Ride the Chicken

I love dressing up – nope, I don’t mean “dressing up” in the adult sense like fancy dress, high heels, nylons (torture!), along with makeup and jewelry. I mean “dressing up” kid-style. You know how you did it when you were a kid - you became a superhero by tying a “cape” (also known as a towel, or a sheet) around your neck, wearing your underwear over some tights, thermals, or pajama bottoms. Or you put on a Halloween costume just for play, dressed up as your favorite TV or movie character, as an animal or something. My kids even had a big trunk full of costume pieces – left over Halloween costumes or their parts, capes, hats, masks, . . . the list just goes on and on. Kids know how to have fun. We grow up, become “responsible, mature adults”, and somehow lose that part of ourselves. Or do we? Maybe we don’t lose it. Maybe we just hide it away for most of the year. When October rolls around, out comes that love of dressing up and we go all out for Halloween parties.

Here’s the thing though, I love dressing up so much, I don’t want to just do it just once a year at Halloween. I look for opportunities to dress up and be someone else for awhile. Don’t be making a face like I’m the only one. There’s a bunch of us out there.

I know this one guy who got himself a full-body chicken suit – bright yellow feathers, mask, red wings, and rubber chicken feet. Very fun. One day (not in October) he put the thing on and just wandered around and hung out in downtown Santa Barbara in it. He got looks, he got comments, he had a blast. He even went into a restaurant – didn’t say a word, just picked up the menu and looked it over. Everyone turned their heads and waited to see what was going to happen. What was this 6 foot chicken going to do? Apparently the chicken was in a fowl mood, didn’t like what he saw on the menu, or maybe he felt he was over-dressed - and turned to leave without a word. Someone stopped him, saying, “What are you doing? You can’t just come in here and then leave without saying anything at all.” The chicken just turned and looked and said, in his most dignified voice, “Cluck, cluck,” and walked out. If you ask me, this guy has got it. He knows how to have fun. He got even more creative when he moved off to Boston.

He brought that chicken suit with him and one night there was a party going on in his building. Lot’s of college age folks having a party. Into the chicken suit he went and off to the party. Here’s where he got really innovative. He started offering the party-goers a chance to ride the chicken for a buck. Yup, he had those inebriated people paying him a dollar to jump on his back and go for a ride. I wonder what people thought when they drove past, seeing people riding big yellow chicken? My friend had fun and made a few bucks in the most creative way I’ve heard about in awhile.

I look for times to dress up and have some fun in a weird way. It makes me laugh and feel young and sort of wild and crazy. Other people get a kick out of it too, just seeing me dressed up all weird. So give it a try – you can keep it at home and dress up for some bedroom fun, or take it out into public for a good time. It keeps you young and keeps life fun.

The Dash

What are we doing here? Isn’t that the big question in life . . . and for some of us, myself included, often in the grocery store or in a room I’ve just entered. I ask myself, “What did I come in here for?” or “What was it I supposed to buy?” Then at some point, we ask that question about life – what am I doing here? What did I come here for? I suppose for every 10 people you ask, you might easily get 10 different answers to that all-important question. Well, since I’ve had my own epiphany pretty recently, I’ll share my expert thoughts as well. Why not, right? I’m as much of an expert about life on planet Earth as anyone else. I’ve been here for over 40 years, tried a bunch of different stuff, and have actually learned a few things along the way. I suppose this is my biggest lesson of all.

Years ago I was in a cemetery – wish I could tell you why, but I can’t really remember. I told you it was years ago. Anyway, I was checking out the gravestones, because there really isn’t much else to do in a cemetery. Of course, when you are there, walking among dead bodies, it’s a bit hard not to think about the obvious --- death, your own in particular. There I am, checking out these headstones and they have the standard birthdate, a dash, then the date the person died, along with some profound statement that is supposed to summarize the essence or life of person whose bones are buried six feet below. The most important thing on those headstones to me is the dash, not the numbers and not the phrase. Yup, that little hyphen between one date and the other. That’s where the person’s life was – right there in the dash. It’s not so important what date they were born or what date they died. Life is all about the dash. Don’t tell any history teachers I said that, because you know how they love to have students memorize dates (of birth and death mainly it seems). So how do we evaluate the dash? This is where my big epiphany comes in.

For me, the quality of your life can be measured in the fun you had, the experiences you had, and how much you loved. Maybe that’s not terribly deep or philosophical, but that’s my truth. If you want deep and philosophical, this just ain’t the place for you. When you get to the end of the road, that big jumping off point, the end of the dash, that’s where you really get to figure out what’s important. I’ve never heard of anyone, in their last few moments, wishing for more time at work, wishing they had done more tedious housework. It’s usually all about things they wish they’d done, tried, or taken a chance at. Or it’s about relationships – wishing they had loved more, not lost a relationship over something dumb, or said they were sorry when they had the chance.

