the october update: third edition

:: Author's's note - this blog has been written for five days and I have been SUPER lazy posting it. Sorry we're into November and that I suck ::

Shit, it's been a long time since I wrote one of these. Really and truly, because the last monthly update was 'the may update: third edition,' back in 2016. 

Woof. 

To be fair, I did transition to making seasonal/quarterly updates, but that only lasted for maybe a year. There was no reason for stopping, other than I felt like I just didn't have much time anymore. It's a cheap excuse to avoid doing something that you actually ENJOY doing, but it is what it is. And then getting back into it? That's even harder, because, in many ways, you're making yourself re-form a habit. Even this blog today, I'm forcing myself to do it because I know if I don't now, I never will, and who wants to read about the October update in December?

Or at all, lol.

The reason I am getting back into the monthly updates is so that I can get back into documenting my life, and maybe one day look back on it all fondly as a life well lived. The purpose is to illustrate in detail the proof that I did things, that I wasn't just a person that "existed," but to remind myself that I saw things and did things and that while most of it may have slipped my memory (or been relegated to some far corner of my mind), it still happened. The reminders are lovely, and I encourage you to try it for yourself, for what it's worth. Also, forewarning, these blogs in particular, are full of photos (especially this one, because of reasons).

October began by continuing my 2023 journey (literally) of being the 'year of travel', so I will break this blog down essentially by city. This method works for me to stay organized and tidy, and it works for you because that's how I wrote it.

Portland, Maine

Portland

I kicked off my journey by heading to Portland, Maine, to visit Andrew. I've not really spent much time on the East Coast in my life, with just a couple visits to New York (I don't really consider that coastal, though, do you?). Andrew moved out that way in the spring, and I had said I'd visit in the fall, because it's my favorite season and also, like... it's New England in the fall; come on.

It was everything I wanted it to be, in short. Andrew lives in South Portland, just a stone's throw from the water. The first night I was there, we went into the downtown-adjacent area, which is super popular with tourists for a reason. Look at those streets! 

Talk about history, sheesh. 

We stopped at a few breweries after grabbing a bite to eat and enjoyed the crisp air. Early October on the East Coast was definitely not as chilly as I anticipated it to be, but in the evening, it was definitely cooler. Plus, there was a lot of humidity, which was surprising because, apparently, my brain doesn't correlate water in the air when you're next to the ocean, like a real butthole.

Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse

Andrew wanted to go to a lighthouse while living in Maine but had not done so. Weirdly enough, he lives like... a mile? Maybe? From the nearest one, so we laced up and walked to it. The fog had rolled in through the day and made it feel extra moody, which was fantastic. It was sort of a precarious walk to get out to the lighthouse itself, but the vibe was solid. And that sums up my trip to Maine in general... the vibe was solid.

The next couple of days were spent driving along the coastline. We went to Bangor, where Stephen King calls home, and it was 'fine'. It was not really the cutest city in the world, but there were some charming spots, and his neighborhood of course was loaded with great historical houses that were swoon-worthy. What highlighted the trip that day was how, on the way home, for the first time in the 3 1/2 years I've known him, Andrew and I had a complete Disney/Musical sing-along the entire drive. 

It was awesome.

The sing-along was repeated the next day as we made the long drive up to Bar Harbor, which, when you're talking about the layout of the US, is pretty nearly as far North East as you're gonna get. Not LITERALLY, but essentially. The drive was a cloudy one, but it was beautiful, of course, because it was the coastal drive and full of incredible vistas and little towns. And for the record, also, anyone who says, "Eat lobster when you're out there; it's so cheap!" is a liar. I don't eat it either way, but there were roadside stands selling lobster rolls for like $35, and color me stupid, but I don't think that's much of a deal. So there.

Bar Harbor, Maine

Bar Harbor is this adorable little town on an island that turns into a MASSIVE tourist spot through the summer months, as it borders Acadia National Park and is a stop for cruise ships. We got to talking to a man who owns a store, and he said the cruise ships are done for the season on Halloween, and the day after, it's like a Disneyland changeover: the park benches are gone, all the trash cans vanish, and the business' all board up the windows. The island population drops from the millions in the summer to just 5,000 in the winter, but occasionally they have celebrity authors come in the cold months to rent a house and write a book, and that's enough excitement for the town to suck dry. I'd definitely go back.

Maybe as a celebrity author someday, hahaha. Haha.

Ha.

