We kicked off the Halloween weekend with a late night, low-key game of Cranium at Siege and Katie's place out in Brooklyn. It was Girls (Marissa, Meredith, Mara and Katie)... ˆ katie ˆ mara h ˆ marissa ˆ meredith ˆ

...versus Boys (Javier, me and Siege). ˆ javier ˆ me ˆ siege ˆ

Katie was the ladies' team defacto performer. ˆ katie ˆ cranium ˆ

Here's Katie abusing her role as "puppetmaster" and using it as an excuse to give Marissa's ear a real deep sniffin. Ear sniffer! ˆ katie ˆ marissa ˆ cranium ˆ puppet ˆ

On Team Twig N' Berries, Siege and I elected Javier as our defacto performer. His over-the-top willingness to abuse whomever was his puppet made him a no-brainer. Here's me captured in the midst of pulling my "WTF" face when Javier simultaneously dipped me and hiked up my shirt. ˆ javier ˆ me ˆ cranium ˆ puppet ˆ

His dip turned even more sensual when he lowered me slowly to the ground in his manly arms...and then proceeded to try to...um...hmmm...make me gay through hypnosis? ˆ javier ˆ me ˆ cranium ˆ puppet ˆ

Just when everyone thought things couldn't get any gayer, Javier picked me up, spun me around and then pushed me face-down (ass-up!) onto the hassock... ˆ javier ˆ me ˆ cranium ˆ puppet ˆ

...but it turned out he just needed to prop me up so that he could use me as a puppet to pretend I was swimming! ˆ javier ˆ me ˆ cranium ˆ puppet ˆ

"You two gents are certainly comfortable with your sexuality!" ˆ siege ˆ point ˆ

Hahah. OMG, I love this photo so much. I makes me want to scream "Girltalk!" and I don't know why. ˆ katie ˆ mara h ˆ marissa ˆ meredith ˆ cranium ˆ laugh ˆ

GIRLTALK! ˆ katie ˆ mara h ˆ marissa ˆ meredith ˆ cranium ˆ laugh ˆ

After Cranium, we retired to the jackolantern-decorated kitchen for treats! ˆ katie ˆ jackolantern ˆ pumpkin ˆ

Aww. ˆ me ˆ meredith ˆ jackolantern ˆ us ˆ

On the way back from Siege's, I decided to swing by Eva's Halloween party (Meredith opted for bed)! Jenny Penny was there showing off that she'd decided to actually tone it down for Halloween by dressing like Amy Winehouse. ˆ amy winehouse ˆ jenny penny ˆ halloween ˆ

Hahaha. I love this photo so much ˆ amy winehouse ˆ jenny penny ˆ halloween ˆ

Dance it out, now dance it out, now dance it out, now dance it out. ˆ eva ˆ jenny penny ˆ halloween ˆ

On Sunday afternoon Meredith and I headed to Tompkins Square Park to watch Edie walk in the the dog costume parade wearing the school bus outfit that Meredith made for her! ˆ flyer ˆ

Here's Mer, Leigh and (a foot-biting) Scott with the little, wiener-y contest all dressed up and ready to walk in her school bus outfit ˆ edie ˆ leigh ˆ meredith ˆ scott m ˆ bus ˆ dogs ˆ tompkins ˆ

Here are some pics of the other dogs' costumes! Taco Dog! ˆ dogs in outfits ˆ halloween ˆ taco ˆ tompkins ˆ

Pirate Dog! ˆ dogs in outfits ˆ halloween ˆ pirate ˆ tompkins ˆ

iPhone Dog! ˆ dogs in outfits ˆ halloween ˆ iphone ˆ tompkins ˆ

Queen Elizabeth the First! ˆ dogs in outfits ˆ halloween ˆ queen ˆ tompkins ˆ

Hahaha. This one was so funny I had to include a close-up. ˆ dogs ˆ dogs in outfits ˆ halloween ˆ queen ˆ tompkins ˆ

SHOWDOG! ˆ dogs ˆ dogs in outfits ˆ halloween ˆ tompkins ˆ

Dog Prisoner! (Which is funny because pet dogs are all basically our prisoners already!) ˆ dogs in outfits ˆ halloween ˆ tompkins ˆ

