GimletBlog

Over the years, Thing One has been a very good sport about helping his little brother at the Trunk or Treat:

Now that it is very likely Thing One will be serving his LDS mission during Halloween 2013, it seemed like a good idea to take one last Halloween picture of the two brothers … at least for two years.

Thing One had to admit he enjoyed being asked what his costume was, and when he answered, “I’m the Doctor,” the inevitable response followed.  Nerd humor for the win!

Thing Two was delighted to meet one other Dalek (a fourth grader) at the school’s Halloween Prowl.  Uncharacteristically for Daleks, they participated in the parade (including climbing the staircases) without exterminating their classmates.

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Why do tree leaves turn red or yellow in the fall?
Learn the answer on this stroll through the Arboretum courtesy of the Seattle Times.

• Haunted Hikes, by the Washington Trails Association, showcases spooky rambles around the state.
• How well do you know Gothic fiction? Take the Guardian’s quiz.  What, you’ve never read The Castle of Otranto, with its Monty Pythonesque Giant Helmet O’ Doom?  Tsk.  Well, at any rate, all family members should know the answer to #10.
• If you’re all about the sugar, Zillow’s Trick or Treat Housing Index will direct you to the top five Seattle neighborhoods providing the most candy with the least walking and minimum safety risks.

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Trick or Treat:

• Pumpkin Way is an inspiring gallery of cool-and-creepy pumpkins, with tips, wallpapers, a screensaver and more.
• Check out ThinkGeek’s geeky pumpkin template contest.  First place wins a Tauntaun sleeping bag, no joke!

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It was a dark and stormy night (and day) this Halloween.  We missed out on the church’s annual Trunk or Treat party, which was held the weekend before Halloween, but Thing One had a great time at the youth group party earlier this week.  The highlight of the evening was the blindfolded “guess that food” game, only this time the mystery items weren’t innocuous peeled grapes, Jell-O, and such:  instead the teens plunged their fingers into genuine sheep’s tongue, heart, and brains (all of which our YM president, a.k.a. “Igor”, procured at the Pike Place Market).  A pumpkin carving contest, bobbing for apples, and cookie decorating rounded out the evening’s fun.

Thing Two was a monkey this year, from his fuzzy costume to his favorite monkey T-shirt and his Halloween monkey socks.  Now those were a lucky find!  Thing One was a rugby player this year, but Uncle B. thought it was a teenager costume.  While Thing One was at school, Thing Two helped make Halloween cupcakes.  We don’t get many trick-or-treaters as it is, and the rain and cold kept them away this year.  As a result, we have a nearly full candy bowl which ought to keep Team Gimlet on a sugar high until it’s time to bake Christmas cookies.

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Last Saturday was a beautiful fall day, and for once we didn’t have any home improvement projects demanding our attention, so we spent the morning at the zoo.  The Pumpkin Bash was this weekend, but the animals we saw weren’t cooperating with their pumpkin treats (see the zoo’s blog for some videos of the hippos bobbing for pumpkins the previous week).  We still had a great time watching the animals and admiring all the different carved pumpkins lining the walking paths.

Thing Two’s favorite animals were the tigers and lions, the gorillas and giraffes, and the great horned owl.  Thing One enjoyed taking pictures of all the animals, but always has a soft spot for tigers.  See all the pictures from our day at the zoo in the Gimlet Gallery.

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This year’s Halloween was very mellow. As usual, the first frost took place about a week before, making for lovely, chilly morning walks through the leaves with Thing Two. The Trunk or Treat party we attend was held the weekend prior to Halloween so we could hand out candy at home on the holiday.

Thing One had a little difficulty choosing a costume this year; the stores were full of pirate costumes and very little else. It seemed like piracy would be our only option until we found a Viking costume. And sure, Thing Two looks cute and cuddly, but the venom of a blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena lunulata) can kill an adult human in minutes. Even so, it’s hard to decide which is scarier: Thing Two’s costume, or the fact that his mommy is enough of a fish nerd to make this connection. Thing Two was not very cooperative for pictures, but there are a couple more of him in his costume in the Gimlet Gallery.

The Gimlet spent Halloween finishing the last major task of our remodelling project: carpeting the staircase. He’ll be posting a project wrapup soon (hint, hint) so for now we’ll just say that the hours of hammering and staple gun noises lent a poltergeist effect to our home for the evening.

Thanks to recent dental work still in progress, I’ve been saved from eating too much candy, but I thoroughly enjoyed this little limited-edition Halloween treat from Valancourt Books. Like the tiny goodies Thing One brought home, this “fun size” Gothic short story was cute and sweet; just the right amount of skeletons and witches to finish up our quiet holiday.

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In this part of the world, Halloween is usually the week of our first frost, so the Things wear the warmest costumes we can find. Team Gimlet attends the annual Trunk or Treat in the church parking lot, where the adults guzzle hot cider to stay warm while the kids run from car to car (some elaborately decorated, some not), collecting about one ton of candy each (You think I’m exaggerating?). The Trunk or Treat is always a fun way to socialize, catch up with old friends and contract hypothermia at the same time.

Thing One usually requests a homemade costume (once he wanted to be Spaceman Spiff; another year, StrongBad) but this time he wanted to use a previous year’s knight costume, perhaps in homage to the computer game he plays with his uncles. Thing Two was a frog, in heavily insulated polar fleece. Stranger anxiety is always an issue with Thing Two, and the strangers were especially strange Halloween night, so he spent the evening on the verge of tears. Truly it’s not easy being green.

After the Trunk or Treat, we put Thing Two to bed and let Thing One stay up a little later than usual to watch F.W. Murnau’s classic film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922). This unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula is justifiably praised for its use of imagery and unique portrayal of the vampire, Count Orlok. Werner Herzog’s very faithful 1979 remake is also one of my favorite films. Thing One was very interested in the special effects Murnau used to make the Count seem otherworldly.

Several editions are available; ours is distributed by Image Entertainment and features color tinting (blue for night scenes, sepia for day), a choice of two scores (organ or the eclectic Silent Orchestra), and a fascinating collection of production images and commentary by Lokke Heiss. A quick search turned up countless reviews and commentaries, and these two, by Jerry Saravia and the Silents are Golden web site respectively, are worth perusing.

Last, to finish off the holiday evening, I received a little treat in my email.

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