alicezhaox

[alicezhaox]

I’m looking forward to getting to cook some more dumplings when Thanksgiving comes around. I haven’t made them in a while.

It was a fun time, getting to enjoy all of the activities that were put on. Now, it's just fall, cozy, gearing up for all of the delicious Thanksgiving food to look forward to.

[alicezhaox]

An online shopper, yeah, pretty much. I tend to try to get things as soon as possible shopping-wise. But I’ll also pick up some things from the market to add on.

Oh, are you a big early shopper? I like a good mix of early and later, because I love to shop at the holiday market to get some local made goods for my loved ones.

[alicezhaox]

Alice chuckled. “Not really,” she said, taking another glance at the paper. “I’m a writer, so not much time for guitar lessons unless there’s something my boss isn’t telling me,” she said.

It was comical when someone fell for it, honestly because the majority hadn't. The woman seemed frazzled if anything, unsure or checked out entirely. Either way, he thought to himself that he was going to play along as long as he was put on her radar.

"Oh yeah? What kind of work has you paying for guitar lessons?" Jake asked, a smile wrapped in the slightest curiosity.

[alicezhaox]

I do! It’s all very seasonal-driven but there’s always lots of new things every year besides the traditional yearly ones. And it keeps things interesting. Aw, I’m glad! Mm, sounds like my kind of celebration. And now that we’re almost at Thanksgiving, it just means lots and lots more food!

This time of year, especially. I know that there aren't a lot of events coming up, but I'd imagine you do a lot of special interest pieces, given what time of year it is and everything. Always a good time, my parents go all out since they've always both loved the holiday, so we had a nice little celebration together. And I ate entirely too much, as usual.

[alicezhaox]

Now that's something that I need to schedule. Self-care has become one of my favorite things. Especially now that the weather has gotten colder.

You definitely should. I feel like I heard about a place with a deal the other day. There was a discount for a massage and facial combo.

[alicezhaox]

The holidays and healthy food... that's a tough one especially when everyone wants to cook the most hearty, delicious food ever. A little bit of everything here and there. I think I've already seen them up in the parking lots! I also did pick up some tinsel for my tree actually.

Exactly! As long as it's the right snacks, because no one wants to go to an event and end up having to eat healthy food the whole time, you know? No kidding, next thing you know, you'll be seeing Christmas trees all over the place. I'll admit that I've been picking up some little decorations here and there, though.

[alicezhaox]

Alice smirked, watching him. "Exactly," she grinned. "Fancy in the best ways," she said. She loved getting to dress up. There were lots of opportunities in town to do so. She giggled. "Okay, to be fair... neither would I. I'd probably also get hungry maybe an hour or two in and then never come back," she joked, dropping her head slightly in a laugh. "The hand jive, huh? A simple one but not gonna lie... a classic," she hummed. "Does this mean if I stop by the office, I'll get to see you doing the hand jive?"

"There's a thought," and then he let out a laugh as he lifted one shoulder, careful not to let it disrupt their dance, "although I guess an argument could be made that our galas end up being exactly that, anyway, right?" They were all parading fancy looks that they worked hard on, so it was basically the same situation. Ish. "I would definitely not survive either of those things," he insisted while shaking his head, "you know me, I would be halfway through the hand jive -- or, well, my brain is going right to Grease -- before I decided that I needed to go reply to an email… or just got bored. This is more my speed."

[alicezhaox]

"I just wasn't prepared! I got surprised easily," Alice laughed along with them. "I'll let you know that I don't get surprised as easily now, but sometimes you just don't know what to expect!" she grinned. "The ghosts, yeah," she chuckled a bit more. "I don't know who I'd bode when it comes to the actual scary movies, that is yet to be seen!" she grinned. "Oh, it looks spooky!" she said, glancing out the window.

Stelly couldn't help but to let out a loud laugh when Alice admitted that she had gotten scared during Casper, although she shouldn't make fun. There were some people out there who genuinely couldn't handle the scary things, it happened to the best of them. "Was it the ghosts? Did they get you? Because they could be pretty spooky if you weren't ready for them!" That was sort of how it worked. As the car pulled closer to the haunted houses, Stelly sat up with excitement. "Here we are!"

[alicezhaox]

Good thinking. I think there’s a lot of things on sale now which means we just gotta take advantage of all that and stock up before the big festive feels hit!

That's true, but if we're smart, we use this is preparation time for the big holiday season. Once Thanksgiving comes it's all downhill from there.

[alicezhaox]

It keeps me on my toes, so I’m all around town. There’s a lot to keep up with, but I actually love getting to get a bit of everything around town. Oh how was that! I know it’s such a beautiful celebration with lots of color and music and food.

I'm sure that they keep you pretty busy during Hallo-Week, writing articles about things happening around town, hm? I skipped dressing up, but I am celebrating Day of the Dead with my parents today and tomorrow, so that's something to look forward to.

