October 2025

     Blessed Samhain

    Samhain is a Celtic festival that marks the end of summer and the beginning of the dark half of the year. It is believed that the veil between the physical and spirit worlds thins during this time, allowing spirits of the dead and supernatural beings to mingle with the living. It was also considered the Celtic New Year, a time for reflection, honoring ancestors while warning off malevolent spirits. 

To celebrate this holiday, people used to wear costumes and masks to disguise themselves from evil spirits. They also used to light bonfires to keep them at bay. They would create altars and hold a private "dump supper" to honor their ancestors. Offerings of food and drink were left out for the spirits of the dead and for fairies. Instead of pumpkins, gourds were traditionally used to create frightening lanterns that helped ward off evil spirits. 

To celebrate this year, we dressed Juno up as a hot dog! I don't know why, I just thought he would make an adorable weiner dog, and I was right! He also got very spoiled and received a treat bucket consisting of: Cow ears, pig ears, freeze-dried duck head, duck neck, turkey neck, and pig snout. As well as some buffalo, deer, elk, and rabbit sticks.

"He's not spoiled at all." 

I'm just adding a pretty sunrise photo I took earlier this week! 

Adventures!

Bert Kreischer:

We had the awesome opportunity to go see Bert live! We missed him the last time he came to Utah, so we did not want to make the same mistake twice. He did not disappoint! I fully recommend watching his Netflix specials or listening to his Two Bears One Cave podcast if you have the chance. I wasn't really a big fan of his opening acts; I didn't even know comedians had opening acts like concerts, but I guess they do. 

Nightfall:

  We wanted to take the chance to support the West Valley Performing Arts Center because it was supposed to close down, but luckily, it has not. Originally, we purchased tickets for Into the Dark, but they were not able to follow through with the production of the play and gave us options to see their other plays. I'm glad they did because we ended up seeing Nightfall, which is based on Edgar Allen Poe's poems! The cast did amazing! The stage was incredible! It was a circle that rotated so you could see it from many angles. We for sure want to check out future plays there! 

The Chainsaw Man Movie in 3D:

  A beloved anime series of ours is called Chainsaw Man, and the movie came out this month! This was Sheldon's first time seeing an anime movie, so he didn't realize that it was basically a filler for in-between seasons. It's one of those things where they take a few episodes and turn it into a movie, but if you don't see this movie before watching the next season, then you're missing out on important context. Overall, I thought it was really well done. Though we are spoiled, this movie was only showing at Cinnemark, and the staff forgot to give us our 3D glasses for the movie (we had to go back and ask). As well as the food tasted re-heated and was overall pretty disappointing. We don't go to movies much, but we are very biased and love Megaplex for this reason. If we are going to spend money on overpriced theater food, then we at least expect it to be good. 

Dogmode Swim Lessons:

Juno had his very first swimming lesson! He did very well! Our session consisted of a trainer who taught us how to coax him into the water and observed him when he swam. Juno does not like baths or the rain, so we were not sure how this was going to turn out. After a while, he would go into the shallow end on his own, but he was not a big fan of the deep end. The pool is not regulated to allow humans to swim in it, so we were only allowed to step into the shallow parts with him. They had these super adorable life jackets with shark fins! To get him to do a lap, we had him on a leash and guided him by walking alongside the edge of the pool. We got him to do two laps! The trainer said that he did really well! A lot of dogs naturally know how to swim, but not all of them know how to properly kick their legs, or sometimes they have disproportionate body sizes, so they need a life vest for support. We are not sure if he fully liked the laps or not. He was smiling and panting, but we are also sure it was a little scary for him as well. They also give you a free bath after which is nice! We will be going back and trying again. 

Language Learning:

  I am on day 392 of Duolingo!  

Gaming:

We've been playing more games with old Twitch friends! It's been nice to reconnect. We had the opportunity to try Peak and REPO, which are group games. They were pretty fun. A game called Godbreakers came out, which we tried the demo of in the past and loved it, so now we have had the chance to play the full release! 

Speaking of gaming, my 1080P monitor died, so I ended up investing in a 4K monitor. I didn't want to spend the money, but I have been wanting to upgrade it for some time now, so I feel less bad spending money when I need something rather than wanting something

Reading:

I have successfully finished all the books in the Series of Unfortunate Events, as well as Artemis Fowl! I'm still chugging along on many others at the moment, and my goal is to at least finish most of the series that I started this year by the end of this year. All of the new books that I wish to read are on hold, so I don't have too many series to confuse myself with at once.

I also decided to try the Blind Date With a Book trend, and I ordered a book from Hello Bookclub. It did not disappoint! I selected an LGBTQIA+ genre, and I'm really excited to get a chance to sit down and read it. 

Anime/K-Dramas:

I've been chugging along, watching the Thailand version of Put Your Head on My Shoulder! I think I'm really enjoying Thailand's versions of K-Dramas because they keep the drama short and to the point, so I don't get overwhelmed. I really dislike it when shows drag a single situation out for episodes on end.  

Mental Health Status:

Psychiatry/Psychology: 

My medication seems to be balancing out for me. I've been able to have at least a cup of coffee in the morning without it making me jittery! I feel like I still have so far to go in therapy, but my psychologist told me that she's very proud of me and I've come really far compared to when we first started. My biggest struggles this month have been my rejection sensitivity dysphoria and my impostor syndrome, which are both ADHD traits. 

  

 Physical Health Status:

Health Wrap Up:

I officially can go to once-a-month appointments for my pelvic floor dysfunction! I've been doing pretty well at keeping up with my exercises at home, and other than the cold weather causing me to act up, my pain has been pretty manageable!

I had my flu and COVID shots at the start of this month. It wasn't fun, but it's worth it to keep from getting too sick!

Final Thoughts:

I dunno what else to say this month! I am currently sick with some sort of cold that's going around. It basically feels like I slept with my mouth open and had a fan in my face all night. Sheldon caught it first, and it's inevitable when you live with someone to not get sick too. I hope you all have had a safe and fun month! Stay hydrated and warm in this cold weather! Fall is my favorite season of them all!