I'm not sure why that is but hey, I could fill a book with shit I'm not sure about.
I've always teetered on saying Halloween is my favorite holiday, because while I get into it pretty severely, Christmas is always right up there with it. You can't really go nuts for Easter, and Valentines Day is always a dump unless you're in a relationship. Thanksgiving is finished in a 24 hour period and St. Patrick's day just runs until you pass out. But Halloween and Christmas extend beyond the days they inhabit and because of that, they are equals to me.
I tried to do as many "Halloweeny" things as I could this month, mostly to make October look somewhat appealing in my video project. If it weren't for the cruise in November... then that month would be quite the bust I assure you. The month started by joining @caitcd in the search for a perfect pumpkin. We took her pooch Walter to an apple orchard/pumpkin patch in Darboy and spent the afternoon walking around and taking pictures (both dressed for the part of "Autumn Cutie," natch.)
The days rolled onward, eventually reaching a Friday night where a whole group of us took part in one of the many haunted houses that seem to continuously appear every fall. This of course being the Burial Chamber, though nothing there is actually called "The Burial Chamber" anymore, so go figure that one out. That night was admittedly a blast. Haunted houses don't tend to scare me because I am too tall and when that occurs, the people can't really get into your face. HOWEVER, there were a few scares that had me screaming like a girl. @caitcd was flying through the place so I resigned to holding onto Mr. R (no twitter handle for him, so sorry) most of the night. Partly because I couldn't see very well, partly because he let me, lol, and partly because eeeeeeevery now and then I play the damsel (or dudesel, whichever) in distress. And I was buzzing on mini bottles of Bailey's, so... rockstar, I know.
The highlight of the evening was this gem (seen below) coming up to us and screaming and hoo-hawing because he was supposed to be an army guy. @caitcd asked if we could get a picture.
Him - "Well SURE! Choke yourself!"
Me - "Hu-wuh?"
Him - "I said choke yourself!"
::I reach my hands up to choke myself, confused::
Him - "With MY hands, fool!"
::I notice his hands and roll my eyes, obliging::
They aren't allowed to touch you, ya see? He had girl hands anyway.
Then the focus back home at Parker Manor turned directly to my costume. I think that in years past I've given a sort of vague outline to my mom as to what I want to look like and sorta... heaved costume bits at her to see the result. This year we really went to town and I think the result spoke for itself. But before the real Halloween escapades could fly, I was to attend the Masquerade at Ash&Ember Studios. I supplied almost all of my Halloween decorations for the event, to assist in whatever way I could, and it was nice to know they were being used. In a weird way. While I would have loved to throw the fourth annual "Halloween Extravaganza" this year, it wasn't really in the cards. I didn't have a location to host the party, I didn't have the funds to buy everything I would need for it (and still afford anything else,) and above all I just didn't have the time.
It sucked on the one hand but it was great on the other because for once I didn't have to put everything together myself and hope people showed up. This time it would be ME getting to show up, on my own terms, and that was pretty rad. For the Masquerade I had this great Venetian mask (long nose, etc) that fit great but when I took the little cardboard hang-tag off of it I realized how badly it dug into my forehead. I'd have to wear it "up" most of the night so naturally, me being me, I took the additional opportunity to wear makeup.
The Masquerade was a great time, both due to the host Ryan and by the company I shared it with. The silent reminder of my decorations EVERYWHERE made me think in my head "year four still happened," even if no one but me noticed. I think next Halloween when "Year Five" blows the doors open it will be with a BANG! and a nod to this years costume. For you see, each year I reference my costume from the year prior, and of course this would be no exception.
The fourth annual party was silent because the host was taking a nap. And that brings us, my dear readers, to #18 on my list of Golden Things. Yes, I just sneak-attacked you on this bitch, what-WHAT!
#18 A Sleeping Beauty; finally go Disney for Halloween.
