Halloween madness

My day of Halloween shopping was a success. I have a Halloween costume and a pumpkin.

For the costume, I ended up renting from a theater costume shop called Gerritsen. I had first gone to a party place, but they didn't have what I wanted, or anything else that looked worthwhile, and the stuff wasn't that cheap, plus if I got something there, I would then own it, which I didn't really want. So I headed out to this costume place (which was a bit hectic, with a bunch of costumes coming back that needed to be sorted into wash or dry clean - in the middle of the floor) and I just said I was looking for a wedding-style dress for a Halloween party, and the woman helping me came out with something straight away and it even fit (minus some really tight sleeves that she said she can try to fix). The rental price is not that high (45 euros) and that's with a veil and stockings thrown in. Cool. Check 'em out if you need a costume.

I must say though that the dress isn't quite what I had in mind, it's not very long and it has puffy sleeves and, as the woman pointed out, it's quite 80's, heh. Looking at myself in the mirror with it on, I felt like I'd stepped out of an old Madonna video. But with the veil, it does the job, and it fit, so I wasn't going to make a fuss. My costume isn't just to go as a bride, by the way, I'll have makeup to give me a zombie look, so I'll be an undead bride. No, it has nothing to do with the Tim Burton movie.

After the costume was sorted, it was up to the Noordermarkt to find a pumpkin. A co-worker told me he saw big, carveable pumpkins there, but at first I didn't see any except the small ones that people use here for decoration on their coffee table or front stoop. Then I saw two at a flower stand, but they were rather big and I had a long trip home. Still, if they were the only ones I could find, I was just going to have a lot of lugging to do. Fortunately I was saved by a fruit and veg stand that had pumpkins as well, in a smaller (but not too small), easier-to-carry-home size. Once I'd felt the weight of the smaller one I bought, I realized how dumb it would have been to try to get one of those big ones home. I'm very happy with the one I have, it's a cutie. Photos definitely forthcoming once it is carved.