Countdown to Halloween -- 2020 Edition

My favorite holiday, besides my birthday, is Halloween. I am drawn to all things Halloween/Autumn -- vampires, zombies, werewolves, cheesy 80s horror movies, dressing up, anything pumpkin flavored or scented, sweater weather... Just love it! With that said I thought it would be cool to do a COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN activities list. Most of this stuff will be done by myself or with friends and family. Some of these things will need to be edited for social distancing. Yes I know there are dates attached but I am using it more as a check off list.

October 1st: Watch the movie The Lost Boys Done!
October 2nd: Watch the movie Nightmare on Elm Street (original with Robert Englund)
October 3rd: Watch the movie Hotel Transylvania.
October 4th: Read a short story in Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King Done! Read the story Batman and Robin Have an Altercation
October 5th: Go to a haunted house.
October 6th: Watch The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
October 7th: Watch the cartoon Its the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
October 8th: Read 2 tales in Toil and Trouble. (Currenly reading Starsong by Tehlor Kay Mejia and Afterbirth by Andrea Cremer
October 9th: Watch the movie Hellraiser
October 10th: Watch the movie House of 1000 Corpses.
October 11th: Watch the movie Psycho (original Alfred Hitchcock version).
October 12th: Watch the Universal classic horror movies Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein.
October 13th: Go Halloween home decor shopping -- either at Target or At Home. Done!
October 14th: Get candles with a cinnamon or pumpkin smell from Bath and Body Works for my room. Done!
October 15th: Make my own Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte at home
October 16th: Watch the movie Beetlejuice
October 17th: Watch the movie Interview with The Vampire
October 18th: Watch the movie Hocus Pocus.
October 19th: Watch the Netflix series Marianne
October 20th: Watch the movie Carrie (the original version with Sissy Spasek)
October 21st: Watch the movie The Evil Dead
October 22nd: Watch the movie The Craft
October 23rd: Build a haunted gingerbread house
October 24th: Get a pumpkin for my house at Union Square Market
October 25th: Happy Birthday Veronica!
October 26th: Watch Tales of Halloween (Netflix)
October 27th: Watch the movie Coraline (Netflix)
October 28th: Watch the movie Teen Witch
October 29th: Get a fall inspired color manicure.
October 30th:
October 31st: HALLOWEEN!! Watch The Shining and do spell in the Daily Spellbook for The Good Witch book.

DaniMania 42 -- The Quarantine Edition

If you are a regular reader of my blog (which I know I have not really updated but life happens) you know I do this thing known as DaniMania where I make up a list of things that either I enjoy, want to see, want to get, want to do that add up to my age. This year I turn 42 years old. I have done this for the past 5 years. I would celebrate DaniMania all of March but something this year just did not feel right with that. At the beginning of March, it is Pisces season. Well it is Pisces season from February 21st all the way to March 21st. Well I do not have any Pisces in my astrological chart so I felt it was wrong for me to celebrate my birth during that time. So this year I decided to start DaniMania 42 on March 21st. I wrote out my list, actually shopped for some of the items before March 21st so I knew that they would arrive during Aries season. I was figuring out when to go to the places I put on my list...and then.....

PHYSICAL DISTANCING HAPPENED. QUARANTINE HAPPENED. COVID-19 HAPPENED. SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED NOW SO YOU WILL WORK FROM HOME HAPPENED.

So here I am, on day 15 of quarantine. I have not left my house except for a walk to my corner fruit stand. I have not seen Mike nor any of my friends physically. Texting/video chat has been my "social" as well as social media. And surprisingly enough, I am calm and cool and collected with this as well as accepted it and am making due.

Now I know what you are saying to yourself -- DANI YOU ARE AN EXTROVERT. YOU LIKE TO GO OUT. YOU LIKE TO EXPLORE. YOU LIKE BEING AROUND PEOPLE. WHAT THE HECK? But lets look at the grander picture -- I am writing again. I am being creative again. I am making connections that are filled with depth and meaning. I am truly appreciating and filled with gratitude of all of the things I have in my house. Thats like this one meme I have seen that said "Okay but honestly -- how privileged are we that during a global pandemic we can just stay warm at home reading, working, still being educated, creating, with little worries and a fridge stocked with food? Do remind yourself to be grateful today." That is the lesson I feel the Universe has bestowed upon me during DaniMania 42. Slow down. Have gratitude. Spend time with the things and activities that bring you joy. Become my own lover. Being my own creative muse. Realize that feeling good is the only goal. Yes it is good to desire what you want and to realize that you are worthy of it and so much more.

I have had friends surprise me with things on my Amazon wish list that I completely forgot about. I also have received some of the things on my list and yeah when we are told that it is safe to go out again, you damn skippy I am going to go to the places I put. It also has taught me a lesson in humility -- that the status quo is now over and I get to design the life of my dreams. What is stopping me from doing so? Certainly nothing now.

With that being said, I am going to go enjoy my birthday pineapple pizza and red velvet cookies I made for myself and smile. Happy Birthday to Me as I turned the age that is truly the meaning of life.

Countdown to Halloween -- 2019 Edition

My favorite holiday, besides my birthday, is Halloween. I am drawn to all things Halloween/Autumn -- vampires, zombies, werewolves, cheesy 80s horror movies, dressing up, anything pumpkin flavored or scented, sweater weather... Just love it! With that said I thought it would be cool to do a COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN activities list. Most of this stuff will be done by myself, with my Russian, or with friends and family. Yes I know there are dates attached but I am using it more as a check off list.

October 1st: Watch the movie The Lost Boys (Done!)
October 2nd: Watch the movie Nightmare on Elm Street (original with Robert Englund)
October 3rd: Watch the movie Hotel Transylvania. (Done!)
October 4th: Read a short story in Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King (Done!)
October 5th: Go to a haunted house.
October 6th: Watch The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
October 7th: Watch the cartoon Its the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (Done!)
October 8th: Read 2 tales in Toil and Trouble.
October 9th: Watch the movie Hellraiser
October 10th: Watch the movie House of 1000 Corpses. (Done!)
October 11th: Watch the movie Psycho (original Alfred Hitchcock version).
October 12th: Watch the Universal classic horror movies Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein.
October 13th: Visit Last Rites Gallery
October 14th: Get candles with a cinnamon or pumpkin smell from Bath and Body Works for my room. (Done!)
October 15th: Get a pumpkin spice chai latte at Argo Tea
October 16th: Watch the movie Beetlejuice
October 17th: Watch the movie Interview with The Vampire (Done!)
October 18th: Watch the movie Hocus Pocus.
October 19th: Watch the Netflix series Marianne
October 20th: Watch the movie Carrie (the original version with Sissy Spasek)
October 21st: Watch the movie The Evil Dead
October 22nd: Watch the movie The Craft (Done!)
October 23rd: See Zombiedland 2: Double Tap in theaters (Done!)
October 24th: Get a pumpkin for my house at Union Square Market (Done!)
October 25th: Go see In This Moment in concert with Robert (Done!)
October 26th: Watch Tales of Halloween (Netflix)
October 27th: Watch the movie Coraline (Netflix)
October 28th: Watch the movie Teen Witch (Done!)
October 29th: Get a fall inspired color manicure. (Done!)
October 30th: Watch Maleficent: Mistress of Evil in theaters with my Russian
October 31st: HALLOWEEN!! Watch The Shining and do spell in the Daily Spellbook for The Good Witch book