Happy Halloween!
Halloween is here! I currently have cupcakes in the oven that I'll be dropping off at the library later as a treat for the librarians. They'll have Halloween sprinkles, and I'll be wearing my "actual ghost" hat, which will be the extent of my Halloween costume today.
Aside from that, we're having a low-key Halloween at home, maybe with some popcorn and horror movies. Last night, we went to see the original Halloween in the theater as part of Regal's "Screams on Screen" event. Danny had never seen it before, and it had been quite some time since I'd seen it, so it was a nice little holiday event.
As you know if you've been reading my blog this month, I had some goals for October, and the time has come to see if I accomplished them all.
Books and Short Stories
β Read Parasite Eve
β Read Frankenstein
π§ Read 13 ghost stories
I did manage to read the two horror books I set out to, but I unfortunately fell short on the ghost stories, with only six total read for the month. I was going strong in the beginning and really thought I'd fly through them, but these last two weeks have been busier than expected, which kind of affected all of my goals, as you'll see.
I enjoyed the six stories I read, though, all from The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women edited by Marie O'Regan. I've been enjoying them so much, in fact, that I've decided to continue reading until I finish the book. Here are my top three so far:
- "Afterward" by Edith Wharton - a wonderfully atmospheric classic about an uncanny and non-traditional ghost
- "Collect Call" by Sarah Pinborough - an eerie parable about treating those you love well
- "The Madam of the Narrow Houses" by CaitlΓn R. Kiernan - a melancholy and beautiful read about how the dead need comfort too
Video Games
β The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood
β The Doll Shop
π§ Forbidden Solitaire
π§ Look Outside
β Paranormasight
β Pumpkin Jack
π§ Silent Hill: Townfall (NG+)
β Silver Pines
I completed all but three, which I think is pretty good! I even added one to the list. Essentially, I ended up playing Pumpkin Jack instead of Forbidden Solitaire or Look Outside. I was in the mood for a silly platformer in the vein of games I loved as a kid, such as Sly Cooper or Spyro the Dragon, and it did not disappoint. It was perfectly Halloweeny (with some added Christmas) and a lot of fun.
Silver Pines is the standout here, coming close to Silent Hill: Townfall as my game of the year. The story is incredible, and if you play it I highly recommend doing the extra bits needed to get the good ending. It's very much worth it. I honestly didn't want this game to end, I had so much fun playing it. It's a classic survival horror style of game combined with metroidvania aspects that work really well. I wrote about the demo back in June, and the full game completely lived up to my expectations.
The others were all great as well! I had a fantastic time gaming this month and chose some real gems. I'm sad I didn't get to complete my NG+ run of Townfall. I got about halfway through, and I definitely plan on continuing it. I haven't quite had enough of that game yet.
Movies and Shows
π§ Finish Spooky in Love
π§ See Clayface in the theater
β See Halloween (1978) in the theater
β Watch Crimson Peak
β Watch Helter Skelter (2012)
I didn't finish Spooky in Love or see Clayface yet, but I'm honestly happy with my accomplishments here for the month. I got to see two of my favorite horror movies again, one in the theater, and watch a new one. I didn't have many plans here and fully expected not to get any of them done, so I'm good with this! Seeing Halloween in the theater was a fantastic experience in and of itself, and I got to see Danny's reactions to it, which were priceless.
Excursions
β Make an apple pie
β Go on an autumn hike several autumn walks
β Paint Draw a Halloween-themed watercolor painting bookmark
As you can see, there are a couple of adjustments here. The only goal I accomplished as I initially planned it was making an apple pie, which you can see in my previous post. I cheated a bit on the other two.
I didn't actually go on an autumn hike, but we went on a lot of autumn walks, so I'm counting it done. We planned to go on a hike last Saturday but had a bunch of errands to run and didn't get to it. I still feel as though I've been thoroughly enjoying the autumn weather and colorful leaves, so I'm happy with what I accomplished in this sense regardless.
I didn't manage to paint a Halloween watercolor either, but I did make a bookmark using color pencils! My theme was "Halloween still life" and I'm happy with how it turned out, even if it's not the most ambitious project. It was a fun creative thing to do on a fall afternoon while enjoying a coffee.
So yes! Maybe not quite in line with what I originally had planned, but overall it's been a great month packed full of events and projects, so I'm pleased with how everything ended up.
I originally had another plan listed here, by the way, which was "Hang out with family on Halloween." That's been moved to tomorrow, and it's more like a Magic the Gathering Night with pizza and candy.
Other
I'd like to acknowledge some of the things I accomplished that weren't originally on my list of goals. I feel like that's important because it's been a full and quite happy month for me, and these things contributed to it as well.
β Had a garage sale
β Cooked dinner for family
β Baked cupcakes for Halloween at the library
Speaking of the cupcakes, they're done now and should be cooled, so I'm off to frost them and add sprinkles. I'm looking forward to visiting the library and sharing some baked goods with them. Happy Halloween! ππ