Cats in Costumes and Dogs in Disguise
/Treat yourself: Adopt a pet from the Department of Animal Services this Halloween.
There are dozens of cuties looking for their forever home. Visit sddac.com.
Enter the Virtual Costume Party
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To join the virtual costume party, submit a photo of your 2020 costume or a photo of your favorite costume from years past. Email your name, title, department and photo to communications@sdcounty.ca.gov. Don’t forget to tell us who or what you are dressed as!
See the virtual costume party gallery.
Test Your Halloween Trivia Knowledge
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Halloween means spooky movies; costumes and candy; and fall traditions and history. How well do you know Halloween and all related seasonal things?
Take a frighteningly fun Halloween quiz.
Scoring
If you scored 11 to 13 right, you must be a wise wizard or witch.
If you scored 9 or 10 right, you need to bone up on your Halloween superstitions.
If you scored 7 or 8 right, you are in danger of getting tricked.
If you scored 6 or less, check to make sure someone hasn’t put a fog spell on you.
Spooky Book and Movie Suggestions from County Library
/The weather is getting chillier and few things are spookier than a scary movie night or curling up on the couch with a suspense novel.
The County Library has compiled a list of wicked movies and books that you can enjoy this Halloween weekend and beyond.
A full list of spooky books can be found on the County Library OverDrive list, Something Wicked This Way Comes.
Top 5 Movies for Adults:
Top 5 Movies for Kids:
Top 5 Books for Adults:
World War Z by Max Brooks
Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
The Grownup by Gillian Flynn
Bag of Bones by Stephen King
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
Top 5 Books for Kids
Five Little Pumpkins by James Dean
The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Mercy Watson - Princess in Disguise by Kate DiCamillo
The Witches by Roald Dahl
Recipe: Creepy Cauldron of Tomato Bisque with Spooky Croutons
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While many can’t get enough of sweet treats during Halloween, we have a savory recipe to die for!
County Counsel Chris Welsh, a former CECO Bake-Off winner, shared a recipe for a spirited night at home. His Creepy Cauldron of Bisque is sure to warm your soul. Plus, the dish is topped with spooky croutons shaped like ghosts or pumpkins. The crunchy croutons are both cute and creepy. And the bisque is both creamy and dreamy.
There’s no trick to this bisque. Just grab your cauldron and get cooking!
Ingredients (serves 8)
Bisque
½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup flour
28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. marjoram
1 bay leaf
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups half and half
½ tsp. paprika
½ tsp. curry powder
¼ tsp. white pepper
Salt to taste
Optional (but recommended): 1 lb. seafood such as medium shrimp, scallops, firm fish or lobster
Croutons
6 slices of firm white sandwich bread
Instructions:
Sauté carrots, celery and onion in butter in large sauce pan or Dutch oven for about 3 minutes. Stir in flour and continue cooking for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, sugar, basil, marjoram, bay leaf and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then cover, and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Discard bay leaf. Purée soup in blender or processor in batches -about quarter at a time. Return to pan and add half and half, paprika, curry powder and pepper. Add seafood if desired. Bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. Salt to taste.
Use a Halloween cookie cutter in the shape of a ghost, cat, bat, cross, coffin, pumpkin, etc., and cut shapes out of the middle of firm white sandwich bread. Brush with melted butter and arrange the bread pieces in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast at 375 for 10 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.
Serve the bisque with croutons floating on top.
Felicia’s Frighteningly Fun Halloween Playlist
/Get into the spirit of Halloween with some spooktacular songs!
Last year on Halloween, Human Services Specialist Felicia Daniel won the County’s Got Talent competition. This year she’s put together an eerie and cheery playlist for all of us to stream and scream along to. The fangtastic song selections are certain to have you doing the monster mash and time warp. (See some of the videos below.)
Let us know what Halloween-themed song we should add to the playlist. Comment below.
Big Events, Big Changes and Celebrating Safely
/Message from Helen Robbins-Meyer, Chief Administrative Officer
We have two big events in coming days. They overlap, and they’re both very different this year because of the pandemic.
One is Halloween. I know many of us will miss the festivities the County has been holding the last few years. It’s turned into our biggest employee event. Like many things, we’ll have to do a virtual version this time around. I hope you’ll join the costume “party” and enjoy some of the other activities on InSite.
Then on the day itself, please celebrate safely. Our public health doctors have recommendations on ways to enjoy the holiday while avoiding the spread of COVID-19. Local case numbers have kept us right on the edge of facing tighter restrictions, so we all need to stay vigilant.
The other event is the election. The presidential race gets the biggest headlines, but there’s so much more to be decided. Affecting us most directly at the County are three Board of Supervisors seats. Then there are important state propositions, mayors, council members, races and measures for nearly every jurisdiction.
Election Day is Tuesday, but the election is very much underway. To cut down on the contact with others that comes at polling places, every Californian got a mail ballot. Voting by mail has been San Diegans’ preferred method for years, but we are really jumping on it this year. The Registrar has already received back nearly half of the 1.95 million ballots mailed out!
Polls will still be open. In fact, this is the biggest change this election. Every polling place will be open four full days. They’ll open this Saturday – Halloween – and will continue through Election Day itself. If you do go in person, be aware your polling place has likely changed from where it was in the past. They’re set up to achieve social distancing and have other measures in place to prevent spread of the virus. Get all your voting questions answered at sdvote.com.
Pulling off any election is a herculean task. With all the changes thrown at our Registrar, the work of Michael Vu and his entire team has been absolutely amazing. We thank everyone involved for what they’ve done already, and for the efforts of weeks to come, as they go through the long and exhaustive process of finalizing the vote. This is the cornerstone of our democracy, and their commitment deserves our gratitude.
Halloween, Día de los Muertos, our right to vote – all things to celebrate. Let’s enjoy and do so safely.
Holiday Inspiration: Go the Distance
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Get inspired. Join Employee Wellness’ quarterly challenge. The six-week program will provide you with tools to track mindfulness/meditation, your mood, nutrition, hydration and physical activity—all important aspects that drive your inspiration.
Sign up now. The challenge runs Nov. 2 through Dec. 13.
Human Relations Commission Releases Statement on Election Climate
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The Leon L. Williams San Diego County Human Relations Commission recently met to discuss the election climate and has released a statement.
Board of Supervisors established the Human Relations Commission in May 2020 to promote positive human relations, respect and the integrity of every individual regardless of gender, religion, culture, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age or citizenship status.
The Commission consists of 31 members, of which 24 are currently seated. Meet the Commission Members.
Beware: Virtual Halloween Happenings Coming For You!
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Employees dressed up for Halloween in 2019.
Halloween hauntings around the corner. And this year the festivities will find you where you are—so get ready for a ghoulishly good time. Join a virtual costume party, groove along to spirited music and find more frighteningly fun activities on InSite on Friday, Oct. 30.
See what all the hocus pocus is about. You are sure to have a wicked good time!
To join the virtual costume party, submit a photo of your 2020 costume or a photo of your favorite costume from years past. Email your name, title, department and photo to communications@sdcounty.ca.gov. Don’t forget to tell us who or what you are dressed as!