Halloween is stupid

[Birdjaguar]

BirdJag and I live in the southwestern US, where housing developments are generally built to avoid bedrooms on the front of the house. Every house in my neighborhood has street frontage that consists of garage and living room.

Tim is exactly right. Most new housing has a front door and a garage facing the street. Our house, though, was built in the late 1950s and is wide rather than deep so we have several rooms facing the street and the garage was converted by previous owners into living space. Current bedrooms, though, all face the back yard. From where I am sitting now, I can see the street and all those who pass by.

 

[metalhead]

Sure, there is a chance they can get hurt going to the park,doesn't mean parents shouldn't take their kids to the park. Oh, hey, there is a chance in anything we do, so hey kid, let's just ignore that you are running around without your shoelaces tied.

Would you take a food item off the store shelf and buy it if it's already been opened? Same idea, takes little time to look it over.

I buy apples off the shelf all the time, bite right in without concern it might have been tampered with. I don't even rinse them first, because I'm just a total bad-ass. Maybe I'm just begging for a needle-prick?

If a piece of candy is obviously torn open, I'd throw it out, but I'm not about to pick through every piece of candy looking for holes in the packaging and whatnot out of concern they're going to get needled, or whatever.

 

[Sommerswerd]

Halloween is my birthday. Everyone is required to have a good time. Period. No excuses will be accepted.

Damn I just noticed this! Happy belated Birthday Tim!

 

[MaryKB]

Oh dear @Timsup2nothin, I'm so sorry I missed your birthday yesterday, I was very busy but I have no excuse! I hope you had a lovely time

My birthday is tomorrow, so today is my last day to enjoy being 35.

 

[Bamspeedy]

I buy apples off the shelf all the time, bite right in without concern it might have been tampered with. I don't even rinse them first, because I'm just a total bad-ass. Maybe I'm just begging for a needle-prick?

If a piece of candy is obviously torn open, I'd throw it out, but I'm not about to pick through every piece of candy looking for holes in the packaging and whatnot out of concern they're going to get needled, or whatever.

At least with the store bought stuff if there was a problem that you discover after biting into it you would know what store to blame if you find out after leaving the store it was tampered with, not so with trick or treat candy. You think we bring out a magnifying glass and spend a half hour looking it over? Five minutes is all it takes, maybe 10 if you have hundreds of pieces.
If I've looked them over and then one of my kids later tells me they found a needle in it....I'll have to re-think how closely I looked at them or I will be having a chat with them as the kids themselves will be the #1 suspect.

 

[Sommerswerd]

Oh dear @Timsup2nothin, I'm so sorry I missed your birthday yesterday, I was very busy but I have no excuse! I hope you had a lovely time

My birthday is tomorrow, so today is my last day to enjoy being 35.

Have a happy birthday

If I've looked them over and then one of my kids later tells me they found a needle in it....I'll have to re-think how closely I looked at them or I will be having a chat with them as the kids themselves will be the #1 suspect.

That's actually happened to you?

 

[Bamspeedy]

That's actually happened to you?

No, it was a hypothetical.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I had lots of trick-or-treaters visiting my house last night, and I had plenty of candy! I feel it's very delightful seeing all those little children dressed up, and I just love their little excited expressions as they're choosing their candy. I had like six bowls full (I bought seven boxes) and I still have quite a few left, I don't know what I'll do with it all but I'm sure I can find some children who would like to have it. I let children choose one that they'd like, and this year KitKats were really super popular!

Well, as long as you're looking to rehome it, you can PM me the peanut butter cups...

Our neighbors across the street turn on their porch light every night and turn it off every morning, unless they forget.

I can't fathom people who do that. There's a rowhouse across the parking lot that keeps the porch light on all the time, even in the middle of the day at times, and it shines right into my living room. It's so damned annoying, especially because nobody ever seems to use that door. It's just light pollution, as far as I'm concerned. We already have enough of that here from the street lights.

Thank goodness I live at the far end of the parking lot where the staff parks. Since the only people here after dark are security, there's nobody at this end who's going to be upset that one of the lights in the parking lot hasn't worked in at least three years. I brought that up to the manager, and said, "Please don't ever fix that one, or it will shine right into my bedroom like it did before it quit working." He assured me that others had also requested it not be fixed, so they just weren't going to mention it in the maintenance requests to the company that owns this place.

Turn outside light (not motion sensitive) on when it gets dark, turn it off when going to bed.
Doesn't everybody do that??

Why on earth would you turn on an outside light if nobody is going to need it? I only ever turned on the porch light when I was expecting someone, or if someone turned up unexpectedly (so I could see who it was before answering the door). Otherwise, it's just light pollution, not to mention a waste of electricity.

I did turn it on during the years when I gave out Halloween candy, both to indicate that kids could come there, but also for safety. The porch consisted of several cement steps, and I didn't want any kids tripping over their costumes. And some years we had snow on Halloween, so slipping was an issue as well.