[alicezhaox]

Alice had a meeting in the afternoon, so she decided that a good spot would be the local coffee shop for a change of scenery. It had been a busy week, so it was nice to have something less formal. She needed a pick-me-up, so an iced latte was the first thing she ordered, along with a grilled cheese sandwich.

She held her notebook close to her chest, extra pages of notes sticking out of the margins along with tabs and her pen behind her ear. "Hmm?" Alice turned around. "Oh, it must've been in my notebook, apparently I collect random flyers around town because of work. Never even thought about these classes... yet, really."

Who: Open (5/7) When: Early Evening Where: Outside Cobblestone Cafe

It'd been a week (a week and a half now?) since being back in town —time showing its cruelty when a week back in his parent's house felt like only an hour and an eternity depending on the day. It'd been a while since he'd felt like this, a truly blank canvas. Supposed to be a recoup of sorts but where a week that would normally be a vacation was permanent. By day three when cracking open a comic was filled with a bizarre tightness in his chest, anxious an understatement. Today though, he left the perimeters of his parent's house in the burbs. An old crushed-up stack of flyers for music lessons with the ends frayed with his contact information he used to staple around Brooklyn in hand, Jake in the midst of stapling to a post for the hell of it, turning to the passerby, "Hey! Hey yeah, you dropped this..." Bending over to pluck the imaginary object to hand over one of his tabs, "You call within a week, first three sessions are free. And I'll tack on a holiday discount for the month of December."

[alicezhaox]

For sure! Snacks make everything better, I believe. You totally get it. I feel like now that Halloween is over we’ve fast forwarded towards Christmas in just 48 hours. It already feels extra festive.

Totally get it! Atmosphere is great, drinks are fun, music makes you want to dance, but you have to have those good snacks to make any event worth going to, right? No matter what it's for. I'm excited! I don't want to rush Halloween, but… Christmas!

[alicezhaox]

“They could have their own fashion show, put a bunch of different outfits together and showcase their talents,” Alice agreed. She loved that everyone had their own style, which made everything more interesting. And everyone seemed to enjoy it as well. Her grin grew a bit more, watching Raf’s reaction. “Yeah! Like the ones they show on tv in the movies,” she giggled. “Oh I’m sure that’s not true. Or one of those 24-hour dance competitions, though I think you’ll need extra comfy shoes for those.”

"It's sort of amazing, isn't it?" he asked on a light laugh, "you wouldn't expect a small town like Merrock to have so many fashion-forward people," but it did. Between Nari and Arturo, then Sylvia and Elena, and then people like Bella, who ran her boutique, not to mention the countless men and women who just enjoyed fashion, period. Rafael liked a good suit and tie, loved dressing up when he had the opportunity, but he knew that he didn't quite compare. "A ballroom dancing competition?" he laughed, shaking his head as he stepped with her through the moves, "absolutely not. And humiliate myself in front of all of New York? No thank you!"

[alicezhaox]

I will take a look at it and let you know! I think a massage will me much needed before the busy busy holiday season.

It does but it always gets figured out some how. I definitely think most people appreciate it. You definitely need to try the water massage.

[alicezhaox]

Fancy dresses are hard to come across, but I’m glad I found something to put together. Oh, I get what you mean there. That’s why I love working these events. Sometimes they even give you a backstage look at everything too! Did you enjoy yourself?

I will absolutely be running on coffee the next week. I did have a great time at the wedding last weekend, and wish we could repeat those more often, something about dancing the night away in fancy dresses. I forgot how fun that is when it's not some boring medical fund raiser. Though now with Halloween approaching I'm going to be contemplating hooking myself up to a caffeine drip to survive.

[alicezhaox]

Ahh, I see! Well I’m hoping for you that it goes smoothly. I’ve been working on different articles for the paper, so I get what you’re saying about it all goes by so quickly. Hallo-week was so much fun! I did go to one of the haunted houses and got scared silly. How about you?

There are plenty of events to keep up with, so I get being busy. Surprisingly, the school year has been relatively calm so far, thankfully. I'm hoping I don't jinx myself and it gets busy all of a sudden since that seems to be how it works. Are you looking forward to the Halloween week? Sounds like it's going to be a good time.

[alicezhaox]

“Okay, good!” Alice chuckled with a nod. She wasn’t sure about what to expect, but at least she could write about it afterwards. And they wouldn’t have to walk all the way back after being scared silly. “I…” she laughed a little, fiddling with her hair on her shoulder. “I got spooked the first time I watched Casper. But I like to think I’ve gotten better. I promise not to run off when I get scared!”

"The good kind," Stelly grinned when Alice said that she was going in open minded, and just a bit nervous about what might happen next. But truthfully, it never hurt to keep your mind open and experience new things. And at least they had the uber ride to figure out what their plan of attack was going to be. Relaxing back into the seat, Stelly found themselves laughing when Alice suggested medium, nodding their head. "Good plan. That way we can see what we're capable of handling. How do you normally handle scary things?"