cake and snacks and costumes
Short DLU today! I've been distracted all morning, barely getting word done here and there, laughing and delighting at coworker costumes. I really feel like people stepped up their game all around this year. There was a lot of great costumes last year, but even though I won "Most Creative" costume at Jennifer and Eric's Halloween party two Saturdays ago, I honestly think a host of people were more creative this year.
Like mine -- again, "Be the Change," which people are loving -- there have been several other "walking pun" costumes: Alicia with prime numbers affixed to her outfit and handing out positive affirmations on flash cards is "Optimist Prime." Freya, the woman relatively recently hired who is out General Counsel, dressed as a miner, complete with jumpsuit and headlight helmet, with a bag of weed in her pocket: "Miner in Possession."
There have also been department-wide coordinations. Will, VP of Information Technology, came in a very-well put-together costume as Mr. Rogers, but probably 75% of everyone else in IT came dressed as . . . Will. And in Accounting, a bunch of them dressed as old-timey accountants from the first half of the 20th century, complete with green visors.
Probably my favorite costume was Lamai dressed as Ali Wong, pretend-pregnant in a leopard print dress and cat-eye glasses. I'm going to vote for her for one of the awards but will be surprised if she wins; its effectiveness is entirely dependent on knowing who Ali Wong is to begin with. I'll have a bunch of photos posted later, of course.
We've got the requisite popcorn and candy available all day at work today, but not, unfortunately, my favorite thing we usually have: hot apple cider. Aimée told me last year no one drank it (I did!) and there was too much of it leftover at the end of the day. Bummer.
On the other hand, this year there is a bowl of caramel sauce to drizzle over fresh sliced apples. Now there's a way to get me to eat fresh fruit! This and the candy and the popcorn (and a plate of marshmallows and pretzels) are all in one sort of cubby-counter at the south end of the building; there is a mirror equivalent cubby-counter at the north end which had been Halloween decorated last year but was left empty this year. That was kind of disappointing.
I think the great costumes this year easily make up for that. Lynne, who sits in the desk behind mine, came as a "Queen of the Spiders" witch, complete with a giant fake spider the size of her torso, and another smaller, mechanical spider she can make move along the floor with a remote. I got a nice, brief video of that spider meandering around the corner, evidently off to explore the rest of the office.
Surely I will get many more pictures this afternoon; we have until 2:00 to vote for several categories of costume. If there were just one or two, I really don't think I'd have a chance with this competition, but with something like five awards being given, I think there's a fair chance -- maybe, 30%? -- I could win one of those. We'll see!
Oh wait! I suppose I should at least mention that yesterday was Shobhit's birthday -- and we made less of a deal about it than we have (when he was in town, anyway; he was in India last year) in about a decade: I got four photos. We made "shahi paneer pizza" for dinner, which caved in partially in its center and splotched all over the oven before we pulled it out, and then I had to clean the oven. The pizza was pretty good though. Shobhit particularly loved it. And then we walked to Bakery Nouveau for the cake he decided at the last minute he wanted, instead of the ice cream I had suggested; instead of getting a slice, he wanted an entire cake, for which I paid $38. This was rather out of character for him, as that's quite the price tag for a dessert, even if it is an entire cake, but whatever. We are all walking contradictions in one way or another.
Shobhit suggested going out for the ice cream tonight instead -- it's the last day for a 2-scoop-for-1 coupon at Salt & Straw. And I do want to go out for a walk to see if there's anything worth getting pictures of on Capitol Hill tonight anyway. Ivan will be around -- he must be in town already; he messaged me last night that he was to arrive at 11 a.m. but can entertain himself the few hours until Shobhit gets home from work. Given that he works nights, I was surprised he took a morning bus, and suspect he might be sleeping through much of the evening as a result. Once again, I guess we'll see.
[posted 12:47 pm]