Big sleet

OK, I am listening to a feature on the radio called "Your Request Sucks" and I feel a little guilty because I have most of these songs in my library. But it is impressive the depths to which people can go (Beauty and the Beast? Anything Toto? woof)

Not much to report other than the crappy weather. Cold and big sleet. The only good part about big sleet is that the other option is big rain. And big sleet bounces. Big rain soaks your undies.

Dealing with more annoying people, including 6th graders with crap attitudes, and artistic staff who consider you disposible or invisible.

But at least I didn't have to come up with a big story to get my parking permit.

on the radio: Billy Ocean - "When the Going Gets Tough" (which I don't have in my library)

Half and half

Today could be split in two. And if I could eliminate the first part, I would be a bit less bitter.

After nearly a week of lovely 60+ degree weather in Chicago, the cold front came through. Torrential rains and a 30 degree temperature drop. But first, the rain. It was storming up a, well, storm as I enjoyed my morning oatmeal, but I figured it would blow over by the time I had to walk to rehearsal. And as I walked the first block and a half, I thought I was right. It hadn't completely stopped, but largely under control. In the course of half a block, the skies opened up. My slicker/umbrella combo was completely pointless, as I was super saturated in record time. Especially as the rain found a perfect stream down to my skivvies. By the time I got to the theatre, I was laughing, partially because I was so supremely wet that I could not get wetter, and partially because I knew I had dry socks and sweats tucked in my bag.

I stripped off the outerwear and dashed for the washroom, where I proceeded to strip, depositing my sopping clothes into a sink. Then dried myself and my puddle before extricating the delightfully dry clothes. And I promptly excused myself backstage, where I tossed my stuff in the dryer. I felt especially proud of myself, since my planning meant I was not the goofy-looking intern sitting on the dryer in my undies waiting.

Techs as a general rule have great suck potential. Tempers are short, you are locked in a dark room doing the same things over and over again for ages. Unfun. And when I attempted to share some creative insight, I was promptly verbally bitch-slapped to the gutter by the director. Ouch. But it's okay; it's not like he even knows my name.

So I left rehearsal under pretense of teaching, came home, watched House and Scrubs, finished Devil in the White City, and debated the merits of going back. I mean, going back suggests that I found intern-abuse acceptable, but not going back suggested I was a wimp. Tough call. Since there wasn't anything amazing on cable, and I didn't feel like working on grad apps, I went back.

Chatted with box office staff, had an intern bring me a cookie, then sat and made snarky comments for the rest of the evening with one of the interns from the last show. Ah. And after rehearsal, she and I went next door to the 24 hour diner that serves sweet potato fries and alcoholic beverages. Mmmm. Spiked hot chocolate is an excellent way to cap off an evening. Especially as you discuss various celebrity pairings (Angelina and Edward Norton?, Johnny Depp and Scarlett Johanssen?)

With the combo of my favorite medical shows, and the second half of rehearsal, my day was reclaimed.

on iTunes: Cake - "I Will Survive"

Tech lessons

First day of techs went pretty well, or at least as well as could be expected. Not terribly active for the interns, but part of the learning experience. I learned a variety of things, including:

1. Rehearsal is about creating pictures. Techs are about creating transitions.
2. Proper puppetry can not be conducted in shoes. Socks are acceptable, barefoot is probably ideal.
3. Musicians are both a sound tech's dream and nightmare. They know exactly what they want, which doesn't always match what they can have. And it makes everyone ornery.
4. Remind me when I am old that long hair in ponytails and too much eye makeup makes you look older, not younger.

But it is the exciting part of the process, as the familiar merges with new tech elements, like lights and costumes.I am also perpetually impressed by the performers, who are some of the most fun, laid-back I have seen during techs. They find ways to amuse themselves (and us) unobtrusively while cues are being built. Great focus. Let's see if that holds for tomorrows 10-out-of-12.

on iTunes: Joan Jett - "I Love Rock & Roll"

Getting my geek on

To celebrate Free Monday, I walked myself over to the Chicago Historical Society to finish the main exhibit I started last week.

The Museum has one extensive exhibit on Chicago, appropriately. The exhibits on the World's Fairs and Lincoln were small, but displayed in beautiful architecture. And while I like the content of the City exhibit, it is a bit difficult to navigate because it is set up anti-clockwise. Which is difficult for text-based chronological exhibits.

However, there were 2 temporary exhibits that I found pretty cool. One was on the music scene, which featured a map. That included Charlottesville!

