What a way to spend Halloween!

Last Sunday, my family carved pumpkins in preparation for October 31.

I was really pleased with my pumpkin this year.

I was off this week on October 29 and 30, just in time to prepare for Halloween.

On October 29, I went and dropped off my pioneer clothes at This Is the Place; I may or may not be back in the spring. Then I ran on a nearby trail. Since I was in the area, I offered to stop at my mom's school (she teaches third grade). I felt a little self-conscious being in my sweaty running clothes. Among other things, she had me read with a low-level student. It got me thinking about how sad it is for him. He can read (some of) the words, but he obviously has no understanding of it. He can't get better at reading unless he reads more, but reading cannot possibly be fun for him! I loved reading when I was a kid (especially Roald Dahl), and I think that gave me a significant boost to being an editor and writer. (I rarely read for leisure anymore.) I have also had similar experiences tutoring kids in Tongan wards, and I feel sad for them.

On October 30, I attended the temple, where I read Doctrine and Covenants 138, which was accepted on October 31, one hundred years ago. I thought it fitting that a vision relating to the spirits of the dead was accepted on Halloween. Is that blasphemous?

And then it was Halloween. What a strange Halloween.

I had to get up early for my new job at the Sundance Film Festival. I met one of my coworkers to carpool up, because it's a long drive to Park City. I was told we could dress up, so I wore my classic vampire costume.

Once I got to the orientation meeting, I felt a little out of place in that costume. As you might expect, Sundance is a pretty hipster spot. Most were not dressed up, and most of the other costumes were TV show characters. There were some people where I didn't know whether they were in costumes or their regular clothes. They gave us work laptops, which we connect to monitors at our desks. There was a small Halloween party, entitled "Fear and Cheetos." Apparently there is a weekly activity called Beer and Cheetos. Except now they call it Root Beer and Cheetos because they don't allow alcohol. (Fine by me!) They had various Halloween treats and spooky dioramas set up. But I wouldn't say it was fun, just because I was trying to wrap my mind around everything.

As I was riding back into Salt Lake, my old boss called me about the book we have coming out in May. I have one month to do all my proofreading. I hope I get it done.

For Halloween evening, I went on an evening trail run.

 As I was driving through the neighborhoods, it was fun to see all the trick-or-treaters roaming the streets. It was just like a movie. But only about six groups came to our house, because we aren't the rich neighborhood and we're on a steep hill. My mom and I finished the evening by watching Bride of Frankenstein (1935), a very strange movie.

Thursday and Friday, I took the van pool up to the office. I really can't give you a fair assessment of how I feel about the job; I feel like every time you start something new, there's a feeling of "What have I gotten myself into!?" It's a very hipster place, and it feels as though I've left Utah (and I love Utah). They also allow people to bring their dogs into work. I am 100 percent a cat person.

Apparently October 29 was National Cat Day. Pshh. Every day is cat day.

But there is a trailhead right by the office. I'm going to have to take advantage of it before the snow sticks around.

***
Pumpkin is suitable for both Halloween and Thanksgiving, so pumpkinundation roundup continues! I only count caramel apples for Halloween, so they're gone now, but candy corn sticks around, and some exclusively Thanksgiving flavors have joined the party.

This Tillamook Pacific Northwest Apple Cider Ice Cream didn't have a super strong flavor, but it was all right. 7/10.

The Dunkin' Donuts Pumpkin Donut was enjoyable, but not particularly memorable. 7/10.

I forgot the brand of this pumpkin chocolate chip muffin. This kind of muffin has been around longer than the pumpkin fad. It was a little dry, but decent. 7/10.

This Bahama Buck's Caramel Apple Sno is just apple shaved ice with caramel on it. Refreshing, but not groundbreaking. 7/10.

This Crumbl Caramel Apple Cookie was fine, but it wasn't very appley. 7/10.

According to the Kneaders website, the Kneaders Butterfinger Caramel Apple has an astonishing amount of calories. But who cares when it's so classic? 8/10.

The Archer Farms Apple Cinnamon Trail Mix has apple pie-flavored pecans in it, and apple pie is a Thanksgiving flavor. This isn't as nutty as most trail mixes (no peanuts, almonds, or cashews!), and I've always found dried apples a little weird. 7/10.

Here's where I have a specific distinction that I have decided, but maybe others would disagree. Plain apple cider/juice is a Halloween treat (usually served cold), whereas spiced apple cider/juice is a Thanksgiving and Christmas drink (usually served warm). So I got this Santaquin-made Red Barn Apple Juice for Halloween, and then I mulled it with whole cloves and a cinnamon stick for Thanksgiving. Good both ways. 9/10.

This isn't for eating, but I bought this Meyer's Pumpkin Dish Soap. It doesn't have a strong scent, but it reminds me of sugar cookie dough. 6/10.

I never know what to do with granola, so I had this Bear Naked Pecan Pie Granola in milk. It was a little too chewy for that, and the pie crust bits got soggy. The caramel chunks were reminiscent of the gooey part of pecan pie, but I still didn't think it tasted that much like pecan pie. 7/10.

I also got Meyer's Apple Cider Dish Soap, which does have a fruity scent--and taste. I washed my water bottle with it, and some of the flavor lingered in the first batch of water. I was going to power through so I didn't waste water, but I couldn't handle the soap flavor and had to change out the water. But it was less soapy than most soaps. 6/10.

I had a tiny bit of this Blackberry Patch Pumpkin Spice Syrup in the fridge from last year. It actually tastes like pumpkin. 8/10.

This Crumbl Candy Corn Cookie is just a white chocolate chip cookie with candy corn on top. I was hoping for more candy corn innovation, but it was still a great cookie. 8/10.

This Crumbl Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie is just a typical incarnation of this classic cookie, which is older than the pumpkin fad. It was good, with a lighter texture, but not innovative. 7/10.

White Pumpkin Pie M&Ms are white chocolate with a bit of a spicy flavor. They are good, but you have to enjoy white chocolate. 8/10.