Get me out of this damn castle now, Mario

I was talking last night to one of my girl friends about how sometimes Halloweens are more trouble than they're worth - it takes you forever to pick out a costume, and there doesn't seem to be a single Halloween party worth going to (or one that you're invited to at least).

But not this year - this year I had my costume picked out well in advance, and the Halloween parties were lined up left and right. It seems everyone was in the Halloween spirit this year, and my weekend was a tiring, awesomely fun two days filled with keg cups, beer-filled Mario mustaches, pizza, bathroom lines, an itchy wig, wine, dancing, lots and lots of laughter, great costumes and most importantly, great company in my old friends, new friends and lover.

Once again, my dear madre came to my costume rescue, with only a week's notice this time. The Thursday before Halloween, I spent six hours in my mom's company, getting fitted and sewn up into the wee hours of the night. (She even cooked me my absolute favorite homemade dish of all time, Hamburger Gravy). Now if that isn't true motherly love, I don't know what is... so here I am, Princess Peach with my Mario, finally rescued from the castle.

You can catch full photos and details on my Halloween in my Whrrl story here.

Now for the best part - what were YOU for Halloween, friends?

Currently Feeling: A little back ache coming on - what is with desk chairs? I'm switching to a ball.
Currently Anticipating: A week with virtually ZERO events! I need to catch up.
Currently Loving: Catching up with a high school girl friend last night. It was a three hour chat that we desperately needed!

Happy Halloweiner!

My blog lovelies! Hope you have tons of outrageously fun and silly plans for this evening. I appreciate each and every one of you who read my rambles. I look forward to catching up with all of you on Monday, so I can share my costume and hear about yours!

Happy Halloween!

Catching a breath

Well hello there, Fall. You're everywhere already, and I've barely had a chance to catch a breath of your air. October has been a whirlwind - an upward slope on the new job hill that has left my weeks a blur. And then I was out of town for the first three weekends of October. First - to Leavenworth for Oktoberfest, second to Washington State University for my little sister's 21st birthday (where I partied it up with a house full of 20-year-olds - complete with Brass Monkeys like the old days), then off to Vegas for four days with work.

Now that trip was nearly an out-of-body experience. I love Vegas and all, but the best part about it is when you can rest your weary hungover bones next to the swimming pool in the desert heat until it's time to go out and start drinking again. I've never been to Vegas where you're expected to "network" all night, then work at a conference all day. Hello exhausted after repeating that pattern for four days! In a blink of an eye, I found myself flying out of the 90-degree weather of Vegas and back into the golds, yellows, reds and brrr of Seattle's fall. October has left me feeling a little discombobulated, to say the least.

Then after Vegas, it was BAM - only two weeks till Halloween. Luckily I've had my Halloween costume idea planned out for a couple months; I just needed to gather the pieces. The BF and I are doing a super fabulous duo this year, but mums the word. I've decided to share it with you via pics after Halloween... but I can promise you it'll be another fabulous homemade costume, courtesy of my mother who also did my flapper costume last year and my Jem costume the year before. I know you're beside yourselves with anticipation.

Anyhoo, in the last week or so, in the spirit of my favorite holiday, I've managed to squeeze in some Halloween-time activities. Everything about this time of year makes me smile. If there is a higher being, I feel like he/she certainly knew what they were doing when they had fall follow summer - the colors of the leaves, pumpkin-flavored everything, heat, blankets and slippers for the first time in months, fabulous fall boots and sweaters in fuzzy materials, Halloween, scary movies in the theaters and all things ghost...it all makes it a little easier to swallow the idea that the sun has left Seattle for at least seven months.

I've tried to squeeze it all in the last week - a ghost tour, a scary movie that left me feeling like I was going to have a heart attack, ghostly TV shows...all leading up to Halloween party time on Friday and Saturday in my SUPER cute costume that I can't wait to put on! Yippee!

What is your favorite way to celebrate October's spooky, fall atmosphere?

