Halloween 2005
Originally uploaded by bcompetent.
Halloween pysanky by Becky! They’re a little scary looking, but I guess that’s the idea!
Check out this cool transformer costume that actually transforms. Not only does it transform, but it does so while it’s being worn! The only down-side is that the creator sells them for the extremely pricey amount of $4000 (USD).
Check out all the Transformer Costumes.
I didn’t have a lot of transformers as a kid, but I did have the model pictured here, “Starscream”.
(via BoingBoing)
Happy Halloween! Here is the story behind Stingy Jack and the Jack O’Lantern.
(Why link when you can copy / paste…)
The Irish brought the tradition of the Jack O’Lantern to America. But, the original Jack O’Lantern was not a pumpkin.The Jack O’Lantern legend goes back hundreds of years in Irish History. As the story goes, Stingy Jack was a miserable, old drunk who liked to play tricks on everyone: family, friends, his mother and even the Devil himself. One day, he tricked the Devil into climbing up an apple tree. Once the Devil climbed up the apple tree, Stingy Jack hurriedly placed crosses around the trunk of the tree. The Devil was then unable to get down the tree. Stingy Jack made the Devil promise him not to take his soul when he died. Once the devil promised not to take his soul, Stingy Jack removed the crosses and let the Devil down.
Many years later, when Jack finally died, he went to the pearly gates of Heaven and was told by Saint Peter that he was too mean and too cruel and had led a miserable and worthless life on earth. He was not allowed to enter heaven. He then went down to Hell and the Devil. The Devil kept his promise and would not allow him to enter Hell. Now Jack was scared and had nowhere to go but to wander about forever in the darkness between heaven and hell. He asked the Devil how he could leave as there was no light. The Devil tossed him an ember from the flames of Hell to help him light his way. Jack placed the ember in a hollowed out Turnip, one of his favorite foods which he always carried around with him whenever he could steal one. For that day onward, Stingy Jack roamed the earth without a resting place, lighting his way as he went with his “Jack O’Lantern”.
On all Hallow’s eve, the Irish hollowed out Turnips, rutabagas, gourds, potatoes and beets. They placed a light in them to ward off evil spirits and keep Stingy Jack away. These were the original Jack O’Lanterns. In the 1800’s a couple of waves of Irish immigrants came to America. The Irish immigrants quickly discovered that Pumpkins were bigger and easier to carve out. So they used pumpkins for Jack O’Lanterns.
(via some halloween site)
Tip #1: Be careful when raking the leaves in your yard too enthusiastically. One could easily injure his back and find himself in a very painful predicament and still have a yard full of leaves.
Tip #2: Don’t buy candy two-weeks before Halloween because on a Sunday afternoon with an injured back you better believe that candy won’t make it through the hour.
Discovered just in time for Halloween is Spook, a short animated ghost story by Vancouver Film Student Megan Majewski.
Spook - Video Link (6.5mb Mov)
I told Anna that I might advertise her skills as a make-up artist for this Halloween. She would have a blast doing it and whoever had their fancy custom made mask/make-up would really love it too. It’s a win/win situation. They could slap on some old age makeup or try out some elf ears. I’m sure Anna could come up with a lot of other cool ideas too. Maybe Mom or Dad would like her help to dress up this year. I’m guessing Mom really would like something fancy to show off for her Kindergarten. Hopefully she (Anna) is not off working someplace when Halloween rolls around.
Anna-Maria applied some old age make-up to my face this morning. This was her first time of doing this particular kind of old age make-up and although she is confident she could do better her next time, I think she did a pretty convincing job.
The make-up took about two to two and a half hours to apply and after she had it marked for her final, I took it off (2 minutes after it was done)! Anyway my face is still a little red from the latex. I imagine Gary will be interested in trying this but I must say although it looks cool, the process of having it applied is very boring.
Something to think about for your next Halloween costume anyway.