Flashback

I'm totally happy with parenthood and family life, but one thing I definitely miss about being single is going to Halloween parties. Coming up with a great costume and then having a blast with friends. It's been several years since we went to a rip-roaring costume party and this Halloween came and went similarly. But it was cool because our friends Jai and Sara threw an '80s party last night that was a ton of fun and definitely reminiscent of days gone by.

I've had some good costumes over the years: Milli Vanilli (uh, Rob, I guess), Moses, Don King, Bootsy Collins, the Grinch and many more. For this year's event, I was thinking of going as Rick James. Unfortunately I didn't think of it until after Halloween had passed and I couldn't find a good dreadlock wig. I picked up a big poufy-haired wig that I thought would make a good Magnum P.I. costume along with the mustache I had grown, a Hawaiian shirt and tight shorts (my present state of fatness would make that easy).

However, after trying the wig on yesterday I realized it didn't make me look so much like Tom Selleck as Geraldo Rivera. Which was even better. I grabbed a blazer and an old red power tie from the late '80s and I was in business, although I wish I had picked up some medical tape to mimic Geraldo's look after he had his nose broken during a brawl on his '80s-era talk show. I grabbed my old podcasting mike to complete the look, although wisely opted to leave the director chair I was going to wear over my head. At the party, my Geraldo costume went over well, but I was impressed at how everyone really went for it with their costumes: a couple of guys came as the Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari characters from "Bosom Buddies," a guy showed up in full MC Hammer regalia and there were plenty of variations on '80s rock chicks/groupies/Madonna. I've gotta say my 'stache was the best of the night; the guys who came as Magnum and Mike Ditka had fake ones on that fell off not long after they got there.

We got home well after 2 a.m. and I was surprised at how good I felt this morning, given the lateness and amount of beverages consumed. Next up is an '80s party in late January thrown by Matt and Tricia; there's plenty of time to come up with something good.