What's the Date?

Yep, my old school alarm clock talks. 

Happy Halloween!

Here in the Des Moines area the kids trick or treat a day early, and it's called "Beggar's Night". I'm still not sure how I feel about that. It's a little anticlimactic to have nothing happen on All Hallows Eve, but I'll live. In fact, after we get Char to bed tonight, I will not venture out into the garage. Instead, I'm going to turn out the lights in my movie room and fire up my favorite scary movie, Halloween.

Here, you can watch it with me if you want (warning, it's rated R): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_cPwONsKu8

When the movie's over, I'll go downstairs and also turn off the lights on our Halloween display for another year.

October's almost gone, but that's alright with me. It's only the first of my three favorite months. Besides, I don't care for October's tenuous grip on fall. There's too many backward slips into September's weather. I don't want to rake dead leaves in 80 degrees. Days like that play tricks on you, but then again, what you would expect from October?

What a week. We start with Halloween candy, and we end with an extra hour to sleep...  does it get better than that? 

Well, yeah, it does. 

The Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve celebrations are still around the corner. Right now there is nothing but good coming our way. It's almost November, and November may hit you in the face with a snowball, but it won't brand you with a sunburn.


"Your turn in the chair next time," said October.
"I know," said November. He was pale and thin-lipped. He helped October out of the wooden chair. "I like your stories. Mine are always too dark."
"I don't think so," said October. "It's just that your nights are longer. And you aren't so warm."
"Put it like that," said November, "and I feel better. I suppose we can't help who we are."
"That's the spirit," said his brother. And they touched hands as they walked away from the fire's orange embers, taking their stories with them back into the dark."
        
   Neil Gaiman, "October in the Chair"