SHUT THE FRONT DOOR.  How is it November already?  I don’t know where this year is going, but this is going to be a good week.  I have three days of “funemployment” – I start my new job on Thursday – and I’m jazzed to vote tomorrow and to chaperone a kindergarten field trip on Wednesday.  This weekend was good, too.  It got started a bit late, as I was wrapping up my old job until about 6:30 on Friday evening – late for me.  When I got home, the kiddos were bouncing off the walls and my dear Zan was waiting on my couch.  I quickly read the kids stories, then let Dad handle the rest of bedtime while Zan and I slipped out for a glass of wine at a restaurant around the corner from my house.  We chatted for an hour about my new job, her upcoming business travel, and more.  Saturday was a good day – relaxed and peaceful.  We took a family walk to the farmers’ market and the library, where I checked out nine books (whoops) and scored bigtime at the library sale – two 1930s editions of Lytton Strachey biographies (Queen Victoria and Elizabeth and Essex) for a dollar each, who dis?  On Sunday, we hiked at Huntley Meadows, which was ablaze in color.  The rest of the weekend was chill – lots of reading on the back patio while the kids dug in the sandbox, zooming trucks around Nugget’s bedroom, listening to Peanut practice on her early readers, chatting with my brother and his wife on their way back from a ski equipment sale in Aspen, and relishing the stories of our next-door neighbors who just returned from a honeymoon in Italy.  (Gelato featured heavily.)  All good, nourishing, life-affirming stuff.

Reading.  I’ve been churning through books this week.  Finished The Floating Admiral early last week (recap coming soon), listened to the last of Educated while putting the finishing touches on the art project for the kindergarten class Halloween party, then blazed through The Mothers, Hallowe’en Party, The Radical Element and I Should Have Honor over the latter half of the week.  Look at me go!  It was such an active reading week that I almost feel like I should have highlights – The Radical Element probably takes the crown if I’m choosing the best of the week, but I have enjoyed it all.  At press time, I’m not sure what book will be next; I have a teetering library stack to deal with.

Watching.  As might be expected with such a busy reading week, I was light on television (even for me).  We watched a couple of episodes of The Good Place to close out the second season, and an episode of The Great British Baking Show on Sunday night.  Highlight: Julia’s bread week showstopper, which prompted the line: “I made a snail.  It looks… very inappropriate.”  Steve and I almost choked on our wine.

Listening.  Lots of listening in addition to the reading.  I didn’t want to carry more to work than strictly necessary, since I was lugging huge shopping bags of office detritus home with me on the metro all week – so I stuck to my earbuds.  I finished up Educated, as noted above, via Audible.  Then switched back to my backlog of podcasts and listened to selected episodes of my favorite book podcasts – The Book Riot Podcast, Tea and Tattle, Tea or Books? and From the Front Porch.  The Tea and Tattle episode on autumnal reads was particularly delightful.

Making.  About thirty felt capes and the same number of foam sticker superhero masks for the kindergarteners’ pumpkins.  They looked homemade, but the kids didn’t care, and it was a labor of love.

Blogging.  I have a cozy week of posts prepared for you.  On Wednesday, I’ll share my reading recap for October, and on Friday, prepare for a Halloween photobomb.  We had such a fun holiday and naturally I documented every second.

Loving.  Sort of a bittersweet loving this week as I finished up my old job on Friday.  I knew the career move was necessary, but it was surprisingly hard to go.  In the end, I hefted three full shopping bags and choked back tears as my friends Sam, J.B. and Renee walked me out for the last time.  I had my reasons for making this change, and I know it’s the right decision, but I am just now realizing how much the firm gave me – not just an excuse to get out of a toxic situation and come home, but a bunch of hilarious war stories and a whole new set of friends.  My last day was filled with promises to email all the time, plans to get together for lunch in my new neighborhood, hiking invitations and a flurry of text messages.  I’ve had a lot of stress and my share of tears, but in the end the emotion I felt most was gratitude for the many, many friendships I’m taking with me.  No regrets.

Asking.  What are you reading this week?