Fluxionesque: Day of the Dead at Hollywood Forever 2008

This years Dia De Los Muertos at Hollywood Forever was more of a challenge to enjoy. Another case of something that's become too successful.... if that's possible.
The crowds were simply overwhelming. Maybe I'm showing my age, but I just have so much lass patience these days.... and energy. Sigh.

I, my partner Perry, and our dear friend Sandy met at my place at 4 and after a hot cup of tea and some strategic planning we headed out. I already felt lame for abandoning my planned calavera costume, but the rain and gloom made it seem like too much trouble.
After some creative traffic aversion and a 16 block walk we arrived and the place was already packed. The weather didn't cooperate either. It was chilly and damp and humid. Few people in costume. Lines for food were acres long, no place to sit or stand unjostled and nowhere near the porta-pottys. Hooking up with other friends took ages and proved impractical.

My crappy digital camera was mostly uncooperative and the frustration put me in a sour mood. When we left, the lines to get in were blocks longs and traffic was in total grid logic for more than a mile around. I just wanted to sit down on something dry.

Not to poo-poo the whole thing.... The altars WERE amazing as always, but impossible to appreciate with no less than twenty people competiting to see everything all the time....

When I first moved here I was fond of going to the big Halloween Carnaval in West Hollywood on All Hallows- and for the first few years it was fantastic... really incredicble costumes too... good vibes....but then as the decade slipped into the Oughts it was more and more looky-loos, aggressive assholes from far-flung parts of the city set on harassing revelers for laughs, and worst of all lots and lots of drunk people.
Traffic virtually crawls everywhere in the city on Halloween, so that was another incentive to just stay home and hand out candy to the kids. So thats what I've done for the last several years.

This year the Halloween energy was just off all around. Crazy busy month with hardly a minute to breath let alone prepar or enjoy the (in our SoCal sitch: micro) seasonal change.
In years past I have had increasing numbers of trick or treaters (average between 80-100) this year was a record low. (?!)
Day light savings time was pushed back and so that felt odd too, as in years past the fall-back happened just before. Odd, odd, odd.

By the time we left the cemetery on Saturday night I felt like I did the last time I went to the Carnaval.... finished. It's a sad feeling....more than anything though, I was ready to cut my losses and concentrate on getting through the real Helldays now bearing down on us.

Xmas. (shudder)