Before you roll your eyes at me for using something as simple as a costume as one of my Golden Things, I'd like to state a fact for the record: I have thought about doing Disney severalseveralseveral times in the past. From Ursula to Jessica Rabbit, to Gaston (pfft) and at one point Snow White. For some reason or another I never went through with it.
Partly because being sweet as humble pie for Halloween doesn't interest me.
And while yes, you can argue that Hocus Pocus (Winifred Sanderson) is a Disney movie, and three Peter Pan costumes as a child were as well, I really mean Disney Princesses. And what better way to recognize the legacy of cartoon royalty than to, shall we say... twist it?
There is an artist named Jeffrey Thomas who drew a series of portraits of the Disney Princesses as altered, "twisted" versions. I suggest you google them because some of the pictures are pretty damn fantastic. Belle sucks though... just saying. The reason I settled on Princess Aurora, aka Sleeping Beauty, is because I could not shave my chest this year for Halloween. With the cruise just a few days after I didn't want a) razor burn and b) the loss of my comfort shield (the fur vest, FYI.)
That and I thought she looked like a total badass.
Mom got the costume finished in a very short turnaround and in my opinion, it is the best yet. Mainly because of that CORSET and how THIN it made me look! Work it! I reused the Babydoll wig from last year (sorry girl, RIP) that @markstyleme was then able to reshape into those iconic blonde bangs. Behold, reader, my interpretation of the one that pricked her damn finger:
This was my ugly year and I stayed true to my word. I do think it was also pretty magnificent, because that makeup fuckin' rocked any way you look at it. I wasn't as tattered looking as the picture would have warranted but that was because I can always reuse these pieces and I didn't fancy chopping them up.
The night was a pretty fantastic one, starting at @markstyleme's home with him and @caitcd, detoured quickly back to Parker Manor because I forgot my boobs at home, and then on to Wrightstown for the house party my old neighbors were throwing. From there we ventured to downtown Appleton, stopping at a few bars along the main strip. I was nervous as shit because being in drag on the "straight" end of the avenue seemed like a bad idea, even on Halloween. To my surprise it was mostly decent, with several people commenting and stopping to take pictures of us.
We ended it all at Raven's, just in time for the costume contest to start. I took a deep breath and strolled on up to the stage, remembering how last year I took a chance on a character (Babydoll) from a movie few people saw (Suckerpunch) and LOST miserably. Would this year be different? I wasn't the "normal" version of Aurora; who would get it?
Well no one would get it, lol, and I still lost, HOWEVER I made it back up to the stage as a finalist and that was all I needed to happen. It didn't matter if I won or not, I still did well enough to hit top five. And for the record, that fat bitch in the red hood and whoever it was in the wolf mask that stole second place? Go fuck yourselves; my costume kicked both of your asses and will continue to do so any day of the way, and as I said that night, a Disney Princess ain't got shit to prove.
So now I'm way behind on packing and the night is drawing to a close. Another Halloween come and gone, this one somehow feeling so much less like Halloween than any before. I think that has to do with living all the way out here with no trick-or-treaters, or maybe it's because I did SO much Halloween stuff that I am pooped out from it. I did also work today, which was the first time that happened in a good eight years on this o-holiest of days, so that bit the shit-bullet as well.
I'd like to take a quick peak at what next year will hold, if there is a fantastic party or a first-place award in my hands, if I do an outfit that is so over-the-top that I won't be able to top it again or if I do the unthinkable and actually go as a dude (only if I have my abs by then, natch.) Who knows? I know it'll be a little bit more on my own terms than the last two have been, that's for sure. I do throw a mean party after all (c;
Goodnight for now, gang. It was a great season all-in-all and now I look forward to that day two months from now where I wrap up the year and get ready to premier my movie for your wondering eyes. Stay tuned, the story only gets better! See you in two weeks, but in the mean-time, enjoy watching that dumb bitch @markstyleme get yelled at by me. Turn the volume up; it's hysterical.
No comments:
Post a Comment