"Oh, look at me! I'm a little baseball player dog!" PAAAA-THETIC! ˆ dogs in outfits ˆ halloween ˆ tompkins ˆ

Uhhhh...not sure about this one. Maybe, cross-dressing tranny dog? ˆ dogs in outfits ˆ halloween ˆ tompkins ˆ

This guy had a dog dressed up like Elvis. Just in case the dog was already TOTALLY humiliated enough, the guy insisted on dragging him around a little stage built on a wagon... ˆ dogs in outfits ˆ halloween ˆ tompkins ˆ

...and he'd force his little personality slave to stand on it and perform. Animal cruelty! ˆ dogs in outfits ˆ halloween ˆ tompkins ˆ

Ok, but also pretty adorable. (Look at his crooked dog-sunglasses!) ˆ dogs in outfits ˆ elvis ˆ halloween ˆ tompkins ˆ

Here's Meredith making sure our little competitor stays warm by stashing her away in her purse! ˆ edie ˆ meredith ˆ dog in a bag ˆ dogs ˆ

As it got closer to Edie's time to walk in the parade, we went over to the pen to watch some of the other dogs walk. I like how the owner here decided to wear her hair up...you know, just to make it easier to tell them apart. ˆ dogs in outfits ˆ halloween ˆ tompkins ˆ

Check out the crowd! People were lined up five or six deep around the entire dog run to watch the dogs in their costumes. ˆ dogs in outfits ˆ halloween ˆ tompkins ˆ

Here's stage-mom Meredith giving Edie a final pep-talk before her big moment! ˆ dogs in outfits ˆ halloween ˆ tompkins ˆ

And then the really nice man that helps run the event each year called Edie's name! ˆ halloween ˆ tompkins ˆ witch ˆ

Here's Scott and Mer walking her around! (If you look between them on the ground you'll see a teeny, tiny school bus! That's actually Edie!) ˆ edie ˆ meredith ˆ scott m ˆ tompkins ˆ

After Edie had finished walking, we heard it would still be a while before the results were in! We were too hungry to wait around, so Mer and I headed over to Odessa for some diner-tastic breakfast.

Right after we'd finished eating, the word came in via text message that Meredith's handmade school bus outfit had won Edie an honorable mention! ˆ meredith ˆ coffee ˆ

Later that night, Murdo came by to drop off Hector for us to dog sit for a while! Talk about a Dogtastic Sunday! ˆ hector ˆ meredith ˆ dogs ˆ

Right after I'd gotten home from work on Tuesday, there was a knock on our apartment door. I opened it up and was greeted by our upstairs neighbor who wanted me to check out the totally insane Optimus Prime costume he'd made out of cardboard! ˆ optimus prime ˆ

Check out the full view! Pretty amazing for a 14 year-old, huh? ˆ halloween ˆ optimus prime ˆ

He'd even outfitted the thing with battery-powered LED lights! ˆ halloween ˆ optimus prime ˆ

Wednesday was OFFICIALLY Halloween and it was my team's turn to help get the office ready for the Community Connect Halloween Costume contest! Around 3:30, we called off for the day and got to work turning the common area into a spooky party area. ˆ cci ˆ halloween ˆ

Here's the rad flyer Ralph made for the Halloween "Face-Off." Hahah. ˆ cci ˆ flyer ˆ halloween ˆ

I made myself busy setting up all sorts of creepy/corny decorations on all the tables. ˆ cci ˆ halloween ˆ skull ˆ

And then I web-i-fied everything with cobwebs! ˆ cci ˆ cobwebs ˆ halloween ˆ

Boo Berry cereal. Spoooooky! ˆ cci ˆ cereal ˆ halloween ˆ

Trash Bags + Eyeball Stickers + Balloons = Really Scary Ghosts. ˆ cci ˆ cobwebs ˆ ghost ˆ halloween ˆ

Check out my arrangement for the ping-pong table! ˆ cci ˆ halloween ˆ

And as a final touch, we covered it in tasty, tasty candy. ˆ cci ˆ halloween ˆ

Around 5pm the costumed-contestants started showing up! ˆ cci ˆ halloween ˆ

The whole company gathered to watch each person come forward and present their costume. ˆ cci ˆ halloween ˆ