For me, a full life is a life where I played, I had fun, and I loved with all my heart. For me it’s never been about “the American dream” – amassing stuff, being rich, attaining some position, having a secure long-term career. I want to play. Sound a bit immature? Sound like Peter Pan syndrome? If so, then I must be saying this just right. I want to experience life in its fullest. I want to squeeze every last drop of life out of each day. I want death to have to run to catch me. I’m not going to just plod along in the rat race, watching each day slip into a fog of where-did-the-time-go. I’m going to go after my dreams, no matter what anyone else thinks of them. I'm determined to look back over my life, when I’m nearing the end of the dash, with no regrets. I don’t want to look back and have a bunch of dreams unfulfilled, things I was too afraid to try, or regrets.

I’ve recently taken to writing little reminders and mantras for myself on rocks. I bought myself a Dremmel and have been inscribing words on rocks that I pick up on my walks on the beach. I just wrote myself a reminder on a big rock. “Make time to play.” I put it up on the kitchen counter where I see it everyday. It’s my reminder to live, live big, and make the most of my dash.

Is it that time of year AGAIN??

Ok, so it's been awhile (or almost a year!) since we last spoke. I have a few new items I wanted to share with you so you can all get a jump on the Halloween Season. First, let's start with this stunulicious Sexy Pirate Costume by Roma. The detail on this costume is amazing and it's made of the utmost quality materials. They've done a fine job here.

Next, have you seen our new Sexy Boots? We're thinking these boots just freshen up any spunky costume you decide on.

Our Bumble Bee Shoes are to die for though and complete any of our hot Bee Costumes. The one shown here is by Roma. While we sell a bunch of these bee costumes, I always wonder if all those people are walking around Halloween Parties or whatever with those wings on. It would really disturb me to no end if someone kept flapping all over the place and then to think if there were hundreds of them all gathered in one place - kind of a scary thought. But, the costume is a hit and we've never had any complaints about it - high quality and it's very comfortable and easy to wear.

Well, we'll try not to let so much time go by next time we write. We've got lots of amazing new Sexy Costumes to talk about, so we'll be back soon to give you the latest scoop.

And, if you're in Santa Barbara, CA - drop by418 State Street and check out our Costumes!

Ciao for now...

Cyber Shopping Simplified

I’m sure you heard the big news . . . the Monday after Thanksgiving has now been officially christened “Cyber Monday”. Online shopping is now even more popular. But who is out there in cyberland, the WWW universe, the ever-so-huge internet to help you navigate your way? Who is helping you avoid the common pitfalls that so many online buyers fall into? For today, I am. (You can thank me later.) We will use Scavengeinc.com as a model for our discussion, but the pointers given, if heeded, will help your online shopping experiences be pleasant and successful instead of stressful and upsetting. Here are the five areas where most boo-boos are made :

1. Billing address doesn’t match the credit card. Your credit card company has an address on file for the card you are using. The address you enter on the “Billing Address” line during checkout absolutely must match what your credit card company has on file or else your order is dead in the water. This is not necessarily where you want the package shipped, or even where you may be at the moment. It’s where the bill or statement is sent every month. Sounds simple, and it should be, but it is the most common mistake made.

2. CVV code. So many people have no clue what this is. Let me tell you what it is not. It is NOT the last 4 digits of your phone number, it is not the last 4 digits of your social security number, not your birthday, not your lucky number, and not the number of children in your family. And, most importantly it is NOT the last 4 four digits of your credit card number. Let that sink in. It is on the back of your Visa, MasterCard, or Discover credit card. It’s the last three digits in black ink usually on the right hand side. On your American Express, it’s the four numbers on the front of the card to the right, up above the credit card number. Scavengeinc.com gives you pictorial examples if you need them. This is a security measure by the credit card companies. Again messing this up will end your shopping experience just like that.

3. Shipping addresses that don’t exist. This seems like a joke, I know, but it seems many people aren’t sure where they live or where they want their package shipped. (This seems to happen mostly with students away at school). Simple fix – if you are having the package shipped to you, walk outside, look at the address on the front of your home sweet home and - presto! – that’s the one you enter in the shipping address. If you’re in a dorm, go talk to your resident advisor (they get paid to know this sort of valuable info). Basically whether you are shipping it to yourself or to someone else, ask or look and just make sure you’ve got it right before you type it into the “Shipping Address”.

