Mari Musings

There are only a few more days until Halloween! I’m feeling pretty excited about it. As I detailed in my last entry, I have been making an effort to celebrate the spooky season as a way of staying in the moment. I’m happy to report that I have followed through with this and that I am doing much better. Still no luck on the job prospects though, but I won’t give up!

I went to the local pumpkin patch with family and picked out a couple of pumpkins. I really like the look of white pumpkins, and I tend to pick those when going with a group. They stand out among the orange ones and they’re so ghostly. I carved them way too early though! Normally, it wouldn’t be too big of a deal to carve a couple of weeks early. Unfortunately, it’s been hot and damp even in my neck of the woods, so pumpkins grew mold almost immediately! Oh well, now I know better for next year.

While I was preparing to carve, I drew on the pumpkin with a marker and poked holes where I wanted to carve. This effect is striking! I almost wanted to leave it like that for a while—and maybe I should have given how fast it grew mold.

Here is how they came out! I was pleased with myself. Sadly, I did not have candles on hand and didn’t acquire any until they were already rotted.

Here is the pumpkin that my partner carved from a pattern. It’s an owl if you can’t tell! I helped him clean up the shapes. I am not a fan of the feathers though lol.

The seeds made for a delicious snack. I tried making them differently than how my mom made them growing up. I washed them like normal but instead of putting them right on the baking sheet, I covered them in oil and seasoned them in a bowl. I added salt, pepper, cumin, and a little bit of chipotle chili seasoning. They were delicious! I had never tried pumpkin seeds with anything except for salt before this.

Anyway, that’s my little Halloween update! I am going to a party today dressed as Chopper from One Piece. It’s been healing to enjoy the season and participate in spooky fun. I’m feeling much better. Happy early Halloween! 🎃

Oh my god, it is already October. What the freak!! I am happy to report that I am feeling a bit better, but it’s been a rough go of it. Luckily, I have been applying for jobs, which makes me hopeful. I have a skills assessment next week, but the job doesn’t start until next year. I’m hoping to find something that starts earlier, but I’m trying not to worry too much.

The distraction of going to work and being on a regular schedule will help get me out of my head. It will be nice to be around people again too. I’m trying not to worry about things like what if I don’t like the job because I can always find another. There are always options!

Meanwhile, I’m trying to get into the Halloween spirit. It’s been a few years since I’ve really celebrated. Halloween is a big deal for my family because we’re pagan! Like many holidays, Halloween is so commercialized, but I’ve been trying to just embrace it as a celebration of Fall before the Christmas craze starts. Still! It’s nice to sit down and watch a Disney Channel Halloween movie once in a while.

I don’t own any Halloween decorations, so I was thinking about making some this year and maybe getting a few lights to put outside. I’ll share pictures of what I make in my next blog post! There are a ton of kids in my new neighborhood, so there will probably be trick-or-treaters this year. The last few places I’ve lived weren’t popular or safe enough for kids to go out, but this neighborhood is a bit nicer. Since COVID, there are fewer people who hand out candy, and I guess that’s reasonable. But it’s no fun for the kids who actually go out! I’ll definitely make sure we have candy to give out.

Anyway, wish me luck with my job prospects!

Current Stats

Mood: Hopeful

Watching: Alien (1979)

Playing: Tears of the Kingdom (2023)