Saturday

Today I actually played Magic at a game store. It was the first Kaladesh draft, and I went to Funagain with J. Four of our friends were there, along with seven people I didn't know, although I did vaguely recognize one of them. I won one game when the opponent had mana problems, and I came within one turn of winning a much more competitive game.

Afterwards, J. and I had grilled sausages and pasta, then I watched the Ducks lose yet again. We are supposed to call this sort of thing a "rebuilding" year. J. and I used the hot tub, and anime comes next.

Alas...

Only five trick-or-treaters this year, and two of them were D. and his girlfriend, letting me see what they looked like dressed up as each other. The other three were a group of grade-school-age boys.

D. did look pretty cute in a grey knit dress with dark tights. The two of them weren't actually trick-or-treating; they were wandering the neighborhood looking for houses that had left bowls of candy on the porch so they could take some. I don't think they found any. They did encounter some disturbing people, though: a parent shouting the f-word at their kid who was crossing a street, some guy in a clown costume following them around for a while and eventually turning out to be someone they knew, and some guy who seemed altogether under the influence of drugs.

Why so few trick-or-treaters? I have three theories. First, it was a tad rainy, at least earlier in the day. Second, our end of the street isn't well-lit, and the new stark white streetlights probably make it even less inviting. Third, the main kids who came last year are now 8th graders and apparently have outgrown it. Too bad! I'd have liked to have seen them. Also, fourth reason? This year we didn't carve pumpkins, and maybe it made our house look less fun. Eventually I put a candle in a plastic jack-o-lantern; I should have done so earlier.

D. doesn't mind all the leftover candy, though.