4. Check the sizes. On every product page on Scavengeinc.com there is a link that says “View Size Charts.” It’s a real link. It’s not a cruel joke. It will tell you what size you should or shouldn’t order. Now be forewarned – if you are usually a size 8, you aren’t going to suddenly fit into a size 0 – nope, ain’t gonna happen.

5. When will it arrive? Now think about it – you are on your computer, clicking and shopping away. Your order has to be picked and packed. Then it has to be picked up by the delivery person (USPS or UPS) and then it has to make its way to you. Now with Scavengeinc.com your order is going to go out the same day IF it is placed before 2:00 p.m. PST. So if you order at 8:00 p.m. and want it the next morning, you have to realize the UPS man is sleeping and won’t get your package onto his truck until the next day. So pay special attention to those shipping times. No matter how big your event is and how badly you may need your item, online stores cannot make miracles happen – not even Scavengeinc.com.

Weird little things

Yes, yes, yes, Scavengeinc.com is indeed mainly about costumes and lingerie. No doubt about it. But have you ever taken the time to notice all the other fun and weird stuff offered for the betterment of your life and the advancement of mankind in general?? Well, you can consider this your own personal (very short, very FREE) guided tour to some of my favorite weird, little things offered on the website. Okay, you won’t actually find a category called “weird little things.” It has the nice, professional sounding title of “Gifts and Novelties.” You’ll see that there are several categories of merchandise that have items that make great stocking stuffers, gag gifts, or just fun little things to get for yourself – things that bring a smile every time you look at them. What Simpsons fan wouldn’t want a talking pizza cutter? And I guarantee, you aren’t going to find that at Bed Bath and Beyond. How about a whole bendable set of Family Guy characters? They are so perfect for the desk at the office, the mantle over the fireplace or strategically placed on top of your computer monitor or TV.

Now for those of us lucky enough to have lived back in the good old days (the 1970’s) there’s plenty of great gifts to bring back great memories and laughs. There’s Gumby and Pink Panther merchandise, but my personal favorites are found in the “Bendable Toys and Keychains” section – like a bendable Mr. Bill (you know you’ve missed him), or a bendable Speed Racer (gotta love those flare-legged white pants of his), or a bendable Tony the Tiger (it’s grrrrrreat!).

Oh there’s just so much more than I can cover in today’s short tour. But feel free to wander about the site for yourself. You’ll find something to make you laugh or something that would be “just great” for your buddy so & so. And anything that makes us laugh is a very good thing and makes life that much better.

Thanksgiving Recipe

Thanksgiving --- you know that thoughts of food just danced their way through your head. Well, we have a special Thanksgiving recipe we want to share with you – one that is flexible enough to work with a few different crowds, and uses only the ingredients you feel like getting. Let’s start with work – you know those office Thanksgiving potlucks. Bring whatever food item you feel like – our recipe really has nothing to do with that. Get yourself a nice Indian outfit. You can go very conservative or get one with a bit more flavor. Just make sure you get all the good accessories – a feathered headdress, beaded bracelets, peace pipe, and tomahawk. Now wear this into the office potluck carrying whatever dish you are contributing. You are guaranteed to make the event fun and memorable. Now you can use this same recipe at your family gathering maybe add a few Indian and pilgrim decorations to the table and you are one your way to starting a new family tradition – soon your Thanksgiving dinner gathering will be the event of the year.

Now this recipe can be modified slightly and be used as a romantic “dessert” as well. All you have to do is use only the Indian headdress and the accessories. You may want to go all out and use some costume makeup or body paint add some nice “war paint” designs to really spice up the look. Do all of this after all the guests have gone and the kids are all tucked away – this part of the recipe is really just for two. You can stroll into the bedroom carrying some sort of dessert or -nothing at all, utter some nice Indian-sounding phrase, and I’m positive somebody will really be thankful.

The WOW effect

How many shopping days until Christmas?? Oh such stress . . . and mainly when thinking about that special someone . . . that significant other in your life (hereafter known as "S.O"). You don't want to be predictable or get just any old thing for your S.O. You want something with "WOW effect." You know that look in their eyes that says WOW and "Oh my gosh" and leaves them just about speechless with just a happy, awestruck grin on his or her face. Well forget sweaters, and electronics, and jewelry. Give your S.O. something he/she will remember and really appreciate. Nothing does this better than a little surprise, something unexpected.

Your S.O. would be thrilled to come home or into a room and find you in something other than your comfy jammies --- how about a Strapless Santa Costume?? Now that would have the WOW effect. Or if you’re thinking something a bit more low key, how about just reindeer antlers or just a nice velvet Santa hat AND NOTHING ELSE as you walk into the room. Oh yeah – definite WOW effect there. Try it out this Christmas season and you’ll see. This will be the gift your S.O. will remember and be hoping for next year.