It still weirds me out that towns around here have designated trick-or-treating hours, and kids actually obey them. I can't imagine my friends and I as kids actually paying attention to something like that.

Huh. We have designated hours, and the kids pretty much stick to them (though there's always one group at 5:45 even though trick or treating starts at 6). And I'm positive we stuck to them as kids, because our parents kept an eye on us.

I don't care how old the kids are and whether or not they are in costume (although the teeny be-costumed ones are teh cutest!). I like interacting in a positive way with the neighborhood, or nearby neighborhoods, teens. We don't often have the chance to do that. And, in my experience they are almost always polite.

We hung out with my 6-year old niece this evening while her folks went to a lecture and I'm either getting a cold or I'm just old and weak because I'm completely worn out. It was just a couple of hours! Of non-stop talking but still...

Oops, meant to post the Halloween stuff in response to the conversation in Bitches. Oh well.

I think my parents stopped trick-or-treating with us when we were about 8 or 9. Trick-or-treating was kid time -- at 8 or 9, we weren't old enough to go out without an adult, but going with an older sibling and some of the sibling's friends was fine. By high school, we'd be out until about 10, which was usually when so many porch lights were off that it seemed pointless.

Designated hours is weird to me. As is showing up at 4. All our trick or treating was done on the way to the school fairs (after dinner, 5 or 6 ish) and then until the porch lights went out.

Towns that schedule it other than the 31st? Boggle me.

Towns that schedule it other than the 31st? Boggle me.

My entire county scheduled it for the 30th, because there's a football game that weekend.

We have dog trick or treat on Sunday. I think Darby will be Dracula.

I should watch that geneology show, it sounds amazing--600AD is not fucking around! Along the same lines loved an article on slate (?) the other day about businesses in Japan that have been around for over 1000 years. I can't even fathom.

Right?

Puppy was going to be Zero from Nightmare Before Christmas. She just needed an orange nose boop. But she's also freaked by kids right now so instead we're hiding at Mom's because she'll likely get one or two at most. My house is madness and it'll be great next year but I'm not traumatizing the dog for chocolate that I'm not even eating.

I just signed up for an edX class on data analysis. It seems to be covering stuff I should know for my job. I hope I'm smart enough to understand it and committed enough to actually follow through on it! I did pay for it so that should help. I know people go to actual school and work full time all the time but that seems so hard to me right now.

I just signed up for an edX class on data analysis.

I'm doing the Data Science specialization on Coursera. So far, haven't really learned anything other than how to use the software that we'll be using for the rest of the classes, but I'm figuring that the classes past the intro one will be teaching more.

I saw an article with the headline, "Arctic town cancels Halloween on account of polar bears". It made me think of Matilda.

I made the mistake of buying Halloween candy I like. I may have to put it somewhere difficult to get to.