October 2025 Wrap-Up

 

This post marks two years of posting these monthly wrap-ups. I look forward to coming up with content for each of the segments and trying out new ones (including one this month!). As I've written previously, this blog has taken over for my social media as the place where I share what is going on in my life. I'm still on Facebook, X, and Bluesky, but I use them all for very different purposes.

This October was just as busy as last year's, which I stated was one of the busiest month's I've had in years. Work was very busy doing a lot of outreach events, including two all day Saturday events and two late night events in Kent and Sussex County that we added this year. I also moved buildings from Dover to Smyrna into the new Delaware Public Health Lab building. I'm enjoying my new space, even if it's lonely without any of my team here. I'll be hiring for two positions that will join me in our new location over the next couple of months. On the family side, there was a fall festival, Halloween events, and the homecoming parade that James participated in on the Spanish Immersion float. We've got a lot of plans through the end of the year and in the beginning of next year so I don't expect much of a slow down.

Blah Blog Log

Just the one post for October.

• September 2025 Wrap-Up - Good food and a round of disc golf at an employee appreciation event, a new potato chip flavor, and a little less gaming than normal.
  

Bored Board Games

In October, I played 41 games a total of 102 times which was an uptick from last month where I didn't capture at least 100 plays. The Solotober challenge was the main driver of plays and while I wished there were more physical plays of those solo games, I'm thankful BGA has so many options. My total plays for the year stands at 1438, which means getting to at least 1500 seems like a lock at this point. There were no games added to the 100 Games 100 Plays List, but there are a few looming in the 90s and high 80s that could make it soon. 

Despite my very busy work month, I did have time to evaluate my collection. During a well deserved day off, I spent a couple hours to begin reorganizing my shelves. This included pulling every game that's on my for trade list off of the shelf and put it in a box in front of the shelves. This keeps them separate and gives me access to them for playing and trading. I might do another bulk store credit trade in after Christmas at The Days of Knights in Newark. This month's highlighted game is Creature Comforts:

Creature Comforts is a family style worker placement with dice game where players attempt to "gather different goods from the forest and spending them to collect items that will make your home more inviting while the world outside is covered in a layer of snow. Each round you send family members out to various locations in an attempt to gain supplies. If they fall short of their goal, they’ll learn a lesson and be better prepared next time. The family that has created the most comfortable den wins the game."

I've played this game both solo and a couple of times at different player counts. I recently took it off the shelf after nearly a year and brought it to our game meetup. I really like worker placement games and especially those that use dice as the workers in some way. Only knowing two of the six dice results prior to selecting what spaces you want to go to is such a neat mechanic. I also like the theme of collecting different items that often can score more points if you collect other specific items. It's a welcoming game for both family and hobby gamers that has beautiful production value.

Cookie of the Month

This is a new segment that may or may not stick around, but I had the idea of making a type of cookie each month and share how it came out here. As a part of the change in work locations, I wanted to have something I could share on the day I moved into my new building. These Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies ended up being a big hit, both with staff in my old building and as an ice breaker to meet new coworkers. 

I made a few adjustments to the recipe linked above based on what I had on hand when I was going to make them. I swapped in more light brown sugar in place of the dark brown sugar and did a combination of mini chocolate chips and dark chocolate chips. I think the addition of corn starch, which have never seen in a chocolate chip cookie recipe before, made a big difference. It both keeps the cookie thicker but also allows for a more tender center.

Enjoyable Eats

I had a few options to cover in this segment, but my favorite was another food truck that we tried during a fall festival in Middletown a few weekends back. There were nearly a dozen options, split between desserts and main courses and we settled on an Indian truck called Zaikka on Wheels. They serve a variety of both Indian and Mediterranean dishes. Christine and I both opted for a lamb and beef gyro, while the kids got chicken tenders and fries.

Normally chicken tenders are pretty standard frozen and then fried and I think these were like that, but they were very different than any I've had before. The batter was lighter and the chicken was more like a McNugget. We all enjoyed them and would definitely order them again. The same goes for our gyros, the subtle differences from that of other options we have really set them apart. The meat was seared a bit on the grilled after being sliced and the addition of pickled peppers added some nice acidity to a normal heavy dish. If you see the Zaikka truck at an event, definitely check them out. I want to try one of their bowls or the Tandoori Chicken Tikka Wrap next time.

I'm Watching 👀

We've been watching the sitcom Superstore for a few months now and I really look forward to watching it right before bed most nights. We didn't watch it when it was on from 2015-2021, but found it when we were looking for a new 20ish minute show that we could watch with Grace each night. Previously, we've watched Friends many times through, Parks and Rec, Schitt's Creek, and a few others. 

I think Superstore really holds its own and is wildly underrated. We're entering season four and I'm still laughing out loud at least once an episode. I think the setting being a Walmart-esque all in one store is really relatable, very much like The Office, and in the end is ultimately about the characters, their relationships, and what happens during the daily grind of our lives. I'll be sad when we reach the end of season six but I could see us rewatching it at some point, it's that good. 

 Resolutions Update

I decided on a single resolution for this year: Read all 35 issues of Simplify Magazine. Which means I'll need to read 3 issues each month. Each issue is about 75 - 100 pages long and is comprised of short essays on whatever that issue's topic is. 

• Goal Progress - 15 out of 35

Still no update, it'll be a grind to the end of the year or it just won't happen. Only time will tell.

Whatcha Snackin?

This is not a new snack, but a very dependable one that I keep in my desk at work and have pretty much for the last two years since I've been in my current role. Lance ToastChee Peanut Butter are just flakey orange crackers filled with peanut butter that the company has been making since it's inception in 1913. 

I buy these 6 packs of 4 sandwich crackers from Aldi and they're a perfect snack to throw in my bag to have when I'm working outside of the office or just have during the day. Lance makes a bunch of different sandwich cracker flavors, but this one is right up there among my favorite snacks.

Wrap It Up

Please comment below with any thoughts or comments on anything I've covered. Thanks for reading!