damn, I forgot: it's HALLOWEEN!

Some trace the tradition back to the Samhain (pronounce it "SOW-win," like the "sow" meaning "female pig") ritual. Some link it with Christianity (these two schools of thought aren't contradictory).

Some just party.

My brother David bought a fog-maker and some spooky recordings to spice up the trick-or-treating ambience at my parents' house, but he's going to be away, helping out with Halloween Night festivities at his evening job over at Polly Esther's, a club in DC that occasionally gets a bit rowdy. Times like these, I worry about David's safety. He's already had to break up a few fights, from what I hear, and the neighborhood sounds like one in which you'll find more than a couple gun-totin' fellers.

So keep your fingers and tentacles crossed, and wish my brother a SAFE and enjoyable Halloween.
_