"It is time to become a part of all things."

          My laziness today is comparable to that of yesterday, and I spent my time awake playing Fire Emblem and lounging about with Iris. Later, she left me to my own devices, so I watched Ghost In the Shell and was delighted not just by the movie, but also with my considerable streak of good luck in that area as of late. Ghost is said to be the film that mainly inspired The Matrix, and though the animation looks old, it has retained its style. The song played over the beginning, an eerie chorale in an archaic Japanese language and drawing on Bulgarian folk music, lays down a haunting, uncomfortable atmosphere that persists for the rest of the movie. Its comments on the meaning of life and sexuality in the wake of artificial intelligence are familiar, but they are as powerful as ever.
          Quote of the day:
"I have decided garlic and butter were meant to be together." - Sean (courtesy of Katie)

Pillar of Salt

          I did not leave the couch at all today. I played more Red Emblem: Sacred Stones in the morning. Later, Iris and I watched an interesting, modern Mafia film (Italian-made) called Gomorrah, which I enjoyed to a degree but didn't love. It is unique, but it is very informal-feeling, much unlike the gangster movies most people are accustomed to. Afterward, we did some mad science with our ancient blender and created smoothies.

Family Man 2

          Iris and I (primarily Iris) cooked a huge Thanksgiving dinner at her place, including a beautiful ham, butternut squash, cheesy garlic bread, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce. My family always has large reunions on Thanksgiving, and for being away from all that, I felt surprisingly at home. Later, we watched Ip Man 2, which is an incredible sequel -- so typically a contradiction in terms -- and yet very different from the first movie, with the British standing in for the Japanese as "race composed entirely of evil people." There were all the things that were great about the first one: the badass fight scenes, Donnie Yen's lovable portrayal of Ip, the badass fight scenes, very limited wire-fu, Ip's wife being a complete saint as usual, and the badass fight scenes. The sequel boasts a boss battle with arguably twice the anxious tension of the first's, not to mention a shockingly different showing by Jin, the Northerner. If Ip Man was a 9.5, Ip Man 2 is a 9.3.

My God Is Yahweh; or, A Tale of Two Roarks

          I dreamed that I joined Jared, Alaric, and some girl in presenting a business proposal to potential investors: a combination bookstore and shoe outlet, which is probably my subconscious telling me that people want to Payless at Barnes & Noble. (HUE HUE HUE but actually new books are expensive) This transitioned into a dinner table conversation with David's family where we ate ham and discussed Israel.
          The day was rainy and up to 66 degrees -- in another word, perfect. I spent a few hours decorating, something I haven't had the chance to spend significant time on recently. Also, TF2. Iris came over later on and we watched Sin City -- a positively amazing movie, in my estimation. The super high contrast, black-and-white look is legendary, it's packed with relentless action and star power, and the way the filming was done, it feels like reading a comic book. Except, this comic book has gratuitous violence, Bruce Willis, hooker Amazons, extreme morbidity, and the creepiest performance you'll ever see from Elijah Wood.

Believe me.

Seneca Crane, Industrial Accident Attorney

          The reader will already know that my cell phone of five years has rung its last. Today is the day it happened, and I was consumed by an irritation that, while more or less gone, immediately crippled my writing efforts. At work, I had to go to the IRS -- again -- and enjoyed listening to Lori make a phone call. "Thank you for calling the Department of Industrial Accidents!" You're welcome. I stopped at the Verizon store on my way home, but they were no help; my phone can turn on and off, but the screen needs to work for them to change a setting and allow the transfer of contacts. There's a micro USB port on the phone, we don't have the technology to circumvent this by now? More to the point, the non-use of removable SIM cards drives me up a wall, but I have no choice but to deal with it at this point.
          I came home to hang out with the Delivery Man and Iris; we played Super Smash Bros., discussed chicken, and watched the 2013 Saxxy nominees. After David took off, Iris and I finished The Hunger Games, which I was somewhat satisfied with. Wes Bentley's eyes, Donald Sutherland's beard, and Stanley Tucci's hair all gave pleasing performances, and the alleged stars of the film were passable to watch, if not memorable. (Just kidding about the hair etc., those guys are all fantastic actors and I feel that their presence really bolstered the quality of the movie.) I'm not a fan of Woody Harrelson in terms of his personal character outside of film, but he was a good casting pick for the role of Haymitch. While we were trying to watch the movie, some hood was raging on his phone immediately outside our door, apparently at somebody who had the audacity to "call a nigga on his phone" and talk shit. I can't overstate how many times he shouted, "Come find me!" Seriously, if you don't want to speak with the guy, just hang up...
          Quotes of the day:
"Is this paraphernalia, sir?" - a federal cop, fuxxin wid another cop
"You see this face? This is my engineering face." - The Delivery Man
"You want to meet me? Come to Tremont Street, bitch! Roxbury, Massachusetts!" - dude outside the apartment
"Come find me! I already gave you the fuckin' address, nigga!" - dude outside the apartment

Notes for this entry were lost.

