It's Rabbit Season!!!

It's been a few years since I've taken the couple of hours to carve a pumpkin for Halloween,¹ but TheWife bought one this year so I figured I'd go ahead and do something. My first thought was a McCain pumpkin - that beautiful lizard-y shot of him at the final debate seemed like a good idea - but here in AZ that might get me shot. So I decided to not do a political carving at all. But then what?

A Terminator pumpkin would be pretty cool, so I went looking for a good shot of Arnie with his face half ripped off. I'd probably want to augment that carving with a red LED, but it could be pretty cool. Unfortunately, the photos I could find were all half in shadow, so when I dropped them to B&W and tried applying the Threshold filter, no matter which way I did them, I'd end up with huge swaths cut out. That's fine and dandy, right up until you need to leave an eye in the middle. So short of drawing my own, or spending a few hours just on image manipulation, it was no-go. What then...ah.

Daffy Duck.

I did a quick search and found this mediocre, low-res gif²

and after about 20 minutes in the Gimp I had a usable three-tone pattern.

Here it is out on the front step, first with flash...


and then all lit up...
I think it came out okay for only a couple hours.

The most awful day of the year

I hate July 4th. It's big and loud and puts too much blasting powder into too many hands of too many drunken rednecks. It scares the dog and keeps me locked in by dark to keep her from freaking out (and to be ready to put out any accidental fires caused by Jethro and Cletus.) Oh, and there's the over-zealous displays of nationalistic fervor bordering on the pathological.

But as much as I hate that national day of rockets, Red Bull and vodka, I'd rather it be July 4 every day if it meant never putting up with Halloween again.

• Gotta get home early. Don't be on the road when the precious little uns are out tramping and mooching.
• Gotta get home early. Don't be late to pay tithe to the little imps parading to my door like Mormons and Witnesses.
  
• Gotta get home early. Don't want to risk leaving the house unguarded.
  
• Gotta stock up on candy. No matter I'd rather give food to the hungry, I've got to feed the progeny of the middle-class.
  
• The poor dog goes batty, the doorbell rings endlessly, and did I mention the hoard of children?

I don't like children. I don't have children. I don't want children. I think children are better not seen and not heard. And yet I'll have dozens at my door this lovely autumn evening.

Little fuckers.

I do like a nicely carved pumpkin, however.

Bobbling Bobblehead

Just in time for All Hallows Eve...

The Dwight Schrute bobblehead costume!

I won't deprive you the pleasure of watching Rob Cockerham build yet another amazing costume by posting any photos. Go click. Go!