Halloween 2010: Historical Accuracy

Guys, I'm gonna be honest with you.

I LOVE costumes.

Halloween ranks up there with my favorite days in the whole year, because when else do you get to dress up and look completely awesome? Can't think of a day? That's because Halloween is the only day. So before delving into my costume for this year (which you should remember is a secret) I wanted to fill you in on past costumes and how they came to be.

When I realized that I could throw a Halloween party as a freshman, I jumped on the chance and sent out invitations to my friends, with only one requirement: you must wear a costume! I had quite the plan up my sleeve for my own costume. Though I had been growing my hair out since the beginning of the year, I wanted to be a very authentic Edie Sedgwick (sans drug addictions and eating disorders).


I came home the night before the party, had dinner with my two best friends (long hair still intact) and then the next morning -- chop chop! I lost my locks all in the name of Sedgwick. Fun, right? (I should be honest and tell you I had been considering the hairstyle for a while, and it lined up well with Halloween.)

Last year, I day-dreamed about Amy Adams' sleek look in Night at the Museum II, and then decided to dive head-first into Amelia Earhart research. I picked out a great jacket, borrowed a hanky from a friend, wore very little makeup (big change from the year before!) and voila!

The movie starring Hilary Swank came out a few weeks before, but I still haven't seen it! This was a nice costume as well, because people recognized me a little quicker than they did when I was Edie. The airfield in my hometown actually has a very similar plane to what she flew, but I never got to get my picture with it. Next time!

So now that you know what I was in past years, here's a few tips on how to have a great costume without emptying your (probably already meager) wallet:

Don't buy new/full price: My Edie dress was $9 dollars at Ross. It was a great deal for a dress that I figured I would wear once, but I've worn it several times since then, so it's an even better deal! For Amelia, I already owned the pants, shoes, shirt and borrowed the hanky. The jacket came from Marshall's!

Do your makeup/hair: Though you may think that your costume will look fine with your everyday 'do, makeup and hair are in many cases the "make or break" factor in a good costume. Edie, for example, would have been a flop if I had long hair. For Amelia, I could have done a little more, but I wasn't cutting my hair off again!

Be creative: This probably seems a little obvious, but it's important, and applies to all facets of a good Halloween costume. If you search for a clever costume, you are far less likely to see someone else dressed like you, and if you put a lot of effort into yours, even if you do see a twin, you'll probably look better! Don't think that because you don't want to spend a lot that you have to have a lame costume.

Brainstorming? I hope so.

Did you have an awesome (or maybe not so awesome..) costume? Comment or leave a link, I'd love to see it!

Computer Safety

Well, friends, I write to you from a computer not my own. Two days ago, a rather fishy looking "antivirus" alert popped up on my screen. Though I was suspicious, the alert was in fact a virus that had already downloaded itself onto my computer.

Though many of you know the easy ways to keep yourself and your computer safe while you are online -- don't ever share your login information, for example -- there are some other precautions you can take so that you don't end up like me.

Passwords: Though having a complicated password (upper and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols) is necessary and an oft-mentioned tip, it is also important to change your password regularly. If you work in a situation where you use a company computer program or are part of an organization with a central network, you probably are required to change your password every 90 or 120 days. However, you should take up this practice for all your passwords. Another quick password tip: try not to recycle passwords -- that is just making it easier for someone to guess it the second or third time you use it.

Updates: Though I'm sad to say that I hadn't taken my own advice here, it's very important that you keep your computer up-to-date. This means both the operating system your computer runs (Windows XP, in my case) and any security software you may have downloaded. I have had an update from Microsoft waiting on my computer for almost a year now because I wanted to back up my information before updating. That may have been a factor in my computer getting a virus. Unfortunately, you can never tell! Just be sure your computer is always updated.

Security: I won't recommend any specific programs or systems here, but lets just say there are a lot of options. You can pay for services like McAfee or Norton, or you can download a free service, like Avast. When my parents bought me my laptop a few years ago, they paid for McAfee on my computer, and it expired about the time I started school. However, the school required that I download their security system in order to use the wi-fi offered, and that system functions year-round. In any case, have a security system and update or scan regularly!

So overall, if any of these are news to you, I hope I can save you from a future mishap. Do you have any tips for me or any of the other readers here at RFP?