Almost as weird as seeing Williamsburg on the map at the Doge's Palace in Venice.

And an exhibit on local artist, Ed Paschnack (sp?) Influenced by pulp and Warhol. Some of his art burns your retinas, but way cool! Including a piece on Lewis and Clark he composed shortly before his death. (I don't think I can post those pictures.)

Maybe if I am motivated enough, I will get over to the Field Museum tomorrow before techs, while it is still lovely outside.

Home for the Holidays

Traveling for the holidays = not quite what I expected. But that isn't particularly a bad thing.

Sure, I was cursing the buses at 6.50AM on Tuesday, but that has more to do with public transit than travel. And it does teach me about faith. I have faith that I will get where I need to go. Or that if I don't, then that is what is meant to happen. *sigh*

I was braced for crazy humanity and security. Yeah. It took me about 10 minutes to check in, get through security and plunk butt down at my gate.

But I had a total Home for the Holidays moment. One of my favorite movies, putting the fun in dysfunctional. So the protagonist Claudia is flying back to MD (from Chicago!) to spend time with her crazy family. And her mom played by the marvelous Anne Bancroft chides her for not having a coat, providing a hideous, huge pink thing. Sure enough, I step off the plane, my mom asks if I have a proper coat, then produces this monstrous, fire-engine red down puffy coat. And I think the major way it provides warmth is not so much the down (which is pretty squishy), but the fact I could probably fit another person in there with me. Any takers? Ideally skinny geeks? But excellent for hiding my Turkey-day related gluttony!

Mostly loafed around the house, rearranging my fam's TiVO, going out for some Chinese at the place we used to order from when I was little, for my sister's birthday. It was good to just hang around with a sense of ease I don't usually enjoy. Complete with dorking out to History Channel.

no iTunes: Watching a special on Blue Man Group

Full Day

This is the kind of day I like. Busy all day.

Rehearsal started a little early today, so I stopped in before work. Enjoyed the fact that my Saturday job is 2 minutes from my internship. Where it was very quiet today, making it that much harder to screw up, and giving me time to do grad research.

Then dashed back to rehearsal to watch the staging of Act 2.

Walked home to make a small dinner before catching the 22 to see Caravaggio. Love getting comped. Hate diva patrons who show up late and act offended when they aren't let in. I owned the fact that I was late and the show had started. I was willing to wait for intermission, but since they had to accommodate the diva, they snuck me in too. And I found it funny when the house manager apologized during intermission.

The show was visually unified and pretty. I think more of Caravaggio in terms of his light rather than figures. But a nice piece of theatre.

Sadly I did not run into the other intern I thought would be there.

Oh, and it's NICE here! A few more days before the cold sets up permanent camp.

So sleepy

Amazing how getting up BEFORE the crack of dawn can make your day so difficult.

Because my mother is terribly practical, she decided to multi-task. That since she had to deliver me to the airport by 7AM, she might as well do some Early-Bird Black Friday shopping. And take me with her to get some shopping done myself. Ostensibly a great idea. But the fact that I was barely standing up made it a little difficult to strategize in terms of Christmas. I just wanted to find the display bed and curl up. But at least she let me sleep in till 5.

Plane sleep is a joke. Your eyes might be closed and time might pass a bit faster, but it's not exactly restful. And even if it was, it's a short flight.

Straight off a plane, onto the L and the bus. Rush home to change, grab my script and some oatmeal (because 6 hours later, I still hadn't consumed anything) then off to a long rehearsal. During which I had to fight to stay awake, sometimes unsuccessfully. Not even espresso could help me.

So now I am finally home, in my jammies and I am so tired I can't fall asleep. Annoying.

But Virginia was so nice. A little strange, occasionally difficult, but I am so happy I went. More posts to come about that. The short version - I saw people, enjoyed the familiar and great quantities of excellent food.

Maybe if I turn on the toob, it will just put me into such a stupor, I will pass out...

on iTunes: Dido - "White Flag"

Chicago Dog

Behold the Chicago Dog.

Ingredients: Vienna Beef hot dog, steamed poppy-seed bun, yellow mustard, bright green relish, chopped onions, a pickle, tomato slices, peppers and celery salt. Please note the complete absence of ketchup.

Yes, under all those toppings is an actual hot dog. There is some debate about char-grilled versus boiled. But ketchup is a universal no-no.

This and a side of fries is what I had for dinner tonight. Not sure what the siren song was that lured me in there (other than the coupon burning a hole in my bag). This was a necessary experience in Chicago, but not terribly a good idea.

