You wear a disguise to assume human guise...

[zrath]

So Halloween was two days ago, and people at work were going to dress up.
Since my hair is currently short, these people were spared the atrocity of my dressing up again as Hagrid,
friend to all children and animal, again (again). Though, come to think of it, they'd never seen it, so
it would have been new to them. Oh well...
Because of my limited skills and means, there wasn't much I could do, costume-wise.
I was going to dress up as a minor background character from "The Matrix", that one big guy in that scene
with the stuff and the crap. I was going to wear black jeans, black shoes, a dark-grey long sleeve shirt,
my black leather trenchcoat, and borrow my brother's wooden practice sword (looks like a sheathed katana).
And wear black sunglasses, of course.

Unfortunately, my old nemesis, The Sun, made sure that this didn't happen.
The Sun decided to shine strong and warm on Monday morning, and since I walk to work, there was no way
I was going to bake in my own juices in my Matrix outfit and arrive at work all sweaty and disgusting.
Besides, my brother had forgotten to bring his faux-katana from the storage unit.
So yeah, I suck.

People at work dressed up and dressed up their cubes and work areas.
Costumes included: The Pope, Captain Mexico (pinstripe suit, luchadore mask, giant Mexican flag as cape),
Imperial Stormtrooper (sounded like a cooler full of water and soda cans when he walked), Guy Fawlkes
(from the upcoming "V For Vendetta" movie based on the comicbook), Prom Queen/Backstabbing Bitch (all pink
and Barbie-like, w/bloody knife), Gilligan, Love Boat crewmember (who really looked more like the Good Humor
Man or the Milkman from the '50s, probably due to buzzcut, white uniform, and linebacker physique),
member of Team Zissou (see the movie "The Life Aquatic" with Bill Murray), Neo (startling resemblance),
stuck-up Japanese punk babe ('Tude!!!), ubiquitous Japanese schoolgirl, Pippi Longstocking (actually,
"Pepe" Longstocking, as he was a Latino male), Bill Lumbergh (the boss from "Office Space"), and many others.

The Pope had covered his cube with Sistine Chapel wallpaper and signs in Italian and Latin.
One employee filled his cube with suspicious duct-taped boxes with wires running back to his computer, whose
monitor displayed a countdown clock. He was duct-taped to his office chair with flat boxes strapped to his person.
One of the managers was overheard saying "nice concept, but don't do it again". "Suicide Worker" won 3rd place.
Gilligan, Love Boat Guy, and Team Zissou Dude were part of a trio doing a pun on their boss's name.
His name is Boatman (and he was the guy dressed as Lumbergh from "Office Space"), so their three cubes
were decorated in boat-related themes (vaguely): Gilligan's Island, The Love Boat, and The Life Aquatic With
Steve Zissou. They called themselves "The Boatmen". Sheesh...
One of the QA bays was turned into a proper QA lab, with beekers ("Mimimimi!"), tubes, molecular models, etc...
There was judging of costumes and cubes and prizes and cake for the October birthday people.
It was fun and goofy. Certainly more fun than back when I was at Sony Mobile.

Well, actually, Halloween 2003 at Sony Mobile was pretty cool. Lots of people dressed up.
I even got third place for my Hagrid costume (the first time I ever donned it).
It's Halloween 2004 that sucked. The division head had resigned earlier (he looked like he was about to cry
when he made the announcement to the whole group) and things were just kinda off all the way around.
Very few people dressed up. Yeah, no wonder I think this Halloween was cool...

Anyway, there's still LOSCON on Thanksgiving weekend, one last opportunity to costume for this year.
Among the costumes I'd like to do, Centauri diplomat and Hellboy are my two favorites.
Though a third choice has wormed its way into my heart: Batou from "Ghost In The Shell".
Almost everything else involves armor and buck$$$ (Panzerkop, Stormtrooper, Clonetrooper, Kzin).
Time and money are the fires in which we burn...


Next time, a whole lotta Netflixing!

Comments

[selenesue.livejournal.com]

I think you would make an AWESOME Hagrid! Get a wig.

[zrath.livejournal.com]

Ask and ye shall receive!



Behold the rare Kzinti Hagrid, circa 2004 (or 2003, whatever!)

Geeze, look at the big paws on that ape.
I sometimes forget what a monster I am and how intimidating I can be to
people who don't know. I'm huge!!

[selenesue.livejournal.com]

Wow! See what happens when you obey the rule of "costume for your body"? Most Excellent!

[dustmeat.livejournal.com]

Your co-workers sound like a creative bunch! I like Captain Mexico.

[zrath.livejournal.com]

They're very different from the bunch at Naughty Dog QA.
Those guys were more the junior-high level of maturity and humor.
I had to sit through many lengthy discussions about whether certain things were gay or not gay,
all the while thinking to myself "dude, I bet you don't even have any gay friends,
and if you do, you're probably too dumb to realize it."
(insert George Takei laugh here)

The guys and gals here are different. There's very little coarse language and people are
here to work. They're more grown-up, though they still goof off and have pointless discussions.
It's a better environment.
Too bad the pay sucks...