Random crap with Uno.

[Buster's Uncle]

[nods]  That could work...

[Unorthodox]

Due to recent flood of vandals and thief's, I suggest everyone brings their props and decor in the garage and set up on Halloween day. Don't leave your house on Halloween, and take your props down that night after the ToT's have came and gone. Furthermore, if you live in a neighborhood that isn't particularly safe please take every precaution necessary to avoid the whole debacle of vandals destroying your haunt.

Suggestions for a stress free Halloween:
1.) Set-up Halloween day, and bring in valuable props that night
2.) Install motion detector flood lights
3.) Install CCTV camera's and/or dummy camera's
4.) Stay home and watch over your haunt
5.) Hand out candy on your lawn or near the door (so you can monitor your display).
6.) Use "caution" tape attached to 3-5' stakes and make a perimeter around your graveyard or etc. scene.

Prevention is the best means of avoiding this whole ordeal

Sounds fun, eh? 

My response:

I set up only the week prior. Most likely to be vandalized only the night prior.

I've had 3 incidents:

1. neighbor kid broke some stuff and stole some other stuff. When his mom found the stolen stuff, I convinced her his punishment was to learn how to build stuff by helping me build...and let him keep some of the stuff he built.

2. Couple years later Friends of this kid: "Hey, we should trash that place tonight" Kid: "No way, that guy's cool." (Actually overheard this)

3. The most perplexing case happened last year Halloween night. We had 120 pumpkins in the yard, a dead on bullseye for smashing. ONE solitary pumpkin "smashed"...but looked more like dropped after an attempted theft. I believe it was one of the developmentally challenged children that came to help carve, but have no real clue what was up.

I guess my point is that my form of prevention is involving all neighborhood kids in the CREATION.

[Unorthodox]

I'm not a car guy, but I have done the lab at some halloween car shows...that's a strange crowd.

http://youtu.be/eu2xcMlLzes

[Unorthodox]

T minus 3 days till vacation. 

Weather channel has Halloween officially on the forecast now.  Beautiful weather for both 30th and 31st.  NO wind, mild temps. 

Some other sites disagree. 

Windy as all hell today.  Been raining all night, supposed to rain/snow on through Thursday.  We did get the bridge up over the weekend, but I have a lot of repairs to do on it as well. 

My brother and a neighbor are annoying me.

It's no secret I'm happy to help with Halloween events, but both called last night with huge "do you have _____ I can use".  HUGE lists, even.  I'm not the local Halloween store.  My favorite being "could you make a brain out of crystal like your skulls?"  Fair question, just don't get upset when I explain I need $40 in materials to do it. 

I've been avoiding negativity, but back to my brother for a moment. 

So, the whole bizaar situation has continued, but he had to move his store to cheaper rent over the summer.  I went in and installed wood floors in the entire new location for them.  I was mostly bored, it was that week I was off work unexpectedly so no big deal.  Anyhow, this mostly got my parents off my back about not 'supporting' him enough.  Cause, ya know, my being out of a job indefinitely at the time (even though it was only a week) didn't matter as much as getting my brother's business moved on a self imposed time schedule. 

Anyhow, he calls because the local businesses are doing a 'Trunk or Treat'.  He was (or more accurately his wife who was in charge) embarrased last year when other businesses actually put effort into some decor, and handing candy out of a truck just wasn't up to par.  So, he wants me to do their stall. 

He also wants me to supply decor for a church party that he's in charge of.  (cause he's gone all religious on us)

Oh, and he needs my firepit for a cheerleader party for his daughter. 

I'm actually OK with all that, PROVIDED I get my stuff back in time.  He's also supposed to bring a sound system for me every year, so he'll "just bring my stuff back with the sound system".   

We've run about 50% on him actually bringing the sound system over the last 10 years.  And some times it's very last minute (5 PM on Halloween).  I can't be getting my stuff back last minute.

[Buster's Uncle]

I suppose there's no use looking him in the eye and saying that?

[Unorthodox]

It hasn't helped in the past. 

[Buster's Uncle]

I'm contemplating trying with my brother again soon - you know, try to work out the overall problem between us.  I don't have the answers there.  It's been left to fester for too many years.

Much of diplomacy, however, is in figuring out the other guy, not just what he wants, but why.  Once you have that, the rest is salesmanship/negotiation.  It's all too true in loving relationships, and definitely in dealing with strangers/aquaintances.  It's tough to sort in bad family relationships, not least because you're seeing the trees and so are they.




The crystal skull thing is fairly easy, given the molds, but resin is, as you say, expensive.  And I hate working with the stuff.

[Unorthodox]

Flash flood. 

hm.  Repairs to the Chimera better hold up. 

[Unorthodox]

Continue to be hammered this morning.  We don't typically see rain like this around here.

I will say the Chimera looks totally wicked by lightning. 

[Buster's Uncle]

How badly hammered?  Like, how hard's it raining?

[Unorthodox]

http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/utah/weather-radar-24hr

I'm in the red blip there.  Can't tell if that's 6 or 8" in the last 24 hours. 

Considering our annual average is only 18", it's an unusual storm.  And it's not done yet, but it's just a light drizzle now. 

All in all, it's a blessing for me provided no flooding.  Soft ground to drive all those stakes into.   

[Buster's Uncle]

Which way is it traveling?  Surely toward the east, after you've been in it for so long already.

I didn't know there was a city of Nephi - it's like it's a state full of Mormons...

[Unorthodox]

It's heading NE, the problem is the great salt lake just feeds these things until a high pressure manifests.  It's just random where along the mountains gets the worst of the GSL "Lake effect".  And this storm, that's me.   

Nephi, Lehi, Brigham, Kolob, yeah, we're full of Mormon names, but at least you can pronounce them unlike some of the various native american names that pop up as well. 

[Buster's Uncle]

I kinda hate for those guys that they couldn't have their state of Deseret.

[Unorthodox]

http://youtu.be/ZsA8ucRhBvU

I'll do a full on review as soon as I can find a copy...