So, like I mentioned in last week's Friday Five, from a young age, Halloween was always a big deal in my family. My mom is quite adept when it comes to the sewing machine, plus she's pretty damn creative. To this day, we still have a veliz (suitcase) under her bed full of old costumes. We recycle, let family friends borrow them and so on, so a costume like the scarecrow has a lot of life to it.

Here is a selection of some of my costumes over the years.

At a young age I embraced the indigenous in me, and Danny embraced the mummy in him from our roots in Guanajuato (they have mummies there!). Later, that burlap sack I was wearing was recycled for a few more costumes for Lori.

I look so miserable as Pippi Longstocking (I think the only time I ever made my hair a different color) for a few reasons:
1. I really wanted to be Rainbow Brite (my friend Karisa did get to go as Rainbow Brite)
2. In order to make my braids stick straight out, my mom braided wire from coat hangers into my hair. It didn't really hurt, but later at the crowded Halloween fair at my elementary school, I kept poking kids. All I heard was "ow!"
3. I didn't look like Pippi, nor did I know who she was. I would have rather gone as La Chilindrina.

I got to be a witch, doesn't everyone?! I don't know where my hat was when I took this picture, but I actually really like it since my hair looks that messy a lot these days, hence my self-imposed nickname, "la gre�uda."

I also embraced the duality of gender at a young age. I still talk about this costume to this day, not only did it win me the blue ribbon in the annual costume contest (based on grade levels), but it was also extremely creative. The boxer, Pinnochio, and Cleopatra had nothing on me. The dress was recycled from my First Holy Communion dress (which was also my flower girl dress for my T�a Nelly's wedding), and the suit was my cousin's old suit. My mom did all the cutting and sewing. I loved it.

In those years I was a cat, clown, heart, and lots of other things. I know one year I wore a dress I used in fokl�rico dancing from the Mexican state of Jalisco and another year I wore the manta shirt and pants peasants wear with a mask. I guess I was an old peasant man that year.

Bananas, in pajamas are coming down the stairs... My mom made the gloves and headpiece out of yellow feltish material and she made a set of pajamas matching the doll I have pinned to me. I painted an old pair of sneakers yellow and went to school like this. I think some people though the yellow headpiece resembled the white sheets of the klan too much. Oops.

There I am with Julia as a sweet princess. Once again, I recycled the dress I wore for my quincea�era a couple of years before and made the cone shaped hat. I felt very pretty that day... and I know Dario noticed me at the Halloween fair.

I had to dress up my first year at UCLA (1998) 'cause I was in band and we needed costumes for our half time show at the Homecoming game. I dressed up as a scarecrow and performed at the Rose Bowl to "Thriller." Oh yeah, the UCLA cheerleaders really liked my costume. They thought I looked cute (this costume is always a crowd pleaser).

Due to lots of procrastination, my costume sucked this year. V-Scale and Ralph had an '80s theme Halloween party, so I tried to be Punky Brewster. I just looked like I didn't match.

Dom suggested I go as Appolonia from Purple Rain or as one of the Disney princesses but the idea of dressing in lingerie or doing the cute princess thing again didn't really appeal to me. So, I went as La Adelita, or a soldadera from the Mexican Revolution circa 1910. I borrowed stuff from my mom, T�a Luisa, and bought the cartridges at a local costume shop. The baby I'm carrying was an added bonus thanks to Pato (Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas). Ome was a vampiress and Vane was a Peter Pan (or was it Robin Hood?) and we all went out to a friend?s party and got our groove on.

Who knows?

Me siento: okay
Escuchando: "Screaming Infidelities" by Dashboard Confessional

M�s reciente:
Searches - 09.16.05
the big move - 07.29.05
mother and daughter: a comparative analysis - 07.28.05
jardineros y dom�sticas - 07.27.05
tough question - 07.25.05

antes // despu�s