Life in the Unit

November 2004

Halloween is one of The Ample Traveler^©'s favorite holidays. Dressing up, seeing other people's costumes, being someone you're not (or really are). It has all the elements of fun. This year, Halloween fell on a Sunday, which basically meant a whole weekend of fun.

On Saturday night, we found a great club which had four different rooms with four different themes. We had a howling good time.

Steve did his annual SWAT commando impersonation, which means that he frequently has to prove to the bouncer that his artillery is water-based and not deadly. His laser sight is still a little unnerving. Arizona is just about as hot as Florida, and he did a lot of sweating under all that gear.

Pattie decided to take a cue from cartoon character, Hothead Paisan, the Lesbian Vampire. She went as Rush Limbaugh's worst nightmare, a lesbian, vampire, femi-nazi, complete with fake blood, tattoos and spikey nails. The nails didn't make it to club before they fell off, but they did scare Anawim a bit. Our cat finally had confirmation that her mommy was related to her. Anawim had never seen mommy's claws before and they were big. Pattie had to spend about 15 minutes the next day convincing the cat that the claws were gone.

Carl, the garage sale king, put together a $1.25 costume from a blond wig, a red bra and a toy tiara. He went as "A Blonde." Some would have probably guessed the bearded lady. Still we wish we could share the "Blonde Giggle" he perfected to go with flashing the red bra.

The club had a costume contest at midnight. Our boys entered, but didn't make the finalist cut. It was quite a show.

All in all, The Ample Traveler^© had a great time. It was an accessible evening as well. Graham Central Station in Chandler, AZ had entrances, floors, chairs and facilities that were quite accommodating. There was no smoking in the building. The variety of music attracted people of all ages, sizes, cultural backgrounds and abilities. It was a wonderful party and reminded us of how much fun the world is when there is room for everyone

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