Taking Out The Trash, Halloween Style

“Boys and girls of every age
Wouldn’t you like to see something strange?
Come with us and you will see
This, our town of Halloween”
Marilyn Manson – This Is Halloween

Happy Halloween! 🎃 Of all the things Mackenzie and I could have dressed up as this year, we went with something genuinely frightening. Forget vampires, zombies, and whatever might be hiding under your bed. We picked something that has a habit of coming back when you least expect it, even after you thought you got rid of it.

Your ex.

When we saw the NeutralTones gift at Kustom9, I don’t think either of us needed much convincing. Two trash bags with bright yellow “YOUR EX” labels across the front? Come on. We’ve both got exes of our own, so there was plenty of material to work with. And before anybody starts wondering, no, we’re not talking about each other. We’re just having a little fun with some old baggage. Some people are better left in the past, and apparently, a few belong in a trash bag. No body, no crime, am I right?

I love the creativity that comes out in Second Life around Halloween. I’ve spent most of October enjoying the witches, creepy places, and darker side of the season with covering Salem, but I wasn’t about to pass up an excuse to be completely ridiculous. You can put together the most elaborate costume imaginable, and sometimes a black garbage bag with two words slapped across it will still get the biggest laugh. I enjoy that kind of nonsense.

The funniest part was doing it together. Mackenzie and I were standing there dressed as somebody else’s bad decision, trying to make two bags of trash look good in a photograph. There’s no deep message here, no big revelation about the past. She saw something funny, suggested we shoot it, and we both knew exactly what the joke was, and ran with it. Sometimes that’s all a Halloween costume needs to be.

Mackenzie took a photo of us too, and I wanted hers in the post, as did she. She went darker with it: that blue light, the graffiti, the other garbage bags piled up behind us, and the chain-link fencing up close. It has a proper creepy alleyway feel, until your eyes land on those ridiculous yellow labels. I always enjoy seeing how we each see the same scene, and I love what she did with this one.

I suppose the nice thing about being able to joke about old relationships is that they don’t have to take up any more space in your life. Unless, of course, you’re wearing one as a costume. In that case, tie the bag shut and leaving it by the curb when you’re finished.

Whether you’re off to a party, exploring somewhere haunted in Second Life, or staying in with a mountain of candy, I hope you had a great night. Enjoy the spooky stuff, laugh at the stupid stuff, and please don’t bring home anything that belongs in the dumpster. If for some reason your ex comes knocking? Check the garbage collection schedule. It’s always once a week so you can be rid of them sooner than later. Happy Halloween from Mackenzie and me! 🎃🗑️

“Tender lumplings everywhere
Life’s no fun without a good scare
That’s our job, but we’re not mean
In our town of Halloween”
Marilyn Manson – This Is Halloween