Currently Feeling: Bummed I haven't been able to squeeze in much working out with all this job stuff. I need to get back in a routine!
Currently Anticipating: Some one-on-one time with Bestie Amanda tomorrow. It's been awhile.
Currently Loving: Safeway's root-beer float bars - only 110 calories! But if I eat one, I kinda want to eat three, so that might defeat the purpose.

Ta da!

What $30 of red fringe, a completely awesome mother who is willing to sew your Halloween costume, and a boyfriend who doesn't mind matching gets you:


Hope everyone had a fantastic Halloween this year. I'm retiring yet another costume after three nights, four parties and enough beer to probably cancel out eating for the next week.

Currently Feeling: Pukey and congested. Blech.
Currently Anticipating: Watching my two favorite shows.
Currently Loving: Gingersnap cookies and milk.

Scared startled

Last night I went to my first haunted house production since my third-grade self was blindfolded and forced to stick my hand in a bowl of peeled grapes and spaghetti at the low-budget Halloween spook fests held in elementary.

“Oooh. Are you going to be SKAA-red?” Baby Daddy said to me before we left.

Uh, no, not likely. I mean, are we talking scared or startled? I don’t know if a haunted house with costumed zombies and fake blood really has the ability to genuinely SCARE me. Like hair-on-the-back-of-your-neck-standing-up, goosebumps, heart-beating, can’t-open-your-eyes scared. Now maybe a real haunted house with some ghostly activity—that would freakin’ scare the living daylights out of me. (*scare the living daylights* so a phrase my mom uses).

I was wrong, just a bit. I was frightened - but more from all the B.A.R.K.L.E.’s * in attendance than anything else.

We arrived at the KUBE 93.3 Haunted House around 8:30 last night and were greeted with a long line of people waiting. Who knew this thing was so popular? Luckily the wait was made even sweeter with a $1 cup of SwissMiss hot cocoa, and it wasn't long before we found ourselves at the entrance.

This year, the radio station is holding their yearly Halloween production at the Georgetown Morgue—a former funeral service, crematorium and meat-packing facility before becoming KUBE’s haunted house. Apparently, the building has a shady past with stories about a body disappearing from the embalming table and showing up in someone’s front yard, dismembered. And supposedly, a guy also was buried alive there when an earthquake in 1965 caused a tower of the mortuary to cave in, and nine employees were massacred, forced into the crematory and all burned alive, in 1968. Spooooky!

The haunted house plays off this theme, with autopsy tables and the grossest of all—hanging slaughtered animals and bags of what seem to be dead bodies that you have to weave through. Eww yuck. I wasn’t necessarily super scared, but I was super startled. I didn’t loosen the grip I had on Baby Daddy’s waist until we were safely through the dark hallways with “machine guns” that shot at the back of my head, the moving, crooked room with strobe lights and creepy clowns, and all the dark corners that seemed to have actors jumping out of them.

While it was a little cheesy, I love anything and everything that has to do with Halloween—so I’d recommend it to any of you Halloween lovers out there. And, it’s totally worth a $15 date night. ($15 = Entrance fee + hot chocolate).

* B.A.R.K.L.E. stands for people from Burien, Auburn, Renton, Kent, Lynwood, Everett. My friend Jana taught me that phrase, and it cracks my shit up!

Currently Feeling: Ill from all the Halloween candy I've consumed today.
Currently Anticipating: This new Nia fitness class I'm taking at the gym tonight.
Currently Hating: That flowers die so quickly!

Picturesque glimmers of my weekend

At work on Friday, we had a celebration lunch scheduled after our four-hour marketing meeting. We arrived at Purple Wine Bar & Café on 4th Avenue (one of my all-time favorite places) at 1:30 and our Global VP of Marketing announced, “Cancel all your meetings – we’re not going back to work.” We then proceeded to order appetizers, lunch, dessert, wine, wine and more wine until the boyfriend finally picked me up at 5:30. Boy was I BUZ-ZED. Purple Café has “wine flights,” which is four glasses of wine pairings that are brought to you in a cool little wine rack with a card that explains each wine. I feel in love with Gunn Estate Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand and drank about 14 glasses—a perfect start to the weekend.