Here are some of my faves: BREAKFAST MAN! "Breakfast is # 1." Best. Superhero. Slogan. Ever! ˆ cci ˆ halloween ˆ

Sumo Man! ˆ cci ˆ halloween ˆ sumo ˆ

Ralph showed up as Thriller-era MJ! ˆ michael jackson ˆ ralph ˆ cci ˆ halloween ˆ

Eby was a creepy clown with a honky-horn and stabby-scissors! ˆ ebby ˆ cci ˆ clown ˆ halloween ˆ

Jake (Pete & Betty's son) dressed up as a fireman! ˆ cci ˆ fireman ˆ halloween ˆ

Rosemary's Baby (about to get stabbed by Creepy Clown). ˆ ebby ˆ cci ˆ clown ˆ halloween ˆ rosemarys baby ˆ

Melissa as Medusa. ˆ melissa h ˆ cci ˆ halloween ˆ

After everyone had gotten a chance to show off their costume, the company voted on their favorite. And the winner was... ˆ cci ˆ halloween ˆ

...Ralph! Here he is MJ-dancing his way over to collect... ˆ cci ˆ halloween ˆ

...a fist full of Halloween cash! ˆ michael jackson ˆ ralph ˆ cci ˆ money ˆ

Creative costumes are great and all, but in my opinion, the best thing you can do for a work Halloween costume is to dress up as one of your co-workers! Check out Christine, who came in dressed up as Ian! She gets awarded some pretty serious "I have big balls" bonus points because Ian was her boss! ˆ ian ˆ mcquade ˆ best ˆ cci ˆ dress as your coworker ˆ halloween ˆ

After the laughter died down, Ian was even a good enough sport to sit next to Christine while she practiced "sitting like him" at his desk. Hahaha. ˆ ian ˆ mcquade ˆ cci ˆ dress as your coworker ˆ

So epic. ˆ ian ˆ mcquade ˆ cci ˆ dress as your coworker ˆ halloween ˆ

I got home that night and got my first look at Meredith's "Elementary School Teacher" costume. Hahaha. ˆ meredith ˆ halloween ˆ teacher ˆ

Then I got busy whipping together my own last-minute Halloween costume! I decided to make use of the awesome Cobra Kai t-shirt (sent to me courtesy of 80sTees.com) and dress up as Sweep the Leg Johnny! I grabbed one of Meredith's eyeliners (sorry!) and got to work! ˆ me ˆ cobra kai ˆ halloween ˆ skull ˆ sweep the leg johnny ˆ

After finishing the black part, I filled in the rest with some white grease paint... ˆ me ˆ cobra kai ˆ halloween ˆ skull ˆ sweep the leg johnny ˆ

...threw on a hoodie and ta-dow! Instant Halloween costume! ˆ me ˆ cobra kai ˆ halloween ˆ skull ˆ sweep the leg johnny ˆ

Meredith's not much for "going out on a school-night," so I said farewell to her (and to Hector dressed up in his little Hulk-a-mania shirt) and headed out to hit the town all skulled up! ˆ hector ˆ meredith ˆ dogs ˆ

On my way out, I ran into some little kids doing late night (12:30am!) trick or treating with their mom and they liked my make up so we stopped and took photos together. Zombie Ballerina! ˆ me ˆ halloween ˆ skull ˆ

Best. Hoodie. Evaaaaaar! ˆ me ˆ halloween ˆ hoodie ˆ skull ˆ

A couple of blocks later, I ran into the lovely Kathleen and her friend! We were in the midst of catching up, when suddenly... ˆ kathleen p ˆ

...Vince came around the corner with Brandon, got excited when he saw us, ran over to say hi, and then mid-hello was like "Uhhhhh ohhhhh." I knew only too well what his little groan was about and managed to get my cam out just in time to capture the tail-end of him showering the steps of a local BBQ joint with candy-laced Halloween vomit! ˆ vince ˆ barf ˆ drunk ˆ

The best part about it was that as soon as he'd finished vomiting, he wiped off his chin like it "no biggie" and then immediately introduced himself to (a horrified!) Kathleen. Hahaha.

