That creepy time of year was just here and another Halloween meant another Sabin Halloween party. We did it again and it was just as much work and amusement as always.
This year it was my turn to decide our costumes. I have long wanted to go as characters from one of my favorite books, Pride and Prejudice, so that’s what I chose.My hairdresser did my Bennet do. She’s a big Austen fan so I knew my strands were in good hands.Jason looked yummy dressed as Mr. Darcy. Good thing because his costume was quite the pain to sew. Most of its components were made from actual 1800’s patterns since they were my only option. I basically had to create my own modern instructions for these antique designs.
We had a great turnout of friends and family. They all came clad in their best disguises ready to flaunt their haunt.
Making the same decorations look different each year is always a challenge. I guess we succeeded this time because several of our guests commented on all the “new” items we had bought.Jason turned our basement ceiling into a billowing tapestry of festive lights.My recipe for creepy: skulls, crows, spiders, moss, and crispy dead flowers.
Bingo was popular once again with both adults and children. We played enough rounds that those who walked away with a prize or two outnumbered the luckless.
Jeremy took home the prize for best dressed with his energetic portrayal of the Nyan Cat.The beaten and disemboweled pinata somehow ended up on Matt’s head.Lauren came as Buddy, my favorite elf. She won 3rd place in the costume contest so obviously others favor that north pole homeboy as well.
The kiddies were as eager to bat the piñata as ever. I don’t think there is a child out there that doesn’t enjoy smacking something with a stick until its insides gush out.
The Ashleys depicted Tobias from Arrested Development with an assortment of peculiar outfits.This year our skeletons painted the cemetery red with their spooky spirits and party hats.Our nephew Jadon rocked his DJ Lance Rock outfit.
The costume contest was pretty cutthroat this year. I was very impressed with the fabulous and creative attire concocted by many of our guests. In the end Jeremy Rowley took home the prize for best dressed with his original and disturbing portrayal of the Nyan Cat but there were a lot of other contestants that gave him a run for his rainbow.
Our talking harvester may be a little too scary for the average youngster so we made sure there was plenty of distance between him and our door.We converted our living room into the halls of Hogwarts. The little kids thought the transformation was charming.I gave our front room a ghostly wash with a monochromatic palette.
It was a fun night that only took months of prep work to put together and, if all goes well, in a few weeks our house may be nearly back to normal.
Who says beards and heels aren’t a perfect combo? Penny’s costume won 2nd place so I guess they nearly are.Carley and James came as a comedic duo: a banana and a whoopee cushion.This sinister scene set the mood as guests entered our spooked-out home.
Many thanks to all of you who rocked our get-together. We love giving our friends, and ourselves, an excuse to dress up and celebrate the scary.
Matt and Tabatha survived the zombie apocalypse only to be defeated in the best group category by one vote.The Kreepy Klubhouse was meant for the tiny kiddies but it became “the party house” after half a dozen adults sardined themselves into it.
If there is a word that means “beyond famous” you can look that word up in the dictionary and see a picture of me.
I’ve been giving lectures, along with various other SCC board members, to chemistry students at universities around the state. The latest of these presentations was at BYU in honor of national chemistry week.
Somehow this lecture landed me and Ryan, my co-presenter, an invitation to appear on a live talk show called Insight with Jon Du Pre that is broadcasted on BYUTV. Yes, I did say “live” as in lots of opportunities for blurting out baffling responses that cannot be edited into coherency.
Jon Du Pre was a very friendly fellow. I guess talk show hosts do need to be easy to talk to.
Ryan and I agreed to be on this program without really knowing what to expect. Apparently we should have counted on some nerves, a little mayhem, and a whole lot of blush.
As soon as I arrived at the studio I was whisked into makeup. My look was glamorized, or depastified rather, with seemingly endless layers of foundation and eye shadow. It was a lot more than I would normally wear; it was probably a lot more than the average hooker would wear. And I wasn’t the only one that got obligatorily prettied up, Ryan was powdered and primped too.
Becoming pretty took a while. One of my friends told me I looked like a geisha with my makeover. I'm still not sure if that was meant as a compliment or an insult.
