Josué Cardona 0:11Welcome to GT radio on the Geek Therapy network here at Geek Therapy. We believe that the best way to understand each other and ourselves is through the media we care about. My name is Josué Cardona. Joined by Lara Taylor.

Lara Taylor 0:23Hey

Josué Cardona 0:26Marc Cuiriz.

Marc Cuiriz 0:28Hello,

Josué Cardona 0:30and Link Keller.

Link Keller 0:31Hiiii.

Josué Cardona 0:33Welcome to our annual spooky spectacular Halloween episode.

Link Keller 0:43spoooooky!

Josué Cardona 0:43spooooky! Do we actually do annual? Is that a thing? Do we have an annual Halloween episode?

Marc Cuiriz 0:47Yes, you do.

Josué Cardona 0:48since I have joined.

Marc Cuiriz 0:50Yes, yes, there has been.

Link Keller 0:51I have made it my secret mission

Lara Taylor 0:56is it though?

Link Keller 0:57that the spookies are represented during the spooky season.

Josué Cardona 1:02All right. So, favorite Halloween candy go?

Link Keller 1:09uuuuhh,

Josué Cardona 1:09I guess it’s favorite candy period. Like does it change?

Link Keller 1:12Jolly Ranchers

Josué Cardona 1:14Jolly Ranchers? Pumpkin Spice Jolly Ranchers.

Lara Taylor 1:18What the fuck

Josué Cardona 1:19is that a thing?

Link Keller 1:19I don’t think that’s a thing.

Lara Taylor 1:23I don’t think that’s the thing either.

Marc Cuiriz 1:24Yeah. They’ve not been that bold.

Link Keller 1:27There might there might be a pumpkin spice like Werther’s original, but I don’t think jolly ranchers

Josué Cardona 1:32I’m sure that’s a real thing. Yeah.

Marc Cuiriz 1:35I’d say mine is crunch.

Josué Cardona 1:39Nestle Crunch?

Link Keller 1:40do you prefer the crunch bars or the crunch bits?

Marc Cuiriz 1:46ooh the buncha crunch? Oh, that’s a tough one. I think I’m gonna have to call it a buncha crunch. Honestly.

Link Keller 1:53yeah me too

Josué Cardona 1:54Back in my day, there wasn’t a buncha crunch.

Lara Taylor 1:57They invented it back in our day. There was buncha crunch

Josué Cardona 2:03or there was a time where there wasn’t a buncha crunch and

Lara Taylor 2:06agreed

Josué Cardona 2:06and then there was right so thank you. Yeah, I don’t know. Do I have a favorite? Halloween candy? I dunno, pumpkin, pumpkin shaped. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Lara Taylor 2:21Those are the best. The best the pumpkin paste and then and then when pumpkins are gone.

Josué Cardona 2:27The eggs

Lara Taylor 2:27well no we well. It used to be the originally we get the trees and then we get the hearts. Oh, and then we get the eggs and then there is no

Lara Taylor 2:37pumpkins are the best one

Lara Taylor 2:37no reeses anything from April the end of April till September. And it’s very saddening

Josué Cardona 2:46there’s no fireworks. No. No Columbus ships. There is no

Link Keller 2:54I like those caramel apple lollipops. I really only see those around Halloween time. They they do exist the rest of the year. I just don’t see them.

Lara Taylor 3:05Ike’s place a sandwich place that started in San Francisco and has taken over a lot of the California and southwest United States. They give you a caramel apple lollipop with every sandwich purchase. Very delicious.

Josué Cardona 3:22So many calories. So alright, so that was an icebreaker Halloween. What? Every year I know we touch on how on like the scary stuff and why it’s it feels good. And why so many people relate to it. I think I think you know what, what can we talk about this year as a focus for for the Halloween episode. If that topic is interesting, revisit some of one of our annual Halloween episodes from the past. Spoilers it’s a safe way to experience

Marc Cuiriz 4:03I will say it was very much enjoyable to listen to all the spooky experiences without actually having to experience them because I do not like spooky things.

Lara Taylor 4:13Get out Marc

Josué Cardona 4:17Is it is it anyone’s favorite holiday?

Link Keller 4:20me

Lara Taylor 4:21It’s one of my favorites

Josué Cardona 4:22why?

Link Keller 4:24I like candy and I like dressing up in costumes and I like getting spooked and scared. I like the scary horror and then I also like the like cute and fun. Family Friendly Halloween stuff.

Josué Cardona 4:43What about the campy horror?

Link Keller 4:45Oh yeah, absolutely.

Josué Cardona 4:47I was. I was watching Halloween kills yesterday.

Link Keller 4:53Ooh.

Josué Cardona 4:54And I didn’t remember. I watched the new Halloween Before a couple of years ago, I didn’t remember being campy, but this one’s super him it’s like I remembered it. Like a straight legit, you know, serious? Or if it’s not, it wasn’t. I guess it wasn’t. I just remember that way. Yeah, it’s a particular flavor of stuff. So where did that start? I’m curious. Where did it start? Being your favorite holiday?

Link Keller 5:32I don’t know. It’s it’s always been one that I’ve enjoyed.

Josué Cardona 5:40Is there a particular memory or, like something else tied to it. Friends, family experience.

Link Keller 5:51I guess. I mean, I don’t I don’t know that I have like a when it started moment, but like when I was younger, my my grandmother was a good sewer. And so she would like help me make costumes. And so that was always really fun. She made me a swan Princess gown one year that was very cool. I loved the little triangle point sleeves. She helped me make a baby spice-esque. Vaguely cheerleader outfit one year that was fun. When I was in I must have been second or third grade because I was still pretty little. But I dressed up as Dorothy from Wizard of Oz and went to a local costume contest and I got a ribbon. But I think it was because I was the only kid in my age group anyways, yeah, I you know, I like I like carving pumpkins. There’s a lot of like, arts and crafts stuff around this time of year that I enjoy. I like I like silly costumes. One year. Early College, very broke. I I took a headband. And I taped poorly printed pictures of Michael Cera to the headband. And I was I was Triceratops. I had three Triceratops. That one was very funny.

Lara Taylor 7:38That’s the best costume I’ve ever ever heard

Link Keller 7:42this. This year. I I splurged and I actually bought a costume online. I got a pirate. I got a pirate costume. I dressed up as a pirate.

