Category: Halloween

Halloween Allergy Free Candy

On By Michel McDonaldIn HalloweenLeave a comment

halloween candy sign
Halloween is a fun time of year for children and adults alike. It’s the time when you can role play and be someone you are not. It’s fun, yes? I think so.

It’s not fun when a child comes home from a long night of door-to-door begging for candy (let’s call a spade a spade), only to find out they can’t eat 3/4 of the candy they collected because they have food allergies. And yes, food allergies are real. I am lactose intolerant which means no milk chocolate. I won’t die, I’ll just fart until no one wants to be around me, even me. Oh and it causes stomach cramps. Have you seen what happens to children with peanut allergies? Imagine having to tell your child that all their efforts were for nothing, because if they eat the candy they collected, they might die.

At first when I saw this sign on the Today Show website, I was like most people who probably think this is just too much PC bullcrap being shoved down people’s throats. But then I started thinking about how legit the allergies really are, and I put myself in my little 2 to 10 year old shoes and thought how I would have felt all those years ago if I were told I couldn’t eat any of the candy. I would have been devastated. So instead of thinking about how PC this sign is and start thinking how the children might feel. Also, that candy that you spent a lot of money is just going to go into the trash, so you’ve wasted money on candy that will never be eaten.

Now, I don’t agree with everything on the list, like come on, carrots? Raisins? Really? No child wants dried fruit or vegetables. I mean come on people. And if you hand out apples or oranges to kids, their parents are just going to throw them in the trash, and you have a huge chance of your house being decorated with toilet paper.

There are a few things on the list that I used to love to get as a child, and that is Necco Wafers, Smarties, Life Savers and Lemon Drops. And if you really want to hand out chocolate candy with or without peanuts, why not do both? Why not put a sign on the door saying you have dairy free, peanut free, and gluten free candy as well as regular candy? That way the parents of children with allergies will know which house to go to, and they can tell you that their child has the food allergies so they know which bowl of candy to grab. It’s not that difficult.

I did the Today Show Halloween Candy Poll and was shocked by the lack of empathy of Today Show viewers and website readers.

Today Show Halloween Candy PollIt never occurred to me before reading this article that there might be a child out there with food allergies. I know there are children out there who were born diabetic, so I am sure those parents don’t even introduce them to Halloween because the candy could literally kill them if they ate too much sugar. Or maybe those parents bring their child to a Halloween party where they know the candy is sugar free.

Hey, speaking of a Halloween party, why couldn’t the parents who have children with food allergies just throw a kick ass haunted house and Halloween party with allergy free candy that all children could enjoy? This way the kids can still go home with a bag full of candy that they can eat, and they will have a fun memory of the party they went to. I seem to recall going to a Halloween party or two as a child where I never even went home with a bag full of candy. I remember bobbing for apples and playing games, and it was fun. I think this is the ultimate solution to this problem. Don’t you?

Mockingbird Lane

On By Michel McDonaldIn Halloween, TVLeave a comment

mockingbird lane

I remembered hearing about this when Jerry O’Connell was a guest on Watch What Happens Live awhile ago, but I totally forgot about it until  yesterday afternoon when I was searching through the guide to set reminders for all of my shows.  I am a regular viewer of Grimm, and Mockingbird Lane was on just before it, so it was by pure luck that I checked the guide.  This is why I’m glad I don’t just have a DVR record all of my shows, because I’d totally forget to check the guide and miss things that I wanted to see.

Ok so if you’ve never heard of the Munsters, you are probably a kid and don’t watch TV Land or whatever channel plays classic reruns of old shows.  I watched this show in black and white when I was a kid and it was one of those shows that I just loved because of how grim it was.  I don’t know why I love dark shows lol.  Anyway, this is what someone wrote for the synopsis on IMDB:

“Grandpa Sam Dracula is essentially Dracula who assembled Herman because no man was good enough for his daughter Lily, a sexy vamp. Lily’s niece Marilyn the freak is actually normal and Lily and Herman’s only child, Eddie, has his werewolf tendencies surface in puberty, forcing the family to relocate to their famous 1313 Mockingbird Lane address. Written by Anonymous”

This was quite different from the original series in many respects.  In the original series, they weren’t the same skin color as everyone else.  Of course in the black and white version you can never tell what color they are, but there is a color picture of them and they are quite pale.  Lily for example has a sheet white face with her regular makeup.  Grandpa’s face is kind of blue-ish and Herman’s face is kind of purple.  Eddie’s is also white with red cheeks.  I remember in 1981 they did a movie called The Munsters Revenge where Grandpa and Herman both had green faces.

