When I said this past October was insanely busy, I wasn’t kidding. My days were so packed, in fact- that I’m only just now getting around to sharing a few of my favorite products/items/odds & ends from the past few weeks before I go and do my part as an American citizen and vote in this year’s election and then spend the next few hours fighting nausea as I wait for the results to come in. I’ve honestly never been more terrified of politics than I have been this past year- and it all comes to a head tonight.

I fully plan to talk about this bizarre, ugly and embarrassing Presidential race and election for my end of the year wrap-up post- but for now I want to focus on the good things I liked throughout last month while I try to avoid the sobering realization that my country could very well be heading into an actual apocalypse within the next few hours.

As always, to start things off- here’s the things I was able to photograph, first:

The first two items are those accidental finds we’ve all come across when we’re on the road or away from home and realize a little too late that we forgot to pack something. In this instance, it was makeup remover and concealer- which resulted in a pit-stop at a local pharmacy to see what I could scrounge up on short notice. The first things I picked up were these black-colored charcoal wipes from Yes To! I love this makeup remover- because it takes everything off with  couple of swipes and purifies my skin without drying me out or feeling too harsh. My skin is left feeling super clean and really refreshed.

Next, I snatched up this full-coverage, but lightweight in texture “Age Rewind” concealer from Maybelline. I know, I know- the sponge applicator is kind of gross after a few uses- but I typically dab this stuff onto my ring fingers and gently tap it around and under my eyes to give myself a more “I actually got some sleep last night” look. This stuff blends with my skin tone perfectly (no discoloration or creasing!) and lasts all day. What I like most, though- is that it hydrates my eye area so they stay soft and smooth even after I remove this at the end of the day.

October marked another year at my hometown’s ‘Rock & Shock’ convention- where I spent the weekend with friends stocking up on all sorts of horror gear and getting the opportunity to meet and talk to some of my favorite horror actors/actresses- including the talented, funny, and very kind Matthew Lillard (Scream, 13 Ghosts). I also got to see one of my all-time favorite actors/artists again for the first time in a few years- the always amazing Malcolm McDowell.

Naturally, I got a signed photo and picked up the cutest “A Clockwork Orange’ figurine from FUNKO while I was there, too. I couldn’t resist. I’m a sucker for those toys and Alex DeLarge is the character I adopted my pen name since he is one of the worst villains in literature and cinematic history (and doesn’t have to do anything supernatural or magical to pull that off.)

He’s currently sitting proudly and deviously on my desk.

And finally- Halloween night is hit-or-miss in my neighborhood when it comes to Trick Or Treating. Some years, I get a CRAZY amount of kids at my door, to the point where I worry that I’m going to run out of candy and will have to hand out random things like staplers or Yankee Candles I have around my home- and then other years my street is like a post-apocalyptic wasteland where there isn’t a soul in sight.

Regardless of the outcome, I always stock up on candy in case it’s the former so I won’t be caught off guard- but this year was pretty quiet. Whether it’s because it was chilly, a little damp out from the previous days’ rain- or because Halloween fell on the much dreaded Monday night this time around- I’m not sure. All I know if I have a bunch of leftover candy and it’s been pretty awesome because I have an undeniable sweet tooth.

I’m running low on peanut butter cups, though- which is cause for concern.

And now, onto the other random things!

– MUSIC/MOVIES/TELEVISION –

• “The Walking Dead” – This one goes without saying. This season started off BRUTALLY and it’s just been picking up momentum and intensity ever since. I’ve been loving it. Jeffrey Dean Morgan was the perfect casting choice for Negan and the recent introduction to King Ezekiel and his Kingdom had me so moved that I’m just waiting on edge for more episodes featuring him. There are still so many unanswered questions from the premiere, of course- like where the hell is Maggie and is she okay- but I’m looking forward to the coming confrontations between the different groups and communities.

• “HarmonQuest” – Sean got me into this one-season-so-far show from Amazon that I’ve nearly finished watching. The premise is simple and silly- three comedians and a weekly guest star play ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ in front of a live audience. Their story is animated as it unfolds. Think “Drunk History”meets an intricate dice game and the results are golden. I’ve never played ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ before but honestly this show has me tempted to give it a try. It’s really funny.

– TECH/APPS/GAMES –

• “7 Days To Die” – This is another thing Sean got me into when he failed to entice me into playing MineCraft with him since this is essentially MineCraft with better graphics and zombies. We’ve been playing this on PS4 lately and as frustrating as I find most first-person-anything- I’ve been enjoying this. The story is easy enough to follow: the world is overrun with zombies and every 7 days they hunt and attack you in hordes. In-between those attacks- you have to find food, sew clothing/armor, and build shelter and weapons to defend yourself. It includes a fair amount of tree-punching to pick up wood like it’s blockier and less-zombie-filled counterpart- but it’s still fun.

– MISCELLANEOUS –

• MY NEW CAR!!! – Have I mentioned how much I love my new car? Because I really, really love it. It’s sleek and clean and quiet and beautiful and I absolutely adore driving it. Definitely a highlight of my October and in 2016 in general.

And that, I think- was it for the month of October. Short and sweet! I’m already putting things together for November now that I’ve had some time to stop and breathe for a bit while I catch up on everything I’d inadvertently fell behind with- but we’ll get to that when it’s closer to the end of the month.

I’m off to vote. Good luck, America! I think we’re gonna’ need it.

xx