Josué Cardona 7:50what kind of pirate?

Link Keller 7:52Oh gosh. What does it say on the package? it’s right here

Lara Taylor 7:56No,

Josué Cardona 7:56gay pirate

Lara Taylor 7:58you’re Stede bonnet.

Link Keller 8:00It’s a gay pirate because I’ll be wearing it but I dropped my headphones. It says scallywag pirate

Lara Taylor 8:11scallywag pirate

Josué Cardona 8:15does it come with the boots?

Marc Cuiriz 8:19I don’t think Link can hear you

Link Keller 8:20I just put my earbud back in.

Josué Cardona 8:22Oh, does it come with does it come with the boots?

Link Keller 8:24It comes with boot covers like little leg sheathes. Yeah. And then I I purchased a very cheap fake beard. Which looks absolutely hilarious on me. So that’s pretty great.

Josué Cardona 8:40That’s funny.

Link Keller 8:41And then of course I’m, yeah, I’m living with the baby. Well, she’s two now. She just had her birthday. And she got a gift from one of her family members. A bunch of like, children’s costumes. And so we’ve been playing dress up and that’s very fun. It’s it’s fun to dress up little babies.

Josué Cardona 9:06has, has Halloween changed? Like has it has its meaning changed for you over over time?

Link Keller 9:13I mean, yeah, when I was a kid, it was more about candies and wearing a costume that would be recognizable by my peer groups. As I’ve gotten older, it’s been more about like watching spooky Halloween movies. I watch horror year round, but it feels like the time of year where it’s like we’re gonna watch one every night and more into dressing up just for my own enjoyment. And you know, I don’t who cares if anybody else gets it or even if other people see me as sometimes it’s just for me. Wear my silly little outfits? Yeah. Last Last year, we did a clown beam in the group of people who live up in Washington, because a friend came to visit and she had ordered, she was going to do a clown. And she had ordered the foam nose because she thought she was getting a pack of six. But what she got was six packs of six. Oh no, she just brought them all up and we were like, Oh, we’re all being clowns. And so I wore plaid PJ pants, and a plaid shirt and a plaid jacket, and I painted plaid. eye make up around my eyeballs. And I was I was a plaid little clown.

Lara Taylor 10:42No, no clown please.

Link Keller 10:45And then we and then we watched killer clowns from outer space, which is fun. It’s a fun movie I had not seen before

Josué Cardona 10:54being adapted into a multiplayer shooter.

Link Keller 10:58Of course, why not? Why wouldn’t that happen?

Josué Cardona 11:01I know.

Link Keller 11:02Sounds like a good time.

Lara Taylor 11:05link’s here for it. Link is here for it.

Josué Cardona 11:10Does it? Is Halloween more special for you? Because this is something that you don’t get to do. I’m assuming you don’t get to dress up. In in in costume. When it’s like culturally accepted on a regular basis you do you go to costume parties that are not during Halloween? Or do you like Halloween because you get to do that once a year.

Link Keller 11:36I think there is something special about it. Like the season like it’s starting to get cold it finally started raining up here. It had been dry for a while so I love the rain it’s like we’re you know getting overcast and drizzly mornings and starting to bring out your sweaters the changing of the leaves all that stuff I feel like it all goes together very well I enjoy that a lot. I mean I’m all about summerween

Lara Taylor 12:14you’re all about ‘ween all the time.

Link Keller 12:18Yeah, I would be I would be happy with a quarter quarterween four ‘weens a year. Now there is something special about like the community engaging right it’s like I don’t go trick or treating house to house anymore but it is lovely to you know be driving around and seeing houses decorated and the spooky skeletons and the blow up guys, here’s a neighbor that’s got a Jack and Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas. And and then a baby Yoda. They have two other ones, but those ones are next to each other. And it really, it makes you these like that’s a family. Right? That’s a family. It’s beautiful.

Lara Taylor 13:09It’s a great family. Our family costume this year, the dog is going to be baby Yoda. And I’m going to be Ahsoka, and Nina is going to be mando and it’s going to be great.

Link Keller 13:21I do also love pet costumes. Like that’s another thing where it’s like it can it can happen at any point during the year but it’s like this time of year everybody’s leaning into it and so I just get to enjoy the deluge, washing over me, all the cute cats and little hats and

Marc Cuiriz 13:40I think next year I’m gonna definitely have to do some cat costumes.

Lara Taylor 13:46yes!

Josué Cardona 13:46why aren’t you doing cat costumes this year?

Marc Cuiriz 13:48We’re not even really doing costumes this year, like the time just got away from us. Like we were thinking of potential ideas of things he wanted to do. And then next thing you know, it’s you know, it’s next Monday.

Lara Taylor 13:59And the stores are emptied out like two weeks ago and they’re already moved on to Christmas.

Marc Cuiriz 14:05Exactly

Link Keller 14:05my Triceratops idea is just up for grabs

Marc Cuiriz 14:09honestly, that sounds like a phenomenal idea. Just might take that might work

Link Keller 14:15I’m also a fan of the you wear an orange shirts, and then you cut out the pie symbol and pin it on the front and you’re pumpkin pie. It’s very low effort but It’s cute. It’s a little it’s a little Halloween puns. that’s fun

Marc Cuiriz 14:30That’s something I should definitely do for since I had to work on Halloween. That’s something I should definitely do. And everyone’s just gonna look at me and they’re just gonna shake their head. And everyone’s like yep

Lara Taylor 14:40absolutely they are.

Marc Cuiriz 14:42But when you were talking about like, like people decorating their houses that reminded me there’s actually a house in my area that went all out this year for Halloween and they made their whole house like stranger themes, and a Stranger Things themed

Lara Taylor 14:59oh you’re by the stranger Things house?

Marc Cuiriz 15:01mmhmm And they actually had like the, their neighbors actually were like contacting the authorities because they have like the whole setup with like them like them being like lifted into the air. And so they had to now make it like a show.

Link Keller 15:18You gotta take down floating Max That’s too scary.