With so many toppings, I had been hoping the Chicago dog would be so gross it would be nasty. Because I have been known to eat gross things (tuna on peanut butter, Eurotrash). This was so gross it was just more gross. I had to wimp out and pull off one of the peppers.

So here is my theory:
I grew up on microwaved hot dogs in a slice of white bread and ketchup with rice and Campbell's pork-n-beans. Apparently this is blasphemy.

Mustard is acceptable on hotdogs, and in my adulthood, I have come to appreciate it.

And the Chicago dog seems rather well-dressed. And mustard is basic, like underwear. So having a dog with mustard is acceptable because underwear is fundamental, if a bit bare. And ketchup is like socks. A nice complement to other toppings, but silly on its own. But all the Chicago dog toppings are a bit of a taste cacophany. But it did make me miss my Carolina Lo-Dog (with pork BBQ, slaw and hot sauce on top of a 1/4 kosher beef dog).

no iTunes tonight.

Tidbits

1. Very disappointed that the students are going away. Not because I will miss them as much as the super-slacker student mass at 9.30PM on Sundays. Nice and late, never a conflict, and guaranteed to have a priest I like. The kind who make fun of Go-Gurt in their homilies.

2. Had dinner with my local cousins who are so pleasant and domestic. And then we went to get custard at Scooters. In November. And I got the very last of the Pumpkin for the year!

3. Rehearsal is finally proceeding into staging. And it is very interesting to watch the collaboration of various artists and the delicacy involved. And the puppets ROCK! Absolutely mesmerizing.(this is the Snow Queen puppet on the floor.)

on iTunes: Snow Queen OST - "Once Upon a Time in Copenhagen"

OK Go

I had heard whisperings about it, but I finally remembered to check out the OK Go Treadmill video. All I can say: Omigod Amazing. I was perma-grinning for like an hour. It's terribly clever and infectious. And then upon further YouTubing, I discovered some of their other choreographed videos.

I remember first hearing OK Go when I was listening to WNRN when I first moved to Charlottesville. And now I am rediscovering the Chicago natives.

You must check it out here or here. Then check out their other stuff. Way cool.

Teaching

For a change of pace, we decided to show our dance kids a movie. Given that they have to skip class next week, I didn't think this was the best choice. Especially given how ornery they were acting last week, I didn't want to reward that.

I brought Take the Lead, which I checked out of the library, and a 6 pack of popcorn. I expected happy, pacified, QUIET, even grateful students. Nope. I got a bunch of punks. Everyone was super-chatty, which I guess I should have expected from a bunch of 6th graders. Did not expect them to complain about the popcorn, require breaks every 5 minutes, and be generally annoying. If the popcorn is so bland or burned, then why isn't there any more left on your paper towel?

And I am still the Bad Cop, because the other instructor waltzes in, and pops the extra bags of popcorn and lets them do whatever. I guess this is the difference in approach. Babysitter vs. teacher.

Now to try and teach them choreography.

watching Scrubs!

Day in the Life of an Intern

Decidedly unsexy. But not without perks.

On an average day, not unlike today, I will photocopy, fill parking meters, make coffee (which is at least an improvement from fetching it), and whatever else needs to get done. For the most part, I let my helpful side try to quell the bitter resentment. Or as Cheese Fiend helpfully put it - "personal favors."

After getting to know the stage manager from the last show, who is also working this one, I have become Intern #1, which mostly means I am the first person she asks for things. It does also mean that she sends me in with the director to observe staging (and take blocking notes). So it was great to watch a professional work, especially within the frame of a musical.

I have discovered that the key is to be the only intern there. For some reason, I have break-thrus on those days. On my first only-intern day for Snow Queen, I found myself sitting between the stage manager and director. (That's the other part about being Intern #1, I get to share the table with the stage manager). Unfortunately, this causes people to mistake me for a stage management intern instead of directing intern. Pesky.

And of course, the one week I will miss multiple rehearsals is the week we are doing staging. Ugh. But I can't get out of my plans, and I am too excited about going home to bail anyways. C'est la vie.

