A Long Weekend

Well, October is already here and holiday preparations are in full swing. It is such a bust month for us and it seems crazy.

Earlier this week, I finished up the card game I'd planned for release. Since I'd spent all weekend on it, plus some of last week, plus some of this week, I decided I needed a break from work and to take an extra-long weekend starting on Thursday.

Shopping

The following are the boring retellings of my shopping excursions.

Wednesday morning I ran and did some shopping at Target. I needed a few more things. I also stopped at Petco for some cat food. I saw a cute Halloween toy for the cats and got it. I found a cute little Japanese shrine for a fish tank that I thought the fish might like. She currently has a large skull she sleeps in. I checked out and got outside and realized the shrine cost a lot more than what the shelf it was on had said. It must have been in the wrong spot. So, I went back in and returned it. The older lady at the register seemed annoyed, but oh well. I didn't want to overpay for something.

I stopped at the Asian Market to check for some dishes for our house and got some frozen red bean buns as well. Finally, I stopped and got Takoyaki and Kimchi Onigiri from a little snack and drink place I love.

On Thursday, we realized we needed a few new household items. Back to Target I went. This time I went to a different location that I never realized was so close to us. I was able to pick up the items we needed. Nothing too exciting. However, I found a bath matt that is so ugly . . but I love it. It's got green and brown palm leaves.

Hiking

Thursday afternoon, I headed out for some solo hiking at Fontenelle Forest. It was great. The wind was chilly and brusk, perfect for an autumn hike. There were a few other people out, but not many. I love the crunch of the new leaves. I went hiking further than the last time we went out and it was more peaceful the further I got into the woods.

Games

After I got home, I played one of my Wargames: Silent Victory. It is a solitaire wargame where you are the commander of an American Sub in the Pacific War. The name of my sub is The Limpet and the name of my commander is Commander Knotts. It is a game where you record everything on a sheet of paper, so you can easily put it away and then bring it out again later to continue the same game. I've been playing Commander Knotts for a week or two. I really love this game and am wanting to get others like it, where you record the info of your progress and awards. There is an air war system that is very popular that includes Corsair Leader (fighter planes in the Solomon Islands) B-17 Leader (bomber missions over Germany) and Phantom Leader (air combat missions of Vietnam).

I guess, for me, these games are like puzzles are for mom and dad. It is so nice to sit down and just push some cardboard around on the table and relax--and it helps that the games center on topics I'm VERY interested in. I don't I've ever been as interested in a single topic (except maybe horror) as I am WWII history (and other subsequent wars).

These solo ones are especially interesting because they feel more like telling a story. You have a crew of specific men, or a fleet of specific planes, and as you play through a campaign of the entire war, you get to know those characters, make up stories for them, and imagine the hardship and loss they go through.

Support Local

I continue to try and support my favorite businesses here in Omaha. In particular, Legend Comics and Coffee and The Bookworm bookshop.

I headed to Legend on Friday morning to get one of their new season coffees. They had the new Dr. Caligari Brew I was so excited for! It's a mix of pumpkin and salted caramel and is inspired by one of the best silent horror flicks ever.

This morning (Sunday) I finished my book for the book group early. It was so good I just read through it quickly. I can't wait to talk about it come book club time (hopefully I arrive on the correct night and time!).

Anyway, since I was done, I had an itch to get a head start on next month's book. So, Amber and I headed out tot he Bookworm to get the next one. I'm very excited for this one, but it is a thick book that we will discuss for both November and December.

While we were there, I also found the graphic novel that tells the story of George Takei as a young boy going to the Japanese Internment camps during WWII. I already read that whole book this afternoon. I used to think I was a slow reader, but now I realize that I just got bored really easily with most books. I guess I just needed to find what interested me. Anyway, I'm also going to try reading a fantasy novel again and see if it holds my attention. Some of my customers have suggested I read the Throne of Glass series since I write so much fantasy for my game system. I'll give it a try and the first book is short, so we will see. Sometimes I need a break from the depression of WWII for something dumb to read.

Getting in the Halloween Spirit

I've officially decorated for Halloween. Nothing too big or fancy. Just a cardboard skeleton and a felt banner with a witch cat.

I'm also loving getting into the horror spirit with spooky movies. I like the old ones the best this time of year. We've watched The Wolfman, Blithe Spirit, and Village of the Damned so far. Village of the Damned was a fun one (British) and reminds me of a memory of visiting grandma in Saint George. Mom and Dad had the tv on and the remake of Village of the Damned was on (with Christopher Reeve) I remember saying, "Isn't this rated R," and mom responding, "You're just scared!"

It seems like we watched a lot of spooky movies in our Saint George trips. Why is that?

Anyway, I'm excited to try and squeeze in as many spooky fun movies as possible. I showed Amber the original Japanese RING movie as well. Not super exciting, that one. I prefer the Juon movies a lot more, and Dark Water. My favorite Japanese horror film is HOUSE! It is so bizarre and crazy. I also like an old black and white Japanese one called The Living Skeleton. That one is on the Japanese Criterion Horror collection Cara got me for Christmas a few years back. Thanks, Cara. Still love that collection.

Another stand out is an old Spanish horror flick called A Candle for the Devil. The first time I watched it was on an old DVD I got from the dollar store. In more recent years, I couldn't remember what it was and went digging and found it and I'm glad I did. It's even better than I remember. Spooky without excessive gore. It's a creepy good one.