Marc Cuiriz 15:22They’re like, this is too much because it was like it looked like pretty realistic. So now they had to they agreed, like they didn’t want to take it down, but they agreed to make it like a showing thing. So it’s like, like, kind of like with Christmas lights, but now it’s, you know, Stranger Things. So, yeah, it’s pretty cool. It’s, um, I think, like a couple minutes from my house. I haven’t gone and seen it yet, but it’s pretty cool.

Lara Taylor 15:47We’ve got someone that did like full on animatronic like pirate skeletons with like scenes from Pirates of the Caribbean. Like a five minute drive from my house. sounds really cool.

Lara Taylor 16:01Awesome.

Marc Cuiriz 16:03When you said animatronics, I immediately thought five nights at Freddy’s? And I was like, Oh, great. Here we go.

Lara Taylor 16:08no, no, No, I’m impressed that you thought Five Nights at Freddy’s

Josué Cardona 16:14and not Chuck E Cheese

Lara Taylor 16:15and not Chuck E Cheese or not Disney who invented animatronics.

Marc Cuiriz 16:21You know, pop culture references.

Link Keller 16:24Yeah, I think the the community aspect is definitely a part of my enjoyment. You know, I’m an indoor kid. I don’t do a lot of stuff in my community. But this is like a way to sort of feel connected to other people. Right? Like Christmas is a big one people decorate for Christmas. And that’s very cool. And I like seeing it but I don’t really relate to it on the same page. Because I’m not Christian. So

Josué Cardona 16:55there’s more people who

Lara Taylor 16:57are celebrate it. Yeah.

Link Keller 17:01But yeah, Halloween is is great. I enjoy it. I enjoy that. I like seeing kids trick or treat and stuff like that.

Josué Cardona 17:09So I’m I’m probably the opposite when it comes to Halloween. I don’t like, for you, It’s like a community thing where you feel like a part of a community or anything. Like everybody’s in the same thing. I feel more like alone during it. Because I don’t like people ringing my doorbell. I don’t like the expectation that I’m going to buy stuff for these kids that I don’t even know or you want if I do know them. It’s extra money. The the hassle of decorating. This applies to all holidays, but this one in particular I’m like, Ah, because it’s not even I guess technically it’s a season. I guess they’re all like

Lara Taylor 17:53it’s a spooky season september 1st to October 31

Marc Cuiriz 18:00Oh man, you’re actually gonna get trick or treaters this year.

Josué Cardona 18:04No,

Link Keller 18:06see, I all I do I do like that. You just you don’t put out stuff or you just turn off your lights like people generally respect that is like they’re not participating and they will leave you alone

Josué Cardona 18:19I’m going to bed at 5pm turning all the lights off.

Link Keller 18:22I Like that

Josué Cardona 18:23like I do every year.

Lara Taylor 18:25First year we’re gonna get trick or treaters and I’m we’re very excited. But we don’t even know if we’re gonna get triggered for years. There’s a few. Like we’re in a neighborhood that you have to actually intentionally go to with like four culdesacs. But there’s some kids in the neighborhood. We’re hoping for at least one trick or treater we spent a lot of money on decorations this year because it’s the first time we’ve had a yard to decorate.

Marc Cuiriz 18:47I gotta say it ain’t it’s really surprising to see how drastic the rules have changed for trick or treating over the years.

Josué Cardona 18:55What are the rules?

Marc Cuiriz 18:56Well, like I remember like like when I was growing up like I mean it obviously differs between you know with different towns and you know, things like that but when I was growing up, it was after school and basically until everybody turned out their lights like you can go like we were out until like 11 o’clock sometimes trick or treating it was just to get as much candy as you want and then as I’ve gotten older it’s like no we’re doing trick or treating it like three o’clock and it goes until seven o’clock and like

Lara Taylor 19:27no absolutely not.

Marc Cuiriz 19:28And like I I’m seeing that now we’re like the designated time window is like three hours for people to just go and do trick or treating and because they want to make sure that like everything’s done by a time and gets like really dark outside. And so that all the little kids are going home and like they’re now there. You know it’s a safety thing I get it but it’s so crazy to me because

Link Keller 19:49that is part of it. I

Lara Taylor 19:50Go with Your kids!

Link Keller 19:51I do think part of it is there’s been a shift away from like neighborhoods and into commercial spaces like, like mall trick or treating became very popular in the past, you know, two decades,

Lara Taylor 20:08or the trunk or treats

Link Keller 20:10trunk or treats. I usually see those at churches more than other places. But

Marc Cuiriz 20:14there’s one down the street at a diner.

Link Keller 20:17Yeah. And so it’s like, there’s been a little bit of a shift. And so yes, it is also keeping kids in like, once it gets dark out is like Come inside, so you don’t get kidnapped and or hit by a car. And but I think it’s also like, because more commercial spaces are hosting them. They’re switching to commercial business hours. So

Josué Cardona 20:39yeah.

Lara Taylor 20:41Yeah.

Link Keller 20:42Yeah.

Josué Cardona 20:46I mean, like, yeah, I don’t know. I just like, I don’t remember ever dressing up as a kid. Because I don’t think we could afford like costumes

Link Keller 20:54is halloween a thing in Puerto Rico?

Josué Cardona 20:56yeah, yeah, yeah. But I also I didn’t only live in Puerto Rico. I lived in the States too. But I think it was always like, like, we don’t have money for that. Or like, that’s always the money and we didn’t do stuff like that. I think there was a component on my dad’s side of the family where it’s like that. That’s devil worshipping stuff.

Lara Taylor 21:14I had a co worker who their family watches scary movies, like they watched Hocus but they went to go see hocus pocus.

Link Keller 21:21a very scary movie.

Lara Taylor 21:25But they watch like Halloween themed movies, right? But like, kids don’t dress up. They don’t trick or treat. They they would tell their kids when they went to school, like you’re participating in the party. But that’s it. No costumes, whatever, you get the cupcakes. And that’s that’s what these other people do. But still go see hocus pocus at a random showing that they did it in a theater for Halloween. Very interesting. But everybody’s got their own thing.

Josué Cardona 21:54Yeah. I mean, but but like, it’s, you know, it’s it is like that, that it was very influential. My parents, but I don’t remember anymore. I mean, I don’t remember ever wanting to participate and not being allowed to. But that must have. That must have happened. But I wouldn’t even dress up for school. Like,

Lara Taylor 22:18you don’t even you don’t even wear logo T shirts.