After our beautification we did have a little time to prep for the interview while waiting in a holding room but most of what was discussed during that wait didn’t make it into the program. So much for being ready. I’m sure you’d never guess watching our segment, which was brimming with witty technical repartee, that we were totally winging it. Never.
We discussed some cosmetic products in "the green room" while waiting for showtime.
The trickiest part of being on live TV was pretending that you weren’t on live TV. Ignoring all the teleprompters, the cameras focused on you from every possible angle, and the multitude of timing apparatuses while trying to quickly give intelligible responses was a little daunting. We pulled it off pretty well though. I didn’t fall off my stool or start spouting incomprehensible Rachel blabber. The fool I made of myself was not complete so I’d say my expectations were exceeded.
The studio was a little cramped with cameras swinging all over the place but there was enough room for all of the guests, plus Jason, to huddle in a corner and watch the filming.
Another zombie fest = further justified disgustingness. Yes, for the third time in as many months Jason and I again painted ourselves gray, putrefied our skin with latex, and smeared fake blood all over our mugs. I guess you can take the Sabins out of the filth but you can’t take the filth out of the Sabins.
We participated in Night of the Running Dead, a 5K race to benefit the Huntsman Cancer Institute, with 5 of our buddies about a week ago. Racers could run as a zombie or a meal-I mean a human. The humans got a 2 minute head start after which the undead were set loose on them.
Everyone here was in a fight for their lives...or for their food at the very least. Except Drew, he was just out for a pleasant jog.
Jason and I decided to join the zombie group, as did our sister-in-law Simone. Our choice of allegiance shouldn’t surprise you; we are pretty rotten. The rest of our friends decided they’d rather run for their lives than after their food. Serve yourselves.
That climbing a tree trick never works; zombies like their grub skewered.
The concept behind this race was dreadfully enticing. Who doesn’t dream of being chased down by reanimated corpses or salivate at the thought of some fresh meat? The setting was pretty ideal too. The Utah State Fairgrounds provided that abandoned city feel you’d expect from a ghoul-infested post-apocalyptic municipality. But, while this event had the makings of grisly greatness, its perfection was marred by two pesky problems.
Cam was undaunted by little ol' zombified me. Doh! Even as a decaying corpse I can't get no respect!
First, the run started at 3:00 in the afternoon on what turned out to be an uncharacteristically warm day for October. We were feeling every one of those nearly 80 degrees as we tromped along. Thanks to the heat my zombie makeup practically did transform me into the undead. Not only did that thick stuff block my sweat and accelerate my overheating but it also gave me the sensation that I was falling apart which, due to my disintegrating latex, I actually was. It’s a tad alarming to wipe your perspiring forehead and find blood on your fingers even if you know that blood originated from a bottle you dumped thoroughly all over your face.
Brains are good. Brains are tasty. One of these days I'll get some...maybe.
My second issue with this race was that it was a little too authentically chaotic. It involved three laps around the fairgrounds but the designated route changed on each loop and there were no directing signs, which meant that everyone was literally running around in circles with no idea where they were supposed to be going. That old trick of just following the runners in front of you was no help; it’s not like those people knew where they were headed either or were necessarily even on the same lap as you.
The undead were starving and ready to sprint. Nothing like the incentive of a little intestinal gorging to hurry you along.
And it wasn’t just the participants that were confused. When Jason completed his three laps and then tried to finish the race he was told by a volunteer that he needed to go back around yet again. That guy absolutely refused to let Jason pass. Huh? Though robbed of his impressive finish time, Jason did accomplish his goal of catching up to Cam. I guess the promise of a delicious Camburger sufficiently quickened his step.
The humans taunted us fiends from behind the safety of closed door(s)??? Good thing zombies aren't too bright because it would seem that those people didn't adequately think this situation through.
Like Jason, all of our finish times weren’t even close to accurate owing to the varying routes we took. But we succored our race frustrations by stuffing our faces afterwards with waffles and frites from Bruges. Waffles may not be quite as appealing as brains but when they’re chocolate filled I think it’s a close tossup.
Watch out boys we'll chew you up!
As a side note, we will give this race another shot next year. I suspect the organizers have received many a complaint and will not make the same mistakes again.
Recent Comments