There are small lines coming off my heart line, which signifies creativity. My life line is very long but has a large break in it. There are small lines coming off my head line, signifying travel in my future. My right middle finger curves toward my index finger, which means I spend too much time in my head. These are a few of the things a palm reader, Sharon Appelbaum, told me while examining my right palm.

Appelbaum sits in a chair on the sidewalk at the Eugene Saturday Market. She has a simple sign advertising her palm reading services and invites others to sit across from her while having it done.

“There’s so much you can see in the hand, how intuitive someone is, if they have an active or peaceful mind, if they’re a caretaker. I wish people could understand how much there is in the hand. It’s not fortune telling.”

Appelbaum first got into palm reading in Berkeley, Calif., in the 1970s when she went through a period of depression while studying to be a nurse. After flunking her first test, she decided nursing wasn’t for her and became interested in intuition development. She has also studied hypnotherapy, massage and chakra clearings. The latter involves cleaning a person’s aura of bad energies.

Palm reading involves looking at not only the lines on a hand, but its shape and the length of fingers. Appelbaum also said that hand lines change based on life experiences.

“I guess the lines on your hand could tell you about what you’ve been doing, but I don’t think they can tell you what’s going to happen in your future,” says Pammi Lee, a junior at the University of Oregon.

Appelbaum recognizes that people are skeptical about palm readings. She believes the credibility of hypnotherapy, palm readings, tarot cards and things of this psychic nature has been ruined by media’s portrayal of them.

“It’s frustrating when people don’t believe it,” Applebaum said.

Appelbaum said that the best part about reading palms and doing hypnotherapy is the appreciation she receives from people she’s helped, especially from those who are skeptical.

UO senior Elizabeth Uong has had her palm read but wasn’t entirely happy with the experience. “The woman was vague about the future and what would happen. I tried to pry more information out of her, but she just kind of avoided that and went back to what she was saying,” Uong said.

Appelbaum also receives specific questions often. “Everybody wants a relationship, and everybody wants to lose weight,” she said.

In addition to palm reading and hypnotherapy, Appelbaum teaches classes on intuition development and stress reductions, which she believes are helpful for college students. Appelbaum strongly believes in past lives, and she offers a group regressions service, which enable people to find out who they once were.

Many people believe that psychic powers must be inherited. However, Appelbaum believes in the credibility of intuition development schooling, as well as in her own innate intuitiveness.

“I was always fascinated with life,” she said. “I’ll point to a big rainbow in the sky that people don’t notice. I’ve always seen the details.”

A daunting 1,000-pound pumpkin stood before him. Tom Lindskog, a professional pumpkin carver in Eugene, had seven hours to complete his carving. Most people practice the craft of pumpkin carving once a year, painstakingly struggling to even complete a smiling Jack-o’-lantern. However, Lindskog is not one of these people.

Lindskog dedicated an entire Sunday afternoon to carving a massive pumpkin at Hop Valley Tasting Room Oct. 20, just weeks before Halloween. Lindskog, a social studies teacher at Willamette High School, spends every October carving pumpkins for local businesses. He was inspired after watching his wife’s boss carve a giant pumpkin at the Fifth Street Market for an event for ShelterCare, a local charity that provides shelter for homeless people with mental illnesses, five years ago.

“I thought, ‘that’s pretty cool, I want to try that,’” Lindskog said. After watching a pumpkin carving challenge on the Food Network called “Halloween Wars,” his interest was sparked. He began carving pumpkins for his porch. And the next year, was able to carve the giant pumpkin for ShelterCare’s event. Now Lindskog carves 20-40 pumpkins every October.

However, the art of carving was not entirely new to Lindskog, who learned to carve wood in 1991, while he was in the army. Carving wood is still one of his favorite hobbies, along with woodturning clay and spending time with his family. A devoted dad, Lindskog also coaches his kids’ soccer team. Throughout his seven hours of carving, onlookers were impressed with Lindskog’s skill, as well as with the size of the pumpkin — which had to be transported into the brewery by a forklift.

“It didn’t fit through most of the doors, but luckily we have the big roll up garage door and a lot of fork lifts around here, so we were able to get it inside,” said Holly Emery-Walen, Hop Valley Tasting Room’s manager. Linskog had constant spectators throughout the day. He worked quickly and diligently. Lindskog contacted Hop Valley in the summer, which is when he does most of his outreach for the upcoming seasons. “One of the hard things is trying to find a market for this,” he said. However, Lindskog has regular clients, such as Lone Pine Farms, who was the first place to hire him. His dream is to be paid to travel abroad to carve.

“My kids think it’s pretty cool, my family is supportive, but it does mean I work seven days a week for the whole month. I’m kind of tired of carving pumpkins by the end of October.” At the end of the seven hours, the pumpkin is 150 pounds lighter, and Lindskog is worn out, but happy. “It’s been pretty great. You get to talk to people all day. It is tiring, but you know, it’s not like it’s a really hard physical job and I get to have fun while I do it,” he said.

The completed pumpkin was brewery appropriate, with Frankenstein holding a pint of beer on one side, and a keg with Hop Valley’s logo on the other. Lindskog’s Halloween plans involve monster-makeup with his family, trick-or-treating and letting his kids carve the pumpkins for the front porch.

I would absolutely be the first one to die in a horror movie. Despite this knowledge, I still enjoy watching them, as long as they’re not too terrifying. Everybody gets excited for Christmas specials but don’t forget about these satisfying Halloween treats.

1. Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

If Halloween were to have a spokesperson, it would be Tim Burton. Not only is this a Halloween movie, but it is also a Christmas movie, making it the best movie of October, November and December. It’s also the 20th anniversary of this movie’s release (sorry to make you feel old).

2. Dead Alive (1992)

Before filming the fantastical adventures of hobbits, Peter Jackson made this awesome cult zombie slasher-comedy. Set in the 1980s, this film tells the story of a man whose mother gets bit by a “Samutran Rat-Monkey” and consequently becomes a zombie. Skip it if you’re squeamish.

3. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)

Halloween is never complete until I watch this movie. It never gets old — the ghost costumes made from a sheet with two holes for eyes, Snoopy’s WWI fantasy and Charlie Brown getting rocks instead of candy at every house. It’s also only 24 minutes long, making it a perfect study break movie.

4. Halloween (1978)

Skip the 2007 remake and watch the original. This movie is a little terrifying, but it’s called Halloween, so it should probably be on this list. Not to mention, it has one of the best opening sequences and theme songs of any movie.

5. Halloweentown (1998)

Two worlds: Halloween world and human world. Which would you pick? This movie speaks to the popular kid fantasy of being able to do magic. Disney Channel also made “Halloweentown 2” (2001), “Halloweentown High” (2004) and “Return To Halloweentown” (2006), which allowed this story to be a moneymaker for almost 10 years.

6. Trick ‘r Treat (2007)

Based on an animated short, this movie interweaves four stories, all with different degrees of eeriness. Parts of this movie are terrifying, but the reoccurring figure, a little trick-or-treater wearing footie pajamas and a burlap mask, is too funny looking for me to take the movie very seriously.

7. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

Again, skip the 2003 remake, which is overly gory and sexualized. Based on the true story of serial killer Ed Gein, this low-budget film is terrifying, uncovering the unseen activities that occur in people’s homes. Extremely campy, it’s also a great lesson in why not to pick up hitchhikers or enter the homes of strangers, especially in rural Texas.

Let the countdown to Halloween begin!

Reuben Unrau has always considered himself a funny guy and a bit of a class clown. However, he never thought he would be onstage performing his own stand-up comedy routine.

“There’s really no other feeling to compare you can compare it to,” Unrau said of his first stand-up  performance. “I was on Cloud 11.” Unrau performed at a student stand-up comedy show at the EMU last spring, along with several other members of UO’s Stand-Up Society.

Stand-Up Society is a student group of comedians and was started by students Ben Schorr, Brandt Hamilton and Joe Glasgow, who would informally meet up and bounce ideas off each other. The club began hosting weekly meetings last winter and since then has grown to 25 members.

“People can be good if they just go and show up,” Unrau said. “We do writing exercises and think of funny ideas and all of a sudden they have a joke put together. A lot of people bomb the first time they do it but that’s just part of the process. You can’t be funny all the time.”

Although the Stand-Up Society helps, Unrau gets most of the material for his jokes from observing the humor he shares with his friends. He also credits much of the success of his performances to his experiences being onstage in a band in high school. Although he enjoyed playing in a band, he described hearing the roar of laughter from an audience as “indescribable.”

The Green Room hosts a comedy open-mic night on Thursday nights and Stand-Up Society has hosted shows in the EMU and at Sam Bond’s Garage.

In addition, the upcoming Quackin’ Me Up comedy competition is a great opportunity for student comedians to perform. It will include students from UO, Lane Community College and Northwest Christian University. The first two qualifying events will take place Oct. 23 and 30. Next, two semi-final events will be held on Nov. 6 and 13 and the final event takes place on Nov. 20.

Senior Conor Armor, a member of the Stand-Up Society, is looking forward to the competition because it will force him to write new material.

“It’s so easy to put off because you’ve got homework and a social life,” Armor said. “You can go so long without writing anything, but this will be closer to what it’d be like to actually be a stand-up comedian when you’re forced to come up with new material.”

Unlike Unrau, Glasgow plans to pursue a career in stand-up comedy. “Whether it be performing or running a comedy club of my own some day, I would like to continue having stand-up comedy as a part of my life from now on,” he said.

Unrau, Glasgow, Armor and other members of Stand-Up Society will perform at Quackin’ Me Up. Tickets are $5 at the door and 10 percent is donated to the Stand-Up Society.

Want to really make someone scream this Halloween?

Bijou Metro is hosting its first 72-Hour Horror Film Festival this fall, where contestants will have 72 hours to produce a 2-3 minute horror film. The contest will take place Oct. 24-27. The prize is $500 cash, as well as a screening of the winning film prior to the Bijou’s screening of Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining.”

“With school back in session and with the Bijou Metro’s recent opening downtown, a short horror film competition seemed liked a good way to solicit student interest in filmmaking that would conveniently align with the Bijou Metro’s programming,” said Joshua Purvis, the manager of the Bijou.

The University of Oregon Cinema Studies program is one of the event’s sponsors. Audra Mahoney, the Cinema Studies office manager says, “We have worked for several years in conjunction with the Bijou to bring film events to the Eugene and UO community. We are excited to see another opportunity for students to work in film in a genre that has not been focused on before.”

The Bijou is hosting a kick-off party at the First National Taphouse from 3-5 p.m. on Oct. 24, where contestants will register to compete in the festival. Films will be submitted at the wrap-up party at the Barn Light Café from 6-8 p.m. on Oct. 27.

The University of Oregon Cinema Studies program is sponsoring the event. For more details, email events@bijou-cinemas.com

Breaking Bad has ended but don’t be too disappointed because The Simpsons’ ”Treehouse of Horror XXIV,”  is airing insanely early this year. FOX must have planned this air-date with the ending of Breaking Bad in mind, so keep those Sunday night watch parties going one more week. “Treehouse of Horror XXIV” delivers all the violence and weirdness any Simpsons fan should expect.

Let’s start with the couch gag. I think it should stay a surprise, but it’s directed by Guillermo Del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy, Pacific Rim), so it’s epic. Don’t blink during the opening because if you do you’ll miss at least one horror movie allusion.

