incognito

\in-kahg-NEE-toh\

adverb or adjective

: with one's identity concealed

I want to say this is one of M-W's holiday/seasonal efforts (i.e.: puerile on April Fool's day, callithump on Memorial day) in regards to the forthcoming Halloween—the one day a year you are encouraged to be what you are not (or what you truly are). We ignore how most people go INCOGNITO every day of their short lives. That said, the act of concealing one's own identity is part of understanding the nature of identity as well.

But back to Halloween. Since I'd rather not get into a discussion about the nature of identity at 8:30 p.m. on a night before I have to open a bakery before dawn, I'm going to keep this light.

Here is an incomplete list of my past Halloween costumes, as best I can remember:

1985: a witch

1986: Bugs Bunny

1987: Dorothy

1988: Jessica Rabbit (slutty)

1989: a gypsy

1990: What my mother called a "1950's greaser;" I looked more like a 1990's prostitute (slutty)

1991: a can-can dancer (slutty)

1992: a vampire

1993: a wizard

1994: a jailbird (laziest costume to date)

1995: Dorothy again (regressing?)

1996: dead cheerleader (slutty)

1997: I don't remember this year; I do remember sulking because my hand was all cut up and wrapped in a cast from a knife accident.

1998: I made some crazy long white gown and drew spiders all over it with a black sharpie. This took forever.

1999: a medieval something or other. Princess? It involved another long gown

2000: Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas

2001: First year away from home; probably too depressed to dress up.

2002: Spent Halloween at a Beck show in Manhattan; felt guilty about not dressing up.

2003: Absolutely no recollection at all.

2004: Princess Leia

2005: Attended a fancy wedding on or around this Halloween; I remember what I wore to the wedding, but don't remember if there was a costume later.

2006: First few weeks in Portland; Worked that night. I remember walking from the bus back to my friend's house where I was crashing. It was clear and crisp out. The next day I would move into my first studio apartment. I saw a plastic bag floating around in the night breeze, vis a vis American Beauty, and I read it as a good omen.

2007: Nothing. But I did go to see Nosferatu accompanied by live music at a beer theatre.

2008: Slash

2009: Peg Bundy (slutty)

And that's my life. Read into it and get back to me.