...of charm and strange: the blog

Halloween is once again nearly upon us, and I am engaged in my annual internal debate over whether or not to dress up in a costume for whatever I'm doing that night. Yesterday, David and I happened to wander past a party supply store that had oodles of Halloween costumes for sale.

Eric: Look! This store has nun costumes. [suddenly excited] YOU HAVE TO BE A NUN FOR HALLOWEEN.

David: Why do I always have to do these things?

Eric: Because you spent a week making a robot outfit out of moving boxes and duct tape that one year. You're the one who likes to dress up. I'm the one who likes to laugh at you. See how that works out?

David: I'm not going to be a nun for Halloween. [pause] Okay, maybe I'm going to be a nun for Halloween.

Eric: That's what I'm talkin' about.

David: I don't know. Is that drag? Will I be going to high school in drag? Am I going to be persecuted?

Eric: Please. High school teachers always do the drag thing for Halloween.

David: Yeah, and they're not funny. And they're persecuted.

Eric: You're going to be a nun for Halloween.

David: YOU be a nun for Halloween.

Eric: Okay, we can compromise: [long pause] YOU be a nun for Halloween.

David: I'm not talking about this anymore.

Eric: Seriously, dude. Your friends will love it. Nuns are FUNNY. There's a reason Sister Act was a hit at the box-office. People respond to nuns. By laughing. See, I'm laughing right now! Can you imagine how funny a male nun would be?

David: It's not that funny.

Eric: Oh my god! You should be a nun-clown for Halloween.

David: That's the scariest thing I've ever heard!

Eric: But wouldn't it be funny?

David: I don't know, I think the nun and the clown would cancel each other out. The funny would go back to zero.

Eric: OR! Or the funny would be DOUBLED.

David: Can you imagine standing there in a nun costume and clown makeup and NOBODY THINKS IT'S FUNNY?

Eric: That couldn't possibly happen. A nun-clown is the funniest thing that's ever been thought of.

David: Try to imagine how catastrophic it would be. Everyone is looking at you. You're a nun-clown. And nobody thinks it's funny. They don't think it's offensive or anything, they just don't think it's funny.

Eric: I can't. I'm almost bleeding internally giggling over the fact that you're going to be a nun-clown for Halloween.

David: I am not.

Eric: You are.

David: Okay.