Hallowe'en Recap

Was it only Monday that was Hallowe'en? Four short days, filled with going-going-going out, and my memory has dulled.

Thankfully, there is photographic proof of my lovely costume. As I'm sure you can all guess by the Regency gown, I went as Elizabeth Bennet from Pride & Prejudice. A group of fabulous gay men I ran into actually guessed correctly: 'You look like something out of Jane Austen,' one enthused. 'You go, girl!' cried the others.

I am fortunate enough to have a friend (my former flatmate from when we lived in London) who loves to sew period costumes. If only I could show you Elizabeth's own outfit from Monday--but alas, the ditigal photos are still on my camera, and my laptop has seemingly died. Trust me when I say that the girl can sew. She also made me a long jacket, complete with train.

Here I am at my friend Nora's house last Thursday, just before setting out to the EuroCircle party. Nora went as a scary mime child, and I think you'll agree that her outfit was indeed both creative and disturbing.

My attitude towards Halloween has always been colored by my religious mother--whose Catholic mother and German Catholic grandmother raised her with a hearty dislike of anything 'evil' regarding All Hallow's Eve. Everyone is always horrified when I say I've never been trick-or-treating, never been allowed to carve a scary face on a Jack o' Lantern, never permitted to dress as anything nasty. Yet I don't feel at all deprived, nor does my brother. The limitations of our costumes provided for some memorable outfits, the most notable being our 1st- and 2nd-grade ensembles: I went as Day, my brother as Night. Tres avant-garde for a 6-yr-old! We would always stop by our grandmother's for candy corn and photographs, then go the the 'fall party' at our church. My brother defies anyone to have as much fun as we did when playing 'Bite the Donut' (white powdered sugar donuts hung from strings). That's something I might have to consider for the party I'm having in a few weeks!

The costume party last week was okay fun, but even better was Monday's Halloween parade in Boystown (the gay area of Chicago, hence the name). Even in the rain, hundreds of people showed up to watch: drag queens; small children and dogs dressed as butterflies; gargoyles; a gold-bedecked Thai goddess; a stately wedding cake; Peter Pan, Wendy, and Tinker Bell who rode in a small cage on wheels that emulated her lantern; and my favorite: two rednecks in a canoe trailing a couple of ducks behind them (tied on with fishing line). Hard to describe, but eminently worth the effort to watch it.

A few $1 drinks at a gay bar, a random encounter with a college acquaintance I last saw last Halloween, and some booty dancing in my period gown. Now, that's what I call a good Halloween!