Before I miss it completely...

One thing I really like about working at a college is that fall still feels like a time of year when things start picking up. Fresh starts and new projects - all that fun stuff I've always loved. And it's certainly been that way this year. I moved into my new apartment (which I'm loving more and more all the time) two weeks before the semester started, and the last two months have felt like one exciting thing after another.

This weekend has been no exception.

Friday I had my friends over for the first time since I moved in. A couple of them had already seen it, but this was the first time I'd really had people over, other than just looking in, or helping me move in in the first place. And it was a great night. We carved pumpkins, I made shepherds' pie for the first time (which turned out wonderfully, and which I completely plan to make again), and all around had a really nice night.

Saturday we went in costume to see a few cover bands at the local brewery, where among other things, we saw the worst band in the world. Not just the worst cover band, the worst band. Ever. It was painful to watch, and baffling, as the Ramones really aren't particularly musically challenging. But they made it all sound much, much worse. Than anything else I've ever heard. I'm going to stop myself now, because I feel like I could just go on and on. Luckily, the rest of the night was pretty good.

Sunday I got a couch, and christened it by curling up and watching Stardust and eating leftover shepherd's pie. It may sound boring, but I certainly enjoyed myself. I do love me some Neil Gaiman. And Robert de Niro as Captain Shakespeare will always be my favorite role of his. He's charming.

And today was all about final preparations for NaNoWriMo, which starts tomorrow. I've got my novel sketched out, I spent the evening making lists and notes and whatnot, and I made an incredibly enormous grocery store run. I bought a big haul, and shouldn't need to go back for at least two weeks. Which is good, because I spent a bit more than I intended. But it's all in the name of NaNoWriMo, and at least I managed to make myself buy some healthy stuff. So hopefully by this time tomorrow, I'll be at least 1667 words in.

I still haven't decided if I'm going to attempt both NaNoWriMo and NaBloPoMo, like I did last year (not that it lasted). I think I'll just wait and see how insane I'm feeling tomorrow. For now, I think I just need to go to bed. Literary abandon awaits!


Happy Halloween, everybody.