knock on that

I drove out to Target this afternoon to pick up a new toothbrush holder -- something that wouldn't shatter all over the bathtub when accidentally knocked from the sink, not that I did that with the last one, ahem. It has been quite chilly all day, but beautiful, with a melancholy touch of autumn in the air. I love this slanting late-afternoon sunlight, and cozy long sleeves, and hot chocolate with a hint of cinnamon.

Our apartment is a bit of a disaster. No comment on whose fault that is. But I've been thinking lately that it'd be nice to have people over for dinner, and it's hard to do that when the place looks like it's been infested by gremlins on a bender. And this is getting to be the perfect time of year for amazing end-of-summer slow food. I'm thinking maybe some summer squash lasagna and a bottle of red wine, shared among friends along with a lot of laughter and good conversation. Who's in?

Hard to believe the summer's almost gone. David made it back from Seattle about two weeks ago. What have I been up to lately? Work, mostly, with a lot of reading in my spare time. I think it's effecting my eyesight. Recently:

• Jim Butcher, the Dresden Files books 1 through 5
  
• Roald Dahl, Boy (classic!)
• Brian James, Zombie Blondes
  
• Raleigh Briggs, Make Your Place (so homemade-y and inspiring)
  
• Dan Simmons, The Terror -- only partway into this, we'll see if I finish it
• Neal Stephenson, The Confusion -- another book I'm halfway into, but that puts me squarely halfway through the trilogy, so I'm committed now

Since visiting Seattle, I also had a weekend adventure in Montana getting my goddaughter baptized, and spent a weekend in Minneapolis getting my cousin married. I also had a weekend visit from my aunt and twin cousins, bumming around town here, getting torrentially rained on at the farmers' market, eating exquisite chocolate, roasting a chicken that my aunt brought with her, and generally having a fabulous time.