Shoes! I have graduated to wearing two shoes! And driving myself places! I feel like such a grown-up.

I had my hair done. It's a good thing I earned some free-lance $$ this week. Hair is expensive.

After weeks of balmy temperatures and glowing sunshine gilding the changing trees into summer gardens, autumn has arrived. We woke up today to gray, clouded skies and that flat, cool light that turns even the cheeriest leaf display into a limp, dispirited mess.

I blame that bird. Last night I dreamed first that a man came in off the balcony to try and sell me something and then, after I'd run him off and gone back to bed, a cat got in through the ceiling and jumped on my bed. Clearly some part of my brain no longer trusts that the place is secure, even when I think the doors are all closed. (Also? The ceiling? Really is solid.) Stupid bird.

People always aske me, "what are your plans for the weekend, Anne?" I have no "weekend" plans, people. (A) I'm unemployed and all "weekend" means to me is that there are more people out and about, getting in my way in stores I might want to visit; and (B) I'm unemployed and can't be roaming around spending random money anyhow.

My plans for next week? I plan to visit the storage unit each day. The R.C. has been hard at work on her half of it for most of the summer, cleaning out things no longer needed, loved, or useful. I've been focusing on doing things in my room (or, you know, playing games or reading books) but I know my half of the unit also needs cleaned, so now (quick, quick, quick, before winter comes!) I'm going to see how much of it I can get through in the next couple of weeks. Surely there are boxes full of useless junk I can rid my life of. (A month spent watching Clean House reruns creates a whole, new attitude about holding onto things you just don't care about.)

Things I would like to do next week? Spend part of my free-lance money on new books. Except that none of the series I'm reading have any new volumes due before November. And this is no time to get hooked on anything new. (I already had a $50 blow-out of new books the week I started the free-lance work.)