After sobering up from my all-day lunch, the two of us met up with Adam and Kate to attend a Halloween party at The Baltic Room—all you can drink for the small fee of $25. I have never attended a Halloween party at a bar before, and the array of costumes was completely awesome. My favorite was a female Waldo—jean skirt, red and white striped tank, red scarf and beanie and thick black-rimmed, round glasses. I’m totally stealing it. An hour or so into the festivities, the boyfriend looked at me and asked, “Do you feel weird around all these Asians?” (There were a lot of Asian people at the bar). “What the hec are you talking about? Why would I feel weird around Asian people?” “Because you’re dressed as a Geisha?” Hmmm. Never thought of it that way. Is being a Geisha totally un-P.C.?! I had no idea.

Saturday, we went to Discovery Park with a picnic lunch, and afterward grabbed ice cream at Cold Stone. (Is there anything better than their Sinless Sweet Cream!?) The boyfriend went his direction (boy’s night out), and I decided to have my own sexy and exciting Saturday night—I stayed in, rearranging my closet. I bought these fantastic closet saving hangers, since my closet is the size of Anne Frank’s hideaway with enough clothing to dress the entire Third Reich. Looks like I’ll need about 80 more of the hangers to complete the transformation, but at least it’s a start.

Sunday I went over to my parent’s house, so my mom could finish my Halloween costume. My little sister was in town from WSU, so we took a sisterly shopping trip to Alderwood where I bought the most perfect scarf in black, brown, cream and green—it should literally go with everything. Next to skinny jeans with boots, printed scarves are my new favorite fad. I think I'll buy one in every color.

I also encountered some sort of insane new fad—the Butt Booster! I couldn’t believe it; stores are actually selling underwear shorts with butt padding in them. I certainly don’t need them, here’s an image if you don’t know why, but for all you butt-deprived girls out there, you can find the Butt Booster at Love Culture. Hurry before they sell out. (Weird).

I wrapped up my weekend with some girl time at Amanda’s and Vanessa’s where we discussed next weekend’s Halloween plans, watched Amazing Race and Desperate Housewives (my favorite TV night!), and ate popcorn and Vanessa’s homemade chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting.

MMMMM.

All in all, a successful weekend!

Currently Feeling: Violated and annoyed. People should mind their own business.
Currently Anticipating: Haunted tours and houses! New scary movies! Halloween parties! Pumpkin carving! This week is my favorite week of the ENTIRE year!
Currently Loving: My new Volcom fuzzy, insulated turquoise gloves!

Overheard on the bus this morning: Halloween costumes

"One year, I was a milkshake."

"Oh yeah, how'd that work..."

"I wore red tights and a red sweater, and my mom made this big felt cup with brown felt on the top. I glued Sweetheart boxes around the edge and cut holes out the sides for my arms."

*Laughs*

"And one year, I was nuclear waste. I wore a Hazmat suit and had slime everywhere."

"Huh, that's creative."

"Oh, and then one year, I was a picnic."

"A picnic?"

"Yeah, I had a red and white checkered tablecloth skirt, and I glued ants all over my body. I wore an AstroTurf hat and carried around a picnic basket with candy in it."

Okay, even though I was totally eavesdropping, I had to laugh outloud at that one. I wish I only had that type of Halloween creativity history. Gold star for her!

Currently Feeling: Like I've never hated someone so much in my life. So unhealthy.
Currently Anticipating: All the fun Halloween plans I have this weekend! I think I'm going to resurrect the Geisha costume this weekend, and boyfriend can be my Geisha pimp, since they really were call girls.
Currently Watching: The new Indiana Jones.

What can I say, I'm a bit of a girly girl

Lots and lots of fall-time events this past weekend.

I went to a pumpkin patch with the boyfriend, the new roomie and friends on Sunday.

My friend’s older sister expressed her concern to my friend before I showed up, “Does 20-Something know how to, you know, dress for the pumpkin patch? Will she know to wear tennis shoes?” Apparently because I’m almost always dressed up and in heels when my friend's sister sees me, she thinks I’m one of those dumb girls who would wear heels to a pumpkin patch. Well, I never.

