October Determination

Last weekend we totally rearranged our bedroom, and today we are going to IKEA for many, many storage items. I am so excited, because soon I will have my craft and art supplies out where I can access them and do things! I have scarecrows in my yard, the leaves are turning, I'm feeling better (thank you, probiotics) and soon there will be a Halloween countdown.



This year it's all about costumes.

Halloween Costume Countdown - Day 1

Halloween is all about the dressing up. Of course, in fandom, we find as many times and places to dress up as possible, but back in the day, Halloween was it.

Those who’ve read my countdowns (holy crow, this is the fifth one!) know I am into Halloween. Big time. So when I thought about costumes, I figured I’d have my mom send me pictures from beloved childhood Halloweens... of which I can only remember a handful. I emailed Mom and she called me later and said... “Honey, I’m so sorry, but I don’t have any pictures. In fact, I don’t remember us doing much for Halloween at all once your childhood best friend moved away when you were seven.”

And sure enough, that’s where my memories stop. I didn’t even do a ton in high school for Halloween. I remember a couple of parties, but that’s it. My mom and I hypothesize that my passion for the holiday as an adult grew from deprivation as a child! Actually, we always celebrated; we watched specials and read stories. Mom said I was sick a lot in October, which makes sense since I still struggle with allergies and asthma now in the fall. So I just didn’t go trick-or-treating a lot. That way I didn’t end up getting sicker or with razor blades in my apples, which was a big scare in my childhood.

But I have plenty of vintage costumes to share this month. We'll be looking at the history of Halloween costumes, both my own personal ones, as well as the broader expanse.

Get ready to dress up and holler "Trick or treat!"

Ten years

It's been ten years since one of the biggest fandom events I've been a part of - The Order of the Blessed St. Scully the Enigmatic (OBSSE)'s Scully Marathon for NF, Inc. (a charity for neurofibromatosis). One of the members was the redoubtable Betsey Dodd, the first person I knew who did vids. She did the bestest vids. I've often wished I had digital copies of my favorites. She did several... and now she's uploaded them to YouTube! Not all, but Gravity of Love, She Blinded Me with Silence, the Silent Pilot. They are all behind the cut.

( X-Files vids )

Nostalgic fandom times... I loved being a part of OBSSE back in the day.