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Makin' my way downtown
Nov. 2nd, 2022 01:43 amI had an appointment in the heart of downtown yesterday, and managed to get myself Completely Lost. I've lived in this place for six-and-a-half years, but outside of the times I visited as a tourist before that, I've found no reason to actually go downtown.
I arrived at my destination with twenty minutes to spare, but missed the turn into the parking lot and spent all of those twenty minutes getting on and off the freeway and driving in all the wrong directions into every stinking red light in the area. The street my destination was on is too narrow for a U-turn, so I simply turned left at the next intersection, thinking I'd drive around the block, only to be fed directly onto the freeway. This also happens to be the area of the freeway interchange, known locally as the Spaghetti Bowl, and I can tell you now, from firsthand experience, driving it really does make you feel like a little meatball rolling around in endless noodles.
After surviving that, I proceeded to badly navigate narrow streets between tall buildings until I found one I knew was close to my destination. A few more red lights later, I arrived, frazzled, only to learn that they were running behind, as well. Which was great news, I guess, but oof, if I never have to go downtown again, it will be all too soon!
Anyway.
Halloween was nice this year. I ended up not going to any of the events I'd planned on, but instead, took a few pictures in my costume and put it away for next year (maybe). Instead, I just had a nice evening monitoring the candy bowl and chatting with neighbors I never really see any other time. We had a few groups of trick-or-treaters, the first of which nearly cleaned me out before 7pm. I made a quick candy run in my ridiculous outfit (this shirt, a short tulle skirt, orange-and-black striped tights, and my steel-toe work boots), and replenished for the rest of the night, with some left over to nibble on. There were some really cute itty-bitties, but the tiny Bugs Bunny was the highlight of the evening. Determined to milk this holiday for all the treats it was worth, he had to be pried away from the candy bowl by his mother, then later pried off the stairs leading to an unoccupied apartment, completely undaunted by his mother telling him nobody was home. But hey, when you're two or three years old and there is candy on the line, you take no chances! XD
OH! And I got to pet my neighbor's dog!!! She's such a pretty little gal, and so, so soft! So, definitely a pretty good Halloween for me this year.
The first day of NaNo slipped right past me, and I think the second will, as well. Since I'm not officially participating, I think I'll adjust my goals: finish as many WIPs as I can, and pick away at that original story. If I hit 50K, great; if not, no big deal. I just want to write again, and I'm hoping this will be the key to restarting.
I arrived at my destination with twenty minutes to spare, but missed the turn into the parking lot and spent all of those twenty minutes getting on and off the freeway and driving in all the wrong directions into every stinking red light in the area. The street my destination was on is too narrow for a U-turn, so I simply turned left at the next intersection, thinking I'd drive around the block, only to be fed directly onto the freeway. This also happens to be the area of the freeway interchange, known locally as the Spaghetti Bowl, and I can tell you now, from firsthand experience, driving it really does make you feel like a little meatball rolling around in endless noodles.
After surviving that, I proceeded to badly navigate narrow streets between tall buildings until I found one I knew was close to my destination. A few more red lights later, I arrived, frazzled, only to learn that they were running behind, as well. Which was great news, I guess, but oof, if I never have to go downtown again, it will be all too soon!
Anyway.
Halloween was nice this year. I ended up not going to any of the events I'd planned on, but instead, took a few pictures in my costume and put it away for next year (maybe). Instead, I just had a nice evening monitoring the candy bowl and chatting with neighbors I never really see any other time. We had a few groups of trick-or-treaters, the first of which nearly cleaned me out before 7pm. I made a quick candy run in my ridiculous outfit (this shirt, a short tulle skirt, orange-and-black striped tights, and my steel-toe work boots), and replenished for the rest of the night, with some left over to nibble on. There were some really cute itty-bitties, but the tiny Bugs Bunny was the highlight of the evening. Determined to milk this holiday for all the treats it was worth, he had to be pried away from the candy bowl by his mother, then later pried off the stairs leading to an unoccupied apartment, completely undaunted by his mother telling him nobody was home. But hey, when you're two or three years old and there is candy on the line, you take no chances! XD
OH! And I got to pet my neighbor's dog!!! She's such a pretty little gal, and so, so soft! So, definitely a pretty good Halloween for me this year.
The first day of NaNo slipped right past me, and I think the second will, as well. Since I'm not officially participating, I think I'll adjust my goals: finish as many WIPs as I can, and pick away at that original story. If I hit 50K, great; if not, no big deal. I just want to write again, and I'm hoping this will be the key to restarting.
