Monday, November 12, 2012

Julius the Pumpkin


I must admit with great sadness that Halloween has officially come to an end. It is a time for mourning. We must mourn the end of a beloved holiday, but also for the daring pumpkins who gave their lives so that we may have carved them in any way we saw fit. Their sacrifices were a true testament to the American way of life. They so nobly offered their pumpkin selves to a cause that they believed in and never asked, “What’s in it for me?” Some were crafted into ghoulish faces to scare small children (and perhaps the elderly), while others were transformed into realistic depictions of everyday life, such as a pumpkin throwing up on a porch… truly magnificent. Today, I would like to pay homage to a particular pumpkin who changed my life, and the lives of my suitemates. His name was Julius, and this is his story.

(DISCLAIMER: This next paragraph is based exclusively off my elementary knowledge of pumpkin growth; not off biological facts. None of this was researched… at all.)

His life began as a seed. A pumpkin seed, to be exact. He was planted in a fertile field of dirt and manure, and he never looked back from there. He first sprouted from the ground in a matter of days, and with a lot of love and compassion from farmer Bill, he began to transform into his mature self. Julius spent most of his adolescent days sitting in a field talking with the other pumpkins about the weather, and whether or not they could weather the weather. He excelled in math and science at an early age, and was on track to becoming one of the most well-known pumpkin astrophysicists in his patch. However, all that changed when news of the Halloween season reached him. He was to be shipped off to the Dilworth Pumpkin Patch, where he would soon realize his true calling.

He manned his post for weeks on end, until he was finally purchased by my roommate: a man by the name of James Dunlevy. Julius was then carved into the likeness of an adorable kitten. Soon, Halloween had come and gone, and Julius had begun to rot. It was time to send him off into the Great Beyond. We did so in the only way we saw fit for such a glorious creature…by dropping him off a six-story building onto the concrete and capturing it on film. Please check my latest video post so that you may also honor this fallen hero. 

- Eric Richard


5 comments:

  1. Eric, I always enjoy reading your post. They are always humorous. I would also like to thank Julius the Pumpkin for his hard work and dedication. Halloween is my birthday so I feel as though he helped me celebrate in a good way along with all the other pumpkins.

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  2. Do you happen to know where the practice of carving pumpkins came from? I think that would be an interesting topic to research. I will honor Julius' memory and I think we should honor the memory of all the pumpkins who gave their lives for this wonderful holiday.

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    1. Well after a solid 2 minutes of research, I have learned that pumpkin carving originated with the Celts, and they used the practice to ward off evil spirits during Halloween. Ironically, the Celts also came up with Halloween, so they could have just not made up a holiday with evil spirits... silly Celts!

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  3. the pumpkin you made it is so cute! love it. the little cute eyebrow and the angry eyes and the square square mouth. cutee! But why she is throwing up?! Is she pregnant or what? no dont like throwing up.

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  4. This was a very witty article. I am going to miss carving pumpkins. We do have next year to look forward too though. You must have been very proud of your pumpkin. He went on to do amazing things. The pumpkin drop sounded impressive.

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