Cool again, hopefully not wet. National forecast has Houston outside any big storms for the next couple of days. That would be best for me and my Halloween plans…
Since my decorations are mainly made from cardboard and baling wire. Although I’m a bit short on baling wire this year. Couldn’t find my stash. I’m reduced to using string. Ok, it is EXPENSIVE special black theatrical string, but still… the cardboard tubes are a bit… squishy.
Didn’t get much done yesterday but auction stuff. Went grocery shopping at the local HEB. No lard at all on the shelf. Some other gaps, but there was finally peanut butter. No pumpkin pie either. The closeout shelf had a bunch of LED lightbulbs, and I needed some for one of my ceiling fans. Very fortuitous. Saved $44 on my bill between a couple of coupons and the clearance markdowns.
One observation… as I drove up to the store a guy crossed the lot in front of me. Older guy. Tactical pants. Outdoors shirt. Fanny pack that couldn’t be anything other than a pistol holster. Dude was like a neon sign. Don’t be that guy. If you are rocking a full size 1911 on one hip, wearing a ‘shoot me first’ photographer’s vest, with a mag or two weighting down the left side pocket*, you are not the grey man. You are a mobile resupply pod for the bad guys.
Grey man means fitting in. If that means dirty carhart jacket and jeans, or bright safety yellow t shirt and work boots, or a three piece suit and silk tie, or just a logo’d polo shirt and khaki slacks and a computer bag, look around and figure out what fits with your environment now, and wherever you need to go. Practice flipping that on its head too, and keep your eyes open for the thing or person that doesn’t fit. That person could be a threat or an ally, or a distraction, or a victim. You may want a variety of clothes and jackets, or hats, to better fit in if you have to go someplace where you might otherwise stand out. You should be able to dress up or down as needed too. You don’t want to be looking like ‘money’ when everyone around you is broke and hungry.
A long time ago, and a lifetime away, a friend and I had to appear in court. Young white kids from the suburbs, we dressed up. Jackets, maybe even a suit. We were the best dressed people in the courthouse. Sketchy felons kept asking us for legal advice. We did NOT fit in. In retrospect we must have looked like very junior lawyers. We were able to order drinks in a restaurant later that day without getting carded, so there was that 🙂 but otherwise it was a fail.
Your clothes are a costume. Make sure they are appropriate for your role.
Stack some clothes in different styles, and for different needs. Different sizes too. Make sure your more vulnerable family members have stuff they can wear to minimize their vulnerability. No little black dress for foraging amongst the rubble of civilization…
Today should be my big push to get most of my decorations up and the rest ready for Halloween itself. Some stuff is more delicate or desirable, so it stays safe until the actual night. I need to get all the lighting sorted out too, and decide if I’m doing any special effects like fog or projection. Last night to test, before the show!
Hope the weather stays nice.
Stack what you can. Learn what you can. Practice your skills.
nick
* this description is of a guy I saw a couple of years ago at Costco. Not a grey man.