Delicious

Notes for this entry were lost.

          I spent most of the evening in the basement of IV for the Sex Week photoshoot. Most of this time was spent waiting for one's shoot(s) to come up. For the first hour we were lodged in one of the larger lecture halls, watching The Hunger Games and snacking on food that had not touched anyone's bodies (presumably.) As it turned out, though, RSA had failed to reserve that room; we were kicked out by some dudes halfway through the movie and spent the next three or four hours sitting around. I had Katie for company, but she was running in and out due to multiple commitments, so after my computer died it turned into an exercise in boredom. I ate lots of leftover junk food ended up in two shoots: as part of the Lollipop Guild, and participating in a super messy flour-throwing bonanza with Katie. At times I was mildly uncomfortable, but the experience was exhilarating and I definitely plan to do it next year. Washing flour out of all the hair on my body was also a little annoying, but novel.
          The shoot ran much longer than expected, and poor Iris was kept hungry and waiting for us to go out to dinner afterward. When I did get out, it was dark, frigid, and monstrously windy; happily, we decided it wasn't too late for food. We flew over to Chinatown to enjoy some wonderful dumplings and seafood in a super azn eatery. The place looked slightly dingy, in keeping with the rest of Chinatown, but the food was scrumptious. I'd like to explore more of the restaurants in the area, though I may require Iris' services to have any hope of understanding their staffs.

Charlie Sheen

Notes for this entry were lost.

          The band played at a men's hockey game this evening versus Merrimack, who were shut out 2-0 in their first weekend sweep by the Huskies since 2009.

Burn Down the Mission

Notes for this entry were lost.

          Flexing my section leader muscles, I organized a trumpet meetup at Tasty Burger, which went quite well. A good half or more of the section was in attendance, which is great considering the sheer amount of fresh meat throughout the band. I hurried home afterward to suit up, meet with Jared, and walk out to Mission Hill for a combined birthday party for Harrison (20) and Eliot (21). We walked up two flights of stairs and into a rager, where we met with Alaric and Iris. Eliot prepared a martini for me -- my first -- and I was not particularly thrilled with the vermouth/olive combination. I was even less thrilled with the martini glass, which is possibly the least practical vessel for drinking on earth. After some conversation and hors d'oeuvres, Alaric, Jared and I settled out on the balcony with drinks and cigars. Along with Harrison, Carisa, Lena, and a few others, we finished off the last of Alaric's Cubans and reminisced. The evening went magnificently, and we were in a very strange mood by the time we got home. Iris, Alaric and I made new drinks, put on Bruce Springsteen, and rocked out for a couple hours. We were engulfed in a massive wave of drunken, joyous nostalgia upon listening to "Jungleland", and obtained some wonderful footage of Iris during "Dancing In the Dark". In terms of fun, tonight was easily one of the best this semester.
          Quotes of the day:
"Let's just say 'fuck it' to the whole thing. Let's blow it up." - Jeremy
"You can't discuss anything with [redacted] because his word is nothing. He's a liar, he's a thug." - Jeremy

Try Out Your Voice

Notes for this entry were lost.

