I just wanted to take a quick moment to share a picture of my Halloween costume with you before I launch into novel writing for the day.

I was aiming for steampunk, and I think I'm getting there, but not quite. (One person I hung out iwth said I looked like Liza Minnelli, who I know by name but not by face, and therefore couldn't comment. )I would need more accessories for it to really work as steampunk. I was supposed to have spectacles, which would have helped a teeny bit, but they did not come in the mail like they were supposed to. Ah, well.

I got dressed and ready with the full intention of going to costume, kick-off party for Nano, but never got there. There was too much else going on and I was having too much fun just being out with good people. I stopped at my sisters and brothers' party and checked out all the costumes, and we took pictures and chatted for a while.

Then I went out to a bar in Los Gatos with friends, one of whom sewed her own kimono for a gorgeous geisha costume. I was very impressed.

We had a fabulous time drinking and laughing and commenting on all the costumes that people were wearing. I woke up coughing and hoarse this morning I laughed so hard the night before.

There were a lot of unusual costumes out in conjunction with the usual short skirted typical ones. Some that pop into my mind, include:

• A man dressed as the creature from Alien, including full head and tail, while his girlfriend was dressed as one of the soldiers meant to kill it. 
• A women dressed with fairy wings and a pig mask, a la "if pigs could fly." She was very impressed that I knew what she intended.
• Luigi from Mario Bros.
• A rather ballsy woman who wore a body suit with painted breasts and fake pubic hair, so that while she was clothed in the body suit, it looked at first brief glance that she was naked. Totally wild.
• Wonder woman, who was actually handcuffed to an orange suite prisoner.
• A couple Jessica Rabbits.

There were a lot more that we enjoyed, but I can't think of them now. Even though I didn't kick-off Nano with a fury of writing at midnight as I intended, it was all so fun that I would have changed a second of it. Besides, I'll be hitting a local write-in shortly and plan to be well under way by the end of the day.

I love, love, love Halloween. If you've been reading my blog for a while, then you know this. (I'm particularly excited about this year, since I will have somewhere (and maybe more than one somewhere) to go Halloween night, including the Nanowrimo Halloween costume party and midnight kickoff.)

Someone over at brigits_flame asked in a chatter post what everyone's favorite Halloween costume as a kid. Without hesitation, I answered that my fave was Jem, from the 1980s cartoon Jem and the Holograms. I barely remember the actual TV show (this was elementary school we're talking about, and I haven't seen the show since I was in 3rd grade). I vaguely remember that she was a most awesome rock star with powers of some kind.

But I DO remember that costume with fond, fond love. I had a bright, pink glittery '80s glam rock wig and a pink plastic guitar. The guitar actual played notes if you plunked the plastic strings. As we walked through the elementary school Halloween Parade, I felt soooooo cool. I was so sure that there was no one in school that had as cool a costume as I did. Hah! My childhood confidence was through the roof! And nothing all day brought me down from my glory.

I have half a mind to revive the costume for this year. I would be easy enough to get a pink wig and shiny spandex pants. *grin*

However, that would not be practical, sinc I've already bought clothing for my current costume, which is a steampunk-ish look. I'm not thrilled with what I've got, but it's not bad either. It's a start, and I'll have bits and pieces that I can use for future steampunk costumes. If you want to get an idea of what I've got going on, I bought this top, which I will wear with leggings and these boots, and I will also be wearing this top hat and spectacles.

Though, still, I'm very tempted to switch, because, wow, Jem would be soooo fun. And as I said, while I like certain things about my steampunk outfit, I'm not thrilled with it. Hmmm.....

What do you think?

And more importantly, what do you have going on for Halloween? Are you dressing up? What will you be?

My favorite jeans mostly. Jeans are absolutely my favorite thing to wear. The right pair can do amazing things, for style and confidence. In the right pair of jeans I can't help but have a swagger to my walk, a strut. That's always a great feeling, when I feel good in my skin.

Otherwise, the shirt will vary depending on my mood. It can be the feel of the fabric or the cut of the shirt that makes the outfit work. It can be the jewelery paired with it, or even the right bra. Sometimes the right dress will make me strut.

Mostly, though, the clothes are secondary. Usually I have to be in a good mood to begin with. For whatever reason, whether its that I ate some good food, or worked out, or just had a great day, then I will naturally have confidence. At that point, the right clothes are just icing on the already sweet cake. Then it almost doesn't matter what I wear, because I feel so good inside that it all just radiates out.

And the reverse is true, too. If I'm in a bad mood, feeling down, then it doesn't matter what clothes I'm wearing, or how they fit, or what my hair's doing. In other words the clothes won't fix a bad mood I'm in, nor do they really create the good mood. But they can enhance the good vibes that are already there.

Someone on this list pointed me in the direction of an excellent pirate costume store online, or they posted it on their own page. But I'm trying to find it again, because I'm considering being a pirate, or something similar this All Hallows Eve, and I want it to be a really good costume. If you know the link can you let me know what it is?

Thanks.

I'm not doing much tonight. Just going to go see a movie with my friend. It might not even be a scary movie, since my friend has already seen Grudge 2 and I have no interest in seeing Saw III (I don't like torture movies very much). Besides, I had my Halloween fun Saturday night. CB's, our local bar, threw a costume party. My friend went dressed as a fairy and I went as Delirium from the Sandman comic series (unfortunately I don't have any good pictures). It was a blast, though. We drank and danced our asses off. In fact, we danced so hard, I was sore for two days after. Good fun.

Oh, yeah, and Nano starts tomorrow. I am so unprepared. Anyone else in the same boat?