Friend and I had a good laugh about this.

The funny part is, I was without a car and stayed at the boyfriend’s house on the Eastside all weekend. I left my house Saturday morning, without any clothes, change of underwear, make-up and hair product—a dumb move I cursed all weekend. So, I actually did go to the pumpkin patch on Sunday—not by choice or plan—in wedge heels.

I guess I am one of those girls who shows up at a pumpkin patch in heels. How embarrassing.

After the pumpkin patch, I spent hours with my mom at the fabric store, selecting a pattern and fabric for my Halloween costume. (Aren’t you just dying to know what it is – don’t get too excited, it’s not that great. I fear that I out-did myself forever with my costume last year.) We waited in line with about 30 other mothers and their broods of loud, crying children. Half of them were talking to a mystery person on their Blue-Tooth-enabled headset. Perhaps the sixth child, waiting behind a Swinger sewing machine for bolts of fabric to be brought back home, their fingers bandaged and bleeding? Who knows. I overheard a comment from someone working at the store that more people seem to be making their Halloween costume this year. I could chalk it up to the economic crisis, since everything seems to be linked to that these days. But, that theory was blown right out of the water when I rang up the list of items I needed to make my costume--$30 worth of red fringe later (plus all the fabric, zippers, etc.), and I spent just as much as a store-bought costume. No wonder they don’t give those things away.

At least with my red-fringed mystery costume, I won’t be ridiculed for wearing heels in public.

Pickin' my way through the pumpkin fields in heels

Currently Feeling: Really sick of pulling myself out of bed in the dark.
Currently Anticipating: Picking up the last costume needs tonight at Redlight on Broadway.
Currently Loving: How fantastic our fall weather has been thus far.

Things I want to accomplish this weekend:

• Listen to some music that makes me smile on the inside, laugh on the outside and generally thank a higher power that I’m alive (ala Zeppelin’s Tangerine.)
  
• Snuggle with my boyfriend, who I’ve seen for a total of maybe 12 hours in the last two weeks.
  
• Find a really stellar pumpkin bread recipe, bake it and try not to eat the whole thing
  
• Overhaul my bedroom so it feels inviting again: wash bedding, do laundry, hang up clothes, organize, light candles…
  
• Read on the couch
  
• Stick to my pre-Halloween diet
  
• Figure out my Halloween costume and finagle my mom, once again, to sew it for me

I think those are all pretty feasible. Now, let’s see if I can stay away from large amounts of alcohol, which generally makes me scrape any to-do lists and lie around like a big fat amoeba on the couch.

Currently Feeling: So freakin’ relieved.
Currently Anticipating: Hanging with my besties at Dave’s tonight and a little Big Lawson style and Fremont on Saturday.
Currently Loving: That my apartment is clean and nearly put back together again.

It's that time of year...yet again

I gathered with some of my best girl friends last night to celebrate Amanda's birthday--just a low-key night with wine, snacks, games and "Chic chat." (Sarah taught me a new word.) There was even a cheese ball present; the equivalent to Cheese Whiz frozen and rolled in almonds...don't see one of those every day.

Last night the weather and gathering with friends reminded of the transition phase that happens each year from summer to autumn--the sun is out, but the air is crisp. Dinner, movies, drinks at bars and "Girls' Nights" with wine and reality TV start to replace frantically trying to catch the summer heat after work and heading away every weekend for camping, cabins and trips to Eastern Washington. And then, there's always my favorite topics that crop up around the beginning of September--Halloween costumes and Oktoberfest in Fremont and Leavenworth--a sure sign that fall is in the air, my friends. Time to tuck away those short shorts, mini skirts and tank tops for another eight months and stock away money for new fall boots.

Summer is my very favorite season, so I’m always very reluctant to see it go. But, the transition is a little easier with the onset of my second favorite season. I get a little tingly thinking about pumpkin patches and carving, pumpkin lattes and beer, TV show premieres, cozy apartments and snuggly blankets with Stella, and being perfectly content with soup for dinner and a book after work.

