By Julie Lawrence Special to OnMilwaukee.com Published Oct 03, 2009 at 8:27 AM

It's officially October now, which means I'm officially allowed to talk about my favorite of the holidays, Halloween.

It also means that my timeline for figuring out a good costume is rapidly shrinking. Every year, my boss Andy Tarnoff hosts an office costume party the Friday before Halloween and, as far as I know, it is the only mandatory extra-curricular activity he has enforced in the company's history.

The creativity bar is raised higher and higher each year, and the prizes get better and better, which can make costume selection something of a stressful situation... albeit a fun one.

As of now, I'm at a loss for ideas, so I thought a little brainstorming session might help inspire.

Here's my list of possible and / or popular ideas for this year. They're not all necessarily for me, but they help get the ball rolling in the right direction.

  • The Joker -- Too obvious?
  • Obama -- Too boring?
  • Michael Jackson -- Too soon?
  • Charlie's Angels -- A Farrah Fawcett tribute?
  • The Octo-mom -- Could be hilarious.
  • Bruno -- Borat was a huge costume hit, but will his follow-up be?
  • Adam Lambert -- The downside? Everyone just assumes you went as "goth."
  • A zombie -- The movie "Zombieland" is giving me some good, gory ideas.
  • Roller derby girl -- Drew Barrymore's new "Whip It" is good inspiration.
  • A vampire -- How many vampire shows are there now?

 

Julie Lawrence Special to OnMilwaukee.com

OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.

As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”