dirtylibrarian

Though it is pouring rain outside, I'm excited both for my morning run (which a friend is coming over to meet me for) and my drive to Portland later today. 

I had the craziest dream this morning about being out on a run (hampered by a broom and pillow) and accidentally coming across the most awesome beautiful costume party ever.  Heavy metal gurus were chatting me up, pretty much every creative person I've ever admired was there dressed to the nines in elaborate costumes, and my high school band teacher was there (dressed completely normal and ignoring me).  I wasn't invited to this party.  I wasn't going to get to eat any of the food.  But I was honored just to get a glimpse of it.

It is pretty clear what this all means.  This weekend I'm heading down to Portland for Wordstock.  Some of my friends are unavailable to hang tonight as they are being honored at a special author party.  Me, I'm taking a creative writing workshop with Lynda Barry, which I am THRILLED about.  Though I hesitate to admit it, I have some deep secret hopes pinned on this weekend...that maybe it will help open up that side of me that is terrified to try and make the leap from someone who is very good at writing press releases and such, to someone who can commit to creating something meaningful, and real...from my heart, as a gift to others, to readers.  I'm a perfectionist in many ways, and the fear of failure runs deep in me.  But bit by bit I try to move forward.  Hopefully this weekend I'll find lots of inspiration.

My horoscope for the day seems to think this is all a good idea:

Friday, Nov 7th, 2008 -- Allowing yourself time to daydream today can open up possibilities for growth you hadn't previously considered. With the watery Pisces Moon in your 9th House of Big Ideas, you may even be contemplating going back to school or taking up a new subject of study. If you've been longing to travel, now is a good time to encourage your wanderlust. Stretch your horizons while you feel the inclination.

Portlanders...I hope to see you soon!  Not much free time this weekend, but we can fill it up!

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Correction:   I realized having Tuesday off and hurrying back for work Sunday night was silly.  I got Monday off, so I can take my time and really enjoy Portland, as is right.  Can't wait to see y'all.

theda posted a couple of links to crazy costumes from abroad, which got me thinking about what I am going to wear next weekend, and what it will take to pull it off.  I hit some stores last night looking for components, and was annoyed to find that most of the places on Broadway where you used to be able to find interesting stuff to work with, are now carrying a wide variety of pre-assembled, generically sexy outfits that require not thought or creativity at all.  Bah.

I didn't always love Halloween.  For me the turning point was the first year I had a really great costume.  I was in library school, and had been invited to a party thrown by some of the rabble-rousing grad students from the GEO. This was a smart and creative bunch, and I wanted to make a good effort.  I stood in front of my closet debating which thrift store pieces could be salvaged into a costume, when I spotted a red and white checked polyester dress I never wore because it looked like a tablecloth.  And then it hit me, that when better to look like a tablecloth, then when dressed as a picnic.  I wore green tights and shoes, cut out cardstock sandwich, apple, orange, and chicken leg.  Found some grape earrings at a vintage store.  Put my hair up with plastic utensils.  But my favorite touch, was the line of ants creeping in a line up one arm, down my cleavage, and back down the other arm...with one on my face as a beauty mark. 

This is when I discovered that I really love costumes that seem basically cute, but have a level of disturbing to them.   Little plastic ants spirit gummed to your skin disturb people.  I did three more ant costumes the next few years.  I've also found that I like costumes so clever that people generally don't get them.  Is that clever, or just precocious?  The Velvet Underground costume is a good example. Miners helmet constructed from surplus science supplies, velvet jacket, pants and shirt.  London Underground t-shirt below for hints.  Banana in my pocket.  Creepy fishing lures pinned everywhere.  And of course ants.

The following year I had a successful Ant Farm costume...brown overalls with masking tape ant tunnels, felt farm tucked in the bib pocket, sky blue shirt with gauze clouds, and a farmers straw hat.  But alas, this was all overshadowed by my date's Sea Monkey ensemble.  He did look, uh, most striking.

The next year my costume was just lame.  What do you get when the Pink Panther steps on an ant?  All in black, with an extra pair of arms, and some wings left over from Burning Man.  Worst costume ever.

But happily, this was followed by one of my favorites:  The Cat Who Ate the Canary.

Another favorite: Zombie Showgirl (well before the current zombie trend, I assure you).

But for every good costume, I've gone out in equally lame ones, too.  The year me and my date went as the couple from Green Acres certainly felt like a low..even if we did memorize the theme song, and my bad fake Gabor accent actually fooled some drunks.  Oh...and the Matrix Extra.  Slightly cleaver, mostly lame.

And the one thing I really do miss about the whole Burning Man crowd is the opportunities for creative costuming.

So now I need to get off my butt, and get working on my costume for this weekend.  It isn't particularly disturbing, and is probably more sexy than I usually go with...but not a sexy version of something.  Just a costume idea I've been batting around for a while and decided I finally had the right party to wear it at. 

Wish me luck.