Halloween blues

This Halloween blew. First was my vacation getting screwed, then the hurricane, then not getting paid properly but not wanting to bring it up until I see if they did what I think they did, the stress of that...
Then my little pumpkin mysteriously sprouted white mold and died. My big pumpkin apparently was decently easy to gut but when trying to put a design on it, things did not go well. First it was too big, then too small, and back and forth it went til Mums comes along and free hands it. It should've been pretty easy but when Widget came by to give me a kiss before heading out to hang out with his friends (Widgetless on Halloween is another blow against this day), I wasn't paying attention and cut the wrong damn piece. Sigh. Mom nearly impaled herself with a toothpick trying to reattach it. My pumpkin glowstick was apparently popped in the package so it didn't work (what the hell) and this was the first year in eons where I hadn't stockpiled them. I also didn't have quite enough tea lights because I never found where I put last year's box of two dozen.
Basically the day was just not fun. It's nice and spooky looking right now, but the dog also keeps whining and I swear to all that is holy, she would whine off and on for five freakin' hours and it drove me insane. She shut up just in time for Mums to tell Widget to take her out and then we were back to another five hours of whining. I love you, dog, but you're fucking with me and I can tell because when you're actually whining because of a real reason, you don't pant and look at me like "oh, uh... pay no attention to the dog behind the curtain." This is the same dog who hurt her paw once during a great escape and after getting waited on for one day, tried the trick the next day but switched paws. (Yes.)

Sigh.

SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGH.

No trick or treaters. I did amaze some dude when walking the doofy dog this evening. She and I were walking by the ducks and I short-leashed her because a car was coming by and I don't trust people on a normal night to not get too close (she tends to wander into oncoming traffic. She's... special.) This meant we were basically right next to the ducks and he says, "Wow, is she friends with the ducks? Do they get along?" only sounding less doofy. Yes, they're cool. She ignores them, they let her live, it's a thing. The ducks are getting a little riled up at this point and she's just calm as can be, so he rides off with a, "Wow, that's cool" after I tell him "happy Halloween" and she and I continue home.

The most vexing thing is again, trick or treaters exist. I saw some, and it was pretty late for 'em, so... wtf. You could even see our decorations (some of them, anyway) from the street.

SIIIIIIIIGH.

Well. On the plus side, it's really pretty now and I also got to make my AG order thanks to luxken27 and free shipping. I debated a long, long time on this and the recent addition of taxes basically meant I scaled back more than I'd originally intended, but I'm pretty sure I'll like everything I bought.

and that's how we'll end Halloween

I decided to top my Halloween off with a semi scary-ish movie. Well, to be fair, it's not really a scary movie, but considering the book it was based on, it could very well have been super gross. Anyway, Dark Places has been on my "to watch" list for a bit. I'm fairly certain that if I go looking, I'll find a book review around here (and I know I have a brief one on Goodreads) but I don't remember much about it other than hating the ending. Hating it so much that it retroactively ruined the whole thing for me.
Oh, and that it's a take on true crime, sorta. Those two things.

I'm going to say that in this case, the movie is... easier than the book. The book explains some things better but the reveal of What Really Happened works better in the movie. Probably because for a movie you're only along for maybe two hours and you're invested in a different way than you are in a book. The book involves building a world in your head (either with the author's help or without, it's still world building) and then living there, even when things are seriously not okay.
I enjoyed the movie more than I remember reading the book, but I'm in a weird position where I'm not sure if it's because I knew the 'twist' or if it's because I don't really remember all that much about the book beyond that. Well, I'm also assuming the characters in the movie are more likable because Gillian Flynn's books are usually lacking in anyone who isn't at least partially awful, and if memory serves, Libby's pretty upfront about being a jerk. Charlize Theron just infuses her with something extra (must be the height, book!Libby's a shrimp, I do believe) and the rest of the cast does good things with what they have. Or, y'know, maybe the movie realized that Flynn's habit of making everyone unlikable might not work if you can't walk away and come back whenever.

Whichever. Not really a traditional scary movie, but then again neither is The Worst Witch, which is my usual Halloween fare.