How am I going to spend my fall this year? That’s still in the works… I’ll be living with a new roommate, which will be a change. I’ll therefore be reinstating some sort of weekly dinner ritual (similar to belly dancing and South Beach dinner nights I did last fall) with Sarah since we’ll no longer be roommates. Perhaps I’ll finally go to the yoga class at my gym that I’ve been putting in my calendar every week. More than likely I’ll be reading some great books and planning for the holidays. And as the leaves change every year around this time, I always start to think about the changes I need to make…so I’ll probably be working a little on those too.

All in all, I think I’m okay with the season change this year.

Currently Feeling: A little groggy and crampy.
Currently Anticipating: Mariners vs. Yankees tomorrow with my high school girl friends.
Currently Loving: The brand-new top my coworker passed down to me!

Happy Halloween 2007!!

Halloween is my ALL TIME favorite holiday. Seriously. I'm usually planning my costume for next Halloween on Halloween, and perfecting my plan months before October 31st actually rolls around. But, it's not just dressing in costume that I love. It's the scary movies, the decorations, the candy (damn fun-sized candy bars!), all the events and especially the Halloween spirit. I really brought my Halloween obsession to new levels this year.

Sarah and I decorated our apartment to be SUPER SPOOKY. I'm somewhat regretting having to now take down all the SUPER SPOOKY spiderwebs that are on every surface of our house, but whatever. We threw a really fun girly pumpkin carving party with a champagne Witch's Brew, treats for our guests and lots of laughs with some of my closest girlfriends. Sarah and I carved PARTY CREEPY pumpkins, basically because we like to party creepy. Totally classic. Thanks for all who came:






In the meantime, I've been working hard on my Jem costume. The Dolphin Sisters and I decided that I'd be Jem and they'd be The Misfits—Jem's rival rock band from the 80s cartoon. My mom and I printed out pictures of Jem's original costume, and then we spent hours at the fabric store, picking out the fabric and patterns to make it exact. My mom couldn't have done a better job. While she sewed it, I looked at approximately 50 different Web sites, trying to find the perfect wig. I finally found one in white, then had to look-up directions to dye it the perfect light pink. This, of course, ended up in a huge mess and pink spots all over me and Sarah's white bathroom rug and accessories. Sorry roomie! It's a tough price to pay to be the perfect Jem for Halloween:




Jem and The Misfits—Pizazz and Stormer—at Damon's 30th Surprise Party





Jem and her Pirate Wench at Kelly's Oktoberfest/Halloween party


Pirate Wench stole my microphone—that bitch! She is not truly outrageous!


Jem and Eve and Eve's Halloween party


Glamour and glitter and fashion and fame...Jem, Jem is my name!



So, friends, it's been a TRULY OUTRAGEOUS Halloween. I've got one more stop tonight at the Underdog Seattle Halloween party, where I'll try to hide my sniffles and illness in an attempt for one last night in my best costume to date. The only thing that worries me is how I'm ever going to top it next year...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Currently Feeling: Sick and icky. Blech.
Currently Anticipating: Possibly seeing the Incredibly Sexy Man in Great Jeans during my one last hurrah as Jem.
Currently Hating: Paper and boxes.

Jem is Truly Outrageous!

I just received the wig for my Halloween costume in the mail today at work. I wondered briefly if the mail room guy was wondering why I ordered something from My Wig Store, since obviously my hair is ridiculously, ridiculously full and luscious. (Oh, if only Larisa read my blog. She'd understand the ridiculously joke. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure you all think I'm totally conceited.) Anyhoo. The wig is my final touch on my most creative and possibly most fanfuckingtastic Halloween costume to date...

I'm going to be Jem from Jem and the Holograms. Larisa and Vanessa are going to be two of The Misfits, Jem's archrival rock band. The three of us are designing our costumes ourselves, which are hopefully going to look as close to the real deal as possible since we've taken photos of the cartoon characters from the Internet. My mom—sewing genius that she is—is sewing me a crazy sparkly 80s dress just like the one Jem wears, with a matching belt, etc. I've purchased a sparkly microphone, and my wig just needs to be dyed pink, ratted and hairsprayed, and then I'm set.

