Today 31Oct2023: Halloween 2023

It is Halloween, and I have had one trick-or-treater visit, Harper from next door. I tried to guess, but I did not connect to the show Wednesday until her mother said it: she is the too-nice werewolf girl in the show. Excellent! I am dressed up in my outfit for work, a three-piece suit with a top hat and Guy Fawkes mask–Anonymous, but most folks thought V from the movie I liked V too.

I put out the light pumpkins that were brought back from the shoe company in Air Volvo’s cargo hols. The pumpkins I carved and decorated went to work with me for our Halloween party, and then I returned to decorate the driveway and walkway. I was hoping the pretty lights would attract trick-or-treaters, but alas, no.

I was home before four to set up and wait for any early ones–sometimes, the neighbor kids would do the locals before heading out to a better-candied location. I ordered pud-thai and some crab ragoons delivered. I ate that in the living room, waiting for kids and watching House of Wax with Vincent Price from the 1950s, but in color. I try to catch an old scary movie with Vincent Price every Halloween. I have met his daughter at The H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival and have her biography of him somewhere, signed.

Before this, I was at the Nike WHQ in the Swift Building with quite a few people dressed up. No other Anonymous or V characters but me. I did my afternoon meetings in my mask on Zoom. Folks loved it. I also spoke to our SAP leader for the project while in my mask, which he found surreal as I suggested a support model for the upcoming go-live. We got a picture together, which will likely get some laughs at SAP. “We knew those Nike folks are weird; now we understand,” could be an imagined conversation.

Mark Parker, chairmen of the board of Nike and Walt Disney, came to our building to talk to us. Mark was a shoe designer who became CEO and served for thirteen years. He spoke about his experiences and said we should believe in ourselves, have faith, and try things. He is famous for saying folks are succeeding too much and thus are not trying hard enough–because they are not failing.

I skipped the pizza party and costume contest at the shoe company CORE team. Instead, I took one of my lighted pumpkins to the hummingbird house. Jennifer, the weekday nursing aide, was there and dressed in a comic shark costume with a tail. She loved the pumpkin I said was for Ely, her son. They loved the LED cut into the small pumpkin with a coin battery connected by electrical tape.

Vida was there, and she had been visiting her spouse for years; she is my hero. They all have been missing me and, of course, Susie. They still think they hear her and often walk into her room to see her, only to remember she is not there. They grieve with me in their own way. It was good to visit today in costume, and we took a picture of Jennifer and me together. While sad, we all felt better meeting again.

Soon, it will be The Day of the Dead, and I will put Susie’s pictures up and light a candle. While not my culture, I think it will be OK. We will let Susie find her way back for a day. I will put out her new skates so she can skate.

Before this, I started the day at 6AM and made breakfast of my new bread with butter and jam and a banana. Coffee was from the Smiths and is Zabar’s grind from NYC. While not liberal, it is NYC, which is good to remember, too. Susie’s last trip was to NYC.

Which reminds me, Yesterday I located and salvaged some of the bagels from the Smiths and Susie’s Aunt Joyce in North Carolina packages from Zbar’s. Thank you all! UPS had put the package at the local UPS store as our road was closed for construction. It was a surprise as mail and other deliveries worked, but at least that mystery is explained.

I did my usual reading of emails, Slack channel updates, and news. I showered, cleaned up, and then carefully dressed in a suit and my mask and tophat. I took Susie’s cane from China. It is made from a cast of an antique ivory cane and is quite heavy.

I arrived in costume and got help to carry in the decorations. We decorated our area for the party. Everyone loved my look. I then started my hours of meetings wearing my Guy Fawkes mask for the Zoom live view.

Aside: I had breathing issues all day and a bad asthma attack that had me nearly fall to my knees–I had to grab the table. I need to take my inhaler more often. I get going and forget that I can’t breathe well until I choke and see stars. Stupid, really, and I will try to do better.

Thanks for reading.