What a great four days off! I hardly touched the computer. My only cybernetic interaction was searching Google for song lyrics and downloading the mp3 for Slaid Cleaves‘ “Broke Down.” If you haven’t heard the song before, go here and listen to it. It’s about halfway down the page. It’s the good kind of country music (yes, there is a good kind of country, trust me).

Turkey Day was good. I ate some turkey, but mostly I stuffed myself full of stuffing. I just can’t get enough of it. (Did you know that you’re supposed to stuff stuffing into the turkey? Gah! I always forget that and end up stuffing myself. Oh well.) Also, salary negotiations are complete and I will start my new job in three weeks. How happy am I? Happy. Very, very happy. And speaking of happy, here’s a heaping helping of congratulations to Denise and Chuck on their recent engagement. Wooo!

The novel is kaput. Not only am I reeling from the new job offer and the sudden preparations that come with switching jobs, but I am recording a lot of music and reading many books: Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates by Tom Robbins, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt, Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie and Ground Beneath Her Feet, also by Rushdie. Also, the fact the my novel was going absolutely nowhere after 30,000 words was another big incentive to pull the plug. So, rest easy tonight knowing that there is one less awful novel in the world. I know I will.