Halloween not only event full of tricks or treats

In horror movies, even as the protagonist turns his or her back on a possibly dead body or slowly creeps up dark stairs, at a minimum the viewing audience knows what's about to happen. There is a swell of frenetic Psycho-style strings or the quiet calming effect of music telling us everything will be all right - at least until the sequel. Election Day, or many events for that matter, isn't quite so kind in giving a heads up on fear. Instead, voters are left in the middle of a "Choose Your Own Adventure"-type situation without a lot of outside guidance.

Adding to the sense of unease going into this year's electoral decision is how it represents more than the end of a tumultuous campaign season. This year, Tuesday also caps a short, frenzied period filled with Halloween, the Red Sox nabbing the World Series, a lunar eclipse, daylight savings and the Day of the Dead. Whew. Take a minute to catch your breath.

Typically, the calendar offers a little bit of time between events. This year, choices had to be made. Sew a costume or peruse the voting guide? Gaze at the sky or tune in to the television? Even among those who hate Mondays, today may stand among the most manic, sandwiched as it is in the middle of all this other craziness.

But this unique season doesn't stop there. Just to distract the public more, new Osama bin Laden videos and new stockpiles of flu vaccines are sporadically surfacing. Health officials are promoting microchip medical records implanted in individuals' thighs and specially bred hypoallergenic cats are on the horizon.

The sum of it all is almost strange enough - especially the sight of so many Red Sox fans having something to cheer about - to make one wonder if there is a method behind the madness. Is the apocalypse imminent? Is it a conspiracy theory?

Just bad planning? Too bad the powers that be couldn't have moved one of these events to January or next August. There's not too much competition from holidays then.

The sad thing is that the hoopla won't even be over come Wednesday morning or perhaps even the rest of November. Voting experts and political pundits are all postulating a truly complete ballot count could take up to a week. Then the fun of lawsuits and accusations begin.

Makes one almost pine for the distractions of baseball and lunar miracles. At the very least, in a few weeks when the dust settles and life is back to so-called normal, there will be a long laundry list to recite when giving Thanksgiving.

Michelle Durand's column "Off the Beat" runs every Monday and Thursday. She can be reached by e-mail: michelle@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 104. What do you think of this column? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.