On Thursday my younger daughter and I went and met my older daughter there, and then on Friday I took my BF. As a writer, he’s always fascinated by people-watching, and for that reason, if no other, I knew he’d be interested. It was such fun to be able to bring him this year.

And we chose a beautiful, soft grey merino yarn for a cardigan for my daughter, and a lovely variegated yarn for fingerless gloves for him, other for patterned ones for the girls and some nice stuff for my Tea-and-Yarn swap partner in Philadephia, so all good. Perfect projects for the time of the year, especially now our clocks are back and it’s dark so much earlier in the evenings.

I am late on chiming in here, and I think it’s because I spent most of the week not doing good things for myself. I *did* bake chocolate cupcakes for Halloween, which Lucas and I ate for breakfast as a special treat that morning. I also have spent little chunks of time out in my yard raking leaves in my yard. The leaves held on really long this year, but they’re almost all on the ground now here in WNY. They’re about six inches thick on the ground in my back yard at the moment, but raking them on the bright, crisp days we’ve been having (about 50 degrees or so every day) is fun.

I have lost so much sleep from cheering the Boston Red Sox, working on revisions, and taking care of sick kids…so my big thing this week has been catching up on my sleep.

I also probably have the first preschool dropout ever. My youngest was freaking out about preschool for the past two months–tantrums at bedtime, the teachers had to pry her off me when I dropped her off…I finally decided it was time to take her out of school. Yeah, I know I should stick it out, but I save myself an hour each day and little one is much calmer.

And I will be cheering for the Patriots on Sunday.

Emily, yay for the quality time with Star Wars and cats! Much better than a stinky old boyfriend, and I know many here would agree.

Patrick, good news on the bra, man. You had me worried.

Katie (the sister), lazy is so necessary sometimes. Embrace it.

Katie (the angry), yow! Sorry you had such stress and couldn’t actually give it the full-treatment tantrum. But excellent work going home and watching some easy-brain TV. Sometimes that’s the best thing to calm the nerves.

Jone, great costumes! Love the pseudo tatts (I assume that’s what your bad boy date’s sleeves were about?). You’re looking pretty bad girl yourself!

Kelley, I am SO happy for you about the sleep thing. And it’s funny how we know so much of it is in our own hands (going to bed early), and we just don’t do it. I’m guilty of that myself this week. Thanks for reminding me to do that one simple thing for myself. 9:00 bedtime sounds wonderful (I’ll let you have the middle-of-the-night crying baby, though. It’s a good thing she’s so cute or you might be a lot more resentful!)

Heather, your memory is crystal clear. I have a loaner Lab right now, until Thanksgiving. And even though for all 8 or 9 years of her life she’s been trained not to jump on her owner’s bed, all it took was a few weeks with me and she’s a total bed dog. Bwaa-ha-ha.

And good for you, telling your internal Critical Byeatch to shut up. Let her go bother someone else. You have stories to write.

High five on the lack o’ bra. As Patrick and the rest of you know, bralessness is the key to creative writing.

And my roommates and I are throwing a party tomorrow, so that’ll be fun.