Hello friends,

Spooky season is once again upon us! True confessions time: back when I was in grad school, I lived in Santa Cruz, California, which is famous/infamous for its Halloween celebrations. College students, tourists and townies alike dress up in their spookiest (or sexiest) outfits and head downtown to party on Pacific Avenue. I used to find a spot in one of the coffee shops and watch the parade of fantastic outfits, too timid to join but endlessly curious. Dressing in drag was a popular choice, and I remember desperately wishing that I had some female friends whom I could ask to dress me up as a girl — not to mention the disposable income to blow on a sexy outfit, wig, and makeup. If I had been in therapy back then, I might have been able to investigate that desire and the reasons behind it, but alas, it would be another 20-plus years before my egg finally cracked. Every time I dress up in a sexy, spooky outfit — whether for Halloween or a visit to Crucible — I think about that repressed young grad student, enviously watching the fabulous queens strut their stuff down Pacific. This is for you, darling.

I hope you’ll join us for our next dinner on October 16th. Wear your favorite Halloween outfit, or just come as you are — either way, we’d love to break bread with you.

See you at the table!

–Christen