And now time for The Worst Witch singalong!

[spoken] It’s great to be here, with you young witches, on this fabulous night! Remember Gills, show the world, let them know it’s Halloween. Hit it!

[singing]
I wouldn’t change places
With anyone tonight
We’ll carve pumpkin faces
And watch the witches flight
Every human heart will shudder
Every soul will shake with fear
Tonight, the creepiest
Tonight, the scariest
Tonight, the most wonderful night
ahhhhhhhhf the year
Anything can happen on Halloween
Your dog could turn into a cat
There may be a toad in your bass guitar
Or your sister could turn into a bat
Christmas time brings the snow
Summer time brings the sun
But on Halloween your blood begins to run
Something’s funky going down now*

Anything can happen on Halloween
It’s better than a video
Gremlins gonna mess up every cassette
From London to Idaho
April first can be fun
New Year’s Eve is a bore
But on Halloween your flesh begins to crawl
Oh, I’m losing control*
Anything can happen on Halloween
Your toenails grow long and your hair turns green
Your teacher could become a sardine
Your dentist could turn into a queen.
Has anybody seen my tambourine*
I may start playing
Begin the begin
The craziest night you’ve ever seen
This hairy, scary, creepy, crawly,
Halloween.

*My favorite parts

Instead of going for songs about Monsters and silly stuff for inclusion on a Halloween CD, it dawned on me yesterday that as long as it is haunting, it could be a regular song. House of the Rising Sun. People are Strange. Anything at all by Nick Cave. Some Johnny Cash. I figure if I can just try to remember songs that feature an organ, I’d have one heck of a Halloween CD.

I had dreams I was at the Jersey Shore looking out on the ocean. The waves were tsunamis, reaching high into the air and crashing down with significant force. I wasn’t frightened; I wasn’t worried. I was captivated by the beauty and I cried out: “This is just like Hokusai’s The Great Wave Off Kanagawa!

Audra came over. We ate dinner at my parents. Then we came back to the Donna Villa and watched the Worst Witch on DVD. What a great Halloween movie! Lisa was either pretty impressed or rather repulsed that Audge and I knew the complete lyrics to Anything Can Happen on Halloween.

Tomorrow evening we will most likely go to the Inn of the Hawk for the costume party. I have no clue how I will dress. Lisa loaned me her old Wednesday Addams dress. In my closet I have a couple of Swinging 60’s dresses. I am certainly not wanting in the outfit department. Just have to figure out which one it will be.

I am feeling mighty tired. At least I get an additional hour tomorrow, don’t I?

Just finished watching, Daydream Believers: The Monkees Story. It was a lot of fun. The fellow who portrayed Davy looked so much like him except he was as tall as Mike! And the Micky fro made its appearance far too early. Micky didn’t let his hair wild until second season! Mike’s sideburns weren’t full fledged muttonchops until much later in the series as well! The producers should have hired me as a consultant!
“You see it is a little known fact that the Monkees did indeed wear codpieces in episode 23, A Cough too Frequent.”

Tomorrow…
1. Clean room
2. Maybe get hair cut if Aprille has time for me
3. Grocery store for food
4. Vacuum and dust
5. Bake Apple Spice Cake with Navy Beans.
6. Do a load of Laundry
7. Decide what to pack for Vegas trip

With Halloween looming, I thought I would take a trip down memory lane and try to remember all the costumes I donned through the years.

197X Pink Bunny Rabbit. My mother sewed the costume. It was beautiful but sadly I cried the entire time I wore it at the Gym Jam Halloween Party. My mother tells me that when all the kids went up to dance I just sat on the floor and pouted until they played the YMCA song by the Village People. Only then did I get up and shake my booty.
1980 Wonder Woman. My mother made this one too. I remember being in class, sitting on the floor in a circle with all the other kids in their Halloween costumes. As usual, I began to daydream and that dream is almost more real than other actual events from that time in my life. I twirled my Golden Lasso of Truth and swung around the classroom! Everyone started cheering but it all came to and end when my teacher, Mrs Coleman, shocked me awake by yelling, “DONNA, PAY ATTENTION!!!”
1981 Cowgirl. If memory serves me, this was from a box and given to us by Aunt Helen.
1982 Ghost . Sure, white bed sheet, but my mom used black felt to decorate around the eye holes. She cut eyelashes so I was a little girl ghost.
1983 Witch. I had a beautiful, tall, witch’s hat that I lost while trick or treating.
1984 Devil. My best friend Usha was an angel.
1985 Raggedy Andy. Usha was Raggedy Ann. My mother painstakingly made the wig by taking red yarn and sewing it to a ski cap.
1986 Poodleskirt wearing 1950’s girl
1987 Hippy I wore an old outfit of my mother’s that I dug out of the attic
1988 Jim Baker. My girlfriends, Vickie and Elaine, dressed as Tammy Faye and Jessica Hahn
1989 Mad Scientist
1990 Joan Crawford; I carried a wire hanger
1991 I just wore a silly dress and wig
1992 Gold, Mardi Gras bat mask and my black graduation gown. I got the mask from a Dollar Store.
1993 Nothing
1994 Poet. I wore a black dress and a black beret.
1995 Witch
1996 Pinky & Leather Tuscadero; Audra and I wore black pleather jackets & jeans.
1997 Ape Mask
1998 Ape Mask
1999 Devil
2000 Ape Mask, Goodness, I really got a lot of use out of that rubber mask!
2001 Supermodel Truth is, I tied back my hair and wore a suit and tie. When I was about to leave my father screamed at me. He said I looked like a lesbian and no man would hit on me and if I wanted to leave I would have to put something else on. I screamed and said: FINE THEN I’M NOT WEARING A COSTUME! At the party, everyone kept saying, why aren’t you wearing a costume and Lisa would say, “She is dressed like a supermodel, can’t you tell?” At the time I thought my dad’s reaction was harsh but now I realize he was right.
2002 Cowgirl
2003 Wonder Woman

