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#13016 12/29/00 05:02 PM
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Juan Maria, I've missed you. Tenho saudades. Welcome back.

P.S. In the U.S. south a cotillion is a debutante dance.


#13017 12/29/00 06:49 PM
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Halloween was always an "American" thing in NZ when I was a kid. No one quite understood it - even the Peanuts "Great Pumpkin" references weren't easy to follow. Why would anyone sit in the pumpkin patch? What was funny about it?

Over the past few years, however, it's caught on, and now we get gangs of rapacious trick or treaters roaming the streets terrorising the young and old alike and demanding treats (tricks don't fill the loot bag) on All Hallows Eve. Most older people wish that they were dead, or at least elsewhere or otherwhere..

Where's Sarah Michelle Gellar when we all need her?

Kids understand consumerism, not mysticism.



The idiot also known as Capfka ...
#13018 12/29/00 08:18 PM
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Cap K remarks: (tricks don't fill the loot bag)

The tricks referred to were always something of a veiled threat. Give us treats or we'll pull a trick on you. The trick, in its mildest form would be something like soaping your windows or other acts of soft vandalism and could escalate to the old favorite of filling a paper bag with used dog food, lighting it on fire ringing your doorbell and running. Tossing rotten eggs at your house was another favorite.


#13019 12/29/00 09:13 PM
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The trick ... acts of soft vandalism ... could escalate

In rural areas, the escalated trick was to tip over the outhouse, leaving an unpleasant task for the privy owner to accomplish on the Feast of All Saints.



#13020 12/29/00 10:07 PM
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Faldage wrote : acts of soft vandalism and could escalate to the old favorite of filling a paper bag with used dog food, lighting it on fire ringing your doorbell and running.
I have heard of the nastier trick -- the bag is filled with animal "poop" so when the householder stamps on the fire to put it out ..... well... you get the idea.



#13021 12/29/00 10:33 PM
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you haven't lived until your tin can trip wire snares the local constabulary's vehicle -- what a treat.

"Do you know anything about these tin cans?" "What wire, officer?"


#13022 12/30/00 03:27 AM
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Why tsuwm, I am aghast! Here I thought you were all straight and proper – the picture of the perfect gentleman. Don’t tell me that in your youth you were a little pest.


#13023 12/30/00 04:09 PM
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Faldage wrote : acts of soft vandalism and could escalate to the old favorite of filling a paper bag with used dog food, lighting it on fire ringing your doorbell and running.

I have heard of the nastier trick -- the bag is filled with animal "poop" so when the householder stamps on the fire to put it out ..... well... you get the idea.


I think he meant the same thing. He was just using a subtle euphemism. And a very clever one, I might add. Dog food that's used tends to go through the whole cycle.


#13024 12/30/00 11:50 PM
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Dog food that's used tends to go through the whole cycle.

Ow-ooo!!

Juanmaria!!!! I just noticed your posts! Oh, Honey, I'm so glad to see that! Oh, I hope you can stay this time!!!




#13025 01/02/01 02:56 PM
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In NY, the soft acts featured shaving creme-- the nozzle on the can was reshaped with a hot pip, so you could send out a stream, and hit a target 6 to 10 feet away-- Not too mean a trick-- you ended up with a "clean door" covered in soapy foam.

If you were nasty to kids, and didn't have treats something worse awaited-- Like Faldage "stink bombs" which where not unknown-- or worse-- you got oiled-- your door and threshold got coated with oil or grease-- and un wise step could send you flying-- your doorknob and jam would be greased too, so if you started to slip-- anything you grabbed for would be slippy too.

Some kids used eggs-- but if i ever got caugth with an egg, i would have missed halloween fun for years...

Chalk (big 6 inch by 1 sticks) would be put into the toe of an old sock, and beaten against the sidewalk till it was dust- and then people and property hit with it and dusted in chalk dust-- It was really vicious-- it was like being hit with a black jack-- and you got covered in a cloud of chalk dust..

halloween is not so much american as pagan irish-- it was always big in our house, and neighborhood. we always had really good costumes, one year i was a fairy pricess with yards and yards of tulle, an other year a Dale Evan's type cowgirl, with a leather vest, and flair skirt, and a six shooter!

Halloween is much more commerical now, and the costumes are all commercial.. very few kids have home made interesting costumes, they are all popular comic character of the day-- two year ago i had a steady parade of "Little Mermaid's" -- all in the same outfit-- in NY gay community has reshaped the holiday too-- so it is very different than it was 30-40 years ago..


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