Halloween Fun Facts

Here are some fun, and interesting, Halloween facts.

1. Angie loves this holiday.
2. It started with ancient Celtic tribes in Britain who believed that there was one day between the seasons of life (summer and harvest) and the season of death (winter) when spirits would rise and walk the earth. The day was called Sauwin.
3. Druid priests, their spiritual leaders, tried to foretell whether or not their villages would survive the winter.
4. People built bonfires and wore demonic masks hoping to repel the spirits and save their villages.
5. 2002 was the last year that Angie really put together a Halloween costume. She was a bottle of Diet Coke.
6. In the 8th century, when the Catholic church was converting the pagans to Christianity, Pope Gregory the III established a day to honor the saints - All Hallow's Day. It was held on November 1st.
7. People were fine with a new holiday, but didn't see any reason to give up Sauwin, so they had their bonfires and masks on October 31, All Hallow's Eve.
8. See, it's not so much the dressing up herself that Angie loves about Halloween, but seeing all the kids dressed up, and watching them run through the neighborhood trick-or-treating. It's so fun.
9. When the Puritans came to America, they left all of the outlandish traditions of the Old World behind them. They had no time for Halloween, or Christmas, but that's another story.
10. In the 1800s immigrants from Europe came swarming into America, including the Irish, who still liked Halloween and started the tradition up in the USA. Thank you Irish.
11. This year, Marla is telling Angie that she has to have a costume to go trick-or-treating with them. What?! Since when? Oh for heaven's sake.
12. The bonfires were shrunk down to lanterns made out of gourds - the first jack-o-lanterns.
13. The masks turned into full Halloween costumes.
14. Angie has decided that her roommates witch hat and some heavy make-up will have to do.
15. By the 20th century Halloween had become a major holiday in the States, and is very lucrative for the retailers.
16. Angie is very excited about taking Jonah and William out on Saturday night! And she and Marla are putting together a meal of finger foods. Not actual fingers...but that would be creepy, wouldn't it?
17. And finally - a few places here in Salt Lake that are totally haunted: This is the Place Park, The Capital Theater, and The Devereaux House, more information here.

Happy Halloween!!

You are loved.

Scamming the Choir

As some of you may have heard, David Archuleta is singing with the Moromon Tab Choir at their Christmas concert this year. When I heard that, I immediately knew that I did not want to go. Sometimes you just know, you know. I also knew that my nieces would love to go, and later when I talked to Melody she told me that yes, indeed, their family wanted tickets. Some years ago the folks in charge of this program decided on using a registration then random selection system to give out tickets. They're free, and in very high demand. So a person goes online and registers for tickets, and then hopes to be picked. Here at the COB the feeling is that out-of-staters get preference in the picking. Knowing this, I asked my mom and Shane and Courtney's families if I could register their names. Here's the email I got back from Court:

Courtney
Absolutely, I'm always looking for a way to scam the Mormon Tab. Choir! I hate them so much.

Angie
Ha! What did the tab choir do to you?!

Courtney
About 12 years ago I tried out for Mo. tab.. For my audition I did a breathtaking rendition of the Twisted Sister classic "We're not going to take it". They said they would get back to me, but so far nothing.

Angie
They're still reeling. And looking at each other saying, "What the..." I understand your contempt.

So, we have several households, all over the country, registered for tickets. Wish us luck.

"I hate them so much." That's gonna be funny for a long time.

Oh Yes It's Ladies Night

Those of you who used to work with me at the store are well aware of the horror that is Ladies' Night. I bet you still wake up in a cold sweat, don't you? I don't anymore because the store took my soul some time ago, like a Dementor. I haven't felt much since.

Anyway, last Saturday was Ladies' Night again. I was trying to find a means of defence before going in, and realized that the real reason for my stress in huge crowds is that I feel like I have to take care of all 3,500 of these women just as fast as I can, and then I get overwhelmed, and then flustered, and then irritable, and then angry. So, this time I decided that I wouldn't rush, just take care of each one, one at a time, without frenzy. It worked pretty well, and I finished the night without yelling, punching or kicking.

But there was one incident that is still making me shiver. I was ringing a woman up at the register. She held her hand out and said, "Will you throw this away?" I hate taking other peoples' garbage, but I held out my hand, and she dropped what she had into it. I turned toward the garbage can, and just before dropping it in saw that I was holding a wad of this woman's hair. Hair! From her own head! Ew! I felt my face screw up disgust, but I don't think she saw it. Hair. Honestly. Not ok.