it probably isn't the best idea to wait until i'm exhausted to post. sorry about that! because, even though it's getting cold outside and things are more grey, my life really isn't all that melancholy. tonight, for example, we had a fantastic time having dinner at the lovely andersons, with the likewise fine company of the foster carlsons, and i was reminded that "apples to apples" is a fun, fun game, and i really do like to play games! in fact, i sometimes buy games at target just because they look interesting and are under five dollars, and i convince myself that of course we will learn to play them as soon as possible. which is why, this month, i have the goals of learning how to play rook and canasta. anyone? also, if you're interested in playing dutch blitz, leave a comment! daniel has become maybe the slightest bit addicted to playing chess. when we were dating and i still lived in cincinnati, we played chess on the phone with our laptops. we would tell each other where we were moving, and it was all very fun and exciting and i was thrilled to have such a smart boyfriend. now, he usually has to convince me to play him. (usually on a daily basis) i think i'm starting to get into it again, though - especially since i'm getting closer to winning sometimes. i learned this week (from an episode of the west wing) that chess was invented in india, and it became that much cooler. in other news, the pumpkin show is fun, but i'm not convinced it was worth the two hours that it took to drive 26 miles to get there. i would definitely recommend a pumpkin elephant ear, however. also, the pumpkin burgers are really just glorified sloppy joes, but they're tasty. finally, maybe the coolest part was that daniel was excited to go, and was very patient in the traffic and with me, and he was wonderfully supportive of doing something that was mostly something i was interested in doing. does that make sense? point being, daniel has been very attentive to and responsive to my needs lately, and let this be considered a great big "thank you, baby!" i should probably go to bed now. it will be a long week, but should also be extremely productive. and, when the weekend comes, i have a coffee date and a tea party on the calendar, both of which i'm really looking forward to. oh - my brother is about to go to germany and prague for ten days, on a break from iraq. if we had enough discretionary funds, i would totally be there to meet him. i guess i'll have to settle for a postcard...(are you reading this, matt?) g'night, and good luck.