Pumpkin Spice Latte time. “Sweater Weather” time. Autumn skies and apple pie time. Personally, fall is my favorite season. Leaves change colors and become crunchy, crisp air leaves me with rosy cheeks, food tastes like home, and, best of all, people pull out their flannels. 

However, this fall there’s been one problem- it’s still 80 degrees. Instead of blaming Mother Nature, I believe the culprit of this bothersome conundrum is climate change (which, if you feel so inclined, is somewhere you can donate to from the comfort of your home to join the fight). 

No matter the cause, I know one thing for certain. I have not been seeing leaves change color, I have not been feeling crisp and cool air, and I have not been seeing any flannels worn. As a result, I feel inclined to share ways for people to incorporate the cozy fall feelings we know and love into our daily lives; it’s been made clear nobody else is going to do it for us *cough cough: climate change.* All of the electronics, products, and all the mantelmount reviewed by the experts would be perfect for your home !

Start Small- Decorate with Little Things

One of the easiest ways to start feeling fall vibes is by adding cute bits of fall here and there. You can also check out Rocky Mountain Forest Products Colorado lumber yards if you’re considering a big remodeling project. Whether you live in a dorm or a barn, there is always room for a festive trinket or two. My personal favorite fall items are candles, mini pumpkins, potpourri, window clings, and fuzzy blankets. If you’re not looking to spend money, venture outside to collect pine corns and acorns. Then, fill a clear dish with these rustic goods- perfect for your dining room table. If all else fails, make a ghost, pumpkin, or any other festive cutouts and hang them on your walls and windows. You can doodle the shapes and characters yourself or find some fun cutouts to print. 

Make your Hobbies Fall-themed

Hobbies are a great way to relax from the stressors of daily life. There’s no better time to pick up hobbies than when the air gets cooler. There are plenty of ways to add a fall vibe to whatever you enjoy doing with your free time. For the adamant television lover, try incorporating a fall-themed movie or episode into your TV itinerary each week. To my readers, try taking up a mystery. It’s always a good way to set an ominous scene and welcome spooky feelings. For the nature fans, set up a bird-feeder near your window or venture out to bird-watch the fall birds in your area. If you enjoy knitting, needlepoint, drawing, and the like try to find designs or colors that correlate with fall aesthetics. You never know, maybe you’ll finish knitting a hat in time to give someone over the holidays!

Start Snacking on All Things Fall

Fall is full of tasty flavors. As the fresh summer produce peters out, make way for apples, pumpkin, cabbage, kale, and more. With a can of pumpkin, you can make your dreams come true. From bread to smoothies, anything is possible. The more you concoct, the more your nose and taste buds will thank you.  I’d also recommend heading to your local grocery store and treating yourself to whatever fresh goody there is to offer. An apple-cinnamon donut, for example. Lastly, switch out the summer iced coffees and fruity teas for their warmer alternatives in fall spiced teas or ciders. The aromas and flavors of fall are intoxicating. Grizzly Herb is a reputable online platform where individuals can easily buy weed.

These are just a few of the many ways you can get in the fall spirit. Soon enough, the weather will embrace autumn and the leaves will begin to change color. Best of all, though, is that you’ll be one step ahead of everyone else and their fall spirit. One step closer to stepping on the crunchy orange leaves on the sidewalk.   

The post How to Feel Excited About Fall Even When it’s 80 Degrees Outside appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Personally, I am a huge fan of pumpkin at any time of the year. Pumpkin anything is usually amazing and I will rarely pass up the opportunity to eat something made from the beautifully orange squash—pumpkin seeds, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie (one of the only pies I actually enjoy), pumpkin cookies, ect. However, the one thing I do not appreciate pumpkin-themed is the infamous Pumpkin Spice Latte, aka the “PSL,” from Starbucks.

