Continuing the discussion from Pee-ew in September (September mini rants):
It’s now time to stress about Halloween. I generally love the holiday but every year we get more and more trick-or-treaters. Last year we went through three giant bags of assorted candy from Costco and this year I have no idea how much it will take. There are just more people around each year.
I hate Halloween. A primarily North American holiday created to sell candy and costumes. I turn off my house lights and hide in my bedroom, reading until it’s over, usually around 9 pm. Eating candy is extremely unhealthy, and encouraging children to do it to me seems cruel and stupid.
@Atamasama, best mini-rant thread title ever!
My rant:
Two world-class energy vampires in my office have been assigned to the same project. They spend hours each day locked together in effort. This spares most of us from being drained directly, but just being adjacent to the endless clacking and droning is killing me slowly. Even the remaining vampires look wan as they pass through to scavenge for crumbs. I can no longer
I don’t know if I feel good or bad about my rant. On the one hand, I acted irrationally. On the other hand, I controlled myself. I’m just a little peeved that I found myself talking myself down from a complete freak out over a little thing.
Here’s the thing … I’m a thrower. When I get frustrated, my first instinct is to whip whatever I’m holding against the wall. That was a major issue for me in the past, one that contributed to me seeking therapy, in fact. I’ve been on and off my meds lately, so it’s creeping back.
So last night, I looked at my acoustic guitar sitting there in the corner with no strings on it, as it has sat for the last two months. So I decided to string it and play it. Somehow, as I was clipping the excess strings off the pegs, I popped the G-string. FUCK! I swear to god, it took me to a severe count up to ten to keep me from heaving my guitar out the friggin’ window.
Goddamn, that pissed me off. It probably stems from the fact that I hate changing strings - it’s such a pain in the ass.
My stiches and steri strips ITCH. Everything looks good, it just ITCHES.
Thank you. 
I stopped passing out candy years ago. The number of trick-or-treaters started dwindling and I always ended up with candy that I really shouldn’t have been eating. So I keep the porch and driveway lights off (the sign for “no candy here”) and spend the day in relative peace.
I am so freaking tired. Had my sleep study, was exhausted before we even started. Slept in fits. She woke me up at 4:30am, then I had to go home and get the goop out of my hair. And I’m breaking out from the little sticky pads.
I dragged my ass into the office because I have three meetings (two to go!)
Fortunately I am fine to drive but I swear to God people are trying to get themselves killed today. Was at a stoplight today at a very busy four lane road (the last light before it becomes a highway.) A woman was waiting to cross the light. First she stepped out into the road when oncoming traffic was careening right, then jumped back on the curb, then she waited until my light turned green and everyone started to drive forward until she sprinted across four lanes of traffic on the street right in front of us.
Then a guy in a van turned left in front of me after his light turned red.
People are nuts.
But you didn’t. That’s HUGE!
Yes, great title!
Try doing that wearing boxers next time; more material & therefore harder to pop. 
I had inflatables on the lawn & in the driveway, along with other things but intentionally kept the porch light off (so as to not backlight my extra-special scare); even the parents were, “skip that house, there’s no one home to give out anything” Grrr!
Yes, the E-S S was only for the older kids, like the teens who didn’t even bother with a costume.
It’s a work night for me. OTOH, my report time is 2230, well after the end of li’l tots roaming around. OTOOH, my apartment building requires access that’s not trivial to get, and there are few families living in the building. Ah, hell, I might just put a paper jack’o’lantern on my door and obtain a bowlful of fun-sized choco-bits for the few kids who might show up.
Content note - Discussion of sexual abuse:
My coworker during a meeting today launched into a twenty minute story about some child relatives, describing in detail their horrific sexual abuse, the details of the court case, everything, and ended by showing us pictures of the victims in question. It was triggering as hell, but I was sitting there completely blank saying nothing because we are a sexual assault services organization after all and how far afield is this from what we normally do?
But I don’t generally encounter that much graphic detail at work, except occasionally, such as during trainings or when I’m collecting anonymous case studies for grant reports, and after the day I had it was the last thing I needed. I still can’t fucking believe she showed us pictures (to be clear - innocent family photos.) That is such a gross violation of those girls’ privacy especially after their privacy had been robbed by this CSAM-creating monster. What if I knew those girls?
I don’t think she had a clue how uncomfortable I was. She’s autistic so often misses these kinds of cues.
That was followed immediately by yet another message from my son’s teacher. He made it four days without incident but had another breakdown today at school.
Then I got into a really heavy conversation with my boss. It was a great conversation but it was a lot about my struggles with my son and her struggles with her late daughter. Then we both talked about our terrible mothers. We were both kinda crying.
I guess it was good to bond but god damn. Too much for one day.
Same here. Mom and Dad were never comfortable doing trick-or-treating when I was growing up (nothing against the holiday, it just wasn’t a great neighborhood). Even though I would like to hand out some candy - I’ve seen some really great costumes out there - Mom still isn’t comfortable with the idea, so I respect that.
I’m jealous. Our neighborhood used to have dozens of grade-school-aged kids. Now they’re “disinfected youth” and too old (some are off to college).
So we have to buy candy that’ll keep, and that we’d eat (eventually… we’re both watching what we eat).
Well, I don’t. Does your mom really think that a tiny “Moana” (while she’s busy digging through your basket of “fun size” candy bars) is going to… what? Pull a gun, force her way into your house and ransack it?
You need to talk to Mom and say “You might not want to give out candy, but I really do. It’s part of what holds a neighborhood together (the parents are often walking with their kids, and you get to say hi). Mom, you can sequester yourself in the kitchen, but I’m going to enjoy the holiday!”
“That ain’t the kind of treat I’m interested in, lady.”
[cock hammer]
Not saying I completely agree with WolfpackJeep’s mom here (even I think she’s maybe just a tad on the paranoid side), but she might well be more concerned about escorting adults using the kiddo to seem harmless, then pulling something, or adults/teens not bothering with the camouflage but simply expecting the person answering the door to be off-guard. No, the inside of my head is not a fun place to be, TYVM.
IIf you’re going to rob a house, are you going to do it from the street with bands of families around trick-or-treating? That doesn’t make any sense. There’s such thing as reasonable caution and then there’s senseless paranoia that comes from not actually thinking things through.
I will say back when I did give out candy at halloween, i got a lot of teenagers (not in costume) who seemed to be trying to look into my house to see what I have and almost pushing thier way in the door. It made me really uncomfortable as a single woman living alone. then for quite a few years I was always working until dark and no one came around after dark (differnt neighborhood).
We usually set up a table at the end of the driveway with our Solo Stove. We’ll have two large buckets of candy (nuts and no nuts), and for the adults we know - wine.