          In a feat of unproductivity that was remarkable even for me, I spent the first hour and a half at work reading about a debacle in the speedrunning community which involved twitch.tv and a lot of drama. For the uninitiated, speedrunning is a niche video gaming hobby where people try to beat games as quickly as humanly possible, often using exploits and glitches to cut away normally unavoidable pieces of gameplay. twitch.tv is a streaming site used by gamers. If you're at all interested in that kind of story, the Twitch CEO "apologized" here, and there's a lot of valuable discussion in the comments below. It might not be important in the grand scheme of things, but at least this sets an example for how not to do customer support.
          If the first half of the day was justifiably slow, the second was hellish. I was hit with a rush of work while trying to sort out this new Social Security/tax business and was stressed to no end. However, it's true that trouble, like a hill, flattens out when you advance on it. After work, Iris and I went to see Big D and the Kids Table (!!!) at afterHOURS, and they put on an incredible show. The band performed well -- "Bender" was my favorite song -- the audience was into it, and everything went off without the hitches typical of afterHOURS. In terms of atmosphere, it was far superior to the Baths show, but I'm still deciding which was my favorite.
          Quotes of the day:
"I have to go into the conference room and clear out everything Mark stole from me over the course of the day." - Ally
"I found an entire thing of untouched tabs in there the other day, it was great." - Lisa
...
Ally: "I've never encountered anyone like [redacted] in all the time I've worked here."
Lisa: "He is kind of the be-all end-all of douchebag adjusters... He really needs to watch it."

C-A-D-I-L-L-A-C Bitch

Notes for this entry were lost.

          I attended part of a mediation today, a highly personal lawsuit between siblings over an eviction. Jeremy had me leave early again, but at least this time I scored some coffee and a blueberry muffin with that wonderful crystallized sugar on top. When I got back to the office, I fielded a call from a client(?) who was heavily slurring his words. He rambled about some $4 million he apparently has in the bank as well as his arrest and incarceration due to driving without a license, sang to me about his Cadillac (no joke), and kept trying to make an appointment, despite my refrain of, "Boss ain't here, no can do." Something that always runs through my head when I talk to people like this: "That guy can vote!" After work, Nathan drove Alaric and I to an apartment near Berklee to pick up a free TV which I scored via Craigslist. A kindly old gentleman let us in and thanked us for getting rid of it, and we in turn are happy with our prize. It's about twice as big as our old TV, though it is older and lacks HDMI support. Regardless, it's perfect for playing Super Smash Bros., which is basically all we do anyway. A planned midnight birthday surprise for Sara was aborted on short notice; last I heard, she was a little mad, so hopefully that works out okay.
          Quote of the day:
"If I was ever homeless, I would probably just sit in a corner and wait to die or something. I'm too proud to ask for money." - Junie

Rudeness Quota

Notes for this entry were lost.

          I've been pressed into service as a tax detective again, but at least this time I have the experience I gained from last time, which is telling me that once again, it is probably going to suck. Today was also frustrating because multiple people called and just hung up after I told them my boss was out, without giving me time to ask for a message or even a salutation. This happens regularly, but not typically several times in a day. In the evening, I attended a Sex Week meeting in WVC with Katie, where a couple of RAs gave us information on the upcoming shoot (this year's theme: "Delicious") and took mug shots of everyone. I'm looking forward to pressing on this outer bound of my comfort zone and seeing what happens. If I'm accepted, that is.
          Quote of the day:
"I would never be as rude to anyone as people are to me on a daily basis." - Lisa

A Really Useful Engine (Boring Redux)

Notes for this entry were lost.

          Jeremy was out of the office and work was quiet but very productive, my favorite kind of day. Not to reflect poorly on my boss, but I enjoy feeling useful without the sensation that someone is breathing down my neck. All things considered, not the worst of Mondays.

Brick House

Notes for this entry were lost.

          I attended the Senior Day volleyball game versus William & Mary, and our girls did not disappoint. After smashing W&M 25-12 in a hilarious first set, the Huskies held them down for two more (25-21, 25-22) to lock down the sweep. I felt great afterward, despite the tendency of Sunday afternoon games to suck up the entire day.

Where E'er We Go

Notes for this entry were lost.

          I went in for training at Caterstaff from 11 to 2, joined by five others. A relaxed yet intense young man instructed us in various nuances of catering, from different serving styles (actually kind of interesting) to napkin folding (not my favorite.) He regaled us with stories about his own catering experiences and what to do and not do. Don't put the wooden cutting board in the dishwasher. Don't carry platters above your head, especially reed wine and especially not while weaving through a crowd. Don't be like the private hostess he worked for that set up candles near some starchy curtains and burned down her own dining room. And don't ask for autographs, no matter who you meet.

Law Adventures Through History

Notes for this entry were lost.

          Quote of the day:
Lisa: "Do we have a client named Tequila [redacted]?"
Lori: "We used to."

Machete No Deposit

Notes for this entry were lost.