And my intern status is not limited to the confines of the rehearsal hall. I had a moment in a Trader Joe's (my first). What an amazing store! Blueberry Wheat Beer (being an intern makes you, um, thirsty), all sorts of hippie organic shit I covet but can't afford on my unpaid internship. Including some Canadian brie. Smear it on a crusty multigrain bagette with dried cranberries. Mmm. I was having major cheese lust. And if I thought I could justify the expense, I was certain I could not restrain myself from eating the entire wedge, because I have been having a bout of gluttony lately, and am generally pro-cheese. (And without the Cheese Fiend to slow me down, shame me or at least half the wedge with me, I REALLY couldn't do it.) Instead, I enjoyed a delicious and nutritious dinner of honey-wheat pretzel twists and chocolate frosting. I tried to get excited about an orange, but it just wasn't happening. Oh well.

Lest you think interning is all woe and deprivation, there are perks. Like knowing the box office staff who subsequently comp you into shows. This is excellent. Now if only these people also worked at more theatres...

on iTunes: Aphex Twin - "Stone in Focus"

BackBlog: Red Moon Spectacle

from October 9.

Chicago has a very diverse theatre scene, which includes alot of performance/circus arts. I saw Aloft Loft's Halloween show, as well as the annual Red Moon Spectacle. Red Moon does alot of spectacle-oriented work, playing with puppets and alternate storytelling. The Spectacle is staged in different outdoor space, with a different theme.


This year, the theme was Twilight Orchard. Staged in Columbus Park, which is bordered by water. Reminded me very much of Wunderkammer in Charlottesville. There were multiple stations featuring some image or character or vignette. There were also traveling skits and eerie waltz music. Very Alice through the Lookingglass.

It was fun to watch, both the spectacle and the other people. Little kids didn't quite know what to think, teenagers struggled to act jaded, and adults looked a little curious. It filled me with a sense of wonder and excitement. It was fun to straddle the line between spectator and participant.

I liked watching not only the costumes, but how they did tech in a park, the roving cart with Source 4s. Interesting group dynamic.

I posted a bunch of photos on flickr, too.

no iTunes. Getting me some Hugh Laurie hottiness via House.

Jesus Pizza

At least twice this weekend, I felt the hand of God directly intervening. Not at all grandiose or mystical, but I definitely felt like someone was directly addressing my concerns.

I had been deliberating whether or not to fly back to VA for Thanksgiving. And on Saturday, I was asked to work an extra two days at work. When I did a rough estimate on how much extra money I would make, it totalled 80 cents more than my plane ticket would cost. I took it as a sign I should fly to VA. So I will be celebrating a Cville Thanksgiving!

After super-slacker, student mass (9.30!), they had "Hospitality". I love Hospitality Sundays. Some sort of goodies (cake, juice boxes, etc.) on your way out. And this week, it was pizza. I have been craving pizza for like a week. But I without someone to share a pizza with, it is difficult justifying it. Also, I am not a "deep dish" kind of girl. In Chicago, this can be tricky. And I had staved off the temptation all of Sunday, especially since there is no place that just sells slices open on Sundays. Then, at the the end of my day, Jesus provided pizza! It's like he knew. Right up there with the Papa John's sticker we tacked to the fridge at Yellow House - "Your pizza experience managed by Christ" Who knew Jesus did delivery?

To follow up on the Jesus pizza, I bought a frozen diGiorno pizza for dinner last night. And that also hit the spot. Nice and crusty, lots of cheese. And no cat hair in my garlic sauce. Admittedly, no garlic sauce, but hey.

on Pandora: Holden & Thompson - "Come to Me"

Hair day

Pretty slow day, but it started well.

craigslist in town is filled with offers of free hair cuts and colors by student stylists. A few years ago, I had my hair highlighted for free at Carden Salon. It was very luxurious, and the tips of my hair are still brassy.

Today, I got a straight trim, for which I was way overdue. It was good to clean up all the split ends. And I got my hair washed, which I really love. Ah. Pretty smelling product and a pleasant stylist. I'm not really the chatty type, but we discussed recycling, which we both feel strongly about. Blow dry and flat-ironed.

I am a low-maintenance kind of girl. Wash, airdry, rake out. Mostly because I don't care that much, partially because I am ridiculously inept with such girly technology. It usually ends up badly, like multiple curling irons tangled in my crunchy hair.

Still thinking about hacking it all off again, but given how staticky my head gets, I hesitate making it any easier to look like the victim of a Van de Graaf generator.

BackBlog: Line Dancing is Hip?

Thursday afternoon means taking massive transit down to the Southside to teach dance to 6th graders for 2 hours. This is generally a tricky proposition with the kids, who have been at school since 8AM, and expected to retain some shred of attention span till 6.