When the day had wrapped, we drove back to Portland and had a quiet night at the apartment. The next day was the "big" day, and we needed rest because 6 hours of singing 2000's pop in the car had exacted a toll on our vocal chords.

Salem, Massachusetts

Downtown Salem

It was time. Since I was a kid... specifically, since 1993, when I saw Hocus Pocus for the first time... I have wanted to visit Salem. And not just visit, but to go in October. The Parker kids were raised in a definite 'Halloween' family, where my parents (especially my mom) always got into it. Seeing the city portrayed in that movie (or a version of the city, at least...) was enough to jump-start my macabre-curious brain. I've always been interested in the witch trials and history of the place, so getting to make a trip there with one of my best friends was just a perfect scenario for my jaunt along the East Coast.

It's funny, in my head, Salem would be this quaint small town (along the lines of something you'd find in Door County, WI). I knew it would be hectic since it was October and a Sunday, but like... shit, lol. Salem has absolutely capitalized on what it offers, and the city is an industry built on Halloween and the witch trials. And what was even funnier to me, because I had NO idea, is that most of the witch trial activity didn't even happen there. It was the town adjacent, Danvers (formerly Salem Village until 1752), and that blew my mind. 

Still, I was okay with it.

The city was beautiful; so much was brand new but incorporated a look and feel synonymous with the history you would expect. It was also jam-packed. Like... shoulder to shoulder with people in places. Even despite that, we had so much fun. We went into a couple of museums, checked out just about every shop that we could, and snagged a couple souvenirs as well. I would definitely go back to Salem in a heartbeat to do some of the tours, just not in October ever again. We chatted with our waitress over lunch (where we met up with my friend Kyle), and she told us the city is charming during the Christmas season, so... maybe then.

Nearing the end of the day with Andrew

When the day had wrapped and we'd seen everything to see in that time, I said goodbye to Andrew and drove off to Boston with Kyle, where the next leg of the trip commenced.

Boston, Massachusetts

At the Sam Adams Brewery with Kyle and Carlos

I think it's safe to say I've never been in a city before that had such a sheerly gobsmacking amount of history as Boston. Almost overwhelmingly. I really only spent one day in the city, but Kyle had me walking allllll over it to show me as much as possible. And what's funny is that I can hardly remember the specific things we saw. There were a couple cemeteries, the Paul Revere house, some church that was important, the site of the massacre... and other spots? Here's the funny thing about me. 

Not so "haha" funny but more "you're ignorant" funny: I don't have a TON of interest in US history. And if I am interested in something, it's usually unique or has a quirky spin. I dunno, sue me.

It was a great day, and we did have a good time getting our steps in and chatting and catching up. We had lunch downtown and then grabbed drinks at a hotel bar where we saw a man and a woman (not there together) with possibly the most plastic surgery I've ever witnessed on a face in person. It was amazing. After drinks, we got MORE drinks when we met up with Kyle's husband, Carlos, and then we trekked to the Sam Adams Brewery. The Oktoberfest beers were so damn good from the tap when they're made like... literally across the parking lot.

Portsmouth

For the second day, we were driving. First, we drove up to Portsmouth, which is almost all the way to the Maine border. Charming little town; we had lunch when we arrived and started walking through the small downtown area of shops. I snatched up a few souvenirs, but then the rain finally caught up with us, and damn, did it POUR. We ducked into a small bookshop, and I struck up a conversation with either the owner or just an employee, I'm not sure. She told me about how there is a huge writing community there in Portsmouth, and she herself is one of them. I didn't talk about writing my own series of novels (because I'm shit about talking about it (oh, but FYI, you can buy it here)), but it was interesting hearing her speak. She said some writers get together bi-weekly just to write together, as the group energy gets them to produce at a rapid pace. I thought that sounded like such an excellent idea.

I bought a book while I was in the shop, to thank her for letting us take shelter, and when the rain dwindled, we were on our way to the next stop, which was Rockport, about 45 minutes south? Maybe an hour? I don't know, I slept.

Rockport

Rockport is a prominent artist community, but there's a significant lobster fisherman population as well. When we walked out onto the jetty, this was evident in the number of lobster traps visible in the water off the bay. This quaint New England town was VERY clearly wrapping up for the season, as it was so tranquil there. The shops were all starting to close, and there was a strange sense of finality in the air. If you wanna see the place in motion, watch 'The Proposal' with Sandra Bullock, because Rockport filled in for Sitka, Alaska. 

Just a tidbit from me to you.

