Hello, pumpkin patchers!

May all your candy bags be full!

Halloween 2006, and wow. I never dreamed it would be so much different from last Halloween. I'm here in Louisville, typing on a laptop at the kitchen table while Brad mercilessly picks off the pink-butted monsters from Phantasy Star Universe, waiting in vain for handful of trick-or-treaters brave enough to come out in the rain. Hey, more candy for us.

I miss my Grandma more tonight than any other night of the year. Even Christmas Eve runs a second. No matter how old I got, no matter how elaborate my costume, I'd pass out candy with her in lieu of trick-or-treating myself. We'd freeze our butts off on her front porch, glowing orange from the electric plastic ghosts and pumpkins in her window, waiting for the rapidly- aging neighborhood kids. She'd sneak as many Kit-Kats out of the giant plastic pumpkin for herself as she dared, and brought me her perfectly percolated coffee in the Strawberry Shortcake mug I had since I was five. The sensory memories from various Halloweens are very strong. The sound of the leaves crunching underfoot of ninjas and princesses alike. I can remember it like it was yesterday, and I hope I always do. Tonight I lit my hyacinth candle for her, and enjoyed a couple of Kit-Kats. I know she'd be proud of how I'm spending this Halloween.

You know in the movies how a person gets to see what kind of alternate universe there would be if they never existed? I kinda got a glimpse into that universe talking to my brother last night. Every single year, my dad goes out, finds the weirdest looking pumpkin he can, and uses MacGyveresque tools to bring its most unique face to life. My mom, every year brings out the boxes and boxes full of years of collected Halloween decoration, and makes both the house and front yard look like a Halloween nightmare come true. We all go to my grandparents' house, and trick or treat, and all is right with the world. This is the first year I'm not there and NONE of that wonderful stuff happened. No pumpkin, not so much as a spiderweb of decoration, and each kid went their separate way to trick-or-treat. Was I the Spirit of Halloween? Did I take it with me when I left? Totally bizarre.

On a lighter, and scarier note, I find it perfectly ironic that amongst the scary movies on tonight, "Mommie Dearest" is also playing. Maybe it's just because my name is Christina, too, but that movie scared the living daylights out of me, and still freaks me out to this day. Talk about a horror movie!!

Guilt	What is yours?	Explain yourself
Culinary:	Chicken nuggets from McDonalds	I know they're a heart attack in a box, but Iove them. Especially with sweet & sour sauce
Literary:	Fan fiction	Because Willow and Spike SO should have ended up together!
Audiovisual:	Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure	I always laugh at the same old lines, no matter how many times I've seen it. Party on, Dudes!
Musical:	Xanadu, the movie/musical	Gene Kelly and roller skating in bad 80's costumes. Come on!
Celebrity:	Al Pacino	Old and gravely, but he's still awesome

Now I tag:-

podculture elamentalamber feigenbaumbunny misslunakitty and sg1_leader


to complete this same Quiz, Its HERE.

The muses of creativity must have all the Christinas on their list today.

I just got back from Michael's Crafts, which I now consider Blue Sun, Jr. Second only to Wal-Mart. Acres of craft supplies of every single kind you can think of. Sometimes I just get the overwhelming urge to make something with my hands. (No, not lemur porn.) I taught myself how to knit last year, and I enjoy it. It's relaxing, and satisfying to see progress.

Being the security-blankie-type person that I am (Linus was always my hero), I always end up making something soft that I can wrap myself up in. I bought both a knitting board and a new pair of bamboo needles (because they just "feel" fabulous in your hands), so I'll either make a big ol' scarf, or a blanket.

Another reason Michael's is evil is the sheer vastness of their yarn selection. I must have spent half an hour just going around in circles, squeezing various skeins of yarn. It's like picking fruit. It just has to feel right. I pick up half a dozen different colors of yarn, but always end up coming back to some variation on blue. I don't even know why I bother looking at other colors.

I'm off to make a quick visit to Grandpa's, and a sit in the car while my mom goes into Kohl's. I will try VERY hard not to go into Borders. Wish me luck!

...If it were, I'd be dead six times over. I love just about everyone in my grandma's family. Unfailingly, they're the sweetest, kindest people in the world. Little old Polish people, who are among the very few that can pat me on the head, and still walk away with both arms attached.

That said, Grandma's nephew was having a baby shower for his...what?...sixth kid. He's one of the few I don't like. Pompous bastard who was very two-faced with Gram, and I wanted to smack him for it. Normally, I don't touch any kind of shower (baby, wedding, or otherwise) with a burning twenty-foot stick, but I get guilted into going. Fine. There's church, which aside from weddings and funerals, I haven't done properly in ten years. Still, St. Hyacinth's is gorgeous, so my adoration for beautiful, old architecture outweighs my uncomfortableness. (Is that even a word? It should be.)

Fine. Then there's food. They're Polish. It's what they do. It was fine, until the barrage of "So, Christina, what are you up to these days?" starts. I SO wish there'd been alcohol. They're nice people, so I don't have the heart to say, "I've moved to New York City to become a lesbian prostitute." just to see the looks on their faces, and get them to stop asking. Then there was, "So, your mother tells us you don't go to church anymore?" ARGH!! It just never stopped until it was time to leave. Oh, to have had a car, and driven myself.

With any luck, and many sacrificed chickens, one of the jobs I interviewed for yesterday will pan out. They'd better, damnit, because if I hadn't gone to them, I'd have gone to Jossapalllooza/Wiccimania, and had a fabulous time. I wouldn't have missed Wiccy's call, and having been bus-lagged, I wouldn't have had to spend all day defending my right not to go to church. PAH!!

I can't NOT take a quiz, and this damn site is full of them. (And I just read Wiccy's and it cracked me up, so I had a go.) I spent about an hour taking them last night, and realized I should have been cutting and pasting as I went along. Break out the duh stick, Jordan! I really love Peeps Dragonfly, and my band, the Sleepy Bookmark. Cat Midpark ain't half bad, and Wiccy and I should start a company called "Christina London". =)

Christina Marie Karr's Aliases

Your movie star name: Jelly Beans Ralph

Your fashion designer name is Christina London

Your socialite name is Ewok New York

Your fly girl / guy name is C Kar

Your detective name is Cat Midpark

Your barfly name is Cereal Sea Breeze

Your soap opera name is Marie Smith

Your rock star name is Peeps Dragonfly

Your star wars name is Chrjil Karcra

Your punk rock band name is The Sleepy Bookmark