Remember those that are gone for the way that they lived! RIP, Vince. ; ) ˆ brandon ˆ vince ˆ

I got to the Annex and immediately headed downstairs where I ran into... ˆ annex ˆ

...Nina (not sure what she was dressed up as) and her friend who was dressed up as Leeloo from The Fifth Element. ˆ leeloo ˆ nina ˆ halloween ˆ

A little while later I ran into Ellen dressed up as a Court Jester Harley Quinn. ˆ ellen stagg ˆ harley quinn ˆ halloween ˆ

Yay, white grease paint! ˆ ellen stagg ˆ harley quinn ˆ me ˆ halloween ˆ

And then just a little while later, Grant and Aki showed up dressed as matching Soviet MiG fighter pilots. ˆ aki ˆ grant ˆ halloween ˆ

Grant and Ellen. ˆ ellen stagg ˆ grant ˆ harley quinn ˆ halloween ˆ

Grant and Timmy. Hahaha. ˆ grant ˆ timmy ˆ get a load of this guy ˆ marching band ˆ marching band ˆ

Around 2am, I left the Annex and headed down the street to meet up with a bunch of other people at the Darkroom. On the way over I ran into Jamie who was dressed up as, er, a girl with a bloody mouth and tiny, tiny gloves. ˆ jamie rosenthal ˆ

Right when I got to the Darkroom I ran into two other dudes dressed up as Cobra Kai skullfaces! Wooooo! ˆ cobra kai ˆ halloween ˆ skull ˆ sweep the leg johnny ˆ

Check out the awesome sneaky photo I took of some guy trying to keep his balance in (tiny!) heels while peeing. Hahaha.

Sheal and Greg. ˆ greg k ˆ sheal ˆ

Scoots and Alexis. ˆ alexis ˆ scott m ˆ

Sorry, Jenny Penny - you may have been a more realistic Amy Winehouse (with your falling-down-drunkeness and all), but Alexis' Amy Winehouse is the winner of my heart. ˆ alexis ˆ amy winehouse ˆ halloween ˆ pretty ˆ

So after I finished snapping a couple of pics of Alexis, we realized that there was a drunk couple in one of the booths next to the bar that was taking their drunken make out... ˆ alexis ˆ halloween ˆ strangers ˆ

...to the NEXT LEVEL! Man, how awesome is this photo? I didn't even pretend that I was taking a photo of something else. I pretty much just walked over, fired off my flash directly on to them in a dark bar, and was rewarded by this lil' gem of a photo that features an under-the-shirt nipple-pinch and a gentle over-the-Umbros boner-caress! (PS - Is that Heath Ledger?) ˆ boobs ˆ makeout ˆ strangers ˆ

Alexis and Gordon. Leigh texted me and I told her I was at the Darkroom but couldn't find her. She texted back "I'm at the bar behind you." ˆ alexis ˆ amy winehouse ˆ gordon ˆ halloween ˆ

I went over to the bar and STILL couldn't find Leigh. I was about to give up and head back into the crowd to look for her when suddenly, the little bald man in front of me turned around and he turned out to be... ˆ halloween ˆ

...Leigh in a bald cap dressed up as Gollum from Lord of the Rings bald, post-prison Evey from V For Vendetta. ˆ leigh ˆ halloween ˆ

Here she is together with Geordon dressed up as V. ˆ geordon ˆ leigh ˆ halloween ˆ v for vendetta ˆ

Group shot! ˆ alexis ˆ gordon ˆ leigh ˆ me ˆ halloween ˆ

Scoots and Sophia (and Leigh's little bald head!). ˆ scott m ˆ sophia lamar ˆ halloween ˆ

We called it a night around 3am and headed outside so that we could free Leigh's sweaty head from the bald-cap. ˆ leigh ˆ halloween ˆ

Yay, hair again! ˆ leigh ˆ me ˆ halloween ˆ tongue ˆ

Make up removal party! Happy official Halloween! ˆ leigh ˆ me ˆ halloween ˆ make up ˆ

Post-Halloween Post-Script! Two days after Halloween had passed, Ian decided to exact his revenge by coming into work dressed up as Preggo Christine! ˆ ian ˆ cci ˆ halloween ˆ preggo ˆ

Hahaha. Best photo ever! Happy Halloween 2007! ˆ ian ˆ mcquade ˆ cci ˆ halloween ˆ preggo ˆ