Josué Cardona 22:22This is this is true.

Lara Taylor 22:23unless it’s like very specific.

Josué Cardona 22:26Yeah. But like if I have a mask on? Why, like, you know, that you wouldn’t know is me. So, so

Lara Taylor 22:32true.

Josué Cardona 22:32You know, I think the only time I ever wore a costume was I bought a mask at the pharmacy. That just like it was like a hood. And like your face was completely covered to like black. So it’s like if I put a hoodie on it looked like, you know, like it was just dark inside. And I did that once and I think I went trick or treating to one house and I was like, this feels feels wrong. Like, like, I’m asking people for stuff. I don’t know. That was something the whole thing bothers me. But it comes I think it comes from just Yeah, multiple sides of the family just not wanting to take part of it. And eventually, but I think it’s mostly the it feels it feels wasteful. It’s kind of how, how I saw it. Yeah. And also invasive. Like I don’t want people bugging me. I don’t want people ringing my doorbell all night.

Link Keller 23:25Sorry. I’m imagining like a 10 year old you being like, another person ringing our doorbell?! It’s 8pm!

Josué Cardona 23:33I mean, when I was I think I think I’ve told this story before where for in Puerto Rico for Christmas. Like instead of Caroling, they do something called the battle and which is way more Hispanic and and loud. And everybody’s got instruments and people are singing and it’s it’s a whole thing. And I had a reputation in high school for for, you know, denying entry two years in a row. And I was pretty much that I was like,

Lara Taylor 24:03we denied the third year in a row. Is it like three strikes? You’re out?

Josué Cardona 24:08I mean, I told them I dared them to try again. I would I would sick the hose on him. How does

Link Keller 24:14it feel to be the Halloween Ebenezer Scrooge?

Josué Cardona 24:18I am the Scrooge of Halloween. Yeah, yeah, I mean, I’m like this with most I don’t I don’t want anybody bugging me at my I don’t want anybody coming to the door for nothing.

Lara Taylor 24:29See, my favorite thing I always loved and I when I was younger, I was at the age where it’s like high school I still trick or treated like for a while. I got the late night went to 11 o’clock. But I still wanted to be able to like do both. I wanted to hand out candy and see all the costumes, but also go trick or treating and also like guessing what the like hot costume is going to be depending on the demographic you’re talking about. That’s always fun.

Link Keller 24:59That was that that is fun when I used when I lived in Santa Cruz going to the downtown area, pre pandemic, when everybody would go down there in their costumes. It was always fun to see like, Okay, what’s hot this year? It’s like, oh, there’s a bunch of Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. Or I liked. I like to see the sexy animals version. But it’s like it’s not you know, cats and mice and stuff like that. It’s like sexy giraffe, sexy shark. That one was my favorite. I love sexy shark.

Lara Taylor 25:36Sexy sharks doo doo doododo.

Link Keller 25:41You know, seeing seeing like 15 jokers walking around.

Lara Taylor 25:46I’m fully expecting in like my, like queer feed on Tik Tok and in on Facebook and all of that I’m fully expecting a lot of Rockford peach costumes.

Link Keller 26:00I’ve already I’ve already seen a couple of come across my FYP

Josué Cardona 26:04Yeah. Yeah. I appreciate costumes, and decorations. And I like candy. But I don’t like

Lara Taylor 26:14I don’t like combination on the holiday obligatory.

Josué Cardona 26:16No. No, I don’t like doing it. Yeah, I just don’t like it’s like, I’ve never dressed up at Comic Con, but I love seeing the costumes. And I have an appreciation for it. And we’ve talked about cosplay in the past about how I mean, sure, it can be fun, or it can be a form of self expression. Where, like, you know, you want to you want to feel what it’s like to be that character out in public, you know, and that’s, that’s really cool. And, and there is a community aspect. So I appreciate it as an observer. And, and now that I’m an old man, you know, like I like to. I love that my, my niece and nephew. Like love that stuff, and they get dressed up. And the only time I’ve ever actually worn a costume was for my my niece’s birthday, where she asked us all to dress up a Star Wars characters. The only time I remember dressed up I did I did it for her like man. Yeah, it was. Yeah. But it’s weird. I mean, that is kind of again, it is kind of like it’s one of those things where it is. I guess. I don’t know if lonely is the word right? But it’s like, oh, yeah, that’s one day of the year that I’m definitely not a member of the gang.

Marc Cuiriz 26:17Well, I think I’m, I think I’m kind of like you in that sense, but I it didn’t start out for me that way. I think as I got older, I like, phased into it. Because when I was younger, I definitely remember dressing up. Going to like the Halloween costume doing the Halloween costume parties at school. I remember one year I was Spider Man I rocked it. It’s awesome. But I remember doing all those things. But I think then as I got older when the shift changed was starting to change from trick or treating to going to somebody’s house and watching horror movies. And me not being a fan of horror movies. That’s when I started feeling the the lonely piece of it and now as I’m getting I say older but I know I’m the baby of everybody here.

Link Keller 27:38da baby

Marc Cuiriz 27:39Like I don’t want people coming to my house either like I don’t want to sit there have to get up from my couch or stop playing my game to go and answer the door and give a couple of kids put some pieces of candy. I feel like here and put the bowl out leave me alone don’t I just want to sit at home and just play my games and be left alone. Don’t Don’t bother me.

Lara Taylor 28:48We got a couple of Scrooges here.

Marc Cuiriz 28:52In terms of like outside of Halloween. I’m kind of the same way I don’t think I’ve ever really dressed up for anything. Outside of like the Halloween sense there was

Josué Cardona 29:01you before we recorded you just showed us a prop

Marc Cuiriz 29:05it’s a toy but that doesn’t mean I like

Josué Cardona 29:09that you wear.

