Worst Hallowe’en Ever

Last night was such a bust.

We didn’t even get home until after 6. This is even after I left work early (by coming in early) at 4:30 to slightly beat the rush hour traffic. It took me over an hour to make a 1/2 hour trip to Waterloo. At least coming home only takes a half hour like it’s supposed to. That drive infuriates me every day because it’s so useless and frustratingly slooooow. And there’s usually at least 1 or 2 people who seem to have absolutely no clue how to drive a motor vehicle. I’ve got an allergy to stupid that causes my road rage to flare up. I don’t usually drive more agressively, but I get super steamed and hate everyone.
Anyway.
Since we have been so busy lately, and my parents visited this weekend, we hadn’t carved our pumpkins yet. We started as soon as we got home. I just made the same Devil Flanders one from last year, only it looked shittier because I was in such a rush. Josh had been going to do one of the VGCats ones, but didn’t want to spend the time printing it out, so he just made a scary face type one.
Sucky pumpkins suck.

This is all, of course, on top of the fact that my costume wasn’t 100% complete either. I wore it to work with the legs held together with safety pins. Even though my co-workers all thought it ws as really cool, it felt really lame.

This was the first year since leaving home that I’ve had real Hallowe’en decorations. I went out and got a little string of LED pumpkin lights and a handing ghost with plastic hands and face that lit up for the porch, and a cheap plastic skeleton to hang on the front door.

And we got about 10 kids. All night. After rushing costumes and pumpkins and getting decorations and candy ready, our doorbell only rang 3 times. Blah.

When we finally decided that no more kids were coming (9:30), we turned out the light and went to bed. We had been planning on wandering over to Paul & Robyn’s place because they are within walking distance, but we were both too tired and frustated so we just went to sleep. Yay sleep.

If my costume hadn’t sucked, it would have been awesome, though. It’s a faun. ^_^
I’ve even got digitigrade legs (that’s where the stripper boots and insultion foam came in), which looked good despite the quality. The legs are missing the fethering around the hooves, which would hide the bright white boot heels, but I didn’t have time to add that.
At least the boots themselves are reusable (for this costume) even though the pants need to be re-made and I still have to make the “real” top – the toga top in the photos is mainly a concession to the fact that I wore it to work. Here’s some photos:

2027303324
I blame Josh for the quality of the photos, and the fact that I was cranky and tired when they were taken. They will be replaced when I get it completed “for real”. ^_^

Top Secret

I had a much better idea!
And hopefully, with 3 weeks left to go before Hallowe’en, I can pull it off in time! ^_^
It’ll be cool if I can make it work. Cool enough to take to Dragon*Con next year (with a few modifications to take it from Safe For Work for this year, to Not Quite Safe For Work for D*C, of course ^_~)

I’m not saying what it is just yet, in case I can’t manage it in 3 weeks, because I know all my adoring fans *cough* would be distraught. I will say, however, that it involves these:
Fancy Boots
White ones, actually. But you’d never know it once I’m through modifying them! ^_^ Whee!

Costume Conundrum

I’m not sure what to do about Hallowe’en this year. With the new job, the move, and the wedding, I’ve run out of time to pull together a costume that I’d actually like once I was done making it.
In which case, I’ve decided to just buy a costume this year. Because I have a job and can.

I’m stuck, however, on what I should actually be. I’ve browsed the costumes sites, ebay, etc, and have come up with few ideas.
My options seem to be:
a) get a costume that I like the look of and think would be fun to wear, like Saber but that no one around me (coworkers, most friends) exept Josh who suggested it a while back, would really know who/what it’s supposed to be (I could very well be surprised, however…) .
b) get a “traditional” costume, or at least an easily recognisable costume, and at the moment I’m thinking that would be a Star Trek costume (DS9 Science Officer, if anyone cares), because at least it would be easy to move around in.

Most costumes marketed for Hallowe’en wear are low-quality and they look it, so I’d rather not be one of those.

Either of those sound good? I’m also open to new suggestions! ^_^
I’m just sick of my default costume being a cat, because I still have the ears/tail I picked up years ago when I had no costume, and every year that I don’t have time to come up with something good (aka every year for about the past 5) I’ve just done that. It’s boring, and for once I have time to get a good costume (if not actually make one this year).

Also, is anyone having a Hallowe’en party or anything this year? Josh and I had wanted to host one, and do a dual housewarming/Hallowe’en party with all your local(ish) peoples, but at the moment we don’t think we’ll have the house in order by that time (not getting home from work until 7pm and taking a distance ed course means things get unpacked and sorted very slowly) so we probably won’t be able to. We will host one next year, and it’ll be a costume party (don’t worry, there’ll be alcohol) so consider yourselves warned. ^_~

Edit: the subsequent dumping of $1000 into my car today (brakes + steering rods that ruined the brakes) probably means I now must scale down my plans of buying a costume, and will probably end up in a cheap Trek jumpsuit. Go me. *sigh*

Yayz

Lookit me!

I’m back on Teh Internets!
From the comfort of my own home… and that home is a house!

It’s got some issues to work out, but all our stuff has been moved in now.

More will be posted after I sleep.

I have a REAL job!

As the title implies, I am once again employed!
Not just any old job this time, and actual career job in my field, with actual chances for advancement within the company!

I’m going to be working for a new branch of a small lab media company. It’s still quite small, but growing.

They make growth media, mainly for IVF. That’s in vitro fertilization, if you are unsure. The irony is not lost on me.

But I get to work in a brand new, well-equipped lab, in the city I want to live in! *squee*

It’s technically an entry level position, since I am still just a fresh graduate, but it starts at [something very nice].
To that I say: Awesome!
However, they want to train me up the way they like, and want me to head the lab once I’m trained and have some experience under my belt. Woo hoo!

I went through 2 interviews (including spending time on a Saturday watching and learning what the actual process entailed) and was potentially going to have to site through a third. They got burned pretty bad by the last person they hired – she didn’t want to do some parts of her job, like cleaning the lab (It’s a clean room, it’s not like we can hire Molly Maid to come clean it for us!) or proper filing. On top of that, she quit via phone call, while the boss was overseas at a conference, stating that the job clashed with her morality (why the hell would you apply to a job that makes media for IVF, if you believe IVF is playing God and therefore wrong?).

So they wanted to be darn sure I didn’t suck, and would actually do my job.

They also kept stressing that they were looking for someone to stay with the company for years. Me, me! I want some o’ that modern day equivalent to job security, please!

*squeeing happy dance*

The recap:
-Job in my field
-Full time, permanent (not contract work)
-Pays well (has benefits, but I don’t know the details yet)
-Is in the city where I want to live
-Is near places where Josh can find a job
-Potential for growth and promotion

Sounds good to me! ^_^

So watch out, Guelph! Here we come (again)!
(Speaking of which, we’ll be in Guelph probably Friday and Saturday looking for a place to live. If you know of housing listings somewhere besides UoG and the newspaper, please let us know!)