Boo!!

Okay, I’ll admit the title of this post is sooooooo lame, unfortunately I can’t do any better I’m overworked and lacking inspiration. Nine days to my hols and counting!! Whoo hoo!!!

So, a happy Halloween to you, I hope, unlike me, you’re going to do something fun tonight. I've been debating the merits of stopping by the Halloween parade in the village this evening, but quite frankly I don’t think I can be arsed. I’ve not been sleeping well this week so I’m in too crabby a mood to deal with the crowds, however if you are ever in New York on Halloween and of a sunnier disposition than I am at this moment then I definitely recommend stopping by to see it, it's a great parade. In fact, even better, you could join in, since this particular parade, unlike most of the others in the city, is a free for all. Absolutely ANYONE can join in as long as they’re in costume; you just have to turn up at the staging area at 6th Ave. and Spring St between 6.30pm and 8pm and as long as you’re all gussied up you’re in.

I did it myself a few years back; I joined a friend and a gaggle of her friends as a 1960s Tom Jones groupie – a very easy costume, mini dress, boots, big hair and Dusty Springfield style make up. We screamed and danced along in the parade behind ‘Tom’ – the husband of one of the women who was the spit of the Welsh singing sensation – throwing our knickers at him – we each had multiple pairs of lacy ones attached by elastic to our wrists - as he lip synched to Tom’s hits in his best Tom Jones costume - tight black trousers, shirt open to his navel and a glistening gold medallion resplendent on a rug of fake chest hair. He had the groin thrusting down pat. It was a very fun night and I’d say that if you can actually get your act together to be in the parade, it’s a much better way to enjoy the festivities since you don’t have to deal with the jostling crowds of spectators.

Of course festivities aren’t just restricted to the parade; there’ll be people in fancy dress all over town this evening and there were a lot interestingly dressed people on the subway this morning, many looking like they were half in costume already. I was trying to work out whether the woman next to me – in vivid orange skirt and matching tights – was making a fashion statement, or whether her outfit formed the basis of some pumpkin themed costume she’d be wearing later on. Whatever the reason it was an outfit that was a tad too bright for my bleary sleep deprived eyes at 7.30am in the morning. I also heard on the radio that dressing as Amy Winehouse is expected to be a popular choice this year - it was all about pirates last year - so I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for beehives on the way home. In the meantime i've nabbed some pics of Halloween 2006 from NewYorkDailyPhoto - a blog I love to bits - for your viewing pleasure. If you are interested in seeing more photos I highly recommend checking out NYDP's Flickr site here. It's fab!! Have a good one!!