Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! G has been over to keep me company and carved me a jack-o-lantern. Ever wonder where that tradition came from?

The story of the Jack o'Lantern comes from Irish folklore. Jack was a crafty farmer who tricked the Devil into climbing a tall tree. When the Devil reached the highest branch, Jack carved a large cross in the trunk, making it impossible for the Devil to climb down. In exchange for help getting out of the tree, the Devil promised never to tempt Jack with evil again. When Jack died, he was turned away from Heaven for his sins and turned away from Hell because of his trickery. Condemned to wander the Earth without rest, Jack carved out one of his turnips, took an ember from the devil, and used it for a lantern to light his way. He became known as "Jack of the Lantern."

More Jack-o-lantern trivia:

Most j.o.l.s ever lit in one place? 30,128 on October 21, 2006 on Boston Common

World's largest j.o.l.? 1,469 lb on October 1, 2005 at the Pennsylvania Giant Pumpkin Growers Association Weigh-off

Anyway, we had big plans to join friends for a little old fashioned Halloween fun involving bobbing for apples and peeled grapes, but it wasn't meant to be. Instead, I have been struck down by a crazy bug they tell me is most likely H1N1 with a side dish of strep throat. It's now day five.

Things came to a head yesterday with the strep and the whole not being able to breathe thing, so it was off to the doc's again and he equipped me with two inhalers and some antibiotics. Thanks to a little pharmaceutical help, today is the first day I've actually felt better (as opposed to worse) since this whole thing began.

Anyway, rest assured I am not handing out candy to young children, and once this is over, I'll be even more motivated to get onto 2010 as planned.

And since laughter is the best medicine:

Q. Why do demons and ghouls hang out together? A. Because demons are a ghouls best friend!

Q. Where does a ghost go on Saturday night? A. Anywhere where he can boo-gie.