Be prepared for some pretty funny photos of the three of us singing the Jem theme song:



Glamour and glitter; Fashion and fame…that’s totally me, eh?

"We are The Misfits. Our songs are better..."

Truly Outrageous!

Currently Feeling: Slightly nervous that the power will go out at work because of Weatherpocalypse 2007, and I’ll lose all my work.
Currently Anticipating: Completing the final touches on my costume this weekend.
Currently Excited For: An evening out with Nate and his friends tomorrow.

Halloween 2006

I'm too tired and hungover to write anything.
Halloween was a blast this year.
Definitely worth two costumes.







Currently Feeling: Icky, annoyed, skeptical, curious. I'm going through a whole range right now.
Currently Anticipating: A four-hour nap after work.
Currently Wondering: If I should dye my hair black, straighten it and cut it into a bob.
Currently Reading: Or should I say rereading, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

Finally, my most favorite day of the year is here. I love everything about it—the scary movie marathons, new scary movies in the theatres, mini Snickers, carving pumpkins, Haunted Houses, ghost stories, costumes, parties, Hocus Pocus, little kids’ costumes, trick-or-treating and the decorations. What’s not to like? I’m so crazy about Halloween that I bought two costumes this year!
I hope each and every one of you has something fun, spooky or slutty planned. But hey, let’s make it safe, ok?
I love you!
—Jeanna

Halloween Weekend Highlights

Trebaby’s lederhosen—I still can’t stop laughing.
“Oh there you are Peter!"
Captain Morgan, the fairy and Robin Hood.
Supermarket Sweep girls.
The budussy dance floor.
"I'm so ugly when I'm drunk!"
"Where are we? I feel like I'm somewhere really weird."
Top three felatio.
Sliding down the railing of four flights of stairs and scraping both my knees.
Tre removing each one of my 400 gold bracelets, one by one.
Waking up in my German Heidi costume…how’d that happen?
Almost pissing myself in the taxi cab while waiting for the train.
The pizza rolls, potato bake and other random treats at the party on Beacon Hill. (Sarah, I still can’t believe you ate those chicken wings!)
The jerk with two big balls between his legs. Pretty sure he didn’t have real balls.
Karaoke. Enough said.
The really hot man in a sparkly red dress.
The drive home with Al and Peg Bundy...what effing song was that again?
Almost dying when the car door I was leaning against swung open around a corner. Thank God Donnie was there to death grip!

All in all, very successful Halloween weekend.

If I Only Had A Brain...

So don’t laugh, but I’ve decided to be the scarecrow for Halloween. And please take note, THE scarecrow, not A scarecrow.

During our weekly Monday dinner ritual after belly dancing, Sarah, Larisa, Vanessa and I started to discuss our plans for Halloween. I’ve always wanted to do a group theme costume, such as Sarah’s previous Spice Girls group costume, and this year seemed as good a time as any. The four of us started researching and brainstorming ideas—superheros, Disney Princesses…

It wasn’t long after typing “Sexy Halloween Costumes” into Google that a bevy of ideas came our way. It was a toss up between Alice in Wonderland (Alice, the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, the Queen) and a Wizard of Oz theme. The costumes were both cute and slutty (a necessity of course), so we’ve made our decision—Wizard of Oz it is. Sarah will be Dorothy, Vanessa will be the Tin (Wo)Man, Larisa will be the Lion and I will be the Scarecrow. Now, I just have to make sure that all my Halloween plans include these three girls cause I’m certainly not walking around a party by myself dressed as a scarecrow. How would I explain my idea behind that one?

Yeah for Halloween…only 40 more days!






Currently Feeling: Skinny. I don’t know if they were the brand, but I put on a size 28 jean this weekend (previously a size 30).
Currently Anticipating: The two-hour Season Premiere party at my house tonight for America’s Next Top Model!! Oh hell yeah. Fall television, here we come.
Currently Hating: How everyone’s profile on MySpace now is private. I can’t stalk the men I’m secretly in love with anymore.