          The political science department always sends out notices for really cool-sounding events (talks with generals and government officials, etc.) about eight hours before they're scheduled to occur, which is obviously not enough time to plan for it in advance. It's obviously not stuff that was put together impromptu, so why the crappy late announcements?
          Quotes of the day:
"[redacted] was caught running out of a bank with a machete." - Mark
"I have a severe bias against people who use Gandhi quotes in their email signature." - Lisa
"A. No. B. Why." - Lisa

Bagelbites

Notes for this entry were lost.

          After work, I had an interview at a place called Caterstaff about a minute's walk from the Lechmere Green Line stop. Essentially, they supply staff to fill in at other catering companies, and after about twenty minutes I was tentatively hired. It seems like they run a pretty big operation, and the owner said I could come in for training on a Saturday within the next couple of weeks. So, gainful employment.

Prescribe Me Anything

Notes for this entry were lost.

          My day in the office was tedious and uninspiring. This was only compounded by an email from our new co-op, who said she hoped to be "as good as your last long-term intern." I'm not sure how I should take that, but I tend to assume the worst, so... After work, I called home and learned that John and Marlene, probably my paternal grandparents' two closest friends, both passed away a few days ago -- rest in peace. After playing a little Fire Emblem, I headed over to the House of Blues to catch H2O, Alkaline Trio and New Found Glory. The walk over was horrifically cold and I left somewhat late, but I think I arrived right on time. I secured a spot in a center/forward area on the floor, and after about fifteen minutes of milling around, H2O opened the act. They were a pretty standard positive-vibe, don't-be-a-douche punk band that really didn't catch my attention, but I have to give them props for sticking together for 20+ years. Next up was Alkaline Trio, the only real reason for my presence, and they were amazing as expected. Their clean vocals, clever and dark lyrics, and general listenability (as far as punk goes) won me over a couple of years ago, and I've wanted to see them since. Their set was excellent and included some of my favorite songs: "Another Innocent Girl", "Take Lots With Alcohol", and "This Could Be Love" for the second to last jam. I moshed during a few of the noisier songs, though I was apprehensive due to a couple of guys in the pit that were really swinging for the fences. Near the end of the set, a pink guitar pick with the Alkaline Trio symbol on it actually fell into my hand; the guy next to me said, "Well, that's awesome." After they left the stage, there was a surge to the front and though I've really never listened to New Found Glory (blasphemy), I decided to just go with it and ended up in what you could call the second row. There were a lot of Trio fans present, but it seemed as if NFG was the main attraction tonight. My attempt to get up to the very front was foiled by some girl claiming to be a cancer patient (L O L) and her extremely pushy friend. Eventually, after I refused to move from immediately next to them, we did go through a strange sort of catharsis:

Her: "It's okay that you're mad that you couldn't get to the front. [to friend] He's mad."

Me: [poker face] "Yup, I'm mad. So mad. You have no idea how mad I am."

Her: ... "You know, I'm sure you're not a douchebag."

Me: "Thanks. We're all nice people here. Right?"
Her: "Yeah man, we're all here for the music. We all love New Found Glory."

          She then proceeded to tell me this might be the last show she could attend, which was ridiculous but I let it alone because there was no reason to fight about it. We then went through a bizarre round of insisting that the other take the spot in front; I "won" after refusing to move forward. New Found Glory was fun, though not incredible; I guess they go back pretty far for many fans. Note from the future: At the show, they were bragging about how many original members were left in the band, but they just booted out the guy who writes most of the lyrics, so... After one too many punches to the head and neck/sweaty dudes jumped on me/crowd surfers landed on me, I beat a path off the floor and took a breather in the back. This also allowed me to be first out the door when the show ended, which was nice after being crushed in the crowd for three hours. Spoils for the evening: the lucky pick, a cool Trio shirt with a skeleton on it, a frigid water bottle that I grabbed from a busted crate on the ground near one of the touring vans, and hearing loss. The walk back to Tremont Street was just as cold, if mysteriously shorter.

          Quotes of the day:
"Moron. I just excoriated her in my appeal." - Mark
"...but i did it professionally." - Mark

Chocolate Equilibrium

Notes for this entry were lost.

          Sean cooked up a large batch of chocolate chip pancakes with a heart-stopping amount of chocolate, and everyone ate their fill. Sean, Alaric, Iris and I watched Equilibrium, a dystopian action flick starring Christian Bale and Sean Bean, in which no one is allowed to have feelings. After the movie, we had fun theorizing about different aspects of the premise. Sean argued that no one could survive without emotion, while I contended that the survival instinct is not strictly a feeling, and thus would remain unblunted. Also, there was one Grammaton cleric in the film who was definitely feeling, and this was never really addressed. We followed the movie with more Advance Wars on the emulators, but not before an insane moment where Alaric admitted that he has never seen I, Robot.

