H-a-"double l"-oh-"double u"-...

Sorry, I'm trying to work in some sort of Halloween imagery, but am failing misearably. I blame the total lack of dancing glow in the dark skeletons and those little plastic spider rings that look cool but really only cut the hell out of your fingers. It's just not halloween without them.

At my elementary school, Halloween was an epic undertaking, rivaled only by Homer's epics. Preperations began no less than a month ahead of time, learning ghost related songs like the one in the title, that to this day are how I remember how to spell the the word halloween.

There were also elaborate costume considerations to be made, ranging from the custom made high quality costumes, or the lazy man's store bought platic crapfest I tended to prefer.

I do remember two of my cooler costumes, one being a devil, and another being an evil blood stained butcher with a still beating heart. I was quite proud of that one.

I actually still have the devils mask from my old costume in storage somewhere, the rubber band broke jyst last year as I was hanging it on my wall.

Amazing considering the cheapness of one of those plastic masks, because I don't remember any other costume I ever wore not having the single rubberband break before the first house we visited.

We also had this big parade at our Elementary school, where everyone in all of the classes put on their costumes and paraded around for the parents to see. Photo ops for the cutes and best. I never won, seeing as that plastic beating heart just seemed to come off as gross, not cute.

After the parade, we were allowed to go home, then we waited till dark (!) to go trick or treating in a neighborhood nearby. The best thing I ever got was a Star Wars ewok action figure, the worst being a tie with either pennies or an apple.

My Dad would also use the excuse of "checking the candy" for saftey (razor blades and such) as an excuse to eat all the "good stuff".

In all my years at home, we only received one trick or treater, and my mom gave her an entire butterfinger because we had no othet candy in the house after a frantic search.

Ok, that's about all the halloween related nostalgia I can muster. Good memories, every one, except that one year I went as a ghost. How lame wad that sheet?