Chick er Chreet

I remember as a kid, moving from Japan to Port Angeles. Everything was new to me, and I did everything I could to assimilate. I didn't want to be that Japanese girl with the thick accent who dressed funny and ate weird things. I wanted my name to be Alyssa Green, and I wanted to be wearing the coolest 80s styles....I had denim boots with a jeans pocket on the ankle, some white tights with lace at the bottom which I wore under my shorts, and a hypercolor sweatshirt of some guy who's clothes came off as you blew on his body...ha ha. I can't believe Mom let me buy that. Do they still sell hypercolor shirts? They should make a come back! Anyway, I remember moving to this new city, and thinking America was soooo cool....little did I know that Port Angeles was hardly America! One thing I remember vividly, was that Mom would take us to the local library, and I would check out books about two things in particular: mummies and Halloween. What a weird kid I was. I was obsessed with Halloween. I thought it was the neatest holiday ever! Dress up as a total weirdo, and get candy from total strangers. How much better could it get for a kid? I remember Mom made Lisa and I costumes as Malificent, the witch from Sleeping Beauty. My cape lining was teal, and Lisa's was fushia...I opted for the witches hat to appear less dorky, and Lisa of course went all out with the horns. Hmmm, I think Lisa still likes to wear her horns sometimes....just kidding. I remember preparing by carving pumpkins with Mom, and getting our hands all yucky with snotty guts. Mom would toast the seeds, and I just thought they were gross. She was so into holidays that she would put Halloween stickers in our lunch boxes all month...they were scratch 'n sniff monster stickers that smelled like dirt. So cool...they didn't have THAT in Japan. Anyway, I believe Lisa and I were the witches from Sleeping Beauty for about 3 years or so. Our costumes grew smaller and smaller each year, but Mom didn't want to sew new ones....I don't blame her (She never did sew that Michael Jackson jumpsuit for me like she promised either,....and now I'm grateful that she didn't!) Anyway, I miss those Halloween nights as a kid. It is so different as an adult now. Go to a bunch of parties where every girl in the room is some kind of excuse for a skanky display....Look! I'm a slutty postal worker! or I'm a naughty turtle! or check me out! I'm in my bra and underwear and some devil horns or angel wings and it's okay i'm not a slut cuz it's halloween shenanagins. Barf. But it's those creative costumes that I like to see, and those cute kids running around. And a bit of little Lani still lingers when the Halloween candy comes out. Mom and Pop made me chew sugar free Trident gum, but got them back by spending all of my weekly allowance on candy! May we remain youthful for as long as we can, and have a Happy Halloween!