My class size has fluctuated anywhere from 10-28. Unfortunately, the school keeps changing the format of their after-school programs, as well as their offerings. Somehow, Dancing has to compete with Construction. And construction is where the cool kids are. I have seen students of mine slink out of the cafeteria to join construction. And without any attendance sheets or clout, there is really no stopping them.

Unfortunately, the kids left in my class are not so much the ones who really want to dance as much as the ones who just aren't slick enough. I have also discovered that I am forced to be the Bad Cop, because I actually make them dance instead of lounge around or take millions of bathroom breaks, like Mr. Lamar (my co-teacher) will let them do. Then he comes in and puts on some hip-hop and teaches them a line dance they all love. Happy to see them excited about dancing. Not so happy about always having to be the bad guy.

But it was fun to watch. They have all these steps (with names like Chicken Noodle Soup), and they just bust out. Very dance-off.

(I would have posted this on Thursday after teaching, but I was mega slug who pretty much went to bed before some of the 6th graders I teach.)

Stupid Weather

Talk about capricious! Yesterday, it hit 70 degrees at Midway. Tonight, they are calling for snow. Well, flurries. WTF? If you want seasonal, come here. You can get three seasons in about 36 hours!

And to usher in the cold, we have had thunderstorms all evening. Under normal circumstances, I am a big fan of thunderstorms. Curl up on the bed with the lights out and watch the lightning out my wall-window, listen to it rattle against the skylight. Awesome. Walk home and back in under 2 hours = not awesome. This wasn't even a nice warm summer storm. No. It was 40 and blowing big drops. In the three blocks between the theatre and me, I got damn-near drenched. I also learned the value of a hood, especially versus an umbrella, which in the Windy City is merely a plaything. Given, the wind will blow your hood off, but the recovery is much quicker, no schlepping extra equipment, and generally more likely to keep you dry-ish.

And I was smart enough to pack an extra pair of pants and socks on my way back to the theatre after dinner. So I sat in the booth and ran captions in fleece-lined athletic pants and dryer-fresh socks. Ah.

And tomorrow it's just supposed to be cold. Not DAMN cold, but cold enough to require layers. Current estimate - 4.

on iTunes: Badly Drawn Boy - "The Shining"

Different dilemmas

Just past the halfway point in my internship/Chicago adventure, I am beginning to debate my next step.

The options:
1. Stay in Chicago. Pros: Great theatre scene, I like the city, I have a great place to live.
Cons: Damn cold. No playmates.
2. Move to Portland. Pros: Jenny. NOT damn cold. Cool place to live.
Cons: Another new city to learn and adapt to.

Grad school:
1. MFA: Ideally Wisconsin, if they would ever contact me. Con: Very difficult to get in to.
2. MA/MS-> PhD: A different approach. Less practical, more academic. Then again, I am a geek.
3. None: Degrees are not required to work in theatre, although they are helpful. Then again, maybe theatre is not my grown up future. (Had a bit of a creative crisis last night at Argonautika. I don't know if I will ever be able to do something that cool, because I am more editorial than "creative". *sigh*)

Easier:
1. Stay in Chicago for Thanksgiving: Wander around the zoo, or go with cousins to their family. Be available for rehearsals.
2. Go home to Charlottesville: bit more money, but the food and company would be amazing.

Thoughts?

on iTunes: Verve - "Sonnet"

Random thoughts rolling around

None of these are individually blog-worthy, but I'll dump my mental detritus here.

1. Gorgeous weather. Suddenly I am a fan of 50+ degrees. But tomorrow looks like 60s! Just 2 light layers!

2. Feeling jealous of a VG intern who I just learned also scored my 1st choice internship at Lookingglass. Erg. Shame he's so pretty too.

3. Of late, my abs have been very achy. Feels like I have done hundreds of situps, which my slack ass has not. Not sure how to explain, just hoping that my abs are kicking into gear without my direct effort.

4. I'm a big geek. Rented a documentary on Ancient Greece from the library. And it was awesome! Narrated by Liam Neeson. And I was all excited when I not only knew the place they were showing, but also knew I had been there! Woo! I should not have been as pleased as I was. On a Saturday night.

5. I was very disappointed to hear that Neil Patrick Harris is gay. Surprised, not so much.

6. Debating the merits of a haircut. Or more accurately, how much. It's all nasty on the ends. But trim or hack?

No iTunes. Watching Daily Show's Midterm Midtacular.

