# (Old) Tricks, treats, and a brand new month in the MMP

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-tricks-treats-and-a-brand-new-month-in-the-mmp/992297>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Tags:** mmp\
**Created:** [October 30, 2023, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-tricks-treats-and-a-brand-new-month-in-the-mmp/992297 "2023-10-30T11:01:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 38

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**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2023, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-tricks-treats-and-a-brand-new-month-in-the-mmp/992297/38 "2023-10-30T21:18:30Z")

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_Started Typing: 3:23 PM ET  
Clicked Reply: 5:18 PM ET_

Happy Halloween Eve! 🎃

Today started off warm and sunny, but since lunchtime it’s been overcast and breezy. It’s still warm enough to have the windows open, but it keeps getting darker and the wind keeps picking up. There’s rain in the forecast this evening…I’m a believer!

_(4:48pm update: the rain just started!)_

There are lots of kids in my neighborhood, and I enjoy giving out candy and seeing all of the trick-or-treaters, but tomorrow night I’ll have the porch light off: I can’t eat candy anymore, and with telework there’s no more bringing the leftovers to the office, so I’m skipping it. I also have a personal training session from 6:30pm-7:30pm, so I won’t be home for the youngest/cutest kids anyway. I’ll still need to be extra careful when driving through the neighborhood after the gym, though.

No pranks in my history; I was a boring kid/teenager/etc. 🙂 No particular favorite treats, either: I was an equal opportunity candy lover! I didn’t have a favorite costume until I was an adult: I spent five years at a company that had yearly costume contests, and in 2003 my officemate and I – both women – were the Blues Brothers.

[![](https://i.ibb.co/54KLzJ7/2003-10-31-Blues-Brothers.jpg) ](https://i.ibb.co/54KLzJ7/2003-10-31-Blues-Brothers.jpg)

We didn’t win, but people loved us. 😁

(OMG that was 20 years ago!! 🤯)

Yesterday’s volunteer event went alright: low turnout, but we got two $20 donations! My first cash donations of the year! I use Venmo and PayPal but the branch uses Cash App and Zelle; my credit union doesn’t support Zelle, so I’ll be creating a Cash App account later. 🙂 It didn’t rain, in fact it was mostly sunny with a high of 80°F, but we were facing west all afternoon: it got sooo hot! I decided to leave the tent home but bring two big umbrellas with me just in case (one for the table and one for me), and I wound up using one of the umbrellas to block the sun. All in all there were lots of good people to chat with (both from my branch and other organizations), and there are definitely worse ways to spend a Sunday afternoon.

I built one of the holiday LEGO sets after dinner last night:

[![](https://i.ibb.co/VVtwJDM/2023-10-30-Sleigh-01.jpg) ](https://i.ibb.co/VVtwJDM/2023-10-30-Sleigh-01.jpg)

As hoped, it was relatively quick and easy (343 pieces; took about 90 minutes). 🙂 It’s the smallest of the sets I just got, so I probably won’t tackle another one until the weekend.

> [@(Old) Going bats in the MMP](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-going-bats-in-the-mmp/991945/245):
>
> Oh, I didn’t realize this was a relatively new hobby for you! Boy, you really dived right in!

Yep, I only built my first set in March! I’m amazed at how much I’m enjoying them; it’s basically paint-by-numbers but with little bricks. And they give me something to do when I don’t feel like reading or watching TV, and/or I need a break from the couch. I’m not going to suddenly start buying random sets left and right, though: like my Swarovski crystal figurine collection, I’ll only get ones that I particularly like or that mean something to me. Unfortunately, though, there are several of those… 😁

> [@(Old) Going bats in the MMP](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-going-bats-in-the-mmp/991945/251):
>
> I had my brother get me a wagon like that several years ago for Xmas to help with my soccer stuff and it’s been a lifesaver and is still plugging along. Well worth the cost, IMHO.

I’m actually ridiculously happy about just the idea of eventually having one! I made do with a small hand truck (and bungee cords) all year, but at a couple of events I saw folks from other organizations with those wagons and was like “A HA!” 💡 If I’m just taking the big Rubbermaid container somewhere the hand truck is fine, but if I’m also taking the tent weights and/or a standing sign, etc., it will be _super_ helpful to be able to just put everything in a wagon.

> [@missred](#):
>
> **Mooooooom, oopsie** , and possibly **doggio** , you will likely see autumn return tomorrow, since it’s back with us in middle TN today. It’s drizzly and cold (went from AC yesterday because it was 80F to heat overnight because it dipped below 50F).

Autumn is actually returning right now. 😂 It’s already 63°F (down from a high of at least ten degrees warmer), and tonight’s low will be 43. I’ll be closing the windows soon, and will likely turn the heat on before I go to bed. The rest of the week will be very autumnal. Yay!

> [@LSLGuy](#):
>
> :wolf-whistle:

🤣!

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