16 Comments on “Don’t Fear The Reaper”

1. At first I thought that said, “Don’t fear the rapper.”

   Sheesh, it’s only Tuesday and I’m already out of my mind…

2. It needs more cowbell.

   “I’ve got a FEVER!…and the PRESCRIPTION…is MORE COWBELL!”

3. John, random question: Do you guys get a lot of trick-or-treaters where you live? Here in suburban NJ, we’ve run out of candy already; six jumbo bags of it, plus a whole barrel of 60 packages of Utz Halloween pretzels.

4. We live out on a country road and our driveway is 500 feet long. We don’t get many trick or treaters. It’s just not worth the effort.

5. Athena continues to rule. :) (Have you introduced her to Terry Pratchett’s Disc World books yet? I bet she’d enjoy meeting Death.)

6. Our town is the only major population center for what would be a countywide area (we have 2300 people in about 4 miles square, next big town is twenty minutes away). They bus kids in. Seriously. Mostly a sleepy road, on ToT we have traffic jams. I haven’t talked with my neighbors (who count the candy to determine the number of trick-or-treators). In an hour-and-a-half of festivities on Saturday I handed out about $35 in candy, somewhere around 800 pieces. But I’m generous and give out multiple pieces to each kid. Except those who said, “it’s for my sister/daughter/cousin in the car,” the kids in strollers, and ToTer’s old enough to grow real beards. They all got one Dum-Dum sucker.

   Athena would have qualified for a handful. As long as she said the magic words.

7. Scalzi:

   Why did Ian from the Cult send you a nasty e-mail?

   Just saw your list and am quite intrigued.

8. Because I reviewed one of the Cult albums and said it wasn’t actually any good. He sent an irate e-mail complaining that I didn’t know how hard it was to make an album, etc. I responded by noting that I’m not supposed to care about the process but only the output, and also, why should he care what I think as long as he was happy, and anyway, dude, you’re a rock star, why are you wasting your time responding to a bad review. He wrote backing saying he saw the wisdom in both my comments. So there you are.

9. Nice. Here’s a trivia question for you.

   The Cult’s hit ‘She Sells Sanctuary’ featured the drummer from Big Country.

   In Big Country’s one popular video (In a Big Country), were they riding three, or four wheel ATVs across the countryside?

   I can’t remember, nor can I believe I just spent four minutes composing this.

10. Ha!

    Three-wheelers!

11. I just watched the video on YouTube, so I know the answer, and it’s not the answer I recalled.

12. Athena would have qualified for a handful. As long as she said the magic words.

    “Grovel and beg for mercy you pewling spawn?”

    If you live in a comfortable neighborhood you should try the following – keep a six pack handy and when you see a Dad standing back escorting a cute kid but starting to lose steam give the kid some candy and then hand the kid a beer saying “Give this to your Dad.”

    The reaction from the Dad is pretty cool. This probably works best when it comes from one Dad to another. Basically it is recognition for doing a good deed from someone who has been there.

    Obviously use some judgement here. Also, make sure the beer makes it to the Dad! :)

13. I just had my first halloween in town (didn’t get any trick-or-treaters when I was at KSU, so I don’t count those years), but I only got about two dozen kids or so. I over-bought candy in a big way. Growing up out in the country though, I know we were lucky to get a dozen kids on Halloween, and most of them were family.

14. Tripp, the magic word are “Trick or Treat.” Many kids don’t say it anymore. They don’t get candy unless they do (I make some exceptions for shyness/tiredness). This year was good, only one kid went for the grab in the cauldron. She eventually said the words. Two years ago I made a kid cry when he went for the grab and I removed his hand from the bowl sans candy (no harm done, I’m just quicker than most) and explained the rules.

15. Went Trick or treating last night with my Girlfriend’s two kids (ages 5 & 3). They were cute as buttons. My girlfriend and I both went out in costume and one parent actually gave me a piece of candy.

    Imagine that. My first bit of Halloween candy in about 30 years. Of course I shared.

    Cheers
    Andrew

16. You know, it took me looking at that photo a time or two, but why is she holding it that way, with the index finger behind the shaft? Good Pluto, John, she’ll hurt herself the first soul she wacks that way. Athena, you need a good full grip on the haft of the scythe to get the power behind the swing. Half slaying is just no fun and the scythe isn’t a baton to be twirled.