The thing about the Munsters from the 1960’s was that they assumed that they were normal, and everyone else was weird, so when people had a scared reaction towards them, they didn’t understand why.  The Munsters in this new retelling knew that they were different, but since they didn’t look any different from anyone else, nobody got scared, so that kind of ruined that gag.  Grandpa was still rude to Marilyn for being normal, even though she didn’t look any different than the rest of the family, so that only made his rudeness, well, rude.  It didn’t make sense to make fun of her because she was just as normal as they were, but I guess it did make sense in the context that she wasn’t a vampire or a werewolf, she was a norm.

I called my aunt today to ask her if she saw it and she said that she hated it.  She said there were too many special effects and it was too cornball.  They took away the gag that I mentioned about them not being different, and that’s what she loved about it.  She was a teenager when the original Munsters was on the air, so to her, it’s really an insult that they changed everything about the Munsters that she loved.

There are some things that you don’t mess with, and when you remake all of those old classic TV shows and movies and give them way too many special effects to make them look cool, you are taking away from the charm of the characters.

Speaking of the charm of the characters, their outfits weren’t “Munsters” outfits at all.  For example, the original Munsters outfits were all formal gothic, I don’t even know what period they were supposed to be, but they were formal.  In this new show, they wore regular normal everyday outfits.  Look at the image above, Marilyn was the only one who wore the right type of outfit from the original series.  Grandpa, Herman and Lily wore new outfits, but I can’t really complain about them because they were nice looking outfits.  They weren’t “Munsters” outfits, but they were still nice.  Eddie on the other hand, all he wore was a scouting uniform… that is not what Eddie would wear.  Although even though that wasn’t a typical Eddie outfit, I did respect their choice for giving him something else because his old outfit was a bit of an odd choice for a child to wear.

I really don’t want to complain about this new take on the Munsters because believe it or not I actually loved every minute of it.  I loved the cool werewolf in the woods destroying the scouts camp and tossing the children about.  I loved the house, I want to live in that house.  I loved Herman because he was played by Jerry O’Connell who I happen to love and respect as an actor.  I loved Lily because she happens to be Portia Di Rossi who just so happens to be married to Ellen DeGeneres who I happen to also love.  And I love Eddie Izzard, I think he is an amazing actor and person.  This is the type of show I would love to see come back just as the way they remade it.  I liked it because it was a different take on the show and sometimes a new take is a good thing.

Mockingbird Lane was just a special for Halloween and I hope they continue to make specials in the future just for the fun of it.  It is available on Hulu if you missed it.  Go check it out because it was a really cool show.

Candy Corn e-Liquid from Zeus E-Juice

On By Michel McDonaldIn E-Cigarette, Halloween, Vaping4 Comments

When I say that I have a sweet tooth, I’m not joking.  I look forward to October every year for the Candy Corn.  It is one of my guilty pleasures in life.  Some people think that Candy Corn is awful because it’s sickeningly sweet.  Everyone has different taste buds so one person might hate it, while someone else might love it.  I am the one that loves it.

Vaping was one of the ways that was supposed to allow me to indulge my sweet tooth without actually having to buy candy or any other junk food, and still be able to maintain my diet and not gain any weight.  It has worked so far.  This Candy Corn flavored e-liquid from Zeus e-Juice taste almost exactly like Candy Corn, but without the guilt.  You get a lot of flavor in your throat when you vape it.  You actually get flavor on your tongue when your tongue touches the tip, and when your tongue is near the tip as you are taking a drag.  You get the best of both worlds with every hit, without any of the sugar, calories and fat that comes with it.

I would definitely recommend this flavor to anyone who loves Candy Corn.  Just for October 2012, Zeus E-Juice is offering this and 3 other flavors in the 10ML sized bottle for only $3.99 while supplies last.  Don’t forget, if you are a new user, enter the coupon code “iget20” and you get 20% off your first order.  Also, when you are checking out, make sure you let them know that Mike McDonald aka @xanapus sent you.