Marc Cuiriz 29:10I’ve only ever actually like done like a a cosplay type thing once when I went to the Ren Faire I went with a couple of people and some of us were like doing like more like demon type thing. So like like they someone like made horns for us. So like it was like, like paper mache like horns and everything was really cool. And like the whole thing and the idea of it sounded really cool. And I thought I was all for it. And then when I was there I was like I felt so uncomfortable. I think that was also just because I had like really poor self image of myself. And like this was really stepping out of my comfort zone because doing something I’ve never done before. And it was the most uncomfortable experience I ever I had and I was like, trying my best to, like keep myself covered because I think I was like wearing like a crop top. And

Josué Cardona 30:06so, I mean, okay, so

Link Keller 30:08rennaisance croptops are the best.

Josué Cardona 30:11So you felt uncomfortable? Like, were you embarrassed? were you,

Marc Cuiriz 30:16I think I was just more so self conscious because

Josué Cardona 30:19that you didn’t look like that the costume wasn’t good?

Marc Cuiriz 30:22that I just didn’t look good. I think I think the what turned me off from it more was the fact that I wasn’t comfortable at that time in my own body and in my own skin. So stepping out and dressing in a way that I already was not comfortable with. And now I’m doing it in public and I’m in

Josué Cardona 30:42exposing yourself.

Marc Cuiriz 30:43And I’m in like, I’m at a place where I’ve only been here like maybe once or twice before I have no change of clothes, I did not bring a change of clothes. So there’s I’m stuck in it for the entire day. And it I mean, like I tried my best to not think about it. I remember still having a good time and everything, but I just could not shake that feeling of just like self consciousness. And I was like, oh my goodness, I never want to do this again. And now that I’m older I’m more open to the I do idea of doing it again, but obviously I would probably do it with stuff that I’m more comfortable doing like Assassin’s Creed I would definitely do an Assassin’s Creed cosplay

Link Keller 31:21I was gonna say if if the if the full outfit appeared in your house next to your new prop

Marc Cuiriz 31:28if it was like a Ezio thing where like I opened up a chest and just pulled out the outfit

Link Keller 31:33would you put it on would you put it on?

Marc Cuiriz 31:35oh one thousand percent now 1,000% would do that

Josué Cardona 31:37You’re basically dress like Desmond right now?

Marc Cuiriz 31:40I just need some some tribal tattoos on my arm.

Link Keller 31:43Is there a costume for you Josué where if it if it just appeared in your house and ready to go? Would you would you put it on? Would you have a good time?

Josué Cardona 31:53So there have been I think group costumes are appealing to me. Right? So I mean, I can imagine a few scenarios why I would do that. If it was if I was part of a you know, an entourage and we’re all dressed up kind of similar you know, in there’s a theme I’ve that’s probably as close as as I’ve ever come to wanting to do it. There is okay there is one costume that I just think is okay. No, no, there’s two there’s two so if

Link Keller 32:27spill it!

Josué Cardona 32:28so Tron Legacy, okay. The character of what’s what’s his What’s the main character not Tron? The Ah, what’s his name? Jeff bridges character. Right. When in Tron Legacy

Link Keller 32:47Kevin Flynn,

Josué Cardona 32:48Flynn, Flynn, right. So so when Flynn like he’s been in there for years so he’s like an like, much older man. He’s yet scruffy beard and stuff. But he has this like this robe on that has the neon lights and stuff in it. I think it’s the coolest looking thing. If that showed up here. I would probably wear that just

Link Keller 33:08oh hell yeah.

Josué Cardona 33:09Often I’d show up to work in that thing. I think it’s so cool. And then the other thing is that I have a friend here in Chicago, who is a psychologist and he also makes costumes. He goes by a spicy panda creations on on Instagram, and he has about 90 different tutorials on Instructables and he there’s a picture that you’ve probably seen of me with an Azrael Batman which is my favorite Batman outfit that’s that’s him and he he told me that he would make me an RX 78-2 or 782 Gundam suit so like a giant like like big robot like the ones you see online where people you know like, like the Megatron one at Universal Studios and stuff like that. So he he’s made costumes like that and he said he if I wanted you know, he would do that. That’s pretty cool. But also a big but on that one. That is a lot of time and money that I don’t want to invest I don’t want to pay him to invest that especially to just wear one like I don’t I would probably be happier with just putting it on display then wearing it. If I were to do something like that, but yeah, the one the one thing that I would like to get is that like, like, even if I had to make it right like that robe from Tron Legacy. Again, it’s a simple it’s not a crazy

Link Keller 34:43it looks cool and putting it on, you would feel cool, right?

Josué Cardona 34:47I would feel very cool. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. That’s that’s something that I would wear and probably a lot of people wouldn’t get the reference.

Lara Taylor 34:55You don’t have to do a whole lot to make a costume though. Like our costumes this year. We’ve got the dogs baby Yoda costume, but like, Nina got a hoodie that you pull the hood up and it goes over your eyes and it’s a Mandalorian costume, but she can wear it as a hoodie all the time. Mine is literally a loungefly Ahsoka hoodie because the prices for the Ahsoka costumes. They’re cheaply made, and it’s really expensive. So

Link Keller 35:24I do I do like

Lara Taylor 35:25we’re going lowkey casual

Link Keller 35:26that there’s been a trend in recent Well, I don’t know in the past decade, I guess of kigus and the hoodies with the full full prints. Making it like a little more lounge wear comfy, but it’s still a costume. That’s fun. The one Yeah, I have I have a tiger Kigu that I just wear when it’s cold because it’s warm. But I got that so that I could be a Lion Tiger and bear with my siblings. which was very fun.

Lara Taylor 35:57We did

Josué Cardona 35:58what is a kigu?

Lara Taylor 35:59lemurs last year

Link Keller 36:00it’s the full body. onesie, basically.

Josué Cardona 36:06gotcha

Marc Cuiriz 36:06Yeah. Specially like a onesie with the hood, isn’t it?

Link Keller 36:09Yeah. Yeah. They usually I think the kigu’s like they have like the drop crotch. So it’s like real comfy.

Josué Cardona 36:16Yeah.

Link Keller 36:17Pop up your little hood. Yeah,

Marc Cuiriz 36:19I will say another costume that I’ve actually have looked into and I’ve like seriously considered like shelling out the expensive money for it. Is a Spider Man costume like a Sam Raimi black suit Spider Man costume. I loved the design for that black suits so much. I’d be willing to shell out a few $100 for a custom made like suit with like that the helmet mask and everything. So like, it’s not like looking all wonky on my face.

