Rhi Axtell – Writer

It’s the 1st of October! Autumn is here – and I know that because the drains nearby are already starting to be blocked by dead leaves. It’s also my favourite season: spooky season! That means witches! Ghosts! Devils! Scarecrows that move! Creepy trees tapping on windows! Werewolves! Vampires! Other spooky things!

Okay, I’ve used up my exclamation mark quota for today just on that first paragraph.

As you have probably cottoned on, I am quite enthusiastic about this time of year. I’m not alone, of course. Of all the capitalist-mandated holidays, I think this one is my favourite because it allows you to sit in the dark, light a bunch of candles, and be a bit of a weirdo with your friends.

Sure, I do that every day, but it is more acceptable this time of year.

So how did I mark this magnificent occasion? This beginning of beginnings? This spookiest of seasons?

Well, I sat on the toilet for about twenty minutes deleting emails from my inbox. I recently watched Adam Conover’s stand-up set Unmedicated on Dropout, where he proudly boasts about being an ‘Inbox Zero’ person. I liked the idea and thought I would give it a try.

(A quick aside: check out that stand-up set if you have Dropout – it’s a funny and informative exploration of his childhood growing up with ADD, among other things. I really enjoyed it.)

Only after deleting/archiving one month’s worth of emails did I realise: THIS IS NOT A GOOD WAY TO RESPECT SPOOKY SEASON. I NEED MORE SPOOKY IN MY LIFE.

I have decided that this year is the year I respect the spooky, and I will try to do one spooky thing each day for the whole of October. I am using ‘spooky’ in the vaguest, most open terms, because I have little time and drive to, for example, create a whole new costume every single day until Halloween, or prank everyone on my street by breaking into their houses and hiding in their wardrobes until they fall asleep.

Also, coincidentally, Blogtober, so I could possibly post on here about spooky things every day of this month – but do I have that kind of energy?

‘Do I have that kind of energy?’ is a question I am asking myself a lot recently. It’s a more fancy and thoughtful way of saying ‘Can I be bothered?’. Usually the answer is a resounding no. Can I be bothered to do this wonderful artistic thing, or should I just sit on the toilet and delete more emails? The emails usually win out, and I don’t do many wonderful artistic things.

But I WILL TRY. There, I said it. I’m Blogtobering. Let’s Blogtober together and talk about spooky things every day.

Today’s spooky thing: This picture of me being spooky with a candle.

My obsession with candles and life as a fire hazard began thanks to my wife and now we both spend our evenings surrounded by flames. I have yet to convince her to spend the evening only lit by candlelight, and carry around a solitary candle like some kind of maiden in a regency horror novel, but it is only a matter of time.

Get spooky, light a candle. See you tomorrow.