Congratulate me!

I'm my own girl, I march to my own drummer. That's why I have stomach flu and am dehydrated. While everyone else flocked to the Walgreen's Take Care Clinic for inoculation against garden variety flu or H1N1, I show up with gastrointestinal maladies.

The nurse practitioner says there's nothing to be done for me, really -- just Pepto Bismol and Advil every four hours, lots more water, and soup. The worst is probably over, and I should be feeling fine by tomorrow afternoon.

Sunday Stealing

Sunday Stealing: The Halloween Meme

1. What is your favorite written work of horror fiction? It's a tie between two Stephen King stories -- Carrie (which I enjoyed as only a gal who survived an alienated adolescence could) and IT (which still freaks me out, just to think of it).

2. What is your favorite work of science fiction/fantasy? Can't think of one. Not a big fan of the genre. Sorry.

3. Who is your favorite monster? Milton the Monster. "Six drops of the essence of terror, five drops of sinister sauce. ("When the stirring's done, can I lick the spoon?" "Of course, aha! Of course.") And now for the tincture of tenderness, but I must use only a touch. For without a touch of tenderness, he might destroy me. WHOOPS, too much!"

4. What is your favorite Horror movie? Psycho

5. What horror movie gives you the most chills? Psycho

6. What character from any horror film would you most like to play? Carrie. So she dies at the end, she still knows how to fix those damn Heathers she went to school with!

7. Freddy or Jason? Which one is Jamie Lee Curtis' brother?

8. What is your favorite Halloween treat? Bit o' Honey. Since no one else really likes them, they're very easy to trade for.

9. Ghosts or goblins? Ghosts. Come to think of it, I'm not sure I know what a goblin is.

10. Friendly-faced jack-o'-lantern or scary one? Friendly. Rumor has is it smiling Blagojevich pumpkins are gonna be all the rage around here this year.

11. What is your scariest encounter with the paranormal? Don't believe I have ever had one.

12. Do you believe in ghosts? Why or why not? I suppose I do. I mean, what's the difference between a ghost and the spirit I pray to?

13. Would you rather be a zombie, alien, or psycho? I think I'd prefer to be a zombie because they're all the rage this year. Maybe I could meet Abigail Breslin.

14. Favorite Halloween costume? I loved being Harpo Marx. I tormented everyone with that bicycle horn.

15. Best thing about Halloween? Seeing kids in costume. Too cute!

16. Person in your family who most likes Halloween (not counting yourself)? My niece, who will be 17 in a few weeks. She's been working hard every night on her Sally costume (The Nightmare Before Christmas).

17. Are you superstitious? I can be. Especially when it comes to air travel.

18. Share an unusual Halloween story. Picking it up from this blog entry. Generations of Chicagoans swear that it (or a variation) is true and she haunts Archer Avenue to this day: Imagine that it's a late, moonlit night. You are in nearby Justice, IL, driving down Archer Avenue and are just about to pass Resurrection Cemetery. Suddenly a teenage girl appears by the side of the road. She's easy to see, even in the dark, because she has white blonde hair and is wearing a white party dress. It can't possibly be safe for her to be out alone, walking around near a cemetary on a night like this, so you roll down the window and offer her a ride. She wordlessly shakes her head and you start to pull away. Just as you're picking up speed, she somehow appears directly in front of your car! You cannot stop and are sickened by the thud and crunch of breaking bones as you run her over. You get out to see if there's anything you can do to help this poor girl. But there's no trace of her. For it wasn't a real-live girl you encountered … It was Resurrection Mary!

19. What did you do for Halloween as a kid? Trick or Treat throughout the neighborhood after school. Lie to my mom and tell her of course I didn't eat any of the candy before she got a chance to inspect it for razor blades.

20. What's the best Halloween party that you've attended? I don't remember much about the party except that the guy I was dating -- a really adorable guy and I wish in retrospect that I appreciated him more -- refused to dress up because he said he wouldn't be comfortable. I told him everyone else would be in costume and he'd stand out more by not dressing up. So he devised a plan. He came to the party straight from work and met me wearing a brown jacket, white shirt and tie. "Geek!" said I. He pointed at a sticker affixed to the jacket. "HELLO! MY NAME IS: Rob Petrie, New Rochelle PTA, Richie's Dad." Yes, he came as Rob from The Dick Van Dyke Show. I thought it was a very creative solution to his costume dilemma.