Happy Halloween 2021

Got an extra hour to enjoy Halloween, but accidentally slept through my extra time. My big plans for playing scary video games all day were dashed by my sleepiness, but Rebecca and I still got some spooky games crammed in during out down time.

We had just the one guest round for Halloween this year. Because it's an easy dish to cook and as it feeds into the whole Day of the Dead thing, I made fajitas. If Mexican skeletons really did walk amidst the living today they'd all queue up to give me a boney slap because I butched the dish. Both the chicken AND the guacamole came out inexplicably overly salty... Probably on account of all the salt I added. Dear oh dear. We watched the 1999 version of The Mummy as the scary film of choice - it was a poor man's Indiana Jones, but that hardly a hot take anymore. It was kinda fun, but kinda forgettable too but gald I've seen it now. It's forever been a chunk of 90's media I avoided growing up and now when people ask me if I've seen it I can say 'yes'... And not much else.

Chillax to the Max

 Operation Chillax to the Max was engaged all day. Rebecca and I walked in the rain to enjoy a very bougie brunch of eggs Benedict spiked with capers and picked cucumber (trust me, it really worked). Felt like we'd already had a days worth of good vibes, but once we got back home we jumped back into our pyjamas, hopped onto the sofa and played a new co-op game together, making plenty of bonds along the way. We both needed a day like this, one where we didn't need to be adults and could just do what we wanted. I feel as light as a feather now and I'm betting Rebecca feels even better.

Board Games at Work

Said 'Happy Birthday' to one Co worker and 'Goodbye' to another. I was gutted about the latter because they worked on my first big job in the industry alongside me and we got in like a house on fire, but he's moved onto greener pastures. We did manage to sneak in a cheeky few rounds of board games while still at work though which was pretty funny. Script amends came through while we were playing and I literally couldn't care less at that point because I was having a grand old time. 

My pumpkin competition got judged fully too, our number one cast made a special 'winner announcement video' to go alongside it which made everyone chuckle. I'm just glad we got a few more people involved, hopefully it made them a little more invested in the spirit of the season.

Is That a Pumpkin?!

 My pumpkin competition at work is beginning to bear fruit! Got around 5 genuine submissions now, each with their own quirks, charms and shot at the crown. Truthfully it hasn't got as much momentum as I envisioned, but you can't force fun - I'm just glad we got more than one entry now! 

Dashed to get home as the replacement piece for my coffee grinder finally arrived - I wanted to give it a whirl but didn't really want to drink a coffee so late in the day, so instead espresso martinis were made. Sipped in mine while playing some late night games with Mark, Dan and Dan's Sister. We went ghost hunting again and seriously got the chills investigating the new campsite level, really made me feel like I was back at scout camp, fumbling around in the dark to try and go to the loo without waking anyone else up.

Long Day, Long Drive

Long drive, long day, long drive home. Just got to grin and bare it through to the test of the week. Wish I had a little more to say aside from hoping tomorrow is a little more stimulating.

All Hail the Unit Drivers

Joints ached as I walked to the car, drove the car and ran around at work. Got a pain in one knee in particular that really slowed me down, I had to hobble around of of unit base - not ideal when Runner is literally in your job title. Felt a little broken down overall it must be said, to my delight though, the unit drivers bought a select few people some Indian Street food from their favorite place. I was invited to grab a naan from the boot of their car and dive into some curry's. The first mouthful nourished my soul and gave me the strength to push up through the rest of the day. We're lucky to have some true gems in our transport team - very giving and personable.

Sugar Skull

My fingers were permanently poised over the 'Print' button for the day's entirety. Just as I thought I'd done all the scripts and amends, another beefy round of them reared their head. To top it all off, one of our cast members brought their dog into work, and all he did was bark and whine when they went into set. I was embarrassed for them. 

It was pumpkin carving night when I got home. Mum very graciously drew some stencils on for me and Rebecca, all we had to do was gut and carve our pumpkins. It's always the smell that takes me back to my childhood, the second I crack into the top and start scooping seeds out I'm reminded of watching my Mum do intricate designs while making pints of jelly in our old kitchen. I've always loved it and I'm glad my enthusiasm is infections - Rebecca started carving them after meeting me.

Anyways, here's my one this year - a gently elaborate sugar skull. Lot of small fiddly bits, but the results speak for themselves.