And that’s pretty much a wrap.

The school year starts for me on Tuesday, which means I only have 3 days left without having to deal with an alarm.  Though, I might use one on Monday and get moving around the time I would for work.  That way, I’ll kind of be getting into the swing of things the day before.  We’ll see if I still have the urge to do this when the time comes.

Not much to really report as far as this week goes.  My son is with his mom, so I’ve had to entertain myself.  Really, I’ve just been writing, crafting, and watching ‘The Sandman’ on Netflix, which I’ll talk about later.  Darwin & the Avenging Elf is going to be 3/4 of the way done by the time I go back to work.  That’s if I don’t get tripped up and come up short during these next 3 days.  Either way, I’m looking at needing 4 more days to finish the book, so I should be done by the end of September.  Not too bad, but I’m still a little bummed about missing my summer goal by 4 days.  I know where those went too, which is why it stings a bit.

Overall, I’ve been having fun writing this book.  It’s a challenge because I have two blunt characters trying to be sneaking and spy-like.  They’re not mentally designed for this type of adventure, but it’s the only way for them to reach their goals.  So far, they’ve been doing well by avoiding questions.  One just chatters away and his mind wanders to the point where people walk away.  The other reacts with short, brusque answers and intimidation, which works.  I’m reaching the more action-heavy part where things start falling apart though, so the pair will get a chance to be more comfortable.

When I wasn’t writing or resting up, I was working on an art project.  There will be a big post about it tomorrow, so I’m not going to explain much.  My son picked a whopper of a Halloween costume, which you can’t buy in stores.  Given his age and how holidays work with custody, this could be my last year to build a costume for him.  So, I’m trying my best even though this isn’t my area of expertise.  This week, I aimed to get the hardest part put together, which you’ll see tomorrow.  Yes, I’m trying to tempt people to return here.

The other thing I did this week was watch ‘The Sandman’ on Netflix.  I never read the comics even though I saw them all over the conventions I went to.  So, I was aware of the characters.  Now, I really want to read the books.  The pacing was a little wonky at times, but I forgave that because I loved everything else.  The characters were written and acted very well.  The visuals were amazing, but it is Neil Gaiman after all.  The overall story, while a little episodic for an 11 episode season, was engrossing.  I really liked how life philosophies and purpose of dreams got brought up.  The guy who played Dream/Morpheus/Sandman was great in his delivery and really looked the part, which has me hoping for a second season.

As I said, next week is going to be back to work.  I’m not planning much, especially since my son starts school on Friday.  It’ll be a week of getting back into the pre-summer schedule and feeling out the new schedules.  Going to have to do some school supply shopping too.  So, I don’t think I’m going to get much in the way of writing in.  If I’m lucky, I’ll get a chapter section.

Something else I need to do is get stuff for my own lunch.  Last year, I kept trying to make it through the school day without eating.  That didn’t work out and I’d always have to start snacking.  My new plan is to have a healthier lunch.  Thinking of a container of veggies, another of fruit, and a protein bar to get me to the end.  It’s tough because I don’t like raw veggies much, so it might just be radishes, green beans, and carrots.  Fruit has an issue with keeping until I can eat it, but I think pears and berries should be okay.  I’m assuming a lot of trial and error will ensue.  At least I’m doing good with my homemade breakfast sandwiches.

So, what are the goals for the week?

1. Get as much of Darwin & the Avenging Elf done as possible.
2. Prepare for work.
3. Get my son ready for school when he gets back.
4. Block party tonight.
5. Try the new Baskin Robbins flavors before they’re gone.
6. Watch some ‘Rising of the Shield Hero’.
7. Start preparing November posts.
8. Buy healthy stuff for lunch.