I just finished a new short story--woohoo! Better yet, I'm really pleased with it. The title of this entry partially comes from the title of the story ("Water of Life, Water of Death"), but also partially just from the feeling of having written a new story after a long time off, which is like drinking fresh, cool water when I've been thirsty for so long.

It's been a really good couple of days. I went to a fantastic Careers Workshop at the university, which gave me lots of good ideas. My supervisor gave me excellent feedback on my new article. And, in non-academic news, last night, Patrick and I had a wonderful evening out at the new local-ish cafe-bookstore. It's so nice to have somewhere to hang out in the evening that isn't a smoke-filled pub--or, equally stressful, a crowded downtown spot involving lots of waiting-for-buses in the cold. I feel a bit guilty for turning into a suburbanite, but hey, it really is nice to have somewhere to sit and read the latest issue of Interzone while sipping a creamy hot chocolate. That just feels like The Good Life to me.

And Nika and I had a fantastic walk through the fields and woods yesterday, tramping through the fallen leaves and (in Nika's case) spinning around in big joyful circles.

So in other words, I'm in a much, much better mood this week.

Oh, and, before I forget--Patrick & I have spent some time tweaking my website. So stop by and take a look at the new version sometime!