Halloween Open Thread

BOO!And I’d like to bring here something I put in another thread because of the troubles my mother is having standing in line to vote (three tries now, had to leave):If you haven’t voted yet, please take a portable chair to offer any seniors who look to be suffering, okay guys?

Okay, DP. I suspect looong lines here in PA on Tuesday.On the Halloween front, historically we have had about 15 kids come by for treats. We have 1/2 hour left and we have had… ZERO. I think the Obama sign must be scaring their parents away. I need to GTFO of this red area.

I took my sign down for the night and have the lights turned off. It always ends up feast or famine here–I get none or I get ten vanloads–and when it was a vanload one last year I had to look into the face of the next kid after the last piece of candy was handed out and it nearly killed me. So I just don’t do it anymore. And with my son being holed up in his room to escape politics on tv, I also fear for my health from the rednecks who have been seeing my Obama sign all month (which will go back out tomorrow). I live as a blue pea in an ocean of cranberries with guns.

I guess I must’ve missed something today because Palin swore she’d release her medical records “early this week.”

It’s 7:35 pm and so far we’ve had a grand total of two groups of trick-or-treaters. I doubt they can see my YES WE CAN OBAMA sign in the dark at the edge of the yard, but this being the District of Columbia, I doubt it would be a deterrent. Besides, there aren’t a great many children in my neighborhood; one of my sons now attends private school in Maryland, one in Virginia, and one’s away at college.

It’s 7:35 pm and so far we’ve had a grand total of two groups of trick-or-treaters. I doubt they can see my YES WE CAN OBAMA sign in the dark at the edge of the yard, but this being the District of Columbia, I doubt it would be a deterrent. Besides, there aren’t a great many children in my neighborhood; one of my sons now attends private school in Maryland, one in Virginia, and one’s away at college. A bad place to look for teen babysitters, I learned early.

Yeah, that bites my weenie too. Someone posted these interesting bits here yesterday that I have handy because I emailed them:http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/10/palins-medica-2.htmlhttp://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/10/still-no-palin.html

Oops, sorry.

the media is planting BBQ seeds left and right–in the vent Obama wins:1.) Things are so f’d up that Obama won’t be able to do what he wants.2.) He bought the election

I like to thnk that I bought the election with my meager donations.

Yup, JG. The reality is that he probably won’t be able to do nearly as much as he wants, because they fucked it up so badly and now the bailout. As for buying the election–if I hear one idiot claim that all these millions of first-time ever donors “bought” the election I will forever block that channel from my tv. We finally have a good chunk of the population being the driving force with small amounts of cash and I’d better not see that concept trashed by any talking idiot head. I’m due a broken tv anyway–the last 2 went to lightning so I didn’t get the pleasure.

Bingo, Ceu.

I thought it was Joe the Pantscrack in the elephant mask (watching Tweety).

2.) He bought the electionYeah, we helped him with all our donations.Jealous much?

Trustno1: it’s not the sign. Your neighbors are all at church-sponsored “harvest festivals” because Halloween is Satan’s holiday, or some such nonsense.

I wish I had the nerve to give out candy and say “Happy Pagan Ritual Night!” or “Happy Satan’s Day!”I’m already the crazy lady. I guess I don’t need to push it.

@Bob, what day does it ship? Mine was preordered and I haven’t gotten notice of it being on the way.

Early voting extended in NC? I’m HERE and haven’t heard this.Cleese! On KO tonight. Oh, and Michael Moore will be on… something–it was supposed to be KO according to Moore’s email, along with Maher. But I didn’t just hear it. Hmmm.

@ Matt: That is entirely possible.

I’ve been asking all the grownups (and the kids) if they’ve voted/are going to vote. Had one group too scared of my lights (success!!) so I chased them down and gave them candy on the sidewalk. Lots of kids have voted at school (the last bunch just said “we looooove BackoBama!”).Halloween is my faaaaavorite holiday.

Jane, I thought you were attacked by a goblin.

Not one freakin’ little kid weasel showed up for candy. Not one. And now I’m stuck with a whole bunch of candy…oh, what will I do?? (Kit-Kats, yum!)

I’ve been seeing a lot of S&M Barack Obama.

Ceu, that’s what always happened when I bought a lot–I got nobody. So I always bought stuff I love. Like Kit Kats. And Reece’s Cups.S&M? Whah?

I thought about drawing a “B” in a heart on my face but noone would get it.Had to sit outside for a while- I have no doorbell, and the weather was nice anyway.

make that Reese’s with an s (and fuck typekey)Jane, you would have to post pics of that. Put it with Bob and Elvis eating shoes.

DP, good point about the bringing a chair for the elderly/tired/disabled.

I’m going to go down to W-S and help her by hauling a chair (she doesn’t have a portable one). I’m worried that some might not have a relative who can do that.

I hope there’s some SHOE EATING going on Wednesday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(reminded me to add to Bob’s little fund raiser one more time before payday!)

Well if John McCain is going to be on SNL this weekend..and they are going to do a Countdown sketch…dare they have McCain on that sketch? Imagine the possibilities….

Do NOT miss the #1 story on Countdown when it replays. John Cleese – hilarious.

McCain could play his own Worst Person segment.Football analogies between 2 girls on RM. It doesn’t get any better.

Yes, Cleese was killer.

Hmm. Lawrence O’Donnell just said that Geraldine Ferarro had been a “token female” candidate. I wasn’t alive in this era — what’s the truth to that claim?

She was a token female candidate. And there were scandals – financial with her husband, drugs with her son. It wasn’t pretty.

