Halloween 2007

I still love Halloween. I love that we all dress up in the office-- our patients must think that we're all nuts but it's all in good fun. We even have a annual Halloween Potluck Lunch, so it's good for morale. All that positive work environment crap aside, I love Halloween for the costumes. The more creative and unique the better. A twist on a classic is always good.

I was Nurse Ratchet from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. This is particularly fitting in my office-- believe me.
I'm still dressing up for Halloween at 28, then tell me why kids don't bother. They ring people's doorbells and go "trick-or-treating" while wearing their street clothes. WTF!?

I got home sort of late as far as trick-or-treaters are concerned, around 7, so I missed having to run to the door every two minutes. I had one group come when I first got home-- two older girls taking two younger girls around who were dressed in costumes. I have no idea what they were supposed to be but they were dressed up nonetheless. They get candy for a job well done and one of the older girls looked into my foyer and said, "you have a beautiful house. I love all the colors." So I gave her candy too.

Then after we ate dinner and started watching Hostel 2 (don't waste your time-- bad, bad movie), the doorbell rings again. I opened the door and see this boy who must have been 14 or 15 years old staring back at me. No costume. No treat bag-- a knapsack instead. We stare at each other for a moment and then he says "trick-or-treat" in an annoyed tone. No costume.

So, I say, "Are you kidding?"

And he looks right at me and says, "No."

"What are you, like, 15?"

"No," as he holds his knapsack open for a fun-size Snickers.

I put the candy in his bag and, before he could say thank you, I closed the door. I was baffled. No costume. No young children in costumes. No treat bag. That's not trick-or-treating-- that begging.

Seriously, now I've seen it all.