No new articles this week, as I'm working feverishly on the site's Halloween-related goods, which spring back to life one week from today. If you're new to X-E and don't know what I'm talking about, it's our annual Halloween Countdown. Beginning with the 2003 Edition and continuing with the 2004 Edition, these were the spooky tributes to various facets of Halloween, posted daily until the big day. Old and new, anything and everything, past Countdown articles have covered it all, from five-cent spider rings to old Hallmark Halloween commercials and beyond. If you're into the holiday, it's a lot of fun and it's one of the few times I can hop up on the podium and scream about how hard I'm trying.

In 2003, I had no other job to speak of while doing the Countdown. In 2004, I had a full time job. In 2005, I have a full time job that requires much more of me than it did last year. For this reason, I've decided (with encouragement from several readers) to only do the Countdown on weekdays, thus affording me the opportunity to get a head start on the following week's entries during weekends. It's just a way to make sure everything comes together with maximum effort and with all the time needed, and I'm confident we're in for one spooky hell of a Countdown this year.

Because I'm "taking off weekends," that leaves a little room to have some fun. Though most weekends will slip by without a word, I'd like the first week of the Countdown to be special. That's where you come in. I recently reviewed Kool-Aid's Halloween Ghoul-Aid, and horror fans across the land salivated at the thought of the perfect punch-maker they could never have. Well, now you can! If you're good.

Yes, it's another ill-fated X-Entertainment art contest, with one grand prize winner taking home a sealed packet of otherwise unattainable Halloween Ghoul-Aid. And even if you lose, it's a chance to see your best crayon work immortalized on a website read by at least seventeen people.

THE CONTEST: Grab your paper and crayons and markers and pencils and Halloween stickers, because it's time to goddamned DRAW. Hand-drawn entries seem to do better than those digitally produced; that's not an official rule, but it increases your chances of winning a 79 cent package of old Kool-Aid.

WHAT TO DOODLE AND COLOR IN AND...: For the first of as many as three X-Entertainment Halloween art contests, your challenge is simple. Take any Halloween monster, slasher movie icon or other horror luminary and hilariously throw him or her into an everyday situation. I want pictures of Dracula gardening, Pinhead bowling and Leatherface reading Entertainment Weekly. If you need better direction, ask.

RULES & SHIT: There really aren't any, though it would be immensely helpful if you made your entries at a very specific width of 6.5 inches. (468 pixels) Height doesn't really matter. If they come in at other widths, I will have to shrink them down/big them up myself, and chances are good that your work of art will lose some of its original appeal.

The winner will be chosen by me, based solely and sincerely on which entry I felt was the best, most inspired and most interesting. On Saturday, October 17th, the grand prize Kool-Aid winner will be announced in a special weekend Countdown entry. His/her art will be on display along with 10-15 of the best runners-up. (Runner-ups?) If I'm shocked and awed by the amount of terrific entries sent in, there's a good chance that more will be posted. Kool-Aid is a lame prize, I know, but this is really just a chance for everyone to have some fun and break out the school supplies. One of my favorite parts of the Halloween season has always been drawing the Halloween season, so here's your chance to reclaim a lost glory and maybe win something that I cannot recommend drinking because it's so damn old. In fact, just to cover myself...

The Ghoul-Aid prize is being offered for collectible purposes only. I take no responsibility for anyone ingesting it and dying. It's not that old, but it's old, and it's up to you to take the chilling risk.

All entries must be received by Wednesday, September 14th. You've got plenty of time. When you're finished, send 'em here. Have fun, and get ready for too much Halloween stuff!