Peace, Love and Dressing Up

Round One - Mormon

Back in Edmonton, Halloween was always such a huge deal. My roommates and I would rush home from classes to start getting ready. We'd preen in front of our mirrors until our costumes were just right. And then we'd drive to the stake center so we could witness in full awesome glory, the YSA (note: Young Single Adult) hardcoreness that accompanies Halloween. The Halloween dance was always the best dance of the year. People were freed from any previous social expectations to behave a certain way. Freed by the power of assuming a persona. Halloween isnt a time for judgement. Its the day of the year where everyone has a free pass to be as ridiculous as they please. And the level of creativity and commitment is always astounding.

Being in Boston, I miss just about everything about that familiar Halloween ritual. I miss my tight knit group of friends, who'd get ready together. I miss surveying all the brilliant costume ideas and executions of said costumes. I miss being at a dance with my friends and being silly. I miss taking pictures and knowing that when I look back at them, I will remember good solid friends and the amazing time we had together. 

I dont feel like I have any of that in Boston.

I cant pretend that I'm some great socializer. Most of the time I fall short and flat. I can be terribly shy and hate being out of my comfort zone. Add to that the fact that I dont go to every little YSA activity and I might as well not exist. Halloween in Boston isnt any sort of comparison to the idealized version of Edmonton I have in my head. But I try my best. Most of the time I just feel like I'm going through the motions. Go to this party, try to socialize, hope people dont notice how well I blend into the walls. I try to smile and laugh in all the right places. But at the end of the night I know that I spent the entire night acting like I was having fun and wishing for a close friend that would stick by my side. I keep hoping that if I put in the time, eventually Boston YSA will start to feel like my social group. But mostly I just feel like I'm on the outside looking in. Thats not to say there arent people I wish would need my friendship like I need theirs. But such is life.

Laura (Rogue), Carley (Ghost), Molly (Mad Men character)

(Little Red and Beiber)

Something that I thought was interesting about the mormon parties was that when people would ask what I was dressed up as (which I was going for a 70s look in case you couldnt tell), people would reject my statement and replace it with their own ideas. My favorite costume assumption (a girl said this bytheby): "No, you dressed up as a hot girl." Guilty as charged. Vanity thy name is Melissa.

But when did just dressing up not become good enough? Why do I need to be a specific person or thing. Its not currently the 70s - why cant I dress like someone from the 70s? 

Molly and Chad dressed up as characters from the show Mad Men.

Janey as a Zombie, Me, Molly

Mike as a Giants ornament

Erica as Nacho Libre and Brenda as a Blue Man

Katie as a Flapper

Pam dressed as Liz Lemon from 30 Rock. It was pretty awesome. Her pants had butter stains on them. And throughout the night she'd bust out Liz Lemon quotes.

Kiersten here is my VT comp. And it was a little freaky how well she became Justin Beiber. She even did a little number to one of his songs for all those screaming Beiber Fever Fans.

Danielle was an adorable freed Chilean miner. She opted to be slightly inaccurate by wearing clothes.

Melanie - get your insulin nurse, Pam=Liz Lemon, Danielle as clothed miner

Katie and Danielle

This is Kendall. He looks FREAKY SIMILAR to Kenneth from 30 Rock.

Round Two - Dental
The dental crew always takes care. Aaron invited us to hang out at his house of Saturday. And even though my makeup was weird and pretty much all over my face (My eyes wouldnt stop watering on the walk over which left me with crazy face that no one mentioned - whateves), and we didnt so much do anything, I was reminded how much fun I have with my dental friends. I dont have to worry about being awkward. They already know and dont care that I'm awkward. Plus, I actually feel like I'm part of the group and not just someone there.

Derrick the Undead, Mel the Doctor and baby Annie the Strawberry

Derrick the undead baseball player kept us dying of laughter with his big dancing belly (because yes, he bobbed that belly to and fro often). I may have reached out and touched it at one point - that didnt go over well. He may have slapped my hand. I may have gone all pregnancy-belly-touching-phenomenon on him. My bad.

Adam and Amit - Cowboys

Adam's costume was great. Underneath his fake mustache he had a real one. His jean and chaps pants were actually pajama bottoms. And he kept moving his fake mustache - at one point it was angry eyebrows. 

Amit and Heather brought awesome cupcakes. With lots of frosting. I had a sugar overload with them.

Army Sabrina and Aaron as Kenny Powers (and yes sometimes I need to look up people's costume references)

Sabrina and Aaron have become two of my favorite people. They're hilarious. And love young adult novels. I may have left the party with "Incarceron" (which I started and finished on Sunday and it was awesome). 

Nick and Mike (Ned Flanders)

I woulda never guessed what Mike was but as soon as he said it, it made total sense.

The dentists - and yes, that is a baby bottle Derrick is chugging back.

And that was Halloween 2010.