Halloweening

I have always enjoyed certain parts of Halloween, but as a Christ follower, I've wrestled (and continue to wrestle) with why I am bothered by other parts of the day. I love the free candy and the experience of trick-or-treating (both as the receiver and as the giver), and I am a big fan of playing dress-up. I don't love the demonic or occultic or otherwise-creepy parts of Halloween and I'm not fond of the fact that the day is associated with fear and death, neither of which I celebrate and both of which Jesus conquered on the cross.

So, how will Hubbs & I spend the day tomorrow? I am going to school. I have work to do. He's coming with me. He has work to do...for me ;)

And when we're done, we'll head to an all-you-can-gorge sushi restaurant where the staff are completely costumed up, and the restaurant is covered from ceiling to floor with Halloween deco (webs, spiders, you name it - they've got it on their walls). We won't be dressed up, though I did toy with the idea of having Hubbs dress as Edward Cullen while I wore my most Bella outfit. He didn't bite (pun intended).

Anyway, we won't be trick or treating, 'cuz it's weird to do that as thirty-somethings with no kids. We also won't be doling out candy, since our building is mostly adult-inhabited and nobody trick-or-treats in high-rise condos.

I thought I'd do a little Halloween meme tonight, though, since I'm still feeling a bit sick (I called for a sub part-way through my day today; my cold and cough aren't getting worse but I'm not getting better either :S), and I've slept for most of the day so I'm awake at this late hour.

1. What is your favourite written work of horror fiction?
Does the Haunted Mansion choose-your-own-adventure book count? I haven't really explored this particular genre of literature.

2. What is your favourite work of science fiction/fantasy?
Devil on my Back by Monica Hughes.

3. Who is your favourite monster?
Edward Cullen ;)

4. What is your favourite horror movie?

I don't watch scary movies.

5. What horror movie gives you the most chills?
See previous answer.

6. What character from any horror film would you most like to play?
Does Twilight count? Because I'd want to be Bella.

7. Freddy or Jason?
Who? ;)

8. What is your favourite Halloween treat?
It used to be Kit-Kats and rocket candies. Nowadays, I'm a fan of those yummy Pillsbury sugar cookies with the pumpkins on them (but they're not good for me so I did not buy any cookie dough this Halloween).

9. Ghosts or goblins?
I don't believe in either. But how about vegetarian vampires?

10. Friendly-faced jack-o’-lantern or scary one?
I like the intricately carved pumpkins with scenes on them. Those are usually friendly scenes.

11. What is your scariest encounter with the paranormal?
Demonic attacks.

12. Do you believe in ghosts? Why or why not?
Nope. Once you die, you enter into an eternity that is either Heaven/Paradise or Hell/Hades. Earth is not one of your choices.

13. Would you rather be a zombie, alien, or psycho?

I would rather be an alien in this world ;)

14. Favorite Halloween costume?
One day I'd like to dress up as Jasmine from Aladdin. So far I haven't had a favourite costume, mostly because I haven't ever bothered to invest a lot of money on a thoroughly-convincing costume. I did like my Little Red Riding Hood get-up though.

15. Best thing about Halloween?
The excited little faces that go trick-or-treating.

16. Person in your family who most likes Halloween (not counting yourself)?
I think it's my mother-in-law.

17. Are you superstitious?

Not at all.

18. Share an unusual Halloween story.
I don't have one.

19. What did you do for Halloween as a kid?
I dressed up and went trick-or-treating with my mom and my siblings. In hindsight, my costumes sucked and I hope that when I have kids, I will pick better costumes for them than vampires and princesses.

20. What’s the best Halloween party that you’ve attended?

I haven't actually attended that many, so it's hard to select a "best."

21. What is the worst treat to get when trick-or-treating?

Peanuts in the shell, raisins, and those nasty Halloween candies in the orange and white wrappers.

22. How many Halloween, Friday the 13th, or Nightmare on Elm Street movies combined do you have on dvd?

None. I think the scariest DVD I own is Planet of the Apes (though technically, that belongs to Hubbs).

23. Lamest costume you have worn on Halloween?
I'm pretty sure it was the princess dress, which was covered up during trick-or-treating by my very puffy winter coat. I think one year I didn't even dress up, and that's lame.

