HALLOWEEN COSTUMES AND SATANIC FOOTWEAR

It was Halloween day.

Year, 1990.

IMAGE SOURCE

My mom had just put me in the seat of a shopping cart at Hills. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of frequenting a Hills department store, imagine walking into a Kmart that smells like popcorn.  

I was waiting impatiently for my brother to get done with pre-school. Carving pumpkins, wielding plastic weapons, and eating gobs of candy- oh boy- the anticipation grew. I tweedled my toes and wriggled inside the red cart trying to release some excitement.

It didn't work.

At once, I begged my mom to put me in the clown costume my Aunt Marilyn had made. Years ago she had sewn it for my older cousin, last year she passed it down to my brother, and finally this year it was mine.

My brother, John, in the same costume years before.

"Momm, I want to be a clown."

"I don't have it here, Dimpy," she said. My mom often called me Dimpy because of my dimples. "As soon as we pick up John we can go home and get dressed-up."

"But Mommm," I dragged out in a tiny little whine, "I want to be a clown, now." I looked at her with big brown eyes and whimpered pathetically. "I want to have lopstick." (typo intentional)

Hours later (30 minutes in adult time) we returned home. I remember my mom gently helping me into my checkered costume, tying the frilly white collar around my neck, and placing sweet cherry lipstick perfectly on my nose and lips. 

That day, I beamed as I waddled in to Calvary Baptist Church in my home-made Halloween costume. 

Thanks mom for humoring me. 

For this blog post, I decided to ask some of my dearest friends to share their fondest Halloween costume memories. From a home-made bride to a pre-packaged wrestler, each costume is sweetly special and outright adorable. Thank you to all of my friends and family who contributed these happy moments to me and my readers.

Are you ready? Get a load of all this cuteness--

"The Most Adorable Count Dracula Ever"

"I was always a big fan of the count. I definitely saw Bram Stoker's Dracula movie earlier than I should have but it was so worth it. In addition. the movie The Monster Squad has been a tradition to watch in October for as long as I can remember. Costume was modeled after the Count in that particular movie." -- Luke Lizik

"Circa 1986"

"I'm the devil. I thought the mask was incredible and used the pitchfork to torture my brother. It was a win-win all around." -- Jay Forney

"Shimmy All Day, Shimmy All Night"

"I was a flapper in preschool and I absolutely loved this costume because of the FRINGE. I enjoy that I got to wear a sparkly feathered headband." -- Alaina (Graves) Pattillo

"I Was Clearly Proud To Be A Bride"

"THIS was my favorite Halloween costume. My grandma made it for me. It was my favorite because she made it for me and from what I've been told, I wore it for days." -- Kelly Field 

"He's Going To Get Me Back On This One..."

"Michael always wanted to be a cop or a cowboy. He loved the gun and the vest. This picture was taken in 1987." -- Christine Marozza

"The Littlest Mermaid"

"At the time, my favorite Disney movie was The  Little Mermaid. My mom and grandma put it together for me. I loved the make-up. It was the best part." -- Nikki Gwynn

"I'm A Granny."

 "One year my mom and my sister made me and my best friend be girls. He was the little girl and I was the old lady. But my favorite costume was when I dressed up as Bret the Hitman Hart. He was my favorite wrestler. The next picture features me in it with my classmates." -- Brandon 'Murda' Bonart

 "Serious 90's Action Everywhere"

"I like the devil bunny picture best even though you are the focus. At the time, my favorite part was probably the cape. There is something transformative about a cape when you're a kid. In retrospect, my favorite part is definitely the high top sneakers. The most satanic of footwear." -- John Dzurko

"First Prize!"

"I wore this costume at Penn State. I sewed it myself with black material and stuffing. My favorite part of it was my tail. I'm holding in the picture, clearly I was very attached to it. In fact, I still have it!" -- Celeste Dzurko

"He's Groping His Roomate."

"Here is your father dressed up as a hillbilly. He threw it together last minute. His date in this picture was wearing my bathrobe to be a raggedly over-weight drunk old woman. You can't see it but he had curlers in his hair. Everyone thought they were hilarious! -- Celeste Dzurko

Dressing up played a large role our childhood, not just on Halloween. From buckets to oversized sunglasses, we continuously let our imaginations wander. To my family, thank you for making life so much fun. I love you.

 If you have a favorite childhood costume I'd love to see it! Send me a link with a quote or paste an image in the comments below.

SAVE YOUR WRITING FROM BEING BURIED ALIVE!

Writing killer content but your blog posts are dying in internet purgatory?

IMAGE SOURCE

Here are 5 tips on how to write posts your audience will love to read.

5. Add quality images, but sparingly.

I'm a firm believer in adding interesting and pertinent images to my blog posts. Too many images can flood the reader, working against you, and not enough images can be boring. Pictures give the article flare and keep the reader interested. Don't forget to cite your images, if you are borrowing from the internet. I use a small link and caption to cite mine.

4. Break up the content.

Blog posts are essentially flash-non-fiction: we want something quick to read that gets to the point. Long sentences and paragraphs are overwhelming. Instead of structuring your post as mounds of information, split up the content and write shorter sentences. Breaking up your long paragraphs into short blips will almost guarantee reading success.

3. Provide bold headings.

In addition to short sections, give your article bold headings. Bold headings are visually appealing and draw-in the readers eye. Don't have time to read the whole post? Readers should be able to take away the basic information by simply reading the headings. 

2. Write creative titles.

Which article would you be more apt to click on, "Writing 101- How to write a good blog post" or "SAVE YOUR WRITING FROM BEING BURIED ALIVE!"? Ok, the all-caps might be a bit much, but I write all of my titles that way- it demands attention. A catchy title will save your post from never being clicked on in the first place. Get your creative juices flowing and write something that allures or stuns. 

1. Understand your audience.

I previously wrote an adult horror blog that reviewed movies and events. Today, I write a blog surrounding my middle-grade horror book. Never in a million years would I use the same voice, language, or content for both blogs. Kids and working-moms don't want to hear about how many times a limb got chopped off in the latest scary movie. Remember if you plan on publicizing your blog, write for your reader.

In addition to these tips be sure to write quality content and edit before publishing. Good luck!

BOOST YOUR IQ BY DAILY JOURNALING

Good morning to all of my twelfth-grade students and readers out there (Hi, Mom!).

IMAGE SOURCE

Today, we are beginning a project where over the course of a semester we will maintain a daily journal on our blogs. When I say 'we', I mean both me and my students. While I have never attempted an online journal before, the benefits, like stretching your IQ and boosting comprehension, are imminent and undeniable. Check out the full list by the Huffington Post here.

As a newcomer to the virtual diary, I searched the internet for help. Day One, a website that hosts a smartphone journal ap, provided me with the criteria for our content. After all, any good blog is ruled by structure and powerful posts. Thanks Day One for the assistance.

For our online journals, each day of the week will provide a different topic for us to examine. This way, we will never get lost in the black-hole of writer's block. The entries must be a minimum of one paragraph (5 sentences) per day and will be used to chronicle our thoughts and growth over the next few months.

You can find my entries under the 'Journal' tab on my homepage
or by clicking HERE.


Here is what each day entails:

Monday
Write about a little moments of joy.
"Sometimes there are just some moments in your life—a hug, a kiss, a goodbye—that while at a glance may seem irrelevant, have a long-lasting importance for you. Writing a bit about the moment, or even taking a picture of it, eternalizes it for you."


Tuesday
Write about the goals you wish to achieve.
"This is about setting long-term personal goals like learning a language or improving a certain aspect of my behavior. This makes my journal an incredibly useful tool that empowers me to review my goals and objectives from a more critical standpoint, given I can see how my objectives change throughout my life."


Wednesday
Write about things that inspire you.
"Sometimes you read a quote or article, and hear about an idea of philosophy that you relate to; your journal is an ideal place for you to reflect upon these. Because, truth be told, most of the times the important component is not the quote or article itself, but what impact that particular things had in your life."



Thursday
Write about your impressions on movies, books, or music.
"You’ll be impressed how much more you take away from albums, movies, and books once you sit down to write about it. It blew my mind the first time I sat down to really think about a movie."



Friday
Write about your innermost thoughts and feelings.
"Jot down feelings of joy and anger, hope and despair, excitement and depression, love and sadness. If I feel that what currently is on my mind is of some sort of importance to me as a person, I write it down. This enables me to look back and understand how I evolved and developed as a person."


I am tickled to start this project and observe how we both grow over the course of the semester. Being more cognizant about our thoughts will lead us to self-discovery and self-awareness, ultimately making us more successful. Think I'm kidding? Take the journey with us and see how you transform! Let us know about your daily journal in the comment section below.