Mini PSL rant: For the life of me I cannot grasp why this drink continues to be a phenomenon every single year. I get that most of it is due to the hype and everyone’s romanticized view of fall, but what I don’t get is why the masses suffer through such a mediocre coffee drink year after year. I will usually get one PSL, just one, every year at the beginning of the season solely to remind myself exactly how bland and disappointing the drink really is so that I don’t make the mistake of ordering it later in the season.

I suppose I also add to the “movement” by participating in it, but I can’t support it. The only hint of pumpkin in the drink is the potent orange color and the “spice” is tragically nonexistent. If Starbucks found a way to pump up the natural pumpkin flavor and infuse the drink with tangible spices, I would whole-heartedly support the movement; but until then I just can’t. Mini rant over.

Anyways, for this month’s installment of the series I decided to make a pumpkin chocolate chip scone recipe I found on Pinterest by a blog called Baker By Nature.

Here’s a quick refresher of the rules:

• I have to consume 2 drinks before I start, but I can’t drink more than a total of 4 throughout the process just to keep the level of overall danger relatively low.
• I have to come out with a finished product; I can’t just make the batter and be like “tadaaa.”
• I have to get someone to taste test it and give their opinion.

Time started: 9:30 p.m.

What I’m drinking: To honor the pumpkin theme even further I picked up a pumpkin ale made by New Belgium, called Pumpkick. I loved the packaging and was intrigued by the description saying that it had a splash of cranberry juice with the classic pumpkin and spices of pumpkin ale. It took me a couple of sips to taste the spice flavors, but once I did it was pretty surprising how potent it was without being overwhelming. Not sure if I’ll buy it again but it was certainly something different. After finishing my first beer, I took a shot of my Toasted Caramel Black Velvet I finally replaced. Then during the baking process I took one more shot of whiskey with my friends.

Estimated difficulty level: 3/5

I’ve never made scones before so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Also for some reason I always associate a recipe calling for an egg wash with being more intensive.

Challenges (besides being intoxicated): Most of the measuring utensils in my apartment were dirty, which is saying a lot because we seem to have an excessive amount. I ended up making due with just a ¼ cup and ½ cup measuring cup which worked fine, but I had to measure the flour twice because I lost count the first time. Also, I only realized when the scones had 2 minutes left in the oven that I forgot to put on the egg wash and cinnamon and sugar topping. To improvise I pulled them out as soon as I remembered, added the topping, let them finish cooking for the last couple minutes and then turned the broiler on until the tops had a nice caramelized coating.

Results

My drunk opinion: They’re super tasty, not a lot of pumpkin flavor though.

Julia’s opinion: “Yooo, they’re good! They’re really moist which is hard to do in a scone. I’d buy them.”

Rylee’s opinion: “I can’t really taste anything right now.” (Her and Julia had shared a bottle of wine at dinner.)

My sober morning opinion: I really, really like these. They are moist like Julia said, without not being scone-like enough and the mini chocolate chips add a perfect balance to the overall less sweet flavor. They are also much more orange than I expected from only half a cup of pumpkin. Maybe the PSL isn’t so unnaturally orange after all.

Final deliciousness rating: 9/10

I love this recipe, definitely going to add it to my favorites.

If you want to test out the recipe for yourself you can find it here.

Check back next month in November for something steeped even deeper in the essences of fall.

Previous Episodes:

Episode 1: Orange Chili Brownies

The post Whisks + Whiskey: Episode 2 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

I began branching out into what I discovered to be the nearly infinite amount of different genres of horror films: Italian horror, psychological horror, horror comedy, splatter gore, invasion horror. These different movies offered a very unique take on the horror genre and really opened up what the term “scary movie” actually meant to me. Don’t get me wrong, these movies can be terrifying, but they do offer a lot more than simple scares in their storytelling.

Bone Tomahawk (2015) – There are even Western horror movies! Except for some choice scenes, this film is a true Western in every sense of the word. The film follows a group of lawmen led by Kurt Russell who are on a mission to rescue some peaceful townsfolk from prehistoric-appearing cavemen.

