November has 31 days, right? Right? RIGHT?

Totally stealing the Friday Five from Artemisia because I'm not sure how else to connect my random thoughts.

1. As of today, I have exactly two weeks to finish three papers. I have some research done, but I haven't actually started writing anything. And reality has yet to hit. Anyone want to place a bet on when my freak out will begin?

2. I decided to go milk-product* free this week. I'm not entirely sure what spurred my little experiment, although perhaps with everything so completely out of control and so many deadlines looming, I was looking for one thing that I could control and accomplish (and I do realize that what I just wrote probably qualifies me as having an eating disorder, but I don't think we need to worry about me becoming the third Olsen twin any time soon . . . or ever). In any case, the week was less painful than I had imagined it would be, and I was mostly successful. I ate some bought baked goods that may have had milk products in them. And this afternoon I simply couldn't resist the call of the Reese's peanut butter tree that I had hidden in my cupboard. The biggest hurdle was a baked potato that I made for dinner on Wednesday, completely forgetting that I couldn't slather it with butter (and margarine is just icky). But I spritzed the spud with some olive oil and sprinkled on some basil and red pepper flakes and it was perfectly yummy.

3. The "high" temperature today was in the low 20s. And the weather is only going to get worse this weekend. Tomorrow we're supposed to get snow (yay) and ice (boo). Sunday: more of the same.

4. I really want to try cross-country skiing this winter. I've tried downhill skiing. I liked the actual skiing part, but I wasn't very good at the stopping part (I usually just fell down) and I'm terrified of the lift.

5. My horoscope for December (according to Vanity Fair): "Just when you've accepted the fact that you're going to spend the rest of your life alone under your grandmother's afghan"----okay, that part is kind of scarily accurate---"peek-a-boo! There's somebody under there with you." Well, here's to hope! Although the horoscope goes on to predict that it won't last. At this point, I'd take even a few minutes of flirting over the vast, arid desert of nothingness from the past, oh, FIVE YEARS.



* I'm never certain whether eggs count as dairy, so instead of saying "dairy-free" I'll go with the more specific if also more awkward "milk-product free."