How Embarrassing

Notes for this entry were lost.

          Short and sweet: the men's basketball team lost to BU at the big game at TD Garden. It was a tight game all the way through, and the Terriers crawled back up from a seven point deficit to win 69-72. We lost two of our top scorers after last season, and the traditional NU choke was inevitable. At least I got free shades out of it.

Shan Young

Notes for this entry were lost.

          Katie's friend UnYoung (yes, her real name) came to visit today. We screened Mulan at the apartment over a pasta dinner, graciously prepared by Katie and Sean.

The Leukemia Grille

Notes for this entry were lost.

          I flew solo in a client meeting today, basically interviewing the client about some problematic tenants. I also learned what GEICO stands for (Government Employees Insurance Company -- whoa!) and received a call from my co-op advisor, who assured me that I would receive assistance in relation to my reduced hours. I don't know how much they really can do, though, because I asked that they not pressure Jeremy to give the hours back. (In the long term, I figure that a little less money and a decent recommendation will serve me better than more pay and bad blood with my first employer in my field.) Today's Rorschach Google doodle is awesome: Click. After work, I hopped the Green Line to Longwood and walked down to the Longwood Medical Center, where I was scheduled for an interview at the Inn at Longwood Medical. I found my way inside and discovered that the place is a huge complex, and the hospital itself melds with a food court, hotel, and bar/grill. I went to the Inn and asked after my interview, and an Asian lady who appeared to be a manager greeted me and asked if I was joining them. I replied yes and she led me into this conference room full of Asians and up to a table with documents in Chinese(?). I guess there was some kind of Asian-centric job conference going on (everyone in there was azn) and she thought I was involved in that. By the time I extricated myself from that situation, I had about five minutes to go before my appointment. I called my interviewer and got a voicemail, though at least I was finally able to figure out her gender. Eventually, someone in the Inn was able to help me out, and I interviewed first with the aforementioned HR person (a Northeastern grad!), and then with a bubbly assistant manager, and finally with the general manager, a burly man with a disarmingly high-pitched voice. All this for a waiter position! Apparently, working at the Longwood is weird because there are a lot of families of children with terminal illnesses who come in regularly and become familiar with the staff, and in the assistant manager's words: "They come in every day and you get to know them, and then they stop coming. And it's sad in a way, but also happy because their struggle is over."
          Quotes of the day:
"Big boats, fast cars!" - Lori, re: reasons for becoming a lawyer
"Am I happy for you?... I'm actually too busy to be happy for anyone." - Mark
"He's an inarticulate pussycat in court, it's very funny to see." - Jeremy
"I extinguished it." - Jeremy, re: a bad motion by the opposition

Public TV: No Commercials, No Mercy

Notes for this entry were lost.

          I have two interviews scheduled for part-time jobs: one at the Inn at Longwood Medical for tomorrow, and one next Wednesday at a place called Caterstaff. I watched Anchorman for the first time with Iris, so I can cross off another entry on the "movies that everyone except me has seen" list. It was more or less what I expected -- a typically goofy, somewhat above-par Will Ferrell flick -- though there were many bits of dialogue that made me exclaim, "So that's what everyone was quoting nonstop in ninth grade!" Also, the cast is remarkable; I obviously knew that Will Ferrell, Steve Carell and Paul Rudd were in it, but whoa! Vince Vaughn! Luke Wilson! Tim Robbins! Ben Stiller! Danny Trejo! And a terribad Jack Black cameo! Like, what! Who let this happen?
          Quote of the day:
"Allie, we have 20 messages." - Lisa

Time To Pretend

Notes for this entry were lost.

          At work, Lori hyped the Super 88 market for its fish, which reminded me of Iris's claim that Asians are obsessed with the place. Jeremy insisted that we push my schedule change up to tomorrow, which kind of sucks considering that I told him flat out, "I need to find another source of income." Like come on, dude, I know you're trying to save money, but I don't think you're starving. After work, I played Skyrim SKURM for the first time in ages and had a good deal of fun.

Better Call Saul

Notes for this entry were lost.