24. Have you ever had nightmares about a scary movie character chasing you?
Not that I can remember.

25. Strangest Halloween custom you’ve heard of?
The truth is, there is nothing stranger than the current practices of Halloween. To someone from another part of the world, try explaining the following:

- carving up a giant orange squash and putting it on your doorstep/porch with a candle in it

- dressing up like some ridiculous character that you aren't, complete with wigs and make-up

- knocking on strangers' doors and asking for food or candy

Have a safe Oct. 31st, everyone!

Long Hours, Long Days = MIA for Long Periods of Time

Story of my life, really. Now that I'm a bonafide full-time first grade educator, I pull an obscene number of hours every day. I don't mean a standard 9 hour day either, people. We're talking Mon-Fri, 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. (11 hours), plus every Saturday for somewhere between 3 and 8 hours. And you wondered why I haven't blogged! ;)

Hubbs has accused me of becoming a workaholic, and I can hardly blame him; the guy hardly gets to see me, save for a couple of hours in the evening when I'm already dead tired. Unfortunately for me, I am a perfectionist and there is a lot to do (even for slackers), though I'm told that this is entirely normal for any teacher the first year that they teach a grade, whether they have previous teaching experience or not. I'm also reassured on a weekly basis that things will get better....next year. This means that both Hubbs & I can look forward to 6-day work weeks for the foreseeable future, at least until June.

But before you think I'm a Bitter Betty about the situation, let me reassure you that there are many silver linings to this whole full-time work business. First of all, it's additional income, and at a time in our economy when so many are losing jobs or losing hours, I am beyond blessed to be working steadily.

Secondly, I love my job. I love the cute little faces that greet me every morning, and I love the hugs I get from students who spontaneously wrap themselves around my waist. I love the giggles, the stories, and the generally-positive energy that buzzes around my classroom. It is my calling and I enjoy what I do, and I recognize that not many people can say that about their professions or jobs.

Finally, I get to be released from the chores of housekeeping for the time being. You see, now that we're a DINK family, we can justify hiring a housekeeper to come in bi-weekly to do our floors and windows and bathrooms for us. What a luxury! Plus she's really thorough, so when I come home after our cleaner has come, I am always delighted by the lack of dust bunnies trolling behind my entertainment centre. Hubbs has also picked up some of the slack (dishes, laundry) since he's home during the day. I love being able to share these household duties with my man and not have to shoulder the burden all on my own.

So, all in all, it has been a refreshing change of pace for me. I am tired, yes, and I am also a bit too busy to commit to many other things, but the pay off of working in a place and with a group of people (both the kids and the grown-ups) that I love is such a blessing. I really can't complain. But I might be MIA for a while. Now you know why! :)

No Time to Pee

Some of you may know that I have an inhumanly small bladder. If I consume even half of my required daily intake of H2O, I'm rushing to the bathroom every couple of hours.

Well, now that I'm a Gr. 1 teacher, you can scratch that. I barely have time to drink water, but when I do, I must hold it in and do the squeezy dance for a long while. Some days, I only manage to fit in a potty break at the end of the day (that's around 3:00 p.m. after all the kidlings have been safely dismissed into trusted hands). Miraculously (and I do consider it a miracle), I haven't wet myself yet, and I'm also developing supernaturally strong muscles in my nether regions.

Of course, there have been a few close calls and rushed power-walks to the staff washrooms, but if being in Gr. 1 has taught me anything, it's the ability to hold it in.

So yay for Gr. 1! :)

Not a Natural Beauty

Arguably, not a beauty at all, but I'm told I'm cute. If only this were true in my natural state, but alas, not so much; my bare naked face is about as attractive as my bare naked body ;). My "public face," the one that you might see, takes about 25 minutes to apply, and costs me more than I care to admit, every couple of months when supplies run low.

So what is the price of beauty (besides having to wake up an extra half hour every morning to attain it)?

Well, let's outline all of the steps and products that I use (as of today):

1) Lancome Primordiale moisturizer with SPF15 - applied to whole face

2) Neostrata HQ Lightening gel - applied only to cheeks

3) Vichy Aqua Thermale eye gel - applied to eyes

4) Smashbox Light Primer - applied to t-zone

5) Smashbox Halo Moisturizing mineral powder - applied to whole face (kabuki brush)

(Getting tired yet? That's just the base, my friends).