There are gorgeous wide open shots of panoramic western plains that make you almost forget you are watching what is classified as a horror movie. Indeed, after the somewhat brutal opening scene the movie eschews nearly all standard horror elements until the film’s finale. The movie is not titled Bone Tomahawk for nothing though. The title object features as the tool of destruction in all of the films grisly bits. These include one scene that, without exaggeration is the single most physically graphic moment I have ever witnessed on film. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Violence aside however, this movie is still worth a watch for both horror fans and seasoned western watchers alike. Just skip the above mentioned scene.

Deathgasm (2015) – Ah yes, the old metal-splatter-horror-comedy subgenre. As its name implies, Deathgasm is a movie not to be taken too seriously. As crazy as it may sound, a movie about two metal heads from New Zealand who accidentally summon an entity from Hell is actually quite silly, and even sweet. Oh yeah and there is a lot of blood. It is called Deathgasm after all. The core characters play well off of each other for occasional dialogue and story-driven moments, but the majority of the film is driven by a kinetic energy reminiscent of, well, a death metal track.

They Look Like People (2015) – This low budget pyschological horror film plays the most like a straight scary movie, but is also incredibly emotionally affecting. It followes a young man named Wyatt who believes that the people around him are turning into monsters that (name drop!) look like people. At the core of the movie is the relationship between Wyatt and his best friend Christian. As Wyatt struggles between his paranoia and preparing himself for the coming invasion, he must decide whether or not to help his friend even though Christian may be a monster himself. The film is very quiet and decisive in its scary moments, which amplifies their effectiveness and builds to a climax that is as heart stopping as it is heart wrenching.

Spring (2014) – What do you get when you combine low-impact yet high caliber dialogue with body horror reminiscent of The Fly? You get Spring, a romantic horror film. Yes, romantic horror films exist. Imagine crossing this year’s Sundance Festival hit Southside with You with John Carpenter’s The Thing. Stretching into even more adventurous territory is Spring , the story a man named Evan who takes a winding vacation to Italy. In his travels, he meets and eventually falls for Louise, a student studying in the field of genetics. That genetics major comes in handy for Louise because it turns out she has bouts of turning into horrific monsters every so often. Other than that, she is a total catch. The movie earns its points in the genuine relationship it builds between Evan and Louise. The viewer completely understands why Evan would stay and offer to help Louise near the end of the film rather than go back home and run away from the challenges she presents.

Holidays (2016) – Anthology horror films are notoriously unbalanced, which should surprise no one. If you get multiple directors together for a film there are sure to be some masterful segments as well as a few floppy duds. Holidays contains eight short films that pay homage to some of the more disturbing elements of our favorite times of the year.

The standout segment is Anthony Scott Burns’ Father’s Day. In the short film, a young woman named Carol receives a cassette tape from her father who she previously thought was dead. The tape contains directions from her father on how to find him as well as an explanation for why he had to leave. Jocelin Donahue gives an emotional and nearly silent performance as a daughter who is simultaneously stunned, grieved, and hopeful at the prospect of finding her father.

Likewise Michael Gross is a standout talent as the perfectly pitched dad, lending an air of fatherly love as well as morbid longing to his voice portrayal of Carol’s father. The conclusion of Father’s Day is left ambiguous, but this does not lessen the impact of the segment as a whole.

I absolutely hate when people get down on horror movies. With such a tremendous variety to choose from, everyone can find one that matches their taste. If none of these worked for you, don’t worry. I’ll be back with more choice horror gems later this month. Happy scary movie month!

Watch and Talk is a column about movies. It seeks to not only review movies, but to simply talk about them. Watch and Talk looks at the various cultural impacts and aspects that movies can have.

The post Watch and Talk: Scary Movie Month appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Somehow Pumpkin Month is already nearly over and we are finally in the single digits in the countdown to Halloween. This means if you don’t have a costume yet, it is time to step it up.