Josué Cardona 36:48Wow, what are you wearing right now?

Marc Cuiriz 36:51This is a game logo. Spider Man hoodie.

Josué Cardona 36:55Gotcha. Okay, okay. And it’s blue it’s not black. Right?

Marc Cuiriz 36:57Yeah, this is I could have bought the black option, but I was like, I have too many black hoodies. I need some color. And so then I went with navy.

Josué Cardona 37:07Dark, dark blue.

Marc Cuiriz 37:10Dark colors just look better on me. And I think the only other option was like a bright red or a white. And I was like, Nah,

Josué Cardona 37:17yeah.

Lara Taylor 37:17So y’all won’t wear costumes, but you’ll go all out. For the right costume.

Marc Cuiriz 37:23Oh, 1,000%

Link Keller 37:24I Respect that.

Josué Cardona 37:25maybe maybe

Marc Cuiriz 37:26I would show if someone came to me and said I will design like a very nice quality. Brotherhood Ezio cause like costume for you for this amount of money. I would say listen, you had me at at Ezio brotherhood. I don’t care. Here’s my wallet. Take, withdraw as much money as you need. Go for it.

Josué Cardona 37:50But why?

Marc Cuiriz 37:52Why?

Josué Cardona 37:53Yeah.

Link Keller 37:57cuz that’s his boy, that’s his guy!

Marc Cuiriz 37:57Yeah. I mean,

Link Keller 37:58that’s my guy!!

Josué Cardona 37:59does it? What does it mean for you? Right? Like, like, what is it? Is it just fun? Is it like, in my case, it just, I think it just looks cool. I don’t, I don’t really relate to the character of Flynn. Like the movie, but I just think that looks cool.

Marc Cuiriz 38:10Well, okay, so here’s a here’s a thing that my friend, one of my friends, he sent me this, like, Reddit post thing. And I read it, it was like, it was like on a wholesome thing. And I remember reading it, and it made me reflect on the reasons why I loved Assassin’s Creed so much. So when he the Post said something along the lines of like, named like a series that changed your life or that like, you know, something like that. And someone commented and said Assassin’s Creed Black Flag, because they were planning to take their own life, but they were playing this game with their sibling. And they remember just having so much fun that like, they ended up missing the day that they had planned everything. And when they look back on it, they’re like, I can’t believe like, that’s what it was. Because they they fell in love with the story. And they fell in love with the game so much. And so they were like Assassin’s Creed saved my life. And it made me reflect on like, what exactly Assassin’s Creed meant to me. And it was one of the few games that like, really got me thinking and it really taught me a lot of things. And it got me to be a lot more introspective on how I viewed life because that when I started playing the games, I was very lost in terms of like, the direction that I wanted to go in life because it was a very tumultuous time for me. And so having a costume like that. I think one it would just have sent my imagination in all sorts of directions. I would be having a lot of imaginative play by myself in my own home. It would just be awesome. Plus, with the hidden blade, like little prop thing. It’s just it’s just, it’s just right there. Like how could I not, but then it’s a costume that I could wear for all sorts of different costumes. Things like, would I be the guy that wears those? Assassin’s Creed costume every year? Yes. Why? Because it is top tier quality. It’s not like some cheaply made thing that I bought at some knockoff Halloween store something that I bought off of, like, wish. It’s like, I would pay for the quality for it. And it would just speak so much to me. And it would be something that like, I would just treasure kind of like I do with like, all the games and the boxes and the statues and the replicas and things like that.

Josué Cardona 40:30Is is it? Like it feels like maybe it’s like a celebration of that? like a recognition? Is it also a part of it? Like, do you want to share that with the world? Is it is that part of it is

Marc Cuiriz 40:44yeah, it’s something that I definitely feel comfortable wearing. So like that would be fine for me. And two like, this would be my way to showcase like, this is how much I admire this. And this is how much that this, this particular piece of media means to me. And here I am now being able to showcase it. And then people ask me what it’s about, well, they need to pop a squat, pull out some popcorn and get ready for 78 PowerPoint 78 Slide PowerPoint presentation that I made for them detailing the entire lore of Assassin’s Creed

Lara Taylor 41:19well, but how awesome would it also be to walk around and you are like you get to be your favorite person you need to be Ezio like you’re not obviously you’re not actually Ezio but like you could put on his swagger.

Link Keller 41:32it’s just another way to participate in the thing

Marc Cuiriz 41:34the amount of confidence I would radiate wearing that thing. Just embodying Ezio. Listen,

Link Keller 41:42pushing your way through a crowd.

Marc Cuiriz 41:44I would

Link Keller 41:45it 2022 I’m terrified of crowds. I get so anxious. But oh my god, If I was wearing an Ezio outfit

Marc Cuiriz 41:51I would part the road, like the Red Sea. I would just divide everybody. I could run for president and have full confidence that I could actually win the election.

Link Keller 42:03We should make candidates wear costumes to the debates. That’s the stance I’m taking.

Josué Cardona 42:10I know

Lara Taylor 42:12gotta do it.

Josué Cardona 42:14Yeah. I mean, so. I love what you said about the confidence. I mean, well, sort of. I’m not sure this is exactly what you meant. But there is something about like the clothes that you wear to a particular event that that’s like, it does feel like for me, it always feels like dressing up. As I go, I gotta go to work. And I put this costume on. That’s not really me. Right? But like I can I’m like, Okay, then I’m playing a role here. Or depending on what kind of event it is. It’s like, okay, then, you know, I feel more badass. I feel I feel more confident if I’m giving a presentation. I still consider those costumes as well. But yeah, I do like that when, when I was working with clients, I used to, like, this is a conversation that we would have about you know, what characters and what what, you know, are meaningful and what characteristics would you want to embody? And, yeah, like, it could it could be as, as small as like a pin, or, you know, further up, like, Lara always has graphic hats on, right, for example, that say,

