Trick or Treat

Thursday night found Momola, Meredith, and me in a discussion of Halloween costume glory. Little Dumpster was Buzz Lightyear, and having a great time with it, too. I was surprised to see him wearing the hood last night, though. Earlier in the week, when his parents took him to Disney for Halloween, he was not having any of it, and I kind of like that picture better:

Ha Ha! He's doing his very best to rip that bad boy off his head! Momola was feeling the Grandma-Guilt for not making his costume this year, and Meredith's feeling the Mom-Guilt for not making his costume, as Momola did so well when we were little. There was the princess that became a dress-up staple for a long time afterwards, the Hershey's Kiss, and I remember an M&M... Ironically, years later, without access to a fabric store in the city, I would go to Target, buy a Barbie princess costume, and rip it to shreds in order to make myself into a cosmopolitan - complete with a lime-wedge hat. I couldn't find a picture of that one, but both Momola and Meredith like the irony of going from princess to destruction of princess hopes for another little girl in pursuit of alcoholic fantasies. I say, No Comment. I couldn't find a picture of that fabulously fun costume. What I did find was the year I remembered being a princess, and more importantly, how Momola made me a crown with cardboard and aluminum foil. I emulated her creative genius to fashion a giant pair of tweezers and became a life-size Operation game. I picked up a doctor that year - or at least, a man dressed up as a doctor... in all honestly, he was a lame duck, all long phone conversation and no initiative. I hung up.

This year? I waited without really thinking about going out or fashioning a costume. I made last-minute plans to steals a friend's old costume idea (I'll refrain from mentioning it here, because in future years, I may still steal it). All my laziness paid off, however, when I got sick and spent Halloween in my comfy pants watching tv. It wasn't too shabby. Hope you all had a Happy Halloween. Me? I guess I'll start thinking about costume's for next year.

Sunday drive.

Sunday found me driving north on I-5 from San Diego to Dana Point, CA. We didn't live in California for very long, but there are a few things that flash back every time I'm in this state. Wading in the ocean with my sister and mom (and another adult - Uncle T. seems unlikely, but that's the laugh I remember hearing), the two of us kids running back to splash in one more wave, and Momola racing back down the beach as the water knocked us over. Starfish crawling on my arms. Ice plant. Breaking off segments to play hopscotch by the school, watching the sun shrivel the pieces like raisins in the sun, using the pieces to write on walls. As I pass through town, these memories are juxtaposed by the sight of the Mormon temple, and the picture of me sitting next to Annie as we head to the Whole Foods right across the way when I came down for a visit. We were driving the same car that took us to Whole Foods in Charlottesville, where Em would sample from the bulk bins as we shopped for our nightly haphazard dinners. Dinners consisting of someone making risotto, someone making chicken on the Foreman grill, someone cutting up cheese and vegetables, and everything ending up on bowls of salad - with Em and the other swimmers spearing food from any dish within reach, whether pot, serving dish, or another's plate of food. These are the images that flash through my head whenever I drive through San Diego. It's not a bad mental collage.