Random Thoughts

1. Has Halloween gotten entirely out of hand? Or am I just reluctant to give into the pressure to 'go along with the crowd' for one more holiday? It seems to get bigger and bigger every year. Grocery store employees in costume, being allowed to wear costumes to work (no, I didn't), and a Pompeii-like explosion of candy and decorations.

2. Halloween is becoming in my mind the Gateway to the Dark Times. Meaning it's the kick-off to the long holiday season. The season of excess calories, excess consumption, excess commercialism, the darkness (which I normally have no problem with), the cold (which I'm having a bigger problem with every year), and the pressure of Getting Things Done On Time (meaning gift buying and planning enormous family dinners and all that entails) and decorating.

3. On the other hand, last night I had a sudden deeply nostalgic craving for one of Grandma Kueffner's decorated Halloween cookies like we had when we were kids. Back when we actually had warm Halloween nights. With huge orange full moons. The big, soft biscuity kind with all the colored frosting. Owl and bat and pumpkin shapes. All meticulously, beautifully decorated and all just for us. This happened while driving to work. It was cold, and I was running late, and I had to focus my mind on filling the truck up with gas and being a grown-up. Not daydreaming about empty calories and long gone years.

4. I'm almost too old to wear a Halloween costume. Almost. Meaning if I had a really great one, I would just possibly wear it in public. And not feel like a fool.

5. I have the odd feeling like I've been working way too hard with next to nothing to show for it lately.

6. Oh, and my alarm clock has decided to go haywire. It will be working fine for a while, but then on a random day it will suddenly be off by HOURS. Like today, I woke up and saw to my horror it said midnight. It was really only 6pm. I was so rattled I couldn't go back to sleep for that last hour. Crap. Time for a new clock.