THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

I titled this entry "The final countdown" because that is my new cell phone ring tone!! Every time my phone rings (5 times today) I laugh and blush and then laugh some more. But I also titled this entry "The final downtown" because a few exciting things are coming up so, in a way, my life is like one big countdown right now.

Countdown 1: Getting an apartment in New York City (I would call it "the city" but I realize that only people from the northeast, or more specifically Fairfield county, New Jersey, and Southern New York state call it that). I finally went and visited Astoria, Queens with Debbie and Gabby on Friday. They both took off of work on Friday, so after I got off of work early and did some shopping, I took the N train into Queens and met them. We lunched on delicious Greek food (what else would one eat in Astoria?) for a few hours and had some funny and informative conversations. Then I hung out with Debbie for a few hours at her apartment before we headed off to Erin's for her Halloween party. The decorations/food at the party were GREAT. There was punch served out of a bowl with a toilet seat lid, spider webs hung all over the ceiling AND deviled eggs to eat!! Considering I was a deviled egg (again) for Halloween I found the snack to be very appropriate! And, it was very enjoyable to have a full Friday. I miss being busy with friends like I was in DC. I miss having weekends full of options. I miss partying and dancing and walking around in a city. I miss having a real social life...
So, now that I've toured Astoria and decided that it fits me, I'm counting down to finding an apartment there and starting my real, adult-life. I do not deal well with transitional times and unfortunately I'm in the middle of a 5-month long transitional time. I'm counting down so that this floating, location-less, almost purpose-less phase of my life will end! I feel like I've paused my life and I'm ready to press play again.

Countdown 2: NaNo WriMo starts on Thursday! NaNo WriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month.

************This is from the website:
National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.

Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.

Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.

Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that's a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.

As you spend November writing, you can draw comfort from the fact that, all around the world, other National Novel Writing Month participants are going through the same joys and sorrows of producing the Great Frantic Novel. Wrimos meet throughout the month to offer encouragement, commiseration, and—when the thing is done—the kind of raucous celebrations that tend to frighten animals and small children.

In 2006, we had over 79,000 participants. Nearly 13,000 of them crossed the 50k finish line by the midnight deadline, entering into the annals of NaNoWriMo superstardom forever. They started the month as auto mechanics, out-of-work actors, and middle school English teachers. They walked away novelists.*****************

So, that's my second countdown. My friend Rebecca told me about NaNo WriMo last year because she participated in it. And my sister and I have been talking all year about doing it. I wonder how it'll turn out...? My novel is going to be about life after college. How people transition, what it's like looking for a job, what it's like looking for an apartment etc.

Countdown 3: I'm seeing my friend Brandon for the first time in almost TWO years this Friday! He's coming to NYC to see a concert with his girlfriend so the plan is for me to go meet up with them, somewhere in Manhattan, when I get off of work! I really miss Brandon :) It'll be fun to see him and catch up with him!

Countdown 4: Becoming a full, registered, benefits-receiving employee at JNF at the end of December. I want to go to the doctor! I want health care! I want vacation days and personal days!

I guess some people would describe this chapter in life as "exciting" and I definitely do feel excited about. But life seems more inundated than carefree and fun right now. I have so much to take care of before I can relax and enjoy...