... approved office spooky (Mid-Month Status Report)...

Origami Owl

This mid-month status report is focused on “office-appropriately spooky” attire.  I’ve let it be known that I work in an environment where I can get away with a bit more than most. I almost always have some sort of bat pendant/necklace/brooch/socks/hair bow on me while working. I do my job and earn excellent evaluations so no one says a thing. 

Last year, I just so happened to be wearing a skulls scarf (a black version of the one that Trystan is wearing in her picture) which is a bit unusual because I’m not really a skull kind-of-girl… at least not in my clothing. At the time, members of the English Department had just been introduced to the new dean who ended up sitting by me at a meeting. She asked me if I liked skulls. It was a bit of a puzzling question because without wearing a “I’m a goth girl” t-shirt or even stating it, EVERYONE on campus has picked up that I adhere to the goth aesthetic… and for whatever reason she hadn’t noticed my bat necklace or my hearse earrings.  My office has flying bats and coffins for décor. My vampire course made the Washington Post’s list "The 15 Oddest College Courses in the D.C. Region". It immediately made me feel uncomfortable when I responded, “For Halloween” because I was in fact wearing the scarf for the season; yet, that wasn’t the full answer. I responded so casually and I realized that she really didn’t know me, or perhaps anyone like me, and I should have used that as a teachable moment opportunity (after all, I am in the education profession).  I do try to keep things subtle so perhaps my attempt actually worked.

 
In the average day, I sneak in something *weird*. I really enjoy when people comment on something that they like only later to realize that they hadn’t realized it was a vampire teeth toile or the like. 

One of my favorite brooches is a skeleton. I actually saw it one Halloween morning on a woman who was in her 70s who was ordering coffee in a cafe. She wore it with a black & white knit blazer and she looked so put together. I asked her where she found it and luckily for me it was from a local boutique.

Hard to see but I worked the skeleton earrings into my recent Faculty ID retake

I think earrings and pendants are a great way to sneak in a bit of the spooky without drawing much attention especially in a conservative workplace.

... Halloween SHOVEL Contest Reminder...

Just a little nudge and a reminder about the Halloween Shovel Contest.

Maybe you'll bake a coffin cake *with a shovel*?!? Maybe you'll post your Halloween decorations *with a shovel*?!?

You can even take a bit of inspiration from
Lucretia's Reflection blog since she already posted her entry and I'm STILL laughing. 


Here's the contest! And it's pretty simple I think because really all you need is a shovel. Now, I presume the entries will be silly and fun but note my disclaimer... if you do something wicked or illegal, don't try to blame this blog or me for brainwashing you into it! (insert fussy face here) Here's what ya need to do:

1. Create a post with some sort of reference to a shovel. Preferably you should have a shovel in the picture somehow. That's right! Ha ha it's both garden and cemetery related AND you can even write, "I DIG..." just like my little skeleton artwork I entitled, "I dig your heart" which now that I look at it should be "I dig my heart".
2. Link your post to my Halloween post. I don't have any HTML coding to offer because I'm just not that fancy.
3. Write a comment with your post link on the Halloween post so that I know where to look. 
4. Because it's a Halloween contest, it's due on Halloween! October 31st before midnight. You have 31 days!

DISCLAIMER: This blog owner cannot be responsible for any arrests made due to your shovel habits e.g. if you bring a shovel into a graveyard, etc.

... a fall tradition/ date with my fella to Busch Gardens Williamsburg...

One of my fall traditions is to go to Busch Gardens Williamsburg with my fella.  We went on Friday night and had fun even though it rained for a bit. My fella doesn’t ride any rides so we go to haunted houses, scare zones and of course we like the shows. They’re always silly but that’s part of their charm. Night Beats is one of my favorites.

The park has gotten more and more crowded over the years. Because of that, we feel that the attractions have lost a bit of their pizazz. We used to be able to go through a haunted house and see actual scenes being acted out. Now we feel that it’s more of a scream-in-your-ear/ startle factor.

One of my favorite parts about the park is that they still have artisans. I have bought a hand-dipped candle from Candlemaker VA for the last few years. This year’s candle has a bat! ^o^ I also purchased some cute earrings from a woman who was housed inside the Halloween shop. Unfortunately, she failed to add a business card to the purchase so I can’t even advertise her products.

... considering leaves...

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree." ~ Emily Bronte

I believe I’ve cut my grass for the last time this year. I’ve pruned back the butterfly bushes not preparing for winter but just enough to clean up the yard and appear more welcoming. Butterflies are still visiting and they need a food source. Soon, they will disappear. It’s a time of transition in many ways. The season provides an opportunity to renew; it's a time to discover which parts of yourself you'd like to embrace and develop, and which parts of your summer skin you'd like to shed.

I’ve been dreaming of snakes lately. Snakes tend to show up in dreams in times of transition and transformation. Also, Freud would note that a snake is a phallic symbol. I think both of these interpretations make sense since I am getting married.  Snakes also terrify me in a startling you’re-not-supposed-to-be-here way. Considering my fella had to move into my house so suddenly because of a house flood, I think there’s a connection there too.

When I told my fella that I had another snake dream, he told me to go journal about it. I haven’t been journaling much lately and really I should. My life is changing and journaling helps me document not only what’s happening but how I’m feeling about it all. Another huge help in processing for me is going out to walk. This is the perfect time of year to take a walk… not that I ever mind walking in the hot-humid summer but now I can walk and reflect; the wind gently pushes me along. 

On Thursday, I went walking at Hollywood Cemetery. There are 2000 trees in Hollywood and yet I could only find one tree that was transitioning into fall. The last few nights have been more chilly and fall-like so I'm thinking that when I go again in a few days, I just may see some more orange, red, and yellow.

I want October to move slowly. Big changes are coming and although I feel ready, I want to appreciate each of the moments fully.

... haunted truffles to die for...

Moonstruck Chocolate 10 pc. Haunted House Chocolate Truffle Collection

This Haunted House collection features Moonstruck's Monster Mash truffles including the Crème Brulée Werewolf, Peanut Butter Ghost, Blood Orange Devil and Popping Praline Mummy truffles combined with their Toffee Frankenstein, Milk Chocolate Spider, Extra-Bittersweet Web truffle, Extra-Bittersweet Black Cat, Milk Chocolate Pumpkin and Extra Bittersweet Pumpkin truffles. Handcrafted and hand-decorated in Portland, Oregon. I ate the Blood Orange Devil and yum, he was tasty! My only complaint… What?!? No VAMPIRES!?!