Things were nice and quiet here. I spent the evening reading fanfic, watching Survivor, browsing one of my favorite online craft sites (couldn't ignore the 31% discount code they sent me! ), and headed over to the NaNoWriMo site to get registered for today.

 

[Bamspeedy]

Why on earth would you turn on an outside light if nobody is going to need it?

It's a wonder what people did before motion sensors.

Some want to make their house seem warm and inviting for unexpected (friendly) visitors instead of them stumbling in the dark halfway up the driveway until they are close enough to trigger the motion sensor. Me, I don't get unexpected visitors at night so I don't leave a light on. Anyone I know that wanted to stop by would call first.

But when delivering pizzas I sure loved all the people who did have a light, even those whose house I wasn't delivering to. If I can see your house number is 123 then I know it's not 125 and I won't be walking up to your door looking for a number. Carrying a flashlight around like I've heard of some people doing to look for the numbers seems to just be asking for someone to get offended and claim you are shining the light into their house as a peeping tom or something.

 

[Birdjaguar]

We left the porch lights on so our children could find their way to the door safely.

 

[Berzerker]

well, an Ohio 5 year old was taken to the hospital for meth after eating Halloween candy

 

[cardgame]

I've taken a lot of 3am walks around my town and there are a truly insane amount of people who leave their outdoor lights on all the time, plus even indoor lights and televisions.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

There's an apartment on the other end of the building and 3 floors up that has Christmas lights on the balcony. I saw them a few days ago.

 

[FriendlyFire]

Well, as long as you're looking to rehome it, you can PM me the peanut butter cups...

Those taste terrible, all of the reece peanut butter chocolate are all yuk
I did know you could screw up peanut butter but the Americans did it somehow, I suspect they must have had some additive because it tasted somewhat wrong for peanut butter.
Of all the Americans chocolates I only really enjoy whittermans coconut block

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Those taste terrible, all of the reece peanut butter chocolate are all yuk
I did know you could screw up peanut butter but the Americans did it somehow, I suspect they must have had some additive because it tasted somewhat wrong for peanut butter.
Of all the Americans chocolates I only really enjoy whittermans coconut block

I don't mind this occasionally, but I actually did develop my own original recipe for peanut butter cups.

 

[Bamspeedy]

well, an Ohio 5 year old was taken to the hospital for meth after eating Halloween candy

In Oregon it happened also, this time to parents who decided to eat the candy they were supposedly checking over.....

https://wgntv.com/2018/11/01/sheriff-parents-sickened-after-eating-meth-laced-halloween-candy/

Last year on indian reservation in Wisconsin meth was found in trick or treat stash, but this wasn't candy that was laced with it.
http://time.com/5003599/meth-found-halloween-candy-menominee-reservation/

I've taken a lot of 3am walks around my town and there are a truly insane amount of people who leave their outdoor lights on all the time, plus even indoor lights and televisions.

Or some work 2nd shift, so 3 AM is there relaxing time, or just got back from the bar, or whatever excuse you have for being up at the same time.

Television on tells me they are still up....or fell asleep on the couch watching it. Never thought of this, but are there really people who leave the TV on all night as a anti-burglary tool? (don't break in here, someone's home)

After I switched from first shift to second shift but before I installed a motion sensor I would ask my wife to leave the light on since I would be coming home from work between 2-4 AM.

 

[Morty]

It's a wonder what people did before motion sensors.

Some want to make their house seem warm and inviting for unexpected (friendly) visitors instead of them stumbling in the dark halfway up the driveway until they are close enough to trigger the motion sensor. Me, I don't get unexpected visitors at night so I don't leave a light on. Anyone I know that wanted to stop by would call first.

This - it's a small, dark street, so it helps people spot the house (number) and also hopefully prevents us from getting next doors pizzas!! And it's also really good after you've been to the pub for a beer or two (or three or four!) and you're trying to work out where you put your key, where the lock is, which way said key is supposed to go, etc, etc!!

 

[Manfred Belheim]

Turn outside light (not motion sensitive) on when it gets dark, turn it off when going to bed.
Doesn't everybody do that??

No. As I said I don't know anyone who does that, or even has a light to do that with. My mum's had a motion sensitive one for years though, which seems able to detect cats and falling leaves, but not humans.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

This - it's a small, dark street, so it helps people spot the house (number) and also hopefully prevents us from getting next doors pizzas!!

You can get unwanted pizza even without a porch light being involved. All it takes is someone writing down the address wrong or having bad penmanship.

I'd just had a delivery of food ordered from one restaurant, was checking everything to see that it was all there, and next thing I knew there was someone knocking on my door with a pizza. I told her I hadn't ordered a pizza, and she had the wrong suite. Apparently whoever took the order didn't write down all three numbers, so she potentially had to go to all 6 floors to figure out whose pizza it actually was.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

You can get unwanted pizza even without a porch light being involved. All it takes is someone writing down the address wrong or having bad penmanship.

You might even get "pizza swatted," wherein someone orders a pizza for your address as a prank. What that has to do with a discussion of Halloween and porch lights I cannot begin to guess, but as long as we are roaming far afield...