          I was hyper-productive today, accomplishing a boatload of work despite Jeremy's absence. After a brisk jaunt over to another attorney's office on Congress Street, I attended to various issues pertinent to my boss that I would probably never encounter if the office wasn't so small, up-close and personal (i.e. mold inspection testing, tax issues, variances on property, etc.) Jeremy then decided that he wanted to cut my hours, already a little skimpy, down to five a day. I told him I needed until next week to find a supplementary job. I may not find one, but I'd prefer to put off loans for rent for as long as possible. After work, I took a nap to cool down and process this change in circumstances.
          Iris and I watched No Country For Old Men, about which my feelings are decidedly mixed. Javier Bardem's personality-less hitman is strangely fascinating, while Tommy Lee Jones gives another fine performance as Tommy Lee Jones. A tenacious Josh Brolin and the beautiful Kelly Macdonald round out a great cast. (Woody Harrelson is good too, but he's a diq in real life, so...) The action is brazen without drifting into cheesiness, and the dialogue is top notch. The ending completely lacked closure, which was frustrating, though probably intentional. There's also an impotent character credited as "Agua Man," so I'm guessing the whole thing is a well-disguised retelling of JLA.
          Quotes of the day:
"It literally smells like the Fourth of July in here!" - Lisa
"See, I'm not crazy, Andy smells it now!" - Lisa
"There's an old saying: Second lawyer in, not good. Third or fourth lawyer in, really not good!" - Attorney E. [redacted]
"I am completely wired for this case tomorrow. I am ready to fight." - Mark

Voluntary Compliance

          I dreamed that I was in an attic room with Sean. Dust and lost memory hung in the air. Old stuffed animals and shoeboxes littered the floor, and I found myself staring out a window into bright, bright sunlight.
          At work, I learned that Jeremy's father is having some medical problems. One of Mark's clients has an electrolarynx, making today the first time I've met someone with one of those in person. I made a speedy trip over to the IRS, sitting in the waiting area for ~15 seconds and meeting with the rep for two minutes, tops. See below for a glorious rule heading found amongst the IRS's many publications:

This is what atheists actually believe.

          I walked home with shades and no glasses, letting my eyes wander all over my surroundings -- it's funny how seeing less can mean seeing, hearing and smelling more. Without the usual extraneous visual cues to distract me, I was able to better take in the environment. Somehow, I never noticed a beautiful tree with golden leaves that arches over the path I take to get home, and today, a leaf fell in front of me. For such a conventional experience, it was surely a rich one. I enjoyed some TF2 with the boys at home, and it was good.

Unrelated: the Necromongers got Thomas Wayne!

A Consolation Prize

Notes for this entry were lost.

          The women's hockey team put down UNH in a 3-0 shutout, which took away some (but not nearly enough) of the sting from last night's defeat. Daylight Saving Time has me feeling pretty fresh as well.

Bird Poop

Notes for this entry were lost.

          Our men's hockey team lost 4-3 in overtime to the BC Eagles after a brief 3-1 lead, a loss so sickening that I did nothing but mope for several hours afterward. The Huskies lost last night's away game as well, 4-2.

Horse Steppin'

Notes for this entry were lost.

           My boss gave me a scolding for being terminally unproductive for a few hours this morning, which was richly deserved. He was a nice guy about it, regardless, but I got my rear in gear and spent the rest of the day getting work done. Remember those little clips that were attached to the computers in the lab in elementary school, and you could look in between your screen and a paper draft of whatever you were working on? I could use one of those, right after I install a fold-out mouse platform for when I'm playing vidyajims on the couch.
          In the evening, we threw a hugely successful Halloween party. The murder mystery aspect, so heavily planned and debated, was in ruins almost instantly, and we abandoned it in the interest of not killing ourselves. A great variety of friends came by, many in costume. Sabrina came up from Long Island, sporting a bold Wonder Woman outfit; Alaric's friend Kevin also showed up as a classy vampire. My Hotline Miami costume kind of fell together -- see below for part of the best video game soundtrack that has ever graced my ears -- while Alaric's forest shaman deal fell apart. Julia had a sick face paint job, reminiscent of a starry midnight sky. Iris's pimp cane was a hit, as was Peter's fake moustache. Happily, there weren't even any casualties (within our walls, anyway.)
          Quote of the day:
Mark: "Who's crying today?"
Lori: "[redacted] cried, [redacted 2] is probably crying and not calling us, [redacted 3] is happy as a clam..."