Willing Autumn Into Existence
It’s no secret, October is my favorite month! Not just because I celebrate the birth of my son (15 this year.. WHAT??!!) as well as my own (ThirtySomething), but all the delicious fall-ness that happens. Brightly colored leaves, warm drinks, cool temps, RAIN! (yes, I’m a pluviophile*) and all the hygge*. EXCEPT Halloween. I’ll admit this right now, I don’t like it. I’ve never liked scary movies, I’ve never been big into the costume thing, and frankly, it bums me out how much it takes away from all those other yummy things I mentioned. I know some people love it, but honestly, I wish it didn’t take over the entire season. But I digress. This post is about the things I LOVE. Because on the first day of this my favorite month, I was so happy for it to be October that I couldn’t even let a civil action delivered to my door step bring me down (at least not for very long). That’s an entirely different story though.
So without further ado, here are my current October obsessions!
Autumn Movies :: If you aren’t planning to spend all of October watching scary movies (because you too think Halloween is lame), then here are some of my favorite films with a more fall-like feel, whether back-to-school related or perfect for cozying up. Ok, and if you really want something with a bit of gore and suspense, then there’s a few of those too (I’m always down to do a run of Hitchcock flicks).
Finding Forester, Dead Poets Society, Good Will Hunting, Rudy, You’ve Got Mail, Garden State, Big, Legends of the Fall, Ghost Town, Back to the Future Trilogy, Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom, Psycho, Evil Dead 2, Death Becomes Her, Remember the Titans, Tommy Boy
Tea :: Ok I’m all for Pumpkin Spice everything (as long as it’s real and not artificial flavor), but this season I’m focusing on having less caffeine, so I’ve been inspired to drink more tea. Having lived in London for a spell, this isn’t exactly a bummer because I love me a good cup of English Breakfast. I also love Chai. It’s been nice to enjoy with one of those autumn movies. But if you’re still craving the good ole PSL, I’ve got a great recipe for that too.
Covers & Mixes Playlist :: I’ve been on a search for GREAT covers and mixes, whether classic tunes or newer favorites. So I’ve had my evolving playlist on repeat for awhile. Check it out, make yourself a cup of tea (or a PSL), have a listen! And feel free to recommend any good additions! (My fave tracks: With or Without You, Zombie, Take Me Home, My Hero).
Creative Learning :: I began to reflect on how much time in my thirtysomething years I’ve spent watching TV, or more recently, mindlessly scrolling Facebook. Could I really not have done something more inspiring and personally developing than that? How much better of a writer or designer or professional creative could I be right now if instead of 20 minutes each morning getting bent out of shape over the shit on social media, I instead watch a CreativeLive video and become better at managing my finances? Each week, CreativeLive offers a free class a day, so it’s super easy to learn more and scroll less.
October also usually means the return of Adobe’s biggest creativity conference MAX. It’s been amazing to attend 3 of the past 4 years, and this month I’m excited to go again! Check out my previous “Obsessions” about it here: When Comedy and Creativity Collide and Inspire. And expect to get a lot more knowledge dropped in future posts!