Silly Scary Day Gets Real

When I was a kid, Halloween was my favorite holiday.  I loved to be scared.  The high point was when I was a young teen, and my friends and I , a step or so below actual delinquents, would roam South Central Nassau County egging the houses of people we felt deserved it, and shaving cream (a verb) any girls from our junior high school we encountered.

I actually nearly died one Halloween.  Nassau cops would stop you, and smash your pockets to crush any eggs you were carrying.  I had a bunch, and my friend yelled that there was a cop nearby.  I took the eggs I had and put them into an open base cover on a nearby street lamp.  When the cops passed, I went to retrieve them, and got an electric shock that knocked me back literally 10 feet.  I guess the Big Man decided that a stupid 13 year old didn't need to die that day.  I still remember the awful feeling of the electricity...

I read recently that Americans spend BILLIONS on Halloween.  I find that amazingly silly.  We Baby Boomers just don't want to let go of childhood.  My friend Mike is a huge offender -- he decorates his house each year, and usually has a party.  This year's was to be held last Saturday -- an 80s theme.  Wifey went to Target and bought us Star Wars costumes.  Then, the passing storm caused Mike to cancel the party.  I was secretly happy -- and Wifey returned the Star Wars gear.

Yesterday I took an afternoon nap, and awoke to awful news.  A deranged Borat had driven his rented truck onto a Lower Manhattan bike path, killing 8.  Wifey was talking -- always a few beats behind what's going on, but I grabbed my phone and texted D2 -- she lives very close to the incident.

Thankfully, she responded instantly -- she was fine, still at work in NJ, and Jonathan, who works VERY close to the incident and sometimes takes runs along the very path -- was fine, too.  I said a big thanks to the Big Man.

What stupidity.  The evil Borat thinks he's going to affect something with his act?  The NY mayor and governor went on TV, explained what happened, and told New Yorkers to carry on.  That would show that terror was a useless thing by these Muslim nut cases.  I agree.

But the families of 8 people had their lives ruined -- on Halloween.  It's a day we seek out being scared.  Evil Borat made it real, tragically.

Meanwhile, D1 and Joey are happily honeymooning in Tokyo.  They're amazed at the cleanliness and politeness of the place.  They FaceTimed (tm) us last night as we were home handing out Halloween candy to the 50 or so trick or treaters who came by.  They're having a blast.

We imagined my suegra, the loudest human we know, in Japan.  I decided that maybe she was the inspiration for Godzilla.  But she's not tall or green.

Tomorrow Wifey and I get out of Dodge, as well.  We're off to New Orleans, along with Paul and Patricia -- a wedding of a friend's daughter.

I love NOLA --  I never turn down a chance to go there.  We're staying in the Quarter, and our hotel has an oyster bar where they serve oysters the size of my hand.  Tomorrow afternoon there's a welcome happy hour at an Aloft Hotel, and we have dinner reservations in the Garden District at Commander's Palace -- it'll be my fourth visit there.

Friday is a tour day -- Patricia has never been to NOLA, and we'll show her around town -- maybe lunch at Brennan's.  The wedding is a "linner" -- 4 pm, and after the ceremony there'll be a second line -- we all parade around the block waving handkerchiefs.  After the wedding we'll have time to find some good live music, and then we have an early Saturday flight home.

The Canes play their most important game in years -- at night.  Norman and Maria are already working on what may be an epic tailgate party.  I'm bringing my old friend Kenny to the game -- he asked to go to one this year.  He's a good luck charm -- I had him with me when Canes won their first ring, in '84, and every game he's attended since has been a win.

I emailed and told him we were leaving early -- and he's happy about it.  A great time should await.

I'm just amazingly thankful that the NYC horror missed my precious family.