Halloween hater

October ramblings.

Beyond just being a Halloween hater, I’m kind of a holiday hater.

I’m against everything about New Year’s, including everything from resolutions to paying money to go anywhere to Champagne (I had a bad experience in 2020). I don’t understand St. Patrick’s Day (I’m Irish), and I’m pessimistic about Valentine’s Day (duh). My favorite is Thanksgiving, I love the food, I love to eat all day long, I love the dog show, and I love the leftovers. It also doesn’t involve buying an overpriced ticket to a horrible event, or an outfit that gives me a rash.

October is wonderful, especially if you live in the Northeast. It’s beautiful outside with the changing leaves, nearly every day this month has had perfect weather with cloudless skies besides an alarming heat wave last week, and there are unlimited delicious treats like apple cider donuts, pumpkin-flavored coffees, and the commencement of soup season. I can finally wear sweaters, I got a gorgeous trench (see here), and my boot dilemma is over.

All that said, you would think that Halloween would be the icing on the cake, no? No is correct, and you would be wrong to think so.

I do have to say, I’ve been enjoying a lot of Halloween content on this platform, I’ll link some of those here:

What Should I Be For Halloween?

It's Seriously Fall and we're F***ed

I’m trying to lean into the non-drinking, non-synthetic-fabric-on-my-skin parts of Halloween that I do genuinely enjoy, such as spooky movies, candy, and autumnal activities. Last weekend, my friends and I, along with seemingly every other Manhattan resident, took the Metro North up to Fishkill Farms, where we enjoyed a day of apple picking, cider drinking, and touching grass. The leaves were incredible, and as someone from Connecticut, they aren’t new to me, but I appreciate them much more now that I live in a concrete jungle.

I’m uncertain of why I hate Halloween. I have wonderful memories of trunk-or-treating with one of my dearest friends—if you’re unfamiliar with that concept, it’s where families drive their cars out to the street and decorate their trunks, filling the bed up with treats for taking—then going on to experience the simultaneous horror and fun of college Halloween, spending way too much money on Nasty Gal than I will ever admit.

Maybe I’m just jealous because I’ve never come up with a clever costume like other people I see online. What’s new, me being jealous of people online. One of those people is honestly my sister, who as a child, had some really incredible moments. Sorry Grace, I’m posting them on the internet for my audience to see.

Grace as Lucy from I Love Lucy

Grace as pre-JFK assassination Jackie O

Grace as the Statue of Liberty—three American icons some may say.

I’ve had a few good ones, and a few terrible ones. My favorites are probably when I was an influencer, Ginger Spice, and a minion (I was like, 9). Although I just exploited my sister, I will not do it to myself.

My costumes this year are fine. Not very creative, but fine. I was all three Challengers characters on Saturday (I didn’t want to pick one), and I’m going to be Lindsay Lohan a la Herbie Fully Loaded, one of my favorite childhood films, on Thursday. For someone who claims to hate Halloween, I must seem like a hypocrite for having not one, but two events to attend. Why does exposing my Halloween costume feel like posting my wedding dress before the alter? Sacrilegious almost. Just nobody steal it, but I honestly don’t care.

I saw Anora on Saturday. Five stars. Incredible film, you all should see it. That would be a really good Halloween costume, and you would also get brownie points for being cool and niche, and having kept up with the cultural zeitgeist by having seen the movie. In similar fashion, Elizabeth Sparkle from The Substance, or even Sue, would be an amazing costume. I saw people posting about it, but haven’t seen any execution. Yellow trench coats spiked in search activity in October. On this not at all shady website, you get a free wallet with your purchase.

If I had any other good costume ideas, I would take them for myself.

I finished Intermezzo this past week. I was excited to see that Emily Sundberg was hosting a subscriber chat last night about it, and that I could actually follow along because I had finished it in time. I had also seen a few other IRL book clubs popping up in New York to discuss. Everyone has really insightful things to say.

I felt as though the first half was a bit hard to get through, and I had lost a bit of steam. Conversations With Friends is one of my favorite books, and I devoured Normal People within 24 hours. I had high hopes going into Rooney’s third novel, but knew I would probably struggle due to the male protagonists. Overall, I enjoyed it, and felt like a lot of parts hit home, even though I was not at all in any situation similar to anyone in the book.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

I was surprised at how moved I wa despite being bored by part one. I cried multiple times—when Peter found Sylvia on the ground in her apartment, when Peter had his meltdown through Dublin, when Peter—yeah, mainly about Peter. I never really felt bad for him, though. I felt most bad for Ivan, and felt like he was a victim of his brother’s selfishness, his mother’s abandonment, and his father’s passing. I was also terrified something was going to happen to Alexei, and that Margaret would leave him.

Rooney has an incredible capability of capturing universal human emotion during love that is neither easy or free of pain. She is able to relay the hopelessness, the self loathing, and the inner conflict.

I’m sure it’ll be adapted as a Hulu series, and I’ll be excited to see who is cast. Both Rooney adaptions have been expertly recreated, particularly Normal People, so we have something to look forward to.

*SPOILERS OVER*

Next on my list is Sirens & Muses, since I was already in the moody headspace. It seems to have some good reviews, and I look forward to starting it tonight.

The next post will be the first installment of the 2024 Coffee Order Gift Guide! I’ll be posting every Monday until Black Friday / Cyber Monday, with an ultimate guide as the grand finale. Please send any last minute requests for guidance, I’m here to serve.