… or, NaNoWriMo, for those of you in the know. The idea is simple, try to write a novel in one month — this month. A few friends have done it in years past and it sounded like fun. This year, I’ve decided to give it a try myself. I’m writing a science fiction story called Jumpgate Blues that revolves around a jumpgate pilot who struggles under somewhat, shall we say, stressful working conditions.

If you’re interested, feel free to follow along as I write it by clicking on the link in the last paragraph. You can also get to it on my website by clicking on the link in the “Pages” section on the right. I’ll be updating the story all month long and hopefully by the end of November I’ll have a full, although very rough, novel.

Now, back to writing!

No, not my birthday, but my relatives. One is my cousin who used to baby-sit my younger brother and me when we were little. At the time, she was a veritable adult to us. Now it feels like she’s pretty much the same age. How mind-blowing is that? I mean, she used to change our diapers!

On the other end of the spectrum is my niece who was the flower girl at our wedding when she was five years old. So I always thought of her as being in a different generation. She was born after The Simpsons started, after compact discs were invented. I’m not sure she’s ever even seen a cassette tape. And this month, she’s turning twenty-one…

We just got back late last night from a wedding of a couple dear friends of ours, Jason and Frédérique. Not only was it a special day because of the wedding, but it was also special because it was held on Halloween. All the guests came in costumes and the whole evening took on a beautifully enchanted feel.