Best. Zoo Event. Ever.

Overdue update on Boo at the Zoo:

Boo at the Zoo is awesome. Hands down. Every year. No contest. It is even more awesome for me because I volunteer at the creepiest exhibit at the National Zoo: The Giant Pandas.

Kidding.

Three hundred and sixty one days out of the year, the Invertebrate Exhibit staff and volunteers try to get visitors to see past the creepiness of the animals that make up about 99% of all living species. On the three days*** that are Boo at the Zoo, however, we use the “Eeeeewwww” factor for all it’s worth. The Invert House is perfect for Halloween – it’s basically an add-on to the basement of the Reptile House, the ceiling has exposed pipes and ductwork that have been painted black, the walls are dark blue, the lights are kept low, there’s the gurgling of all the water exhibits, the eerie glow from the tanks, and the animals on exhibit include roaches, scorpions, ants and of course, spiders. We really wouldn’t even have to decorate, but we do anyway.

This year my favorite Boo at the Zooer was Little Frog Guy on Speed. He was about 3 years old, in a full-body frog costume and bounding from tank to tank. “Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Look! Look! Look at the lobster! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Look at the starfish! Look! Look! See? See? It’s a starfish! Ooh! Mommy! Daddy! It’s a octopus! Look! Here it is! Here! Over here!” Absolutely precious and not annoying in the least. The look on the hyper amphibian's little face would be best described as: I AM SO FREAKING EXCITED BECAUSE I AM AT THE ZOO AND IT’S HALLOWEEN AND I AM DRESSED LIKE AN ANIMAL AND I’VE GOT LOTS OF COOL STUFF IN MY BAG. At that moment, life could not have been any better for Little Frog Guy on Speed. I’m jealous.

The rest of the zoo is great, too. But we all know I'm a little bit biased. The event sold out again this year, which is fantastic. 5,000 tickets per night x 3 nights = 15,000 happy Halloweeners and a lot of money for the zoo.

So this coming weekend is actual Halloween weekend. Potluck at work tomorrow. I'll be there as a Secret Service Agent with cardboard John Kerry in tow. That'll be fun on the Metro. Saturday is "decorate our yard for Halloween" day. Saturday night is "Go to a kickass Halloween party if we're not too pooped" night. Sunday is "unpack some of the house because we haven't been productive since the housewarming party" day. And Sunday night is "Invert Girl will sit eagerly by the front door and hope that at least a handful of trick-or-treaters will show up" night.

***At this point, some of you might be thinking Invert Girl can’t do math. 361 regular zoo days plus 3 Boo at the Zoo days equals 364 days of the year. Where did the 365th day go? The answer: Christmas. The zoo is closed one day out of the entire year, and I didn’t count that day in my total. I did not take Leap Year into consideration because that math would make my brain hurt. Also, Leap Year is not a paid holiday and therefore, I do not have to care about it if I don’t want to.