch of parties where we'd OD on sugar, but my last year of this kid ritual was my favorite, and always cool to look back upon whenever Halloween falls on such a crappy-weather day. Rest assured though, in the eventual future, I will be proud to patrol the streets as The Greatest American Hero, as my own kids go door to door. I can hardly wait.
I remember how old I was on my last year of trick-or-treating. Twelve years old, sixth grade. I went as The Grim Reaper. The Bill & Ted sequel was hot at the time, so I wore black sweats and a black hooded sweatshirt, and my face was covered in white greasepaint. The rules in middle school were: You could wear makeup, but no full-blown costumes. So minus my prop sickle, I looked like a normal kid - who just had to put up with starvation jokes all day -lol. That night, however, I met up with my best friend at the time - Scott Feltmate - and his neighbor (Andy King), as we went door-to-door on their street. Scott went as a ghost, wearing a beadsheet and a Z100 painter's cap, and Andy was in full-blown ninja attire. The Grim Reaper in the B&T film had a German accent. I did my best to replicate it, but I sounded more like Dracula. :)
It was fun. Sure, there were Halloween costume parades in elementary school, and a bunch of parties where we'd OD on sugar, but my last year of this kid ritual was my favorite, and always cool to look back upon whenever Halloween falls on such a crappy-weather day. Rest assured though, in the eventual future, I will be proud to patrol the streets as The Greatest American Hero, as my own kids go door to door. I can hardly wait.