On returning to Boston that night, I had to finagle my departing flight the next day. It turned out I wouldn't be able to get out of Boston and head to Phoenix the way I planned the next night, so my new flight would be hitting the skies at 5:30am. It was an early night for me!

Phoenix, Arizona

The trip would conclude with almost a week spent with Katie and her family in Arizona. Seeing as this was my sixth trip to the valley, we didn't really do much other than hang around the house and vibe the way best friends do.

Painting fuck ups

Katie has been undergoing a massive renovation in her house, something I know a couple things about, so I offered to help with some tasks. We worked on the upstairs bathroom in tandem, I hung a couple mirrors and lights and did some painting (to be honest, I was helping for selfish reasons because I needed a mirror in the bathroom so I could stare at myself in the morning). She also needed some final painting done on the stairwell wall, as shown above. She was standing on the landing and holding the jug of paint for me, and I laughed about something and brought my arm back. The end of the brush slammed into the ladder, and then the business end slapped me in the face. 

First time for everything!

The week was primarily spent prepping for the big Halloween party movie night I had come down for (you know me and Halloween). Family and friends came by that weekend, and we put up a giant projector screen in the backyard. There was dirt cake and cotton candy and a big popcorn machine, adults-only beverages and kid-focused punch, and, of course, all the cookies and sweets and treats in between. We watched Haunted Mansion first with the kids, and then when they took a hike and went to bed, we watched Totally Killer (which I recommend very highly; I've watched it twice already).

Halloween firepit action

As my time in Phoenix came to a close, my left eye was starting to hurt. First, it was like... the skin adjacent to my eye, and then it was my eye itself, and then my eyelid. By the time I got home, there was a very definite bump on my eyelid.

Wisconsin

Well, that bump continued to worsen and swell and get ugly and make me feel ugly, and after a couple weeks, I resorted to the one-eyed bandit look that you see below. I ended up backing out of several social engagements for the latter part of the month, including but not limited to ::gay gasp:: dressing up for Halloween.

It's funny how something like this affects so many parts of your life, right? I think I was also fighting off a physical illness, but the pressure/pain/scratching/irritation/swelling/redness of my eye certainly did not help anything. Plus, I have been so focused this year on the move back to Wisconsin and the house and getting all the things up and running and ready and yada yada, when it came down to it, I just didn't have the time or energy to craft a great costume and do the damn thing.

A stye for the eye

SO, with my eye mostly better by the day of, I executed my customary Halloween traditions flawlessly. I'd been watching horror movies all month, sure, but I had also decorated in the middle of September. That was the hard part. When I got back from Arizona, I only had some fine-tuning to do on the house, and really, that was it. You can see the big project in the photo below, which involved carving 9 faux pumpkins and hanging them in the windows of the porch. 

Also, in this image, you can see what the house will eventually look like entirely (the darker siding and the all-black trim).

For the REAL pumpkins, I carved 7. Which was a lot, admittedly, but I had fun doing it. I made chili from scratch this year, and it cooked all day in the crockpot , smelling wonderful and making me feel so cozy because it was snowing outside until the middle of the afternoon. You can still see some on the leaves in the yard.

Ookem spookem Halloween at the Estate

My parents came over shortly after trick-or-treating had started, and we had dinner and drinks and watched a scary movie together. This was my first Halloween spent with them in... I don't know, actually. More than a decade... I'm gonna say since 2008? It was really nice though, and we had a lot of fun, and in the end, this was why I moved back to Wisconsin. 

To spend time with my family, doing the things I love to do (entertaining), and building new memories to add to the long list of ancient ones.

Wrapping the month with a final movie

After my parents left, I brought the pumpkins inside (but didn't blow them out; that's bad luck if you do!), took a shower, and then settled in to watch Halloween. It was the perfect end to the fall season because you can bet your tits that as soon as midnight hit, Christmas mode began and runs its jolly ass all the way through the New Year. 

So what else happened in October? I wrote two blogs in a month, holy cats. One was how I pulled up my big girl panties and moved on with opening at the close, part ii, and the other celebrated 12 years of this little blog with the thirteenth iteration. I agreed on a roommate situation that will begin at the end of January, I started cooking MEALS for myself at home, and I came to terms with the reality of what my life is now. For better or worse, of course. October was a good month for me, and this blog was tough to write, lol, but I wrote it, and the bandaid is ripped off.

I'm looking forward to getting better at these, and I promise I will by the time November's update comes around.

Until then.

Ciao for now (c: