The Day I Touched Nature

 

These are pumpkins in their natural habitat. Who knew it wasn't cardboard boxes, right? For my mother-in-law's b-day, we ventured back in time in more ways than one. Not only did we visit a farm that still uses an early 19th century cash register and scale, we visited the pumpkin farm that my husband's family has been visiting since they were kids. 

Do you know how much pumpkins cost when you don't have to have them shipped all over the country? We bought 6 pumpkins, all of varying sizes from large to small, for $22. You go out into the patch and pick your own. Tons of people were there with their kids. It was very cute. 

At the front of the patch there was a box of picked small and mini pumpkins.

And since it was real actual nature there were bugs there:

There were fun pumpkin anomalies

I was doing good, trying to be all "nature is awesome" as you can see by this photo:

 

And then I realized there were bees everywhere. Bees! I hate bees. I had never been stung by a bee my whole life until I was 30, when a baby bee (or a really small bee) stung me in the neck! I went to the Long Beach farmer's market and as I got into the car to go home I felt something prickly on my necklace. I pulled off a bee from my neck and the stinger was still in there. I had always had a healthy fear of them, since I wasn't too sure whether or not I would have an allergic reaction. Given how every single insect bite has given me hives or welts, I should probably have figured it wouldn't go well. 

Most people get a red sore spot for a few days. I had a red neck (har har) for about 3 days, then it calmed down. Apparently, teaching got it angry, because in my Wednesday afternoon class, I started to feel hot and itchy and noticed that my students eyes were getting wide and they weren't looking at my face so much as my neck. Just before I let them go, I asked "Is there something going on in this area here?" and pointed to my neck. A lot of nodding heads and scared looks. Crap. I revealed my bee sting tragedy to them and asked if it was normal or if I was going to die. These kids have Google, they know shit I don't know. One gal has the kind of bee sting allergy where your throat closes up and you can actually die, and she told me that what I had was very very bad, but not a true allergic reaction, which would have happened days before. 

So I went to my lovely HMO pharmacy, hoping to get some kind of relief. The pharmacist told me that the next time I get stung, it might be worse, and that probably after that I'd always have to carry an epi-pen that I could use to stop the reaction at the moment I realize I've been stung. Fun! 

This long winded story should give you the context for why, at the beautiful pumpkin patch, while we were supposed to be basking in the glow of nostalgia, sun, and autumnal splendor, I was freaking the eff OUT.  Partly because of the pain and fear of the unknown allergic reaction, but also because I have no health insurance. Bees were my mortal enemy and I needed to be free of them. As we were about to weigh our pumpkins, I noticed they were crowding around the people in line and the tons of pumpkins clustered together. I quickly made my escape. I was trying hard to be nice and not ruin it, but damn, I needed to get into the car fast.

These were our final selections:

Did you know that prior to sending pumpkins to market, they have to clean off the prickly barbs that are on the stems? That means that when you go to pick up a pumpkin in a patch, you should go for the base not the prickly stem. I did not know this! I have picked up every pumpkin in my whole life (whether from a box at the supermarket or a hay bale in a faux patch) by the stem. That's a freebie kids. You don't need to thank me. 

So me and nature tried to make a go of it. I put my best foot forward, I enjoyed parts of it and even swooned over the pastoral landscape of North Hampton a bit. But in the end, I think we're just too different. I'm a city mouse, I guess. There's a silver lining in all this, though. At least I've found a great partner who feels the exact same way. As evidenced by the photo below, M could really just not do this nature crap.

 

Halloween Approaches

Traditionally, I wait until October 1st to start in on the Halloween consumption extravaganza, but I'm freaking bored, Ok, so here we go.


First up, this random catalog I got in the mail from a costume website. In it were mysteries, beauties, and horriblies.

 I don't really know what the cover costume is, but I like the heart shaped corset ruffles.

Things started out OK. I liked the pinup sailor girl costume and the Egyptian royalty costumes. Especially the necklace!

Was a little disturbed that the 90s are now a costume choice. Damns. That you'd even have to buy the Kurt Cobain or Courtney Love costumes is sad because every one can make those using $5 at Goodwill.

Mad props to the costumers for coming up with a Deatheater costume. You'd pretty much have to go to parties full of Potter fans though, because you just look like a dead anteater without the context.

I really loved the Marge Simpson costume. The wig is amazing and everyone would know what you were. Homer needs a much bigger donut though, don't you think?

Video game costumes can be done really well, like the princess above, but the other two need her for context. I doubt anyone is going as mushroom head this year or any year!

Does anyone remember the Ambiguously Gay Duo, Ace and Gary? I do! I love these.

The Dia de los Muertos bride and groom costumes were pretty cool, but kind of expensive.

Then, things got weird. Sexy costumes can be done well, and then there's ridiculous:

There's a difference between the sailor girl at the top of the post and this one. I can't quite place it.....

