First Time Out

We are now firmly in the midst of the Halloween season. I take no notice of when the stores start decorating and stocking things, because that's a generally misleading indicator, but there are now legitimate signs that it's upon us. When you read this, I will have attended the first costume party of the season, and I must confess that it has caught me off guard, as it was initially billed as a mere birthday dinner. I decided to use a costume that was already together from something else.

As a child, dressing up for Halloween is very important, and then you get too old for it. I forget just what grade that happened in, but I remember the experience of doing it for one year too many. I think everyone does that, and it's just as likely that no one makes the mistake of doing it two years too many. I recall my "costume" was nothing more than my Charles Barkley Suns jersey, and no attempt to appear anything like Sir Charles. That's really probably for the best.

You then get to that point in adulthood where it's fun again to do those things because of such developments wrought by maturity as the ability to consume alcohol. It's also worth noting that there has been an apparent rise in the number of people who display no signs of having reached maturity, and those people love to dress up regardless of their interest in drinking. What was once called "playing dress-up" is now know as "cos-play".

That's where I am. I expect that this first costume will have been adequate, but there are subsequent events where I am certain that they will expect something more elaborate and well prepared. My mind is turning over what things of the past year might be adapted to costume, as topical ones are always popular, but I could also go with something more traditional. I'm eager to impress, although I will undoubtedly be willing to compromise as time dwindles. It'll be fun either way.