6) PurMinerals Bronzer - contouring face (Purminerals brush)

7) PurMinerals Blush - highlighting cheeks

8) PurMinerals Brow Perfection - wax, then powder applied to my eyebrows (Quo & MAC angled brow brushes)

9) PurMinerals Intensity gel/cream liner - applied to eyelids (Quo liner brush)

10) Lancome Oscillating Cils Booster - applied to lashes

11) Lancome High Definicils Mascara - lashes again

- then comb out with Sephora lash comb

12) MAC Lipliner - outline lips

13) Lancome lipstick - apply to lips

Pretty intense, eh? This doesn't even include the make-up I'd have to use for evenings, like eye shadow, or extra lotion support for saggy eye/big pore days! Once you factor in the face-washing and make-up removing products, my collection probably looks pretty daunting and absurd. Can't wait to see what my mom says when she sees everything tonight (she being the complete opposite of me)! ;)

Why do we ladies (some of us, anyway) feel the pressure to look like supermodels in the first palce? Why don't most men feel the urgent need to reduce their pore sizes, reduce fine lines, and even out their skin tones? Even as I type this, I readily acknowledge the ridiculousness of following these many steps in a routine every single morning, and the fact that I probably don't need to wear so much *stuff* does not escape my rational mind. That said, there is something emotionally satisfying about being dolled up; I'd be lying if I said that these steps didn't make me feel more attractive, even if the end result isn't all that different to others whether I'm bare-faced or not.

In the end, isn't that what counts? How *I* feel about how I look? Certainly, there are limits and I'm not about to inject poisons into my face or invite scalpels into my body to manipulate it to look a certain way just so that I can feel good about myself, but stockpiling make-up like it's Armaggedon is still within the realm of reasonable, right? (Work with me here. ;) ). Half an hour a day isn't too horrible, is it? I feel a lot better having gotten this off of my chest, at any rate. I feel even better since I already "put my face on," too! Now I'm ready to go out in public, feeling good and looking pretty, even if it's not the natural variety! ;)

I Need Me a Good Man....dolin Slicer

You always want what you don't have, or in my case, I never knew I wanted what I wanted until I needed it. In this case, it's a kitchen mandolin, also known as a slicer contraption (not unlike those as-seen-on-TV kitchen miracle gadgets).

When we registered for our wedding, I had no idea this handy little tool even existed, or else I definitely would have registered for it. Growing up, we sliced everything by hand, and my dad - being a pro chef - didn't even need a sharp Santoku in order to thinly slice his potatoes, tomatoes, and onions. I figured that thin slicing was simply a skill naturally acquired upon growing up, or perhaps as a result of inheriting his talented culinary genes. Not so.

I am a terrible slicer. Tonight, in trying to thinly slice my sweet potatoes (to make sweet potato chips in the oven), I nearly thinly sliced my finger off. Thankfully, no blood was shed and no sweet potato was wasted, but there were a few near-misses and close calls. Some of my slices from my just-sharpened Henckels knife managed to reach optimal thinness, but just as many ended up sort of thick, and a few ended up being half-moon shaped bits.

So now I'm seriously considering putting down good money on a slicer. Although I think my food processor also has a slicing function, a cursory cost-benefit analysis of using that monstrous beast of a small kitchen appliance shows that this is not a viable option. The time I would need to spend dragging that thing out, setting it up, taking it apart, cleaning it, reassembling it, and putting it away would far outweigh any benefits enjoyed from having thinly sliced delicious sweet potato chips. A mandolin, on the other hand, is small and easy to clean, and is designed specifically for such an event as making oven-baked chips. It would also make slicing tomatoes for my bison burgers a much more appealing task.

Now I just have to convince Hubbs that I *need* a mandolin. He isn't always easy to persuade, especially since several costly small appliances still sit inside our kitchen shelves unused.

I will also have to price out a quality mandolin. I thought my Pampered Chef chopper (an impulse buy) would be durable, but with just one drop it fell apart and broke. I've since learned my lesson and now I will be dutifully doing my google research before investing in another chopper (though I have to confess, Slap Chop Vince almost has me convinced already).

If you can recommend a good mandolin and save me some time, let me know! Until then, I guess I'll have to deal with burnt chips, crispy chips, and thick sweet potato slices that aren't very chippy at all.