I personally like 80%PG and 20%VG, the PG gives you more flavor.  I would get 100%PG, but I’ve heard of throat burn from that, so I’d just rather not have to experience that every time I vape.

Disclaimer: I am not a paid spokesperson for Zeus E-Juice, although the owners of the company are Twitter friends of mine and they have given me some of their e-liquid samples to taste.  I review them and tweet about them because I want to, not because they are paying me to.

Disclaimer: I don’t encourage smoking and/or vaping with nicotine, I vape with no nicotine so I am not addicted to anything.  Do not start smoking and do not start vaping if you are under the age of 18 as it is against the law.

If you are a smoker already and want to quit or you want to stop smoking poison and start vaping a healthier substitute, might I suggest heading over to www.Smoktek.com and buying a eGo battery, charger (that is compatible with the battery) and a Changeable Coil Clearomizer in your choice of color with some extra replacement coils.  These flavors are so much better in a Clearomizer than an atomizer with a cartridge.  I suggest you use Zeus E-Juice for all your e-liquids because they are simply the best because they add more flavor than their competitors and it’s the least expensive you can buy anywhere else.

Zombie Pumpkins

On By Michel McDonaldIn Halloween1 Comment

People are always talking about my pumpkins as if they are these great works of art.  I mean, they really aren’t but I’m not complaining because I love the attention.  Ok so they aren’t always talking about them but you know what I mean.  They talk about them occasionally, happy now?

I used to buy the pattern books at the drug stores like Walgreen’s and Rite Aid but then I discovered that you could get them for free online so I started downloading patterns.  I even bought a pumpkin carving CD which allows you to custom make your own design.

I have also found sites such as Zombie Pumpkins where you can buy patterns which you will never see in the pumpkin masters books.  They are constantly updating them to add new patterns so every year you will have fresh new designs.

I haven’t made a new pumpkin since 2007, although I did buy an Edward Cullen pattern from Zombie Pumpkins last year to make for a friend of ours.  I was rushed to finish it so I didn’t even have time to get a picture.

This year I have been asked to carve a pumpkin for one of the ladies at the doctor’s office so I am going to search through the Zombie Pumpkins catalog and find 2 new patterns and this time I will get a picture.

I’m having trouble deciding which one I should make though.  She told me to choose so it doesn’t really matter to her which one I pick, just as long as it is fabulous.

I’m thinking that I want to do a semi traditional pumpkin face but I hate tradition so I want to go with a pattern.  I’m thinking of the Bicycle Girl Zombie from AMC’s The Walking Dead or this cool unique creation called Root of All Evil.

On the other hand, there is nothing wrong with tradition so if I do a face I was thinking either Hammy or Horton.  I really want to do Happy Jack from The Nightmare Before Christmas so maybe I might do that one.

UGH I’m so indecisive.  I have until Thursday to make a decision because on Thursday afternoon we will be taking the pumpkin to the doctor’s office to give to her.

I’m thinking that since I am going to be buying 2 patterns for $2 I will just go ahead and buy 2 pumpkins.  This way she will have 2 awesome pumpkins to display on her porch for Halloween.

There are a lot of cool patterns on that website.  I just wish I could make all of them.  If I could, I would have some pretty cramped up hands.

I will try to decide before tomorrow night so that I can have the patterns bought and printed before I carve them Thursday morning.  I want them to be as fresh as they can be since they will be sitting out for the weekend.

As soon as I finish carving them I will post the pictures.  Well you didn’t think I would keep them to myself did you?

My Freaky Spirit Board Story

On By Michel McDonaldIn crafts, HalloweenLeave a comment

For some odd reason, last year I was addicted to the idea of making a spirit board. So I learned how to do wood burning after a friend bought me a wood burner. I bought all this irregular wood (it’s cheaper) along with some other wood burning accessories.

I printed out the pattern that I wanted to make it with and traced it all out on the wood then I burned it on. I cut a planchette from a cheap piece of wood that I bought from Wal-Mart and found that it was too big for my board so I cut it down to half its size.

When everything was cut and everything was burned I was ready to put lacquer on it all. The odd thing is, the planchette was missing. I searched all over my bedroom, all over the tool shed, all over the back yard. I could not find it anywhere.

At first I thought maybe I should just make a new one but then I started thinking that perhaps it’s gone for a reason. If I made a new one who knows what might happen. Is it gone because someone took it? And when I say someone I don’t mean a living person, I mean a spirit who doesn’t want me to use the Spirit Board.

