Happy Halloween

Kinda worth returning for, eh?

I love that her broom's clearly hanging from wires, indicating that she's not a witch witch -- no warts or skin discoloration with this game gal. (I hope she's at least naughty year-round, though.) What a delightful nod to Halloween as a pretext for self-expression and to artifice in general.

Speaking of self-expression, you may have heard or read that this year I was a dead cowboy for the parties last weekend. I guess I was under the influence of all those elegiac horse operas I've seen of late: The Assassination of Jesse James . . . , 3:10 to Yuma (original and remake) and a screening of Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch. I saw all but the original Three-Ten with my regular viewing companion, who, as the unofficial queen of Halloween, hosted an excellent party on Sunday. In fact, she brings a little bit of that wonderfully dark spirit to every day of the year. But this Halloween season in particular has been choice, thanks in no small part to her tireless or, more accurately, sleepless efforts.