I'm just not the kind of person who would want to wear or see this slutty nurse costume, when you could much more awesomely wear this:

And then things get weirder:

Dressing up as a Chinese takeout box for Halloween. Notice each breast is emblazoned with the word "enjoy" and she's wearing a fortune cookie on her head. Brain...failure..can't..react...

You are probably wondering what the hell is going on above. What are they supposed to be, you may be asking. Well, that right there is a sexy Big Bird, Elmo, and Cookie Monster costume. Yes. Scrolling down to avoid the horror doesn't make it any less real my friends.

This foursome may also make you wonder what is going on. They are sexy Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle costumes! Of course! Not quite as disturbing as the Sexy Big Bird, but still so weird. Who (outside of sorority sisters) are buying these things!?

Now, you know this Avatar thing is happening this year, but why is the dude wearing a suit? I watched that movie (well, the first half...snooze), and he spent plenty of time in "faux" native regalia. Which means loincloth, blue abs, etc. In this pairing, only the lady wears a body hugging catsuit. Lame! Just in case you were wondering, the children's version of this pair replicates the double standard:

I like how both the man and the boy are wearing masks instead of makeup. What's up with that?

You know, I get it. Some ladies want to slut it up one night a year. God help 'em, if they do, it's their choice. It's also my choice to think it's kind of sad and not in keeping with the point of Halloween costuming, but whatever. Sexy costumes are going to happen as long as there's patriarchy and being sexy is more valuable than choosing a clever costume. But what saddens me most is that even the costumes marketed to teen girls come in a "sexy" version:

Dude, it's Hermoine Granger (I know it says "wizard Wanda, but we're all in on the copyright infringement that's going on here, right?) . A character that is also a teenager in school! You could just wear the Harry Potter costume with a different wig. Why does a 15 year old need to be a sexpot Hermoine?!

Luckily with the littlest kids it isn't so bad. I was actually quite impressed with the "Buccaneers" costumes that are virtually the same from boy to girl (the only difference is a skirt vs. pants). Little girl Captain Jack Sparrow totally rules!

Each page of the catalog is frightening in different, unintentional ways. The only thing I would probably buy (if I had money or was throwing a party) is this really cool drink/blood dispenser:

Tune in tomorrow when I regale you with my anger over the huge con that is the Martha Stewart Halloween 2010 Magazine.

Italian Market

Finally went to the Italian Market today. I managed to get no Italy-related things. Instead, I got tacos at El Costeno, so far the best Mexican spot in the city. It's a tiny little place with a smattering of tables, but it was good and cheap and lovely. I then went to Fante's, a bakery supply store. Here's where I got excited! I bought some stuff:

The mini bundt pan will be used this Saturday when I make dessert for the break the fast dinner for Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement, involves 24 hours of fasting from Friday evening until Saturday evening. I am looking forward to the dinner, which will be more of a breakfast, with fishes and bagels and stuff. I, however, am not fasting. What I will be doing is making nice sweet tiny cakes with various drizzles and fruit. They will hopefully fit nicely nestled in the little square paper cups.


I also found sprinkles in the shape of bones and a lip-shaped cookie cutter. Something tells me vampire lips cookies will be part of my Halloween baking this year. 

Halloween Memories

I have always loved Halloween. I don't know why, but ever since I was very small, I enjoyed the theatricality and the scariness of this holiday. I love scary stories, and until I saw Paranormal Activity a few weeks ago, I never had bad dreams or stayed up late worrying about movie creatures. Seriously, that movie was frightening. I had a similar fright with Blair Witch Project, but as long as I stay away from nature (which is what I do anyway), the witch ghost can't get me. Demons who attach themselves to suburbanite students? Consider me scared.

Anyway, my mom always encouraged my love of this holiday. Cubans don't really celebrate Halloween (I would imagine it was especially frowned upon after the Revolution), so her parents never really got into it, but they allowed her and her siblings to dress up. There aren't a lot of pictures of their costumes, partly I think, due to the fact that my grandparents didn't think it was important to record. But you can kind of tell that my mom liked dressing up from other elements of the historical record. Here she is wearing my grandmother's wig for laughs:

P.S. I love wigs! I have four of them and I only bought one for Halloween purposes!

Of course, when I was born, everything changed. Now there was a little doll to dress up for Halloween! How fun! I was the first baby of the family and I suppose, the first American in the family. My mom tried to make sure Thanksgiving was American style (a no rice and beans mantra was apparently needed) and she made sure I had costumes if I wanted. For every picture that doesn't exist from my mom's Halloweens, there are about 5 from mine and my brothers'.

She says that I often created costumes and did fun makeup faces when it wasn't even Halloween.
I don't remember that really, but I do remember her telling me whenever I did something weird that I was very "creative." My dad fully encouraged the holiday, though I think for him it must have been tough. His father died in a tragic explosion on October 31st when he was a kid in Cuba. I can't imagine coming to a new country after that kind of loss only to find that the anniversary of his death is a death celebration. He never really talked about it and I don't know if he and his brothers ever trick-or-treated.