So, I never made another planchette and the board sits in the same spot untouched collecting dust.

I would still like to use it some day and I guess I’m waiting for the planchette to return to me, giving me permission to use it. Does that sound silly? I mean, I could just make another one or I could use a shot glass if I really wanted to use it.

People are always saying that you are opening a portal by using one of these and I don’t know if that is true or not. People are always saying these are evil but I think that all depends on who is using it and how they are using it. I don’t believe in good or evil, I just believe there are ghosts out there and I want to communicate with them.

The reason I haven’t used it yet is just in case there is a possibility that someone may be right and I was wrong. I don’t want to end up bringing some bad juju in my house ya know?

It’s been over a year now and Halloween is coming which is when you would use one of these but I’m still not sure I should even though I want to.

Political Pumpkins

On By Michel McDonaldIn HalloweenLeave a comment

Today we were at the doctor’s office and I was thinking I wonder if I can find a John McCain pumpkin pattern to carve.  Then maybe 20 minutes later Darrin asked if I could find a John McCain pumpkin pattern and I was like OMG I was just thinking about that today hehe.  So… I looked and found one.  He also wanted me to do this Hilary pumpkin for his friend from high school.

Movie Macabre with Elvira on My Network

On By Michel McDonaldIn Halloween, Humor, Movies, TVLeave a comment

Hey remember Movie Macabre from the early 80′s? Well it’s back!

Elvira is now hosting movies on “My Network” or My45 here in Bakersfield but check the info page on her Facebook fan page to find out if you will get it in your city and what channel/time it will be on.

It says that its going to be on at 12am on Saturdays but I checked and it’s wrong. It says 12pm on the guide but on the My45 website it’s says that it’s on at 7:30am which I also just checked and that is wrong too lol.

I can safely say that if you are in Bakersfield, California, you can watch it at 12pm on Saturday on KUVI 45 which is Brighthouse cable channel 4 or 1004 for My45 HD.

This weeks movie is Night of the Living Dead (1968).

I wonder if Breather will be coming back too lol. Remember him? He had like this vaseline on his face or something and he was always calling her and breathing heavy on the phone and occasionally they would have him on the show.

I watched her show every Saturday at noon when I was in elementary school and junior high school lol. I even paid $12 to her fan club where I had to send a self-addressed stamped manilla envelope (S.A.S.E.) to receive whatever came with the fan club membership. Let me think, I remember an 8×10 signed black and white photo, bumper sticker and I forgot what else. That stuff is long gone though. I bought it in 1982 lol. Oh it had a newsletter too but that was the only one I ever got. I guess it was a standard newsletter that they only sent out to 1 time members who paid $12.

Anyhoo, it’s gonna be so fun to watch her again. I’ve missed her so much.

Scary Kisses

On By Michel McDonaldIn Halloween, Products I LikeLeave a comment

Anybody who knows me knows that Halloween is my favorite time of year despite the fact that I sit in my room with all the lights off because I can’t afford to buy candy for the little brats that don’t even bother to dress in costume.

It’s my favorite time of the year because I just love carving pumpkins, I love the funny spooky Disney channel movies, special Halloween episodes of my tv shows and well, and frankly, I love candy.

Unfortunately this year the Halloween candy is off-limits because I am diabetic now. I can’t say that the candy contributed to it because I only eat candy 3 times per year, Easter, Halloween and Christmas. During those holidays I don’t eat enough candy to have caused the diabetes, it’s everything else that I eat that did it.

This year I will not be able to indulge which is sad because of this…

Candy Corn Kisses, Pumpkin Spice Kisses and Caramel Kisses. I do love me some caramel but this I can have every day, how often can I have a candy corn kiss or a pumpkin spice kiss? Now only on Halloween.

Sorry sugar-filled blood in my system but some of your friends are gonna come for a visit tomorrow lol. Don’t worry, I wont be inviting too many of them over, just a few. I can still eat sugar in moderation which means when I buy these candy I gotta buy a safe then forget the number.  Or maybe give the rest away.  I have no self control lol.  I wish they didn’t have to sell them in such big bags, why can’t they sell these in little bags at the check out counter with the other candy where I can get a small bag with 3 or 4 pieces in the package?  It’s totally unfair.