October 2010

It was remarkably warm for a mid-October evening! But that didn’t stop us from breaking out the costumes for our annual Halloween Spooktacular @ Spanky’s! Here’s a run-down of this year’s cavalcade of silliness: Spanky (drums), Cosmo (guitar) & I (singer) were a package deal as “The Manhole Maidens” rock band. Phyllis made a stamp & stamped up her shirt/boots. She also crafted up a chain so she could be more like her drummer idol…Animal from The Muppet Show. Kate rocked a Mohawk, animal print, pleather & a bandoleer of bullet shots. I just threw on some crap & made myself blond for the evening. Lori came as a “Fisherwoman” complete w/ giant stuffed fish. She stayed in her outfit long enough to take pictures & changed because she was overheating. Marge was a “Ninja”. Her costume could’ve been interpreted a few different ways. Please refer to my photo comparison quiz over there on the right side of the page; you’ll see what I mean. Peg dressed up as a “Black Ghost”. Why do they always have to be white? Patt & Debi came as “Pop-Eye” & “Extra Virgin Olive Oil”. They’re always so creative w/ their costumes! A great time was had by all – that’s the best “treat” by far!

Speaking of “treats”…Spanky had 2 extra treats for us this year. First was her “Guess the Number” game. There was a bunch of candy corn in a jar. Phyllis passed out personalized slips for us to make our best guesses. She said whoever came closest without going over would win. Lori wanted to know if this was like “Price Is Right” rules so she could bid $1. I’m sorry, but the price is wrong!!! Lori also made a crazy guess of over 2,000 or something. I figured it wouldn’t be that high as Phyllis just can’t be bothered with counting all those corns! My guess was 315 so I was the closest! I won some delicious candy corn cookies & decorative Halloween plate. I offered the cookies to the ladies, but there was so much other stuff to eat that nobody touched them. So, I shared the cookies w/ my neighbors & kids the next day. After the game, Spanky had written a spooky poem for our listening enjoyment! It was called “The Night before Halloween”. It was chock full of maggots & steaming bodies…oh my!

All this talk of maggots made everyone hungry, so we ran to the kitchen to dine on Chicken Parm, Hot Cheesy Spinach dip, Pasta, Salad, Mummy Dogs & Devilish Eyeball Eggs. After stuffing our faces with real food, we moved on to the goody table. Over there was punch, candy, witches fingers, Cheetos, chocolate covered pretzels & Oreos. Debi couldn’t keep away from the Cheetos! Every time she would put them back on the goody table, they would mysteriously show up on her card, her chair, etc. Was it a ghost from across the street having a little fun, or maybe it was that sneaky Chester Cheetah! As usual, everything was super yummy & everyone was quiet for a few minutes while chewing. Then we got on with the game. We did 3 callers with a cover all, and then another 2 callers before the final cover all. The 1st one was a 3-way split. Then we broke for coffee & cupcakes by Marge. By this time, I was so hopped up on sugar that I can’t remember who won the last cover all.

MYSTERY BOX

Peg was responsible for the Halloween Mystery. And what a Mystery it was! Again, we had a tie. This time it was between Marge & Spanky. This is the 2nd month in a row where Spanky has been all tied up! And it’s now the 2nd time in a row where she’s lost out. Inside the Boo! Bag & recycled “Happy B-day/Halloween” paper was a bunch of spooky ingredients: Tarantula egg, Lizard fat (butter), Bat Blood (vanilla extract) & a container full of ingredients that couldn’t be revealed under penalty of death! All of the spooky ingredients were followed up with a recipe for sugar cookies & Halloween cookie pan. Marge will be responsible for providing the next Mysery. Ooh, maybe it will be some delicious cookies…

COME BE THANKFUL

November means it’s time for our annual Thanksgiving Feast! We will gather together @ Peg-a-la’s on SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20TH. It will be the usual fare of turkey, potatoes, sides & dessert. If memory serves me correctly (which is a 50/50 shot) it was too warm for a cozy fire last year. Maybe we’ll get to use it this year.

BREAST AWARENESS

As you probably know if you’ve watched TV, listened to the radio, or been overwhelmed at a grocery store awash in a sea of pink – October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Marge even worked a pink sash into her “ninja” costume! Patt & Debi are doing a cancer walk this month. As soon as they mentioned it, we leapt for our wallets to cough up donations. Various sisters managed to scrounge up $20. Patt said that all of her winnings from the game would also be donated. She won $23 for a grand total of $43 in donations! That might cover 1 very small boob! But, every boob counts!

Speaking of boobs… Marge & I recalled how hard it was to see Patt suffer back in the day. So I am very pleased to announce (drum roll please…) that Patt has been cancer-free for the last 17 years now! Hip hip hooray!!! We’re all very glad she’s still around to crack jokes, drive like a maniac & drop the F Bomb.

RANDOM FUNNIES

Pollyanna! For the first time ever in Pokeno history…we managed to pick Secret Santa’s without any issues! Hooray! There were no do-overs, no self picks…nothing! Way to go ladies!

Tongue Twister! Cosmo was complaining all night about being the “Itty Bitty Titty Committee”. Later on – not sure what exactly spurred it, but it turned into an Itty Bitty Titty Committee Shitty Pity Party! Don’t try to say it 5 times fast; you might break your lip and/or tongue.

Joke! After the Pity Party mentioned above, we were all laughing so hard that Kate needed a tissue. She delayed the call in order to take care of business, but it was taking forever! I guess she was still laughing or side tracked or something (imagine)! So I told her to make it dance & put a little boogie in it. This is a joke I remember from Kindergarten & everyone starts laughing. I’m glad that some “old school” humor can still bring a chuckle to the table.

Surprise! It was Kate’s turn to call. She was doing her usual hold up the card thing. We were glad she did because she called “7 of Diamonds” and we all started to tell her no when she said, “Surprise! It’s a Jack, not a 7”! I guess when you’re having so much fun that you send photos to the wrong people…7’s can look like J’s too.

Chalk up another memorable Halloween Spooktacular. Thanks again to everyone for putting effort into your costumes & thanks to Spanky for being such a wonderful hostess! Get ready to fast for the week before the Thanksgiving Feast so you have enough room for all the deliciousness. I’ll meet you in the buffet line! Until next time, may the foxiest bitch win!