Hello, friends!

It seems strange to think of 2020 coming to an end. On one hand, this year has been eternal; decades have lived within the past several months. But on the other hand, so much time was lost to this pandemic, that it seems we didn’t even really get to live in this year.

For November, I had a nice balance of work and fun. Read all about it.

to create

As you might recall from my last post, I spent much of October preparing for NaNoWriMo. Unsurprisingly, I didn’t finish my reread/prep on time. In fact, I was very surprised to discover November was halfway over just after it had begun. Once time hit me, I buckled down and finished my prep, which included digitizing my draft 1 notes, rewriting my outline, and updating my character templates.

For my second draft, my goal was to rewrite the novel entirely. Since some character arcs had to be changed, I had whole sections that needed to be rewritten. For the chapters that stayed relatively the same, I decided to retype them, to ensure that each word was the right one. Considering I didn’t start writing until halfway through the month, it’s no surprise I didn’t win NaNo or come anywhere near my word count goal. But I did start the rewrite, which is a miracle in and of itself. I’m only a couple chapters in, but that’s better than where I started.

Only one blog post from last month and no new videos, although one has already gone up in December. I’m going to stop promising new ones each month, since it’s become an expected disappointment each time.

to work

The beginning of this month was pretty standard, going back and forth from my regular support schedule and occasionally subbing. The second half was a little more interesting, since I had to work from home for a week, after the entire middle school went virtual. That was a nice reprieve from going into work, and it led up to Thanksgiving break. There were a couple times I had to sub virtually, which was unusual, but it worked out.

This month I also had some freelance work for Flagler. Even though I’m working full-time, I agreed to do some projects here and there to help out. It never hurts to make a little extra cash, especially around the holidays. Both campuses had some graduation projects to complete, so they sent them my way.

to live

Nov 1: Christmas decoration day

Ray had been itching to put the decorations up at the end of October, and even managed to sneak a Christmas tree up under the pretense of theming it as a Halloween tree (incidentally, the Halloween decorations managed to slowly come off by the end of the week). So, by November 1st, it was time to decorate the whole house with Christmas. I’m super pleased with how it turned out, especially since we did a bunch of shopping for new decor this year. Here’s a sneak peak.

Nov. 7: Election results

The week between Election Day and election results was one of the most agonizing of my life. I remember staying up until the wee hours of the morning in 2016, awaiting the biggest letdown of my life. Somehow, this year was worse as each passing day was another layer of stress. Fortunately, when the election was officially called and Biden was announced as the projected winner, I felt a breath of relief I hadn’t had in the last 4 years. I’m certain this new administration will not be perfect, but for the first time in a while, I feel hopeful. Ray and I went to Islands of Adventure to look at the Christmas decor in celebration.

Nov. 21-Nov. 29: Thanksgiving break

I had the entire week of Thanksgiving off, which was a first for me. I spent the first couple days cleaning, freelancing, and prepping for the holiday. Then Wednesday through Sunday, our friend, India, and her borzoi puppy, Birch, came to visit! She hadn’t been to our area before and we had to show her everything Central Florida has to offer.

On Thanksgiving, we went to the beach in the morning so Birch could run around with Ray’s sister’s dog, Friday. Birch may be a puppy but he’s an 80 pound lanky noodle, as all borzois are. He and Friday, the year-old border collie, hit it off immediately. They ran for almost 2 hours together, splashing in the water, playing tug and fetch. They also fell in puppy love. How romantic. After the beach, we got cleaned up and attended an outdoor Thanksgiving with Ray’s family. Each party sat at separate picnic tables and each had their own disposable dishes with servings of food. We wore masks anytime we went inside and altogether were very safe! It was nice to enjoy the holiday with family, even if it was a little nontraditional. That evening, India and I watched Folklore: the Long Pond Studio Sessions, the documentary concert by Taylor Swift on Disney+. It was beautiful, as expected. Some of the explanations were a little different that when I envisioned (“betty,” “august,” and “cardigan” will always be a queer love triangle for me), but it was overall amazing.

On Friday, we got up bright and squirrely to visit Universal Studios. India had not seen all the Harry Potter magic, so we had to show her the best of everything. We got there at 7, even though the park opened at 8, which gave us time to grab coffee, nab a couple Hagrid’s passes, and take some pictures before going in. We started with Universal Studios and hit the Mummy first thing, then we checked out the tribute store to see all the Christmas goodies, and rose Transformers and Men in Black. After that, it was time to go through London and enter Diagon Alley, arguably the most magical experience of the whole park. We rode Gringotts just before the line got long, perused the stores, and got ice cream. Then we rode the Hogwarts Express, which was the longest wait of our day. Once in Hogsmeade, we rose Hagrid’s twice (perks of checking the app and getting virtual line passes the moment the park opens). We ate some homemade sandwiches (that’s economics, folks), then got on Flight of the Hippogriff and Forbidden Journey. We wanted to do some of the more popular rides, but Jurassic Park had over an hour-long wait and it was getting chilly with the sun going down. So we slurped some frozen Butterbeer on the way out of Hogsmeade and did the raptor encounter for the first time, which was cheesy and fun. Spider-Man was down when we went to Marvel land, but a quick ride on Doctor Doom’s Freefall (another first for me–and a terrifying one) gave the ride enough time to open back up, ending our day on a high note. By the time we got home and showered, everyone passed out.

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Saturday, we took things a lot slower, not getting up until after noon. Ray’s sister came over with Friday to keep Birch company, while the three of us went out. We got some local coffee and hung out at Disney Springs for a few hours to get in some Christmas shopping and do the Tree Stroll. We also took some extremely awkward photopass pics to complete the memories. In the evening, we got peppermint milkshakes and ate dinner, then watched Happiest Season on Hulu (reviews to come). Friday watched part of the movie, but he mostly spent the time hanging out with his new boyfriend.

On Sunday, India and Birch went home. Ray and I tidied, relaxed, and then did a family Christmas photoshoot, courtesy of her younger cousin’s photography skills. No spoilers, but let’s just say these Christmas cards are going to rock.

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November had its ups and downs, the ups mainly being Thanksgiving break. 2020 is almost over, not that time means anything. I hope your final month of the year is a good one, and that 2021 brings some better fortune.

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading!