Getting through a grey month

This is one of my least favourite times of year. November.

In November the trees are bare, the grey looms threateningly, and I’ve suddenly realized that I have about four weeks to write a number of massive papers. Every now and then autumn tantalizes us by reappearing briefly, only to be swept away in cold north wind. Piles of mouldy leaves make the sidewalks smell bad, and my Halloween sugar hangover is finally disappearing (last week I didn’t ingest a single vegetable from Tuesday to Saturday). I’m sick of living off caffeine and watching the sun go down earlier every night.

Here’s some ways I get rid of the November blah’s:

• Turn into a food and/or wine snob. That way I get to indulge without feeling guilty, and am given free rein to complain as much as I want.
• See all the live music I can fit into every week. Hey Rosetta! and Two Hours Traffic make me happy.
• Try to drink as much water as I do coffee. It’s tough, but I’m trying it out for size.
• Do my dishes and laundry. Somehow living in a clean house always seems to make me feel at least slightly better. Also, I haven’t done either of them in a while.
• Visit my parents. They feed me once or twice a week. Also, parents always say something they think is inspiring which can be comforting in the short run.

Well, that’s about all I’ve got. At least today is sunshiny – hopefully it lasts!

Although if John McCain wins tomorrow, none of this will help anyway.