Halloween 2024

 

Halloween 2020

 

 

 

Put out some Halloween decorations this year...I guess in 2020 I'm turning into one of those people that decorate their lawns.

 

 

Julie made this terrifying scarecrow. We had a lot of fun putting it together.

 

 

Seriously the head of this thing gave me the heebie jeebies!

 

 

 

 

I also made some Halloween cookies. I learned 2 things: 1) I hate making sugar cookies, and don't particularly love the taste of them 2) Coconut oil is not a good substitute for shortening unless you want icing that tastes very strongly of coconut.

 

 

I forced our weekly movie group to watch a mildly scary vampire movie for Halloween.  Needless to say, it was not a hit. But I liked it, I thought it was a bit fun.

 

We also had 3 trick-or-treaters this year. I think Julie was hoping there was way more. I'm surprised we got that many with COVID restrictions. (Kids were able to gather the candy from a sanitized bowl at a distance.)  

Overall, Halloween was fun this year, I saw some cool costumes, but I did miss dressing up myself.  Unfortunately, no reason to dress up this year.  But I suppose I saved some money on costumes, so there is that, I guess! :) 

 

How I made my Halloween costume

So, if we be friends on Facebook, you might have seen this photo:

I'ma-say-one thing:

BORK BORK BORK.

Here's my journey to make the costume:

First, I went to King Fabrics, where I found a beautiful white faux fur.  I thought it would be a good idea to attempt to dye it.  After consulting several costume and design expert friends of mine, I went ahead with this little experiment.  

I bought a tub to dye the fabric in, and I dyed it out on my front lawn in near freezing conditions.

This was the type of dye I used.  It looked really good in the water, like it would take to the right colour.  However, this was the end result:

I learned, after consulting several comment sections on professional dye websites, that non-natural fabrics will not hold dyes properly.  Which turns out to be true!  When I applied even a little bit of water to the fabric, it turned right back to white.  You can see a bit of it on the edge to the right. there.  What I learned from this:  Don't dye anything other than cottons and simple tshirts, etc. 

The Real Deal

Costume-the baking equipment:  I went and got a baker's apron, and a back up paper chef hat, if I couldn't source a proper hat, at an asian restaurant wholesaler near my workplace.  They had the right hats there, but not in the right colour.  There was also Malabar costumes, which had the right hat, but it was $22!  What!  I ended up travelling to Amazing costumes, which is in the middle of nowhere Etobicoke, and managed to get it for $6.00 or so, though it was an hr long ride to go to amazing costumes, or whatever it's called. (Which I will go next year, to get my costume, because they have pretty much everything.) I bought the utensils at walmart.

Costume-The shirt and tie:  Thankfully, I own a blue striped shirt, just the right kind! The bow tie, I bought a back up for $10 at Winners, but it wasn't the right colour.  I posted on Facebook to source out winners to get a red bow tie, but it was several days later, and my friend Dez posted on my Facebook on how to turn a full tie into a respectable bow tie, WHICH WAS PERFECT, since I owned a shiny red full tie!  DONE.  (That being said, I had to apply tape in certain placed to get it to stay.

The Facial Hair (FROM THE BEYOOOOOND):

I went down on Queen street west, and found a 'back up fabric', that I thought was passable, for $5.  However, the colour was too dark, and not red enough, so I wasn't happy with it.  The next store I walked into, BAM!  They had the exact colour I needed!  However, I was forced to buy a yard of it, which meant it cost me about $12.  (In other news, if anyone wants to make a faux fur hat....)

The moustache:  Was actually much smaller than I expected.  You can see the final result here.  I made the mistake (several times) of making the 'stache so big it almost looked like a beard.  And I also made the both similar shapes, which meant I had to be creative how I placed it on my face, or it would look off.

Eyebrows:  The eyebrows were easy.   Two pieces of square fabric, which I teased the hair up and outwards to make it look 'Swedish.'

Applying to the Face:  I had considered creating a foam head, but I thought it would be too much work, and also, I suck at that kind of stuff.  (Not to mention it would be too hot, and I wouldn't be able to really enjoy myself.)

As you can see, taping it to your face doesn't really work very well.

The final product looked good even with tape.  I, in the end, used spirit gum, which is like a people friendly glue.  I would say that you need to do a 'base coat and wear it for a bit, and then reapply.  Half my stache fell off after a couple hours.  (Because I only reapplied one side.)  You really need to factor in sweat.  Here's the final product with me with my friends out at DA CLUB.  ^_^

 And yes, that's a cop with a prisoner, and a chef with a hot dog.  =)

All and all, this costume idea took me almost exactly 30 days.  Not an easy task.  Next year, it'll be something even better, I hope! =)

MY HALLOWEEN COSTUME IS READY

AND I'M SUPER EXCITED ABOUT IT.

TOW: Possessed

Happy Halloween!

This week I'm thinking about possession.  Not the kind that refers to people's property.  But, rather; demonic possession.
 
Last week I attended a talk between several authors on possession, authors who had all written about the subject of inner demons.  The talk was ok, but I became more interested in the topic of demonic possession that is common in myths from way back when.

Demonic possession is something that goes back to the first days of the Bible, both Old Testament and new (the demon tormenting Saul, Jesus and the possessed pigs.) and even before then, I suppose we would look Hindu texts.

Demonic possession became somewhat of a subject in the New Testament and Hellenic times, and since then,  demonic possession has taken on its own kind of culture and mythology, separate from any one particular religion, though its modern origins in English-speaking culture are definitely from Catholicism, and exacerbated by Baptist thinking and the like.  In other words, it began with the New Testament, and it took on a folk mythology within Christianity that developed its own legs.  It's very creepy to look into old cases of demonic possession.

Another thing I have to say, before I get into a personal reflection, is that when I think about 'demons' in my own life;  I'm going to speak about it in a religious way, but philosophically, I'm interested in the consequences (actions, ethics) as well as the religious experience (feelings, experiences).


I don't particularly want to recount the very stupid things I have done, but during those moments, I definitely felt like I was tempted, sorely tempted in the way that is described in the Christian tradition. And I was wondering today, in a very reflective manner, if perhaps I had been possessed by something during these very moments that I am most embarrassed by. 





However, there have been times when I have felt 'possessed by goodness'.  It's funny that in both cases, it's not just feelings that accompany the acts that follow it, but specific kinds of imagery in the mind, and certain kinds of desires, something unusual to my normal self.

And so, I wonder if someone can be possessed by God in the same way that demons are said to possess human beings.  And I don't mean in the sort of speaking tongues tradition; I mean in the sense of grace.  Do the saints that exist and have existed; were they possessed as well in a way? 

Philosophically, I have a problem with the idea of doing good without freely choosing it, but religiously, I'm interested in the idea that God would take such a personal interest in us, as to 'possess us' with goodness.  Does a saint 'possess' goodness because they are possessed by it?  Is goodness a trait...or is it a result of actions?  Is goodness a trait like blue or brown eyes, or is it more a result of the action and intentions of an individual?  Is it metaphysics or is it ethics?  Can it be both if we are possessed by good or evil forces?  Could it anything but metaphysics?

I have to think about it. 

Liz and I halloween 2011