I’m off to Dallas again tonight for a Halloween party. Sure, it’s a long drive, but Rishi and Halloween are definitely worth it. Plus, it’s giving me a reason to hum “Goin’ Through the Big D” by Mark Chestnutt (as in “I’m goin’ through the big D and don’t mean Dallas”). That song is ranked right up there with “I’m Gonna Hire a Wino to Decorate Our Home” by David Frizzell (“She said: ‘I’m gonna’ hire a wino to decorate our home/So you’ll feel more at ease here, and you won’t have to roam./We’ll take out the dining room table, and put a bar along that wall./And a neon sign, to point the way, to our bathroom down the hall.”) and my personal favorite, Tracy Byrd’s “Drinkin’ Bone”: “The drinkin’ bone’s connected to the party bone/The party bone’s connected to the stayin’ out all night long/And she won’t think it’s funny/And I’ll wind up all alone/And the lonely bone’s connected to the drinkin’ bone.” I was packing for a trip one day last winter, singing that to myself, until Jordie the parrot broke in and said testily, “No, it’s not.”
Dallas aside, what’s not to love about Halloween? Pumpkin carving (and roasting the seeds), caramel apples, beautiful fall weather, and the chance to become someone (or something) else for the evening. One year, I went as a zombie in drag; after my drag king friend had applied my beard, but before I’d put on the zombie makeup, I run out to Target for something. I think I passed okay–nobody gave me a second look–but it did require a surprising amount of effort and concentration.
This year, I wanted to go as The Dude, but his beard is a little tricky and it’s been tough to find the perfect bathrobe.
