My aunt is still largely sedated, apparently because of a tear in the trachea. There's still some air in the chest cavity, so they're putting in a second drain or something. It sounds more positive today, but still.

Meanwhile, I'm having the world's most ridiculous problem, which is being unable to decide what to go see on Broadway in December. I want to see All the Musicals, but is My Fair Lady worth the ticket prices, when I already know the show? But I love Laura Benanti. But Dear Evan Hansen and Come From Away and Once on This Island and Daniel Radcliffe is in a play...

Same. We get a lot of teenagers wearing the bare minimum of what could generously be considered a costume. But we overbought candy, so I don't mind.

A couple of moms got in the action... they were like, "hey, everyone likes candy!" Which cannot be argued with. We didn't get many kids but we got a couple of large groups of kids of all ages with chaperones, and it was just fun to see all of them interact with each other while at the door. Candy for all!

Watching Jello facet itself as you eat it is pretty cool.

And tomorrow is my favorite thrice-annual holiday--Half-Price Candy Day!

We actually don't eat or keep much candy on hand, and have switched entirely to fair trade and slavery free chocolate, including drinking chocolate. So I won't be celebrating this happy occasion. But just remembering it gives me a moment of glee.

I topped off a dad's cup with straight bourbon. Emptied my drinktub of candy by 8, about the time things were winding down, but I'm crazy generous & uncoatumed teens just get mild ribbing.

I though the wildest part of the night was when my friends came out in their Mr.Rogers & Speedy Delivery McFeely costumes as our regular postman came by. He insisted on selfies!

But then...after I'd emptied the bucket, went to visit a neighbor up the street who had a party in his yard. And as we're there, a latecomer trio of Lemonade Beyoncés & a fairy come by. S whispers to me "that's Marilyn&Nick". Our SAO & a councilman, the former who I do not like.

I thought he meant they were DRESSED UP as them, not them. Because I'm dense.

But no, it was them. And so much gossipy bits I've heard, seen. So very random. Kids were lovely. I'm glad they got to get big handfuls late in the evening with cousins.

I didn't have time to buy candy this week, so I am hiding in my spare room with the front lights all off. My sister, OTOH, only 3/4 of a mile away, has already run out of candy. Such is the difference between my neighborhood and hers.

However I did get to vote, and started some laundry, and cleaned the kitchen. So it is not a wasted evening.

Ok, how do I say to one of my fb friends that her child's Halloween costume is inappropriate and kinda racist? (former in person friend in our 20s, haven't seen her in over ten years, she has an 8 year old with some extreme special needs, so I know she picked the costume: it's a fake "Indian headdress" of feathers and a fringed buckskin sort of shirt). I'm in no way close to her but feel like I have to say something??

Did you end up saying anything?

I know Halloween is past now. When I saw the date on your post, and the child's circumstances, I thought to myself I probably wouldn't have said anything on Halloween day, after the costume was bought/assembled, and would have to think about saying it with more advance notice, if the friend and I weren't still close.

It might be the kind of idea the mom never thought of before, and that you could float on Facebook a few weeks away from Halloween.

Like sj mentioned, you could use an article and even post it as an open-subject (i.e. not focused on this woman and her kid) for discussion.

Like, "I read [this] and I thought it made some good points about cultural appropriation. Our parents didn't really think about this, but I've come to think it's something people should avoid. What do you all think?"

Thanks Cindy—yeah, I may do that later. (Kid is non-verbal (not autistic, genetic disorder), so I'm pretty sure she picked the outfit without much help from him). I feel like she has a really tough life...but also, geez man. I thought everyone (especially those who used to be queer* and lived in large east coast cities where that sort of thing was politicized) knew it wasn't cool to stick a feather headdress on and say you're an Indian!!

(*i say used to be queer because when I knew her she was, but she later married a dude and had a kid, and then posted on fb a couple years ago "as an ally", which made me go "so, you're not queer anymore???")

I didn't have any trick or treaters. We rarely do in my apartment complex, but if any made it down the dark, twisty shortcut through the woods, or along the busy road, I wanted to have something on hand for them. Now the Lindt truffles are in the breakroom for my coworkers. Well, the ones I didn't snack on last night, anyway.

We had far fewer trick or treaters than normal and a lot of candy leftover.