Lara Taylor 43:28and t shirts,

Josué Cardona 43:29and T shirts, yeah

Lara Taylor 43:30and hoodies and everything

Josué Cardona 43:31Yeah. And, um, you know, you could do that, like I’ve, you know, like, oh, suddenly they come to the session with, you know, a superhero logo on their shirt, because they’re starting to think about themselves in that light and embody those characteristics. And get a tattoo, which is more permanent. But yeah, there’s something about like, Oh, would you wear this costume and go out and public, right, that can have this effect on it get this isn’t the case for everybody. For some people that are just, you know, they’re just having a good time. They’re just messing around. Some people just want to look sexy. You know, it’s a, it can be a whole bunch of different things. I think for kids a lot. It’s like, I want to just like my favorite character, but I don’t think that changes that much. You know, for some people as you’re older, because it’s like, Oh, I get to like, now it goes back to what you said, like, ooh, like what would it feel to have that much confidence? Like Ezio right like, Ooh, there’s only one way to do it. Got to dress up like Ezio to try it out. That’s that’s how that’s how it’s done. So yeah, I mean, I do like that it’s an opportunity for people to do that. To me, it’s also why I like, comic cons, and, you know, opportunities for people to cosplay. And see, I always want to ask people about this, right? Because sometimes it’s just creative, right, like using like you see mashups and things like that, like it’s a work of art. It’s something that they worked really hard on, and it doesn’t, it’s a different kind of, form of a expression and meaning that comes from it. But yeah, that’s a, there’s a can be a lot to why we wear costumes or participate in in holidays like this. And yeah, totally, it’s good to take a deep dive into that. Is is Halloween meaningful for you? Like, is there like a memories from your childhood is there something

Lara Taylor 45:30favorite things like I loved helping my family decorate the house. I created some of my own decorations. I, one year I took a devil costume that I had worn one year, and I stuffed it full of newspaper to make a devil that would sit on our front porch. I loved my uncle used to sit they had an enclosed front porch. And it looked kind of old and rickety. And so people would have to go up and they would ring the doorbell. And then they realize, oh, the doorbell is on the inside of the porch. So they have to go in and my uncle would sit in a costume on a chair. And as soon as they came up, jump up and scare the kids. Those are some of my favorite memories. There’s times with my friends going trick or treating and getting being one of those people like I was in high school and went with some friends think there was a year I dressed up as one of the men in black. Really easy costume a suit and you take a pen and you put some duct tape on it. And there you go. But we were turning around the corner to go to a house and this guy jumped out from behind a bush and me and my friend both screamed fell backwards on our asses, and almost lost all our candy on the street. Still an amazing time. Halloween is one of those times where like I got to actually go out and see my neighbors that I didn’t really get to see often and run into my friends and like ooh who are you going to be for Halloween? And almost never I did my friend group have like a duplicate, like I want to be this person. And then I was going to be the same thing. Yeah, Halloween is just, it’s it’s about fun, and sometimes community and sometimes it’s about hiding away and turning out the lights after a certain hour. So you don’t have to deal with the kids coming up. But I always really like seeing costumes. As an adult, I wish it doesn’t happen anymore. But I used to go to the Halloween in the Castro in San Francisco. And big block party eventually got taken over by the straight people. But it was a lot of fun. Dressing up and it was like pride, but in costumes and that’s amazing. So yeah, Halloween is a great time.

Josué Cardona 48:10As we’re having this conversation, I’m realizing that even though at times I feel like lonely or excluded, right? Like I feel like I’m missing out because everybody’s doing it. Peer pressure has like the negative and opposite effect on me. Like the more you try to pressure me into it, the less I want to do it. So I don’t think I don’t I don’t think I’ll ever come around on this one.

Marc Cuiriz 48:32But Josué, what if I told you next year, you should be DBZ characters?

Josué Cardona 48:37I mean, it depends on

Marc Cuiriz 48:40you could be Goku and I’ll be Vegeta

Josué Cardona 48:42I mean, so like

Marc Cuiriz 48:44I’ll wear the unitard.

Josué Cardona 48:46I have orange pants on right now. And I have a blue shirt that I wear and every time I wear it I’m like Oh, I’m basically Goku right now and I look over at my dragon ball set.

Marc Cuiriz 48:55Basically, you just gotta get the boots and the little little wrist sweatbands and then there you go.

Link Keller 49:01Make your hair as tall as you can. done. It’s easy

Josué Cardona 49:03pretty long right now.

Marc Cuiriz 49:05All you got to do is like dirty up the shirt a little bit. You could be like a like the Goku when he’s fighting Frieza and he’s got his orange shirt ripped off. Boom.

Josué Cardona 49:12My hair keeps getting more gray. I can be

Marc Cuiriz 49:15ultra instinct.

Josué Cardona 49:16Ultra Instinct

Marc Cuiriz 49:17There you go. See? Look at that.

Josué Cardona 49:22alright my last my last question. This one is for for Lara. And Marc. Have you had any conversations like this about Halloween? The the holiday the the the activities just what it means to you know, more for your clients.

Lara Taylor 49:44Something for me because I am working virtually doing telehealth I get to see people’s decorations and costumes as they’re working on them and I get to be excited with them and we talk about oh, did you watch hocus pocus 2 yet or what have you? Is it time for Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown? Or have you watched your usual run of the Friday the 13th movies like, I have, like, most of my clients love Halloween, and they just want to talk about their Halloween plans. Like I’ve been having a lot of conversations this week about like Halloween and what they want to do and

Josué Cardona 50:26just from like a joyous perspective of something that they enjoy. Gotcha,

Lara Taylor 50:29yeah, mmhmm yeah.

Marc Cuiriz 50:33I think my situation is a little different, because for a lot of my kids, they have been removed from the outside world for a bit of the time. But I definitely know that the are actually pretty excited about Halloween stuff, it seems like a good a lot of like, a good chunk of them are like, looking forward to it. A lot of them are actually like, some of them are getting upset because they really wanted to be home because I’m sure they had like, their own ideas for Halloween, like, and their costumes, and like what they wanted to do with their friends, which unfortunately, they’re not gonna be able to do. But I know, for Halloween itself, like the, the whole facility, like they’re planning to do something special. I know a few of the therapists, they actually wanted to, like, create, like an incentive thing for the kids to do. Like, whether that’s like a back to back feature of the hocus pocus movies, or like doing like little

Link Keller 51:27pumpkin painting!