But my brothers and I did. We sometimes came back from a trip around the block and put on another costume and went out twice. Greedy little jerks, we were. And the amount of candy was totally ridiculous. I'm surprised we were allowed to keep it all, but I think my mom knew us well enough to know that come December, she'd see most of it in the trash. Except for my brother Lui, who I bet still keeps a candy drawer full to the brim.

Last year's Halloween celebration was not so hot. M. had just gotten laid off. I had a vampire costume planned, but I did a lackluster job of it because I felt, well, lacking in luster. M. went out with me anyway, because he knows I love the holiday. His costume, though planned in advance, worked perfectly for his mood:
Frank the bunny from Donny Darko allowed him to hide behind a mask. It also had a small hole in the mouth perfect for a cocktail straw. This year's celebration is going to be better, but it has been such a tough year. I didn't really do much decorating. I'm actually looking forward to next year's holiday, really. I plan on having a party, I think, in our new apartment. But tonight, we will go out and we have costumes and we will drink and be merry. The neighborhood kids love our dog Radley, so we'll dress him up too and take a walk around the block while they are out trick-or-treating. He loves wearing stuff, so I'm sure he'll be the happiest dog ever.

I keep thinking of my future, full of possibility. I know there is a lot left to do and a lot I want to accomplish here, but I am so excited about moving that I wish it was happening sooner. Remember my 2009 goals/resolutions? I had called them collectively "Go 2009." Well, it's still called that, but it's more like "Go already 2009." 2010 awaits!

Hope you all have fun Halloweens and that none of you are wearing "sexy" versions of regular costumes.

Finds - Costumes

The grand day approaches, people: Halloween. It's time to start thinking about your costume so that you don't end up being that downer who shows up at the party in your boring regular old clothes. I don't have any rules where costumes are concerned. I like the purchased ones and the handmade ones, as long as the idea behind the costume is fun.

To help you out, I've compiled a list of places you go to purchase costumes or parts of costumes:

Zoogster is a cheap and easy place for costumes. This is one of those sites that has absolutely every kind of cheap pre-fabricated costume. They have their site organized well, in categories by gender, theme, and decade. Here's the Madonna costume from the 80s section, only $36:

Every costume site has Harry Potter, some might have Voldemort, but few have Hedwig! I was happy to see this little furry Hedwig costume on Zoogster, only $20:


This is, however, one of those sites that provides "sexy" costumes. Sigh. Really?


Urban Collector has a variety of really cool costumes, all at reasonable prices. I don't think that spending over $60 on a costume is really worth it unless it's amazing and not so cheaply made that you can't re-wear it in a few years (note: try not to do the trendy-of-the-moment costume, it's just not fiscally responsible).

Obviously I'm into Wonder Woman (if you've read previous posts anyway), so I gravitated towards this costume at Urban Collector:

For $48, you get a pretty decent WW costume. This is one of those costumes that could go badly because it is already too "sexy." WW pretty much wears a bustier bathing suit, so this is a good take on the costume that provides some measure of coverage.

Their Star Trek costumes look pretty good too. Both under $50

Sometimes you can construct a pretty decent costume yourself, but there are certain elements that you just have to have pre-made. The Watchmen's Night Owl mask is a good example.
$50 and you don't have to construct a sad version of this out of felt or whatever.

CostumersNetwork is for serious folk, but the quality is worth it. They have a wide variety of costumes and are a favorite of cosplay fans. Whole entire top to bottom costumes range from $40-$200. They won't let me steal their images, but they've got really cool stuff, so go check them out.

Maybe you want to be a historical figure. If you want to go Victorian (and I highly encourage it!) Retroscope has some amazing dresses. This mourning dress is $100, but it looks like a dress, not a costume.




You could use this several years in a row. Maybe one year you're Lizzie Borden. Next year you're a vampire. Next year you dazzle at the graduate student Halloween party as Victoria Woodhull. Grad students should have more Halloween parties. Think of the funny, amazing, and insufferably lame costumes you'd have to talk about for years to come.

Individual designers are already plying their wares over on Etsy, so you better check these out before they are all gone:

This lovely mermaid costume by Ivy Quilts is handmade and has its own little bag:


Only $40 for this Ollie the Owl costume by Dottie's Closet


This replica of Max's pajama hood by Pencil Perfect is only $37 and with a paper gold crown and some regular footie pajamas, you've got yourself an awesome Where the Wild Things Are costume.

If you really want to do it right, you can get this super expensive version for $129 from Katesy.

She also makes an adult version!! $250

Etsy has tons of stuff, so if you are looking for a mask or an accessory, it's a great place to get something unique. That's all for now. As I come across good costume stuff, I'll definitely post!