October activities to break up your routine
For many, fall is the time of change and fresh starts
Art by Kristen Frier
You want to know the best thing about beginning a new year? Once January starts, there are only nine months left until October. Almost always synonymous with orange leaves and spooky vibes, October is an odd but wonderful time of the year, and there are a whole slew of activities that complement the season.
Pumpkin carving
This one is a no-brainer. The sacred carving of the orange gourd is a part of the month that simply can’t be missed. Porch pumpkins are a welcome sight that erases everyone’s woes about the end of summer. Not only do they spice up the neighbourhood visually, but carving intricate designs onto the pumpkins is a fun activity itself.
Every year, it seems that people are creatively finding new ways to cut through the orange gourds — crafting intricate shapes, elaborate facial expressions, creating impressive art made out of the pumpkin’s rind. Some even construct whole structures made out of individual pumpkins. The amount of gross and amazing feats that can be accomplished with pumpkin innards and seeds is genuinely impressive. The sky is the limit, and concocting the most eldritch pumpkin monstrosity you can imagine is such an entertaining and invigorating experience.
Experiment with horror movies
October is a month that celebrates the macabre and creepy, and because it focuses on such a feeling that few want to experience, it is a ripe time to try experiencing the spookier things in life. For most, the most common and accessible method of doing this is through watching horror movies.
They make us quiver, shake, whoop out in fear, and even make us question our own existence. Horror movies are a special genre. They explore the taboo, and visually display some of our most intimate fears and anxieties.
From cheesy slasher films where even the tiniest hint of teen romance means instant game over, to psychological thrillers where the main character’s insanity is called into question. Horror films have the audacity to make us ask ourselves the impossible, uncomfortable questions, and for some, this can be a refreshing experience every once in a while.
Explore new coffee shops
Though Starbucks and Tim Hortons have always been the go-to places for coffee, most prominently pumpkin spice lattes, fall presents a great time to explore other coffee shops. At this point, the green mermaid logo for Starbucks has become overrepresented in all manner of social media posts related to fall.
Dunkin Doughnuts is one such place that gets overlooked, with excellent coffee and an elaborate selection of doughnuts that lives up to its namesake.
Two awesome options located in Vancouver are Nemesis Coffee shop and Elysian Coffee shop. The first store offers a welcoming environment with friendly staff while the latter offers huge latte mugs and excellent food with gluten-free options.
Try new baking recipes
Instead of buying individually packaged sweets in large boxes from some corporation, have some fun and experiment with baking sugary treats of your own. Don’t be afraid of messing up; the art of cooking is all about making mistakes and learning from them. Anyone can show up to parties with pre-made confectionaries, but only the greatest friends bring home-baked goodies.