The first story is titled, “Oh, The Places You’ll D’Oh,” and for some reason it’s strangely unsettling to me to see the Simpsons parody Dr. Seuss. Although I enjoyed the sing-songy dialogue, the story ultimately gave off more of a Christmas than Halloween vibe, alluding particularly to ‘Twas the night before Christmas. Seeing as how school has only just begun, I’m not ready for that. This twisted, violent Dr. Suess/Simpsons world made me feel weird, but I think that’s the goal of most Treehouse tales.

The writers must have been taking a hint from the success of Game of Thrones when they wrote the second story, “Dead & Shoulders,” which features several beheadings. Bart gets decapitated after innocently tying a kite string around his neck but survives when his head is attached to Lisa’s body to create the first two-headed Simpson. The story had some very nice brother and sister moments between Bart and Lisa. But fortunately, these moments were never long enough to forget that this is a “Treehouse of Horror” episode and in these episodes, absolutely anything can happen.

The third story, “Freaks No Geeks,” was my favorite. The Simpsons’ famous yellow skin turned sepia for this story, set in a 1930s circus. Based on the 1932 horror move, Freaks, this episode aligns the most with classic Simpsons humor and intertextuality. Marge is a trapeze artist and Homer is a strongman. A muscular Homer is a bit eerie, but he still has his belly. The funniest moments of this story come from the short dialogue of the Springfield residents as circus freaks. This story also includes the song “Super Freak,” making it a hit in my book.

That’s all I can say. Kang and Kodos are watching. The Simpsons: “Treehouse of Horror XXIV” airs Sunday on FOX at 8 p.m.

If the last time you walked through downtown was prior to last spring, it might have looked boring, gray and like something resembling a ghost town. Recently, however, downtown Eugene has gone through what you could call a cultural renaissance, adding restaurants and entertainment geared toward a younger crowd. These new businesses include a new Bijou Arts Cinema, called Bijou Metro.

On a Monday night, a large group of people enter one of the Bijou Metros’ intimate theaters, all holding local beers in their hands. The art cinema’s manager and two of its owners are cleaning theaters, selling tickets and serving food and drinks. This red-walled, dimly lit, cozy setting is exactly what draws people to a theater like the Bijou, located on Broadway.

According to an industry report by the Motion Picture Association of America, 160 million less movie tickets were sold in 2012 than 2003. Art-house theaters that show independent, classic and foreign films generally have a harder time staying in businesses than commercial theaters.  Although the Bijou on 13th Avenue has been around for an impressive 33 years, the opening of the new location was actually not at all funded by the original Bijou’s success.

The support for the downtown location comes from federal funds for urban renewal. The Bijou Metro would not have been able to open if it weren’t for the city of Eugene providing a Downtown Revitalization Loan Program. This program gives loans to businesses based on the number of jobs they create. Despite the downtown location being farther away from most students than the 13th Avenue location, Bijou Metro is twice as successful with half as many seats. Pretty impressive considering it opened in June.

Many of Bijou Metro’s customers are students and the Bijou employees believe this is because of the nightlife downtown. Julie Blonshteyn, one of the owners of the Bijou, says it felt like there was a “new energy” downtown after the new restaurants and bars opened. This revitalization of downtown Eugene also includes apartment buildings geared toward students, like the 13th & Olive complex and the Titan Court apartments on 9th Avenue and Charnelton Street. More downtown restaurants, bars and entertainment may start to compete with the areas more closely surrounding campus. Joshua Purvis, the manager and PR specialist of the Bijou Metro, says that a revitalized downtown can be a “transition space as students are growing up and moving into cities.”

The beauty of a local art cinema is that it has a closer tie with the community. One of the owners of Bijou Metro books the films himself, as well as interacts with customers on a daily basis in order to know the audience and therefore have a more successful theater. With students in mind, Bijou Metro is putting on a late-night genre series featuring action, martial arts, horror and anime movies. You can purchase a punch-card pass, which gets you into all six movies for $25. Bijou Metro also has a student membership, which costs $75 per year and gives you $3 admission for films, $1 admission for the late-night series and discounts at surrounding downtown restaurants.

A new year brings exciting new pieces of entertainment in the world of theatre and film. Whether you’re into timeless classics, lip-synching, short films or Morgan Freeman, you’re guaranteed to find something entertaining to watch in Eugene. Our town is home to several movie theaters, and the UO theatre department presents five main stage shows per year, as well as countless other student-run productions.  Grab a date, sit back and enjoy.

Theater

Hello Stranger — Written by UO senior Thomas Varga, this show won the university’s annual student playwriting competition, “New Voices,” and will be produced this fall. The show explores how the anonymity of technology affects how people communicate. The show runs Oct. 24-26, 5 p.m., Pocket Theatre, 102 Villard, free admission.

Trapped in the Closet — This month, the student-run Pocket Playhouse will produce an entirely lip-synched version of R. Kelly’s original hip-hop opera. Auditions are Oct. 1, 3:30-6 p.m. in 102 Villard. Come prepared with a lip sync act. The show runs Oct. 31-Nov. 1, 5 p.m., Pocket Theatre, 102 Villard, free admission.

Arcadia — University Theatre is bringing in director Scott Kaiser from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival to direct this Tom Stoppard play. The play takes place in both 19th century and present day England and explores the human quest for knowledge. The show runs Nov. 8-23, 7 p.m. and 2 p.m., Robinson Theatre, Miller Theatre Complex, free with student ID.

Spring Awakening — The New York Times calls it “a straight shot of eroticism.” This Tony award-winning rock musical tells the story of 19th century German teenagers exploring their sexuality. The show runs April 25 and 26, May 1-10, 7 p.m. and 2 p.m., Robinson Theatre, Miller Theatre Complex, free with student ID.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland — We’re all familiar with the surreal tale of Alice and the white rabbit, Mad Hatter, Cheshire cat and hookah-smoking caterpillar. Director La Donna Forsgren is modernizing the Lewis Carroll classic for the intimate Hope Theatre stage. Shows run May 30 and 31, June 1-9,  7 p.m. and 2 p.m., Robinson Theatre, Miller Theatre Complex, free with student ID.

For more information on University Theatre, check out blogs.uoregon.edu/theatre.

Movies

The Spectacular Now — Looking for an emotional coming-of-age film as you leave high school and start college? Cuddle up in the cozy seats of the Bijou theatre and see this quirky comedy from the writers of “500 Days of Summer.” Tuesday-Wednesday 4:45 p.m., 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m., Thursday 9:30 p.m., Friday-Sunday 2:15 p.m., 4:45 p.m., 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m. Bijou Arts Cinema, 492 E. 13th Ave.

2013 Sundance Film Festival: Short Films — The Bijou is playing eight short films, running a total of 93 minutes. Opens Nov. 1, Bijou Metro, 43 West Broadway.

Classics Series: Stanley Kubrick — The Bijou will often choose an influential filmmaker and screen their set of works. Take a night off and let Kubrick sweep you up into his bizarre mind. The Shining makes the perfect scary movie date. Films: “Lolita,” Oct. 4-9; “Eyes Wide Shut,” Oct. 11-16; “A Clockwork Orange,” Oct. 18-23; “The Shining,” Oct. 25-30; “Spartacus,” Nov. 1-6. Bijou Metro, 43 West Broadway.

Ender’s Game — Remember that science fiction story you read freshman year of high school? A quiet boy genius is sent to a battle school in space to learn how to fight alien invaders. Opens Nov. 1, Valley River Center.

The LEGO Movie — Legos saving the world? What could be better? Plus, in the grand tradition of animated films relying on the fame of the actors who do the voiceovers, this film includes the voices of Will Ferrell, Morgan Freeman, Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. Opens Feb. 7, 2014, Valley River Center.

Also, get ready to enjoy/avoid some sequels! “The Amazing Spiderman 2,” “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” “Fast and Furious 7,” “The Expendables 3,” “22 Jump Street,” “Transformers 4″ and “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues” are all being released in the coming year.