True stories. That is the blog. So there I was this weekend. It was Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009. The farthest I had progressed on my costume was the green wig and the concept. Which, had finally gelled thursday before. Green America. That was the plan. That is the plan. Oh yeah, plus I had put it out there that I was into the mask. Big Halloween parties are super fun when you are undiscovered, so to speak. Still, the farthest I had gotten was some vague idea about fabric and the mask. Plus I had green shirts, green silk pants collected at Burning Man this year, and of course the green wig. The origin of the wig is somewhat lost in time to me. It has been floating in my stuff for several years. When my daughter was little, I used it to accompany her power puff girl as the colorful clown.
Over the years, Goodwill Walla Walla has come through for me, not just in fashionable reused clothes, but in Halloween extras and Burning Man costumes. That something that sets off your costume, what you need at the moment, you know, so it is just so. I have this inordinate faith in the local thrift stores for all my needs. So, I found myself at Goodwill, trying to figure out how to tie all the green pieces together. I looked for some mask options, of course, there was nothing. I did find a green choir gown to cap off the outfit, of course. Finally, after ghosting through the prominent sections, I saw a small group of people looking through a table. It was a bits and pieces table. That is where I found it, a green misshapen piece of fabric, with small blue paislies all over it. I didn't yet know how it would all work, but I knew it would.
It only took thirty minutes, Saturday afternoon. There were two big parties lined up that night. One, at an artist's studio with two friends, Dj Pending and Dj Danny Boy. Good friends, whose music choices are particularly fun to dance to. The other was at the property of another person I knew. Every year he has a barn party with live music and lots of people from the area show up and throw down. Inside the barn he has fire pits and hay bales to dance around and on. I showed up last year and had a great time. I planned on going to both. Danny Boy is new and it was his first vinyl set, so I told him I would be there for his set to support him, plus I really dig his sound. The party started at ten and he was the opener.
Still, the costume was not done and I had to get home and be there for my daughter. She and her best friend are both twelve. They had decided that they did want to go downtown for afternoon trick or treating. Initially, they had been too old. But as Halloween approached they grew younger. It was amazing. We had ushered in Halloween the night before, with a spooky sleep over with three other best friends. Complete with pumpkin carving contest and spooky flashlight tag in the park. This friend was the last girl standing so to speak. They got some goth, anime, vampire get up on and the downtown was on. Later, she left with her friend for a sleep over at her house and I continued on with my planning for Green America.
This started with a meditation on the couch and then passing out candy to a small number of kids who came to my house. Finally, I got all the pieces out and laid them on my bed. It was cool, when I folded the fabric a certain way it transformed into a sweet geometrical mask shape. I had to cut eye holes and sew the fabric together, after folding it. It worked. There it was. A stitch and a fold. A cut and a slice. A mask revealed. Green Wig, mask, and the robe, open over green shirt and pants. On the back of the robe, I sewed a small American flag. It was the perfect dance outfit. Which is also a requirement for any costume that I might inhabit. The wig gave my head that waggly boom bounce, effect. You know? When I got out there, I found that Green America rocks!
The dance party went off, with the dubstep dj danny boy and the electro/breaks dj pending just killing it. I love technology. We left the dance party, briefly, and went to the barn party. Drop in and drop out, that was the plan. In full mask, it was easy to just drop in and dance around the fire. No talking to anyone. If anyone asked I told them. It was funny, mostly they were blank. "Green America? I don't get it." I knew it was too subtle, but I figured it would give me the opportunity to put it out there. "Cool, huh. Green America. Get it?" Some do, some don't. At least the dance was on. We went back to the dj dance party and rocked on. I love my town, I love my life, I love to dance, I love the color green, I love america and I clearly love Halloween.
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