We can all agree that witty Halloween costumes are the most entertaining to pick out in the seas of monsters and various “sexy” versions of literally anything. “Sexy Donald Trump,” anyone?

Those who show up to the party in costumes like “Fifty Shades of Grey” or “Heisenburger” immediately make the night even more hilariously strange than it already is.

However, if you are looking at your options this season for the spookiest day of the year and there’s a little voice in your head asking yourself “Is this offensive?” it probably is.

In the wake of instances like this Washington Redskins fan who wore full on red-face to a game in September, and that fact that you can actually buy a sombrero-serape combination costume for your baby (unfortunately, no I am not joking), blatantly racist and offensive costumes are unsurprisingly still an epidemic.

There are literally thousands of options for Halloween costumes to choose from, I mean there are over 20 different costume ideas from Harry Potter alone. There’s seriously so many options that the full two weekends Iowa City seems to utilize for Halloween isn’t even enough to exhaust all the possibilities. With that being said, offensive costumes have become such an integral part of the holiday that sometimes looking through our All Hallows Eve goggles we forget that just because someone calls something their “costume”, doesn’t absolve it from being awful.

Keeping your costume witty rather than offensive really isn’t that hard. Honestly, it really isn’t. However if you are having difficulties distinguishing hilarious from horrific, here are some handy guidelines.

DO NOT:
This one may seem like a no-brainer, but there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to don any sort of blackface, redface, etc. Basically any other “face” than your own is off limits. I shouldn’t even have to include this, but as we saw earlier with the Washington fan and Julianne Hough’s costume two years ago, this sort of thing is apparently not a thing of the past. Sigh.

DO IT:
Grumpy Cat face! Sloth face! Put those paints to good use with any other “face” that does not mock another human’s skin color.

NOPE:
“Sexy” versions of a cultural stereotype, just don’t do it. “Sexy ____” costumes, while comical, are generally pretty unoriginal anyways, but fetishizing another culture through costume is arguably even more offensive than wearing a regular appropriative costume; which you definitely shouldn’t do either, by the way. This includes Geishas, Native American headdresses, sombreros, etc. Basically if it isn’t your culture, do not wear it as a costume. Repeat after me: “Cultures are not costumes, cultures ARE NOT costumes.”

OKAY?
I guess if you really want to go the “sexy” route you might as well do something that will get a few laughs while you’re at it. Just a few gems from around the internet are: sexy pumpkin, sexy crayon, sexy gumball machine, sexy pizza…the list goes on and on. The world is your sexy oyster.

DO NOT:
The previous guideline sort of lends itself to this one: don’t be misogynistic. As mentioned earlier, there are endless possibilities for Halloween costumes. Picking a costume such as a strategically placed genie lamp that says “rub me,” or a “mammogram” box that says “place boobs here,” may seem harmless if not a little crude, but subtly sexually aggressive costumes can contribute to rape culture, something that is unfortunately still an issue on college campuses.

DO IT:
Why be misogynistic when you could be a moose?  Or Tina Belcher and Jimmy Jr. Or a Bob Ross painting. A good guideline for staying away from crude costumes is to think WWGTOT—what would grandma think of this. (Disclaimer, some grandmas are a bit wilder than others. Use discretion when choosing your test grandma.)

The list of guidelines could go on forever, but this is a pretty good starting point. Overall, the number one thing to remember is that Halloween isn’t a free pass to be an insensitive idiot. Being witty is always better than being shitty.

Happy Octoberween!

ALSO:
If you need any other Halloween inspiration, check out special effects makeup YouTuber, Mykie. Her channel, called Glam&Gore, has tutorials for all levels of special effects makeup from beginners to experienced that can be used to create some wicked Halloween looks. She’s currently doing a special Halloween series to get ready for the holiday and her channel is definitely worth a look!

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The post The Walking Contradiction’s How-To Guide: Halloween Costumes appeared first on KRUI Radio.