And my family lives in a different state.

I seem to have a pretty steady schedule now of working four nights in a row with one day to buffer them. I feel like I haven't had a breather since I got back, but I'm earning money so that really is all that matters. I am definitely a better person when I have work to do. I suppose everyone is, except for possibly Oscar Wilde and his protagonists (oh, what I would give to be an Algy or any character portrayed by Rupert Everett), but I also think it's a pretty masculine trait of mine. I think of fathers of the 1950s, feeling worthless if they weren't carrying off a briefcase or a hardhat in the morning.

I definitely haven't had much time to be sad here lately, which is a good thing, but I also haven't had time for anything aside from sleeping and working. I am finally reinstalling Final Draft on this computer so I can get back into the swing of writing, and once my paycheck comes in I'm going to start on the road to paying off debt and getting a membership at the rec center here so that I can go work out in the mornings. Hopefully then my regime will be something like work, gym, sleep, write, drink coffee, work, punctuated by little day trips here and there. Yesterday I denied myself sleep and a pack of us girls piled into a little car and drove about 100 miles to Bismark, the North Dakota capital city, to look at a car for Bethany (which she ended up buying-- a deep purple convertible which I am going to find a crafty way to drive...) and to see the latest X-men, which I wasn't terribly excited about due to the lackluster trailer and my disinterest in prequels, however I have to say... excellent, excellent movie. I was surprised. It was terribly well-done, mostly due to three very key things: 1) Amazing setting. X-men in the 60's? YES YES YES. YES. YES!!! 2) Decent and endearing characters/chemistry between them. The X-men movies have usually been pretty good about this, which has made them probably my favorite superhero franchise. 3) A GOOD STORY. This is something most of the superhero/action movies have been missing lately, including the last two X-men movies. In short, this one did not repeatedly hit us over the head with dull action (I realize it's hard to top one's franchise again and again, so it was a wise idea to stick to a few well-done action sequences and focus more on story and character rather than the bang bang bang). Though there were some pretty awesome special effects-- I really, really loved the sight of Magneto lifting the submarine from the water into the air. But anyway, the story was very solid and well-paced for the most part. Good casting, too.

Otherwise, I have been introduced to/discovered the most amazing coffee shop in existence. How strange that it should be in North Dakota. It is an old church building with high ceilings, a steeple, stained glass windows and weird nooks and crannies. The owners are a young, engaged couple and the place has this old, classic feeling mixed with the hipness of the owners and their wise decision to attempt to make the place as hip as possible with their decor and music choices. I am in love love love love love. I love being in here. I will write great things here. I am in fact at The Brew now, sitting in a shrouded booth on half of what used to be a church pew, drinking a coffee "for here." Unfortunately this reverie has been a bit overshadowed by this INSANE storm going on outside which may make my soon-to-be drive to work perilous, but I suppose I can face the peril. The thunder really is a bit unnerving, though.

I dyed my hair a few nights ago in a fit of spontaneity. Lately it's been too patchy, annoying me with its texture and inconsistency, so I opted to go dark. I think I shall always return to red, simply because its an identity issue, but at present it's a nice dark brown-- nearly black, with a little bit of a red tint peeking through. It makes me look old... maybe too old. I have also purchased a wallet clutch that features the face of a fox. It reminds me of the Fantastic Mr. Fox which is the only reason why I had to get it. Damn you, Wes Anderson.

I need to be doing creative things. Must find a way to balance having a productive life AND keeping a job that keeps me awake all night. Hm.