All NaNo's Eve

Halloween, shmalloween.  October 31st wasn't quite what it used to be this year.  The time many people associate with jack-o-lanterns, costume contests, haunted houses, and trick-or-treaters was, for me, in 2009, merely the remaining few hours before the start of NaNoWriMo.  That's (inter)National Novel Writing Month, for you non-wrimos out there.

So I'm about 1500 words into my novel.  It's got it all.  Explosions, ghosts, fast food, religious turmoil, political intrigue, terrorism, unresolved childhood trauma, even the Big Guy Himself.  Watch for it in pirated digital editions, coming soon.

But back to trick-or-treating for a non-NaNo-moment.  Nicole and I were walking around, reverse trick-or-treating (handing out fair trade chocolate and info cards to educate people on the advantages of fair trade and the horrors of child labor), and we hardly saw another soul out there.  We saw a few groups of kids hopping in and out of cars, but not one group simply strolling the streets.  Well, okay, one group of college kids that might have been trick or treating or might have been stumbling between parties. 

Instead of gleeful children-come-demons-and-ninja-turtles blithely wandering the sidewalks discussing strategic candy trade agreements, we saw nothing.  People at their doors begged us to take candy, even though we were not dressed for it, and then told us to "be careful out there" as though we were war photographers venturing in where no sane person would go.  At one of the houses we were greeted by Nicole's co-worker who also bid us "be careful" and her friend who asked in amazement, "so people trick-or-treat in LA?"

Yes, for the love of the dead rising and walking the earth, people fucking trick-or-treat in LA!  And everywhere else I've ever heard of!  These people in Albuquerque act like trick-or-treating is something their parents did in the 50's, when streets were safe, cigarettes didn't kill, cars didn't pollute, and their neighbors were as white as the milk delivered to their doorstep.  For a laid-back and friendly city, these people sure are afraid to leave their houses.  Once again, Albuquerque, you impress me with your weirdness and contradiction.  Well done!