The Halloween Grinch

I realized something about myself today. I am a Halloween Grinch. I don't pass out candy, I don't dress up, I don't carve pumpkins. I just don't do Halloween.

Not sure when my Halloween Grinchiness started, but I think I can trace it back to the year my mom made kcsis and me Raggedy Ann and Andy costumes. I was in the first grade and all the kids teased me about the red yarn wig my mom had made. Now, don't get me wrong, my mom is one hell of a seamstress and she made great costumes, but that wig thingy was the bane of my existence for two years, because the following year, she reused it for my clown costume. And thus, the Halloween Grinch was born.

The only Halloween tradition I like is going to the Haunted Houses. Kansas City is famous for a lot of things (BBQ, jazz, the Chiefs choking during the playoffs...) but what you may not know about KC is that at the beginning of every October, the West Bottoms come alive (so to speak) with zombies, ghouls and ax murderers when the haunted houses open. These places are old, huge, empty, creaky warehouses that during normal times are pretty scary, but come October they get a Halloween make over and become even more spooky. Every year, my mom would take me, kcsis and several of our friends downtown to places called 'The Edge of Hell' or 'Catacombs' to get the crap scared out of us. It was awesome. I won't deny that I was (and still am) a huge chicken when it came to going through these places and screamed like a 6 year old sissy. And the only reason I'm admitting it is because kcsis will totally rat me out in the comments if I tried to pretend otherwise, wouldn't you sis? It seems that not even the ghouls of hell could scare the Grinch out of me though.

So, tonight while other people are oohing and ahhing over tots dressed as princesses or pirates and sullen 15 year old kids dressed like sullen 15 year old kids, I'll be watching a movie and pretending I'm not home. All hail the Halloween Grinch!!!

Game. On.

Rockies in 5.

Edited 26 Oct: Erm, and by 'Rockies in 5' I meant Rockies in 7.

On top of a glacier...all covered in snow

This is one of my favorite pics from our Alaska trip.


The kcfam at the musher's camp on Mendenhall Glacier

(title of this post courtesy of kcsis)

Apples and Wine

Got this in an email from a great friend of mine and it made me chuckle:

Women are like apples: the best ones are at the top of the tree. Most men don't want to reach for the good ones because they are afraid of falling and getting hurt. Instead, they sometimes take the apples from the ground that aren't as good, but they are easy to get. The apples at the top think something is wrong with them, when in reality, they're amazing. They just have to wait for the right person to come along, the one who is brave enough to climb all the way to the top of the tree.

Now Men....men are like a fine wine: they begin as grapes, and it's up to women to stomp the shit out of them until they turn into something acceptable to have dinner with.

Better late than never...Alaska pics

Adobe, our lead dog at the dogsled camp on Mendenhall Glacier


kcsis and kcmom on Mendenhall Glacier


Dodie at the dogsled camp on Mendenhall Glacier


View of Mendenhall Glacier from the helicopter


Flying back to Juneau


kctl sporting the latest in helicopter chic headphones


Dodie with Ramone, Emmerson and Carmo, my favorite bartenders


Dodie and kctl's Pyrat Isle (being on a cruise ship causes you to do weird things - like make cookie islands)


The sole inhabitant of Pyrat Isle, kicking back on his lime rind hammock and enjoying a foo-foo cocktail drink


Dodie on float trip down Skagway River


Booger Butt on the Chilkoot Trail in Klondike National Park


View from the train in Skagway


On the train in Skagway


Booger Butt on the train in Skagway


View from ship porthole - bits of ice as we get closer to the Hubbard glacier


Hubbard glacier close up


Hubbard glacier


kcmom and Booger Butt at Hubbard Glacier


Dodie and Booger Butt in Sitka

"Goin' to Kansas City...Kansas City, here I come..."

I'm headed home tomorrow and I couldn't be more excited.

Since I've moved, I've seen my family a lot more that I thought I would. Of course it helps that Grandad lives roughly halfway between Denver and KC, which makes it pretty convenient to meet there for a weekend. Even so, I still miss them and it's great to be going home. And not just to see family either. I haven't been to KC in a year and that's the longest I've ever gone without a visit. It's been a year since I've seen some of my friends and I can't wait to just hang and be, you know? It's been a year since I stepped foot in Arrowhead...can't wait to see my Chiefs live and in person.

There's much drinking and catching up to do. Better batten down the hatches, folks...kcterrilynn is coming to town!!

Touch

Everybody needs touch

Someone to hold them

When life gets to be too much

Ramble on

Some Wednesday rambles for you:

• I got home from work yesterday and could only find one cat. Uh-oh. 'Guinney...here kitty.' My answer was a faint 'merow.' Double uh-oh. I checked the linen closet in case I had accidentally closed him in (he likes to sleep on the bottom shelf)...no Guinness. Again, 'Guineeeeeey.' And again my answer was a 'merow' but it was a bit more pissed off and coming from...the dining room? I opened up the pantry door and just about got run down by a black streak as it headed down the hall to the litter box. I shut my cat in the pantry that morning. Oops.
• Every day on my way to and from work I drive by a doll shop that has a display of doll heads in the front window. Talk about creepy.
• Why oh why did the Viagra people have to desicrate "Viva Las Vegas" in their ads? Whoever sold them the rights to that song (I'm not sure Lisa Marie and Priscilla own them anymore) should be pelted with olives.
• Was passed by a guy this morning in a tricked out Bronco-mobile who had an LED display on his license plate frame that read "Jaguars suck...Colts suck..." Suppose he's going to list every team that the Broncos lose to this season?
• I had a dream the other night that when I went home for a visit everyone ignored me...even my mother! I called her the next morning and was like 'Dude! You were totally ignoring me! What's up with that?' She promised not to do it again.
• Is there any product that Peyton Manning won't shill for? I'm already bracing for his "Do you ever get that not so fresh feeling" douche commercial that Massingill will unveil during the Super Bowl.

Happy Hump Day!

Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks

The Rockies have made it to the post season and this town is going nuts. I missed the end of the game last night (in fact, went to bed around the 11th inning) but was woken up by honking and screaming to hear that the Rockies beat the Padres 9-8 in 13 innings.

And for the first time since 1985 I will watch the MLB playoffs. Then I cheered for the Royals, this time I'll cheer for the Rockies, because as the song says: "Root, root, root for the home team..."

(Just don't expect me to apply the same logic if the Donkeys happen to make it to the NFL playoffs...'cause: just no.)

Go Rockies!!!!

Happiness is...

sleeping in on Sundays

fresh baked cookies

hugs and kisses from Booger Butt and Dodie

an unexpected phone call from a long lost friend

the view on SH-93 driving to Boulder

girl's night

flirting with the cute HVAC guy

Arrowhead on a perfect fall day

finding $20 in the pocket of an old jacket

Annie Lennox

Friends, both old and new

broken-in-just-right flannel sheets

margaritas at The Rio

watching the Aspens change

"I love you..."

driving aimlessly with the top down

going home

me