It isn’t far off, though most of us would rather not look at it that way. The feminist movement was still in the air and I think it was giving a nod to that movement without putting a woman at the top of the ticket–probably as unthinkable then as having an African American on the top was just a couple of years ago. And I in NO WAY think the same applies to Obama. He worked his own way up that ticket. But Ferraro–yeah, probably. Just my opinion.

What is that voice in the president’s mind?What is it telling him?And…Does he really understand it anyway?My Halloween tradition: reposting this short story!http://www.southofstrange.com

Huh. Interesting. Thanks, guys.

It’s official – kids like Obama. The best part of trick or treating tonight was when the group of kids we were with all ran screaming toward a house with a Obama sign yelling “They like Obama! They’ll have good candy!!”Rachel’s freaking me out tonight! Talk her down, Debbie!

Barack goes trick-or-treating with youngest daughter. Sweet.

Wonder what the Secret Service guys dressed as…

Men in Black, Ceu? (I’m reading the growling Veep and the snickering Prez story–I read slowly)

Wonder what the Secret Service guys dressed as…CEU: Men in Black.

Come on, Rachel. Say it. I know you’re dying to. “And don’t call me Shirley”. SAY it.

Whoa, Incred–great minds?

Truly great, DP.

Yay, weekend Maddow.

Can we fast forward 72 hours please? I’m having anxiety issues.

Theo – the difference was that I don’t remember anyone questioning whether Ferraro was qualified to be vice president (aside from her being female and all) and she didn’t spew totally stupid shit at every opportunity.She & Mondale ran against St Ron at a time when he was very popular (no one knows why, as the economy was in the crapper and unemployment was way up – 10.4% in Feb ’83) and Mondale wasn’t. There wasn’t much hope of him winning, so putting Ferraro on the ticket appeared to be more of a “look at us! We treat woman equally!” rather than a serious political move.Remember, too, that this was a time when the local papers were spotlighting the towns’ first female firefighters and police officers. Women had been admitted to the service academies less than 10 years before and the deadline for the Equal Rights Amendment (which failed) was only 2 years prior to the election. The atmosphere was different and to many, many people the idea of a female president was unthinkable, even though Margaret Thatcher had been Britain’s Prime Minister for 5 years.So….Ferraro was basically a token – a bone to women pissed off by the failure of a constitutional guarantee of equal rights.

Thanks, ceu. Wish I’d been around during Reagan’s time — wait, no I don’t.In other news, has anyone seen Howard Fineman’s hair today?

Yes, what Ceu said much better than I did. My son-in-law, a Brit who is only 5 years my junior, says that nobody there really gave any thought to Thatcher being female. (He also laughs that it wasn’t that noticeable, either).

No, you don’t. It was scary.I noticed Fineman’s hair too. It was more gray on the sides or darker on the top–not sure which–but it was very different. This campaign must be aging him in an odd way.

I just caught it on the KO repeat, theo. He really needs to learn the fine art of coloring your correctly and gradually so that it grows out inconspicuously. I could do that and you wouldn’t even need to pay me $22,000.

I hate to poke fun at Fineman for something as silly as his hair, but it’s just so out there and noticeable.

Ha Kat, if you like to work on hair you would find me the biggest challenge ever. It’s naturally graying, started at the temples and moving gradually. I get it cut about twice a year–2 inches long except cover the neck and the bulk of the ears. Layer it but not stylishly, just so that it doesn’t all curl up in a bundle in back. I drive the ladies at Clips–whatever Clips, can’t think of the name of the place–crazy. I like it so that I can step out of the shower, rub a towel over it, shake it and go.My daughter has her rebellious streak by monthly-or-so dyeing hers blue, purple, burgundy or pink. And sometimes a mix. She fit right in when she lived in Edinburgh (and didn’t get the shock effect she seems to like) but now, stateside again, she turns heads. And gets stares. And thinks it’s hilarious.

Oh, Theo. It’s okay to be shallow every once in a while.

I used to do the same thing as your daughter, DP! I have a 3 inch wide blonde streak in my high school senior portrait. My dad always said that he would rather that I express myself that way than shoot up in the bathroom. There are days I wish I could still have that crazy streak.

Lol, DP, Kat, I just recently turned my hair back to my natural blonde after having it blue or pink for years on end. In CA, though, it’s not so out-of-place. I get more looks for the faceful of piercings I have.

I could never do piercings, Theo. I’ve got 3 tattoos and #4 & 5 picked out, but the only thing I have pierced are my ears. I don’t know what it is about them…. And you are right about CA – when I was living there, I was a lot more experimental with my looks, but now that I’m in NC…not quite so much.

She did the white-blonde thing for a bit, too, and streaks of all varieties. And she didn’t shoot the bathroom up but she’s so messy that it did almost as much damage. After the last paint job I said “no more”, but she came up with some stuff like acne pads that removes it from anything inorganic. So…I gave in. It’s better than scary face tattoos, though she has a few (and so do I), she has them in tasteful areas.Theo, I guess CA isn’t too different than Edinburgh in that you see it all.Off to bed, guys. Gotta check under it for goblins. Tomorrow: 3 more days. Damn it can’t happen fast enough.I enjoyed the story, Matt.

Chris, you were right about John Cleese. He was fantastic! And I had to hit urban dictionary when he was done!

Sounds like I missed a good Olbermann Ill have to find a site to watch it. Looks like I missed an especially bad-news filled night for McCain too. Oh well, dinner was great.Goodnight

My best friend’s 8 year old niece went trick or treating as Barack Obama in both her own and my friend’s suburban neighborhoods here in upstate New York. Her mom reported back that Emily was refused candy at numerous houses because she was dresses as Obama. That’s not a lesson an eight year old needs to learn.