First Day of Rehearsal

After a month's down time between active rehearsal schedules, Snow Queen has started up. I have really been looking forward to this project for several reasons, including the visual concept and the director. I had seen the design presentation in workshop a couple of weeks ago, and was totally thrilled by the prospect. And as I have been doing more googling of my director, the better that part of the opportunity got. Frank Galati just finished with Pirate Queen, which is headed for Broadway. He also directed Ragtime, which is possibly my favorite musical and/or novel. Actually, I worked on the regional premiere at North Shore Music Theatre! Also, one of his proteges is Mary Zimmerman, who created/directed/adapted the Metamorphoses (the one with the pool) which struck me as elegant, brilliant and innovative. She specializes in retelling classical tales in a physical way, which are two of my pet interests. And I am seeing her Argonautika at Lookingglass tonight.

Well Frank struck me as very positive, energetic and someone great to work with. He walked right in and introduced himself, starting with the interns. And there are 3 of us. But the other interns seem very qualified. One is more dramaturgical. But it did bring out the competitive in me. Like I was talking to the Literary Manager about potentially directing a staged-reading, and the other intern started asking me all about it. So on one hand I wanted to tell her, because it is a cool opportunity, but on the other, I tried to guard the info. Oh well.

I am hoping that this project will have some real requirements or jobs for me. However, given the director and scope of the project, I think this is one of those projects that I really could learn by observation. Which I can't really say for the past project. I learned a different set of lessons which didn't have much to do with my craft as much as my industry. To put it politically.

First rehearsal was mostly the band trying to get through the songs, which frequently change. But they are terribly clever and amazing to listen to. Like I can't wait to get a CD and play it in my car.

Gotta run and catch a damn bus. Get out and vote, if you haven't already!

on iTunes: Cole Porter's "So in Love"

Ben & Jerry's

OK. I haven't posted anything in a few days partially because I have been extremely lazy, but mostly because I haven't had anything really blog-worthy to post. Unless you want 4 consecutive entries of: I'm lame. Worked, lounged in monkey pants, ate crap. Rinse lather, repeat.

So today, with absolutely nothing on my agenda and a beautiful day out, I forced myself to do SOMETHING. After a lazy morning, I pulled on a fleece and walked around the south end of the zoo. Spent some quality time in the monkey house again. The gibbons were extra feisty today. And I saw the world's biggest bunny. It was the size of a Volkswagen or something! I mean, it probably weighed 30 pounds.

And after a nice walk around the zoo and Lincoln Park, I decided to treat myself to a pumpkin cheesecake sundae from the Ben and Jerry's a couple blocks from my house, and conveniently between the park and my house. However, much to my infinite chagrin, it was closed. Like permanently! Ack! I was crushed.

However, I was delighted when my sister called and reported that Ben & Jerry had sent me a package. You see, I am a proud chunk spelunker. And if I could prove that I had tried at least 10 flavors, they would send me free stuff. And it was alot of stuff! It made my day! Woo! Ben and Jerry love me. Enough to write a personal note and everything.

I love Ben and Jerry's. Delicious, clever, socially responsible and fun. The most reliable men in my life. Always there when I need them.

Chicagoween

Halloween seems to be very big in town. They set up a Halloween house downtown, and Midnight Circus performs multiple times every day.

Lots of theatres do special Halloween shows. All of the bars were decorated with various flavors of Halloween festivities. Including a special guest appearance by the guy who played the principal on Saved By the Bell for the truly frightening.

Being lame and costumeless, I only ventured out in my jammies to get a donut from the White Hen. But I was impressed by the number of people I saw in costume. Lots of stupid girls dressing like sluts, like Halloween was a special occasion, as opposed to their standard-issue sluttery. Of the pair I had to follow behind the other night, I saw that one girl was entirely too comfortable in a leather micromini and thigh-high fishnets with garters. Her friend - not so much. Apparently opted for cheap thigh highs, no garters. And was constantly tugging at her costume or pulling up her saggy nylons. So annoying.

Saw a guy dressed as Pooh Bear, who I would be much more likely to talk to at a bar than the guy dressed as a breathalizer, complete with the blow tube conveniently located at his crotch. So classy.

But the best costume came at 9.30AM. A very smooth, suave guy in a black velvet suit, with black shirt and tie. Slick. Shaved head and a pair of horns discretely stuck to his forehead. He looked like a bad-ass demon. Or Aziraphale from Good Omens. I almost had to ask to take his pciture, if I wasn't running late for work.

on iTunes: Nicola Conte - "Arabesque"