Marc Cuiriz 51:28pumpkin painting I think that’s something at the Art Studio, the I think sometimes they would do like if like we got the donations for the little pumpkins. I think they did that last year. Exactly. And things like that. So like, I know that they’re definitely like excited and looking forward to, to Halloween. It’s just unfortunate that you know, they’re in a residential facility and they’re not necessarily able to have a chance to like go all out like obviously we have rules guidelines and if the parents send them a costume obviously it’s it’s basically as if you’re going walking into like a fourth grade classroom like It’s like that level of appropriate.

Lara Taylor 52:12It’s, it’s interesting. The group home I worked out we had an allowance we had they had weekly allowances right, each kid and then for Christmas that we added an extra allowance for Christmas presents Halloween, we had another allowance for Halloween costumes, and then they could add money of their own onto it to buy another costume. And we would take them trick or treating small facility only six kids Max. It’s a very different experience trick or treating in a white van without windows and ushering kids into a van. I mean, their teenagers but

Link Keller 52:58come on kids. We’ve got candy in the van. No no no, it’s Halloween. It’s fine,

Lara Taylor 53:04basically, and the kids

Josué Cardona 53:05suddenly you had seven kids like oh we’re supposed to have six

Lara Taylor 53:09we also we also like the kids would get embarrassed. So we’d like Park the van around the corner and then go into the neighborhood. But yeah, lots of fun. Kids got creative with their costumes. and I both loved and hated working on Halloween. I’ll just put it that way.

Marc Cuiriz 53:29Yeah. They, they’ve tossed around the idea of doing like inter lodge trick or treating. But considering we’re an ED facility, I would imagine the kids with EDs would not take too kindly to receiving candy. I mean, maybe some of them might but and I definitely know that the kids that don’t have EDs obviously would be all for it. But the last thing we need is these kids to be hopped up on sugar. They’re already a handful. I don’t need any more of that

Josué Cardona 54:02buy sugar free candy. So they’ll hate halloween like me.

Lara Taylor 54:07No, no sugar. There are some good sugar free candies. But in my life as a diabetic, I have found only a handful of ones that I actually like, and if you eat too much of them really not good, especially if there’s sorbitol in them

Link Keller 54:22they give you the tummy grumblies. The spookiest thing of all ooooo!

Marc Cuiriz 54:29Have you ever heard about the sugarfree gummy bears?

Link Keller 54:32Reading the reading those user reviews are so funny. That’s a fun Halloween thing to do.

Marc Cuiriz 54:41I watched I watched the video of a guy who ate I think like I think was like a five pound bag of them. And he then posted what his review was online, like and at the end of the video he shared a screenshot of his review. And he was like yeah I have been in the bathroom for the last few I’m writing this currently in the bathroom on the floor crying. I like I cannot move. I cannot leave this bathroom. It was awful but hilarious at the same time.

Josué Cardona 55:15Well it’s been a good convo learned a lot. Like don’t eat sugar free gummy bears.

Lara Taylor 55:23Just don’t eat a lot of them. Yeah, like one, two

Josué Cardona 55:27not five pounds,

Lara Taylor 55:28not five pounds.

Link Keller 55:29Don’t just go over one handful.

Josué Cardona 55:36Yeah, I mean, even even someone who’s like, like me who appreciates the holiday, but from like, you know, one level removed, I don’t actually want to participate. There’s right, like, the questions that I asked are because I know how meaningful you know, any holidays and rituals can be especially if they’re fun ones. And so, you know, keep that in mind that you know, sometimes for some people, there’s a lot of meaning in in these and so I hope our examples are helpful in that thank you for sharing that the clinical ones particular and any closing thoughts? Lara?

Lara Taylor 56:17Time to get spooky

Josué Cardona 56:20Marc?

Marc Cuiriz 56:22time to not get spooky

Josué Cardona 56:25link?

Link Keller 56:27um, I am putting out into the world if you would like a horror movie recommendation, please message me on Discord or send an email

Josué Cardona 56:41give us two right now to like for for

Link Keller 56:44okay, just this past this past week, I watched VHS 99 which is a found footage anthology series. This is the fifth movie in the series. Each one has like four or five shorts in it. Really great. Very campy, very enjoyable. My favorite of the series 99 And then I watched barbarian which just came out and that was also very good.

Josué Cardona 57:11Okay, okay.

Link Keller 57:14shudder has some really good Docu series. The found footage one was really fun. I love found footage, horror movies. And then currently there is a series going called queer for fear and it’s talking about the queer history of horror movies and it is very cool. I highly recommend that.

Josué Cardona 57:37Thank you. My closing thought is that if you live in Chicago do not come by my house. there’s nothing for you here

Link Keller 57:46there won’t be candy.

Josué Cardona 57:47There won’t be nothing. Yep. sprinklers on. All afternoon all night. I don’t have sprinklers. I should get sprinklers because this feels like a good idea. Thank you for joining us for this Halloween Halloween episode of GT radio. For more Geek Therapy, visit geek therapy.org to get recommendations from link and comment on your How do you feel about Halloween? What are some of your favorite experiences and what does it mean to you? Join the conversation in our community spaces. Links to all those in the show notes for this episode. Remember to geek out and do good. And we’ll be back next week.

Link Keller 58:33Bye.

Josué Cardona 58:39Boooo!

Link Keller 58:39BooOoOOo!

Josué Cardona 58:39Geek Therapy is a 501 C three nonprofit organization dedicated to making the world a better place through geek culture. To learn more about our mission and become a supporter, visit geek therapy.org

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

• Halloween Ends (2022)
• Halloween (2018)
• Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)
• Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
• Stranger Things (Netflix series)
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Five Nights at Freddy’s
• Star Wars
• Spider-Man
• Tron Legacy
• Assassin’s Creed
• Men in Black
• Dragon Ball Z
• Hocus Pocus (1993)
• Hocus Pocus 2 (2022)
• It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
• Friday the 13th
• V/H/S/99 (2022)
• Barbarian (2022)
• The Found Footage Phenomena (2022)
• Queer for Fear (Shudder docu series)

Conversation Topics:

* Candy* Costumes* Trick or Treats* Eating Disorders (EDs)* Holiday rituals* Cultural representation* Family

Relatable Experience:

* Feeling alone* Clarity/Understanding* Coming of age/Getting older* Participation* Community

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