Last night in the elevator, leaving work, I overheard a ridiculous conversation that really shook my faith in people. There were two men in the elevator with me.
“You should have seen the email I got today!”
“Yeah?”
“This email really showed what an idiot we have for president!”
“Right on!”
“There were pictures of this ass right after 9/11 reading a book… UPSIDE DOWN! Can you believe the idiot?”
“He is such a moron!”
“There was also a picture of him saluting the flag with the WRONG HAND!!”
“Let’s hope this blockhead doesn’t get re-elected!”
“Can you imagine what we would be in for if he is?”

I laughed. And of course they thought I was agreeing with them. On the flight back to Philly, the conversation kept echoing in my head. How could these two men actually believe that a man who made it to President of the United States has the IQ of a garden slug? If you don’t agree with him, at least have the decency to say, I don’t agree with his politics rather than calling him an idiot. Getting to where he is, accomplishing what he has accomplished, proves that the man is not dumber than dirt. On the other hand, trusting pictures that have been emailed to you does in fact make you look very, very silly.

After work I walked to Borders on Michigan. I finally exchanged the Billy Jack DVD Lisa gave me for my birthday. Then I went to Walgreens where I bought tissues and breathmints and a large bottle of Aspirin for the tradeshow next week. Walking back to the hotel, I could see the lunar eclipse. It was beautiful. My stomach grumbled and I thought, “instead of ordering room service, I can sit at the bar and order beer and sweet potato fries!” I got back to the hotel at 9:00. Toward the bar I walked, but as usual I just couldn’t get myself to sit down and so instead I went back to my room and ate an Affy Tapple.

A strange thing occurred to me this afternoon. I was in a meeting, discussing the wording on a contract, when I suddenly ‘came to’ and I was shocked to hear words like co-terminous and supercede coming out of my mouth. “How did I get here?” I wondered.

Oh, and I’ve found myself crushing on yet another winner. This fellow has a combover, speaks in a monotone, and hardly ever makes eye contact. I like to think he’s shy but he could be a serial killer. Maybe it’s just that we’ve been working closely with each other the last few days. Or I am just naturally attracted to asexual, introverted, non-threatening, weak, and pasty types.

Finally, I would like to issue a public apology to ATA. The bankruptcy is all my fault. Had I not signed up for the Travel Awards program and had I not started to earn a significant amount of points, ATA would be riding high. I am truly sorry but even more so, I will miss the $69.00 flights to Chicago.

It was so nice seeing Berlin yesterday in that movie. I so wish I was there. Isn’t it funny? Here I am in the middle of Chicago, dreaming I am in Berlin. Lisa has been trying to convince me that we should spend Christmas in Berlin. Maybe next year.

After writing about my Peeps experience the other day, it prompted me to write to Coors. There is a bartender at the Logan Inn that always wears a Blue Moon t-shirt. It looks so cute on her and I love Blue Moon with a slice of orange. So I sent Coors an email asking for a t-shirt. Today I got an email telling me it is in the mail!!! How cool is that?

Just watched it. Not great but IT WAS SHOT IN BERLIN!!!!!!!

Also, in small parts were Borias and Caesar from Xena Warrior Princess!!!

This week. Next week. Then perhaps I will work here more often than in Chicago.
I will take long walks in the evening
I will exercise
I will (maybe) take a dive back in the dating pool
I will cook
I will read
I will organize my closet
I will keep my room clean
I will do all the things I have been unable to do because I am living in a Chicago 4-5 days a week.

Of course, my company very well might say– keep traveling, at least for another month. I hope not. I really want to get back to my old way of life.