THE DOUBLE WHAMMY /// Monthly HapPENings: October + Music Monday #10

Okay, guys, don't panic . . . but we have a real problem here. Either 2017 decided to skip October, or there's a thief out there who steals months. Or maybe October was struck by lightning and is now the fastest month alive. Whatever the case, I want my October back. It was here and gone faster than I thought possible.

Oh! You noticed the title, did ya? Well, allow me to explain myself. On Friday, I was having computer problems. By the time I got everything solved, I was too lazy to write my post. Saturday was another lazy day with zero motivation, and when Sunday rolled around, I thought to myself, "You know, rather than having a post two days in a row, why not just combine them?" I know, I'm incredibly smart, you don't have to tell me.

And for the third time in a row, I am without an official picture. So you know what that means?

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In case you didn't infer it from the picture I aptly chose, winter has come to Canada. During the last few days of October, we got our first snow. This is a panorama of what my backyard looked like on the morning of the 26th.

As for life in general . . . you know that job I mentioned I got back in August? The one at the concrete factory? Well, they always have less work in the winter, so they lay people off. The 13th was my last day, and I've been on the job hunt ever since. While I sometimes feel discouraged about the whole ordeal, I'm believing that it simply means I've got a better job waiting for me.

I didn't really do anything else that was terribly interesting this month, aside from hanging out with my family more. So let's get on to the rest of the post!

Bookish HapPENings

*twiddles fingers nervously* So . . . books! Books are . . . great! Man, if you can't even finish one book in a month when you have all the time in the world, you must be a really weird person . . .

OKAY! I admit it! I finished no books this month, just like September. How is it I've been on the same book from, like, the middle of August until now? I swear, guys, if I don't finish the book I'm reading by the end of November, you all have permission to mock me to your hearts' content.

HapPENings on the Screen

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I watched The LEGO Ninjago Movie when it came to my local theater, and lemme just tell you: BEST. LEGO. MOVIE. EVER! So far, of the three films, it's grossed the least amount of money . . . but sometimes the movies that are less popular in theaters are the best ones. (Like one might argue that Tangled is better than Frozen, even though the latter grossed more.) It was filled to the brim with more irreverent humor, epic action sequences, and a lot of heart (I almost cried at one scene). Plus, it referenced/playfully poked fun at the TV show, which made me love the movie more. And Lord Garmadon was my favorite character. Justin Theroux did such an excellent job of voicing his character; at times, he sounded almost exactly like Mark Oliver, the actor who played Garmadon on the show. (My thoughts are everywhere right now, so once I watch this movie on DVD, I just might have to give it a proper review.)

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Kaitlyn, Chloe, and I watched this one together, and I still stand firm in my opinion that it's the best movie in the Pirates franchise. Besides all the stuff I've mentioned in the past about these movies, this one gave some more depth to the villains--at least, that's what I felt. I never thought I'd feel sorry for Davy Jones, and Lord Cutler Beckett's final moments were done perfectly. I also appreciated Norrington's character arc from the first movie to this one. Once again, what I had first thought was a convoluted plot actually made sense this time around. Now I just need to finish watching the fourth film (which I only got to see most of) and see the fifth.

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So DC and I have a bit of a love/hate relationship. While Marvel consistently makes great movies, DC . . . doesn't. Don't get me wrong, I loved Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy and Man of Steel. I actually didn't hate Dawn of Justice, but I love making fun of its logic. ("Why did you say that name?!") Movies like Suicide Squad, however, are awful. So I wasn't expecting great things from Wonder Woman. Lo and behold, I was surprised. I actually enjoyed the movie! While it was easy to draw comparisons to Captain America: The First Avenger (a world war is going on, the hero uses a round shield, and there's a character named Steve), it still had its own distinctions. Cap, in his debut, was a hero to the soldiers and had a large special ops group, where we only get to really know Bucky. Diana, on the other hand, is a hero to civilians, and her band of mighty men is much smaller, consisting of four men who are all distinctly different from one another. The characters, action, plot, and score were all very well-done. If you're looking to watch a good DC movie, this one will satisfy your craving . . . aside from the fact that Diana could do with an outfit that has, shall we say, more material.

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I already watched Spider-Man: Homecoming in summer, when it came to theaters. I loved re-watching it, though. Tom Holland is, in my mind, the perfect Spider-Man. He actually looks like he belongs in high school, and he's nerdy while not being overly so. It's also cool to see how Tony Stark has matured since the early days. And Vulture was an awesome villain with a suit that was just as awesome. Yeah, all the characters in here--even the ones you don't like--were great in their own ways. I give this movie the "Best Spider-Man Flick" award.

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My sisters and I are still watching season three of Once Upon a Time. I'm still enjoying the change of scene, even though Neverland sometimes reminds me of the jungle in Gilligan's Island. I'm intrigued as to where the plot is going, what with Peter Pan's scheme and all. I'm also liking Hook even more, but I wonder how the love triangle between him, Neal, and Emma is going to end. Probably not well. And I've found out just how much I hate to see the Charmings fight.

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Well, I can definitely say that The Flash is still my favorite TV show. This season has been excellent at creating conflict amongst Team Flash, and I've already been hit by a number of plot twists and jaw-droppers. In my last Monthly HapPENings post, I mentioned how I can't wait to see the main villain of this season. Well, he's shown up . . . and he's definitely looking devilishly epic. That's all I will say about him, because I don't wanna spoil anything for you guys who haven't seen this season yet. And as for the plot, things are not looking too good for the heroes. *rubs hands gleefully* Ah, I can't enough of this show!

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My youngest two sisters and I are watching the Tournament of Elements season together. I recently bought the two newest seasons and the TV special, and we decided to re-watch the two seasons that came before them. It's one of my favorite Ninjago seasons, with suspense and intrigue abounding. I still love this show's humor and characters. You can tell there's some good chemistry between the actors.

Writerly HapPENings

Well, I think I beat my measly 32 words last month. For October, I wrote a whopping . . . 328 words! It's better than September's word count, but it's still not good enough.

At this rate, I'm not sure if I'll be submitting my Snow White story. I'm going to have to really buckle down if I want to. (By the way, my story's name is now Digital Pulse, for you curious bunch.)

And now, for the other part of this post!

Our track for today is . . .

"Cradle" from Spiral Knights

Composed by Harry Mack

I discovered the game Spiral Knights on Steam earlier this year. It's a free-to-play MMOG, so I figured I would check it out. I downloaded it, booted it up, and was greeted by this music. I instantly knew I would love this game.

I love the art style and gameplay, and the music just adds an extra oomph to it all. This song is so relaxing and peaceful. Actually, not many of the tracks--at least from the first of the two albums--can really be classified as intense.

I'm not sure how to describe this game's music. It's not full-on retro chiptune, but there's something kinda old-school about it. I honestly don't know what it is. I can tell the music is all synthesized, but I still really enjoy it.

Okay, my fingers are getting tired, and this post is getting long. I'm going to end it off here. Sorry for making the Music Monday side of things shorter this time around. I hope you still enjoyed the post! Oh yeah, and we hit 10 Music Mondays. Whoop whoop!

How were your Octobers? Did they speed past ya as well? Have you played Spiral Knights before? Would you guys like it if I added a video game heading to my Monthly HapPENings posts? And finally, if you happen to be knowledgeable about all things music (especially about leitmotifs), I'm gonna need your help on the 20th!