It's finally Halloween Day. A few years ago, the state legislature tried to make it official to celebrate the holiday on the last Friday of October to unify the constant discussion of when it was appropriate for community trick or treating--as a response with the conflicted discussion on whether children should trick or treat on Sundays (those who don't find it an appropriate Sabbath activity vs. people who aren't so religiously inclined), but that law didn't pass. I think that a lot of people take their children to community or church activities these days anyway for their trick-or-treating. We do have some house-to-house still, but it's gradually becoming a less popular practice (in my area anyway, but that may also have to do with the general population age growing older as well).
I've expressed several times that Halloween is my least favorite holiday, and that has nothing to do with religious reasons. I have many religious family, friends, and neighbors who go to parties dressed up to play fun games. It's a really fun time for them, but in my introverted way, my idea of fun doesn't always match well with the Halloween spirit. I'm certain this holiday is primarily for the extroverts, at least the way it is celebrated around here, and if I remember correctly from media reports, this area is among (if not the frontrunner) the most Halloween spirited and decorated place in the nation. We certainly have our share of harvest activities, costume festivals, decorations, and entertainment (haunted houses, theatricals, and so on). The houses are decorated as well with a mix of places with cute little harvest-themed decor and those that are out-right gory (which I don't care for).
As usual, I have no plans to dress up in a costume, but I saved up some AI photos just for the occasion. I have a family member who really struggles with these photos, because they "aren't you" meaning that they physically don't look exactly like me, and while I agree with her that these photos certainly make me look more physically model-like than I am in reality, there is actually a touch of me in there. There's something I liked or related to in the picture; otherwise, I wouldn't have kept it. It was a matter of contextual differences. She looks at the physical aspect while I look at the abstract theming and idea. I also happen to be a little more imaginative, so that may have something to do with it as well. Life's full of different personalities, and that's what makes the world more interesting.
I have to limit the photos in order to keep this post length more manageable:
