Back in time

Every so often, I find myself being someone very, very much younger for a second or two.

Yesterday morning, I was returning the rental car to the agency and had the radio on. And they played an ad for the current storyline on General Hospital - which was Luke and Laura getting back together again.

I haven't watched soaps in over 20 years, although I'll occasionally peek at the soap column in the TV Guide and wonder who those people are, but when I was in college - well. In the early-mid 80s, everything stopped at 3PM. EVERYTHING. And at that moment, my heart skipped a beat and I was as excited, I think, as I would have been back then. For that second, I was 20 years old again. (Note - my birthday is Sunday. I'll be 43.) And, yes, I know all about the origins of that romance, but I started watching after that, so all I saw was the romance and the tears and the wedding and the...well. :)

Last night, Barry Manilow was on Stephen Colbert. And I instantly turned into a 14 year old New Jersey girl. Barry Manilow *always* does that to me.

It's getting darker

And the kiddies are coming in.

In Park Slope, the kids trick or treat at the stores along the big shopping street. We're not a store (well, we are, I guess), so we get them, too.

And they are completely adorable, of course (except for the very tall teen-ager in the mask with the tag still on and *not* accompanying younger siblings).

We have a laundry basket with candy and I'm giving one piece per customer.

Lots of witches, one V for Vendetta, no Potter. A couple of Batmans.

And while a lot of kids have the traditional plastic pumpkin or the less traditional but reasonable plastic shopping bag (and one had a pillow case), I'm seeing a lot of cloth bags - mostly quilted pumpkins, but also other designs, some fairly large. I don't remember this from last year. Are these new?

Costumes

I'm home and out of the Halloween zone, so I've seen all the costumes I'm going to see.

There was one mother who wore this lovely Italian Ren dress. It was just gorgeous. Turns out she does Ren Faire, so it's not a surprise. Some of the other parents wore costumes - my sister-in-law did - but many either just work a witch's hat or just regular clothes.

And one kid - oh my goodness.

It was a store-bought costume. Toon!Robin. But. His candy "bag" was a plastic Batman head. It was perfect.