It’s almost Halloween.

Unlike some people I know, I’m not a huge Halloweeny type person.  I haven’t carved a pumpkin since the incident a few years ago when I managed to irritate the crap out of my eyes (and my eye doctor just wanted to know where I’d found a pumpkin, since they were in short supply that year). Also, I don’t have enough room to store Halloween stuff in the house – we can barely fit our eco-friendly Christmas tree.

Plus, this year they’re having a big conference (of teachers — who thought this was a good idea?) this weekend, so I’ll be driving home from Dallas on Halloween evening.  One presumes I shouldn’t have difficulty, since there should be no trick-or-treaters out on the Interstate … one presumes.

I was thinking about this yesterday because a professor from the East European Studies program that I’ve known for years has a dabbling side interest in vampires that’s taken off.  He’s been on those vampire specials on The “History” Channel.  He was brought in as a consultant on “30 Days of Night,” and got to attend the premiere and he was this close! to Josh Hartnett.

He did a reading of vampire stories yesterday, and one of our staff members went to hear him read.  “He’s so neat,” she said.

I was bemoaning the fact that we don’t have vampires in the Middle East.  It’s not because, scientifically, we have more sunlight there (in fact, given that it’s closer to the equator, the hours of day and night are more evenly distributed than they are in the northen latitudes).  They just don’t go as well with sand dunes and … well, frankly, there could be several wandering old Cairo or Damascus and no one would know.

Also — can I just take a moment here to say that if the entire cast of Twilight were to fall into a bottomless pit, it would not bother me in the slightest?  Seriously–am I the only person in the world who thinks that the lead guy is bland and boring?  He’s too thin, and has no muscles, and … yes, what’s really bothering me is that this wasn’t considered “hot” when I still matched that general description.  Wolf dude, on the other hand … isn’t legal.

And the hoardes of fans … fuggetaboutit.

We need to come up with the next great supernatural genre series, stat.  Look at J.K. Rowling — she started off writing on the back of a paper sack and now she’s donating her pocket change to pay off the British national debt.

I was discussing this with my boss yesterday, and he said that whenever he teaches his intro to Islam class, he has to spend ridiculous amounts of time trying to persuade his students that djinn, as mentioned in the Qur’an, and not “genies,” and that even “genies” have nothing to do with Disney’s Aladdin or Barbara Eden.

They might, however, make for an interesting plot device.  [Strokes chin.]  Might have to explore that …

Anyway.  It’s a brisk Tuesday in October — finally.  Hope yours is well

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