Motherboard: ASUS Z97-A/USB 3.1 LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 ATX Intel
Processor: Intel Core i5-4690K Devil’s Canyon Quad-Core 3.5 GHz LGA 1150 88W BX80646I54690K Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4600
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-16GXM
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO – CPU Cooler with 120 mm PWM Fan
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 Super Clocked ACX 2GB GDDR5 SLI Ready
Enclosure: Corsair Graphite Series 600T Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Power Supply: Corsair CX Series 750 Watt ATX/EPS Modular 80 PLUS Bronze ATX12V/EPS12V 744 Power Supply CX750M
CD/DVD RW: LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA
Boot Drive: SAMSUNG SM951 M.2 128GB PCI-Express 3.0 Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) – OEM
Secondary Drive: OCZ Vertex 3 2.5″ 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) VTX3-25SAT3-120G
Keyboard: Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000
Mouse: Evoluent VM3R2-RSB Silver/Black 5 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical VerticalMouse 3 Rev 2
Headset: Corsair CA-HS1NA Gaming Audio Series HS1 USB Gaming Headset
Desktop Speakers: Corsair Gaming Audio Series SP2500 High-Power 2.1 PC Speaker System (CA-SP211NA)
Monitor Stand: Ergotron LX3 triple display monitor stand
Primary Monitor: Dell P2714H LCD 1920×1080 (16×9)
Secondary Monitor: Dell 2407WFP LCD 1920×1200 (16×10)
Third Monitor: Dell E207WFP LCD 1680×1050 (16×10)

Look at this guy. Just look at that confident smirk. Who does he think he is?

I haven’t done much for Halloween since I became older than dirt (turned age 40). I’m going to be 44 in about two months. But this year I intend to hand out candy.

I’m going to sit in my driveway and bring out the fire pit. I’m going to drink adult beverages, perhaps roast some marshmallows. I’m going to leave a bowl of candy at the edge of the sidewalk for the kids.

Or maybe I’ll just leave all the lights turned off, lock up the house, and go gamble smoke and drink during prime trick-or-treat hours. Yeah, this is more likely.

Getting old sucks. I used to love Halloween.

As I kid I can remember dressing up as Darth Vader, a pirate, and others. I loved going to school because I knew that there would be no instruction on this day–it was going to be parades and candy and bobbing for apples (do they even do this any more?).

After school I could barely contain my excitement as I waited for the sun to go down. My sisters and I would meet our neighborhood friends in the street (we were playing in the street after dark!!!) for trick-or-treating and fun. Some houses wouldn’t give out candy–instead they would hand out quarters wrapped in tissue paper or roasted peanuts…I skipped those houses.

Later that night my sisters and I would have all the candy spread out on the floor. We would pick through our haul and eat our favorites first. I would eat everything that had chocolate and peanuts immediately–Snickers, Mr Goodbar, Reeses, Peanut M&Ms.

And finally I would go to bed that night with a tummyache from all the sugar I had just consumed. And my mind would be so active from sensory overload from all the day’s events. I would hear my sisters snoring down the hall and I would I wish that I could fall asleep too. But instead I would stare at that light out the window and toss and turn in my bed and think about all the candy in the kitchen.

And now I’m a 43 year old grumpy old man and I don’t eat candy any more or play dress up on Halloween. What’s a good Halloween drink? Don’t say Pumpkin Ale.

Meh.