On Monday it was about 60 degrees in the shade. I scraped and painted the floor of our front porch. Our doorway is on the right (the one with the cute home plate mat — which was an engagement gift from Jennifer Myszkowski. We also got a cute new floor mat for our wedding from Alyson and Bill. It has monkeys on it. We are saving that one for when this one wears out. But, enough about the doormats). One of our tenants gave me the news that it was going to rain that night, so I only got to put one coat of paint on the floor. When the weather gets warmer again, we plan to do more painting on the porch.

On Wednesday night, we went to the Rag Shag Parade in Easthampton. I had never heard of such an event,  but it’s basically a chance for kids and parents to walk down the streets of the city, while the police direct traffic away from downtown. The kids are dressed up in their Halloween costumes and there are essentially no spectators, just parade participants. We did not follow the entire parade through town, but Matt tells me they head for some location where they are given free candy. Matt grew up in Easthampton and did this as a kid.

During the day on Wednesday, I spent some time at the Holyoke Mall. What is a week off without at least one pilgrimmage to the Holyoke Mall? I bought a few tops in anticipation of the new job, had my eyes checked at the optometrist and treated myself to a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. I finished it Saturday afternoon. Isn’t it pretty?

Jigsaw puzzles are a fruitless activity, which can be a good and a bad thing. On the one hand it’s very zen to focus on something with absolutely no reward except the act itself. On the other hand, it took hours away from my life.

Despite my reputation as a highly organized person, I will often wait to do things until the last minute. One of those things was purchasing a pumpkin for Friday night’s 2nd annual Halloween pumpkin carving extravaganza. As the week progressed I casually noticed that there were fewer and fewer pumpkins available at the Stop and Shop. On Thursday, I drove around Chicopee listening to Winterpills and trying to find a damn pumpkin.

It wasn’t until Friday afternoon when I finally tore myself away from the jigsaw puzzle and drove to Atkins Farms in Amherst. Atkins was out of big pumpkins, but I ended up picking up the last pumpkin at a roadside farmstand in Granby. The guy sold it to me for four bucks. On my way back I shot some photos of the Holyoke Dam area. This shot is of the South Hadley side.

And here is the carved pumpkin, which we ended up naming Barack O’Lantern, because that’s what you do when you are hanging out with a bunch of commies.

I did a lot more activities, including Endless Shrimp on Tuesday night, but I’d rather not talk about that. Our close friend Amy was also in town for the weekend and so we spent some time with her. And just this morning I met up with a few Twitter friends at a Starbucks in Connecticut.

Anyway, more blogging will happen from here on out. It feels like the seal has been broken.

He was born in October 2002 in Springfield and spent his formative months in my apartment in Amherst. Here is what he looks like now.

Over the weekend, we did a Miles photo shoot for a Fat Cat Flickr Off. Miles did not win on account of his fat-concealing fur, but look at the competition. He’s really more big-boned than anything.

Since I got married I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about life and what I want to be doing whilst living it. I remember when I was in college, a friend read my palm and told me that my lifeline drew its path through many different vocations — that I’d have many different careers in my life.

That’s always stuck with me.

More and more over the summer, circumstances and events were telling me that it’s time to try something new. An opportunity came about through a good friend at a small, successful children’s book publisher. The prospect of being able to switch to a whole different environment — the company is in Amherst and I currently work in Springfield — and to be able to learn a whole new way of doing business was exciting to me. I enjoy challenges and I enjoy learning new things.

I am going to be working as an editor, keeping the production of books on the right path. I’ll also be helping the company move into doing more multimedia.  I have a lot to learn about print media. I know a lot has changed since I was in college.

It’s always difficult to leave a job, but I didn’t know how hard it would be to leave a job where I love the work and the people so much.

Of course, MassLive.com is also where I met my husband and he will still be working in this office in his position with Advance Internet after I am gone. I’ll miss our lunches and carpooling. I’ll miss running errands and going to the grocery store. These have been mid-day rendezvous not afforded to most married couples.

Yes, I’m leaving my current job as of this Friday and it’s with a very heavy heart. I’m moving onto a publishing job, also in the valley. I’m not moving or anything.

I enoyed the decor, from the shiny, dark hardwood floors to the brightly painted green walls. Floors not pictured.

They also use art created by local kids. This canvas is from the Dunbar Community Center. Very charming.

Photographic evidence that this place is indeed called Dillweedz.

no soldier no lover
no father no mother
not a lonely child
in the up and in the bedroom
a black and white of the bride and the groom
will bring me to my knees
with the colorized bad dream
that takes its place on
ash wednesday

white noise and love
will be my only drug
on this day nine
suns away
from that sad sad saturday
when fire my friend
fire my villian
you take away yesterday
to give to me today
when nothing’s free no now it’s
ash wednesday

so each day is ash wednesday
all this life is ash wednesday

all the doors are shut
and the windows barely opened up
the fires all around
it’s the ending of the drought
and we are ready now
for tear gas clouds
on my mind
come on fill the house
finally and weep
for it’s king and queen sleep
both now
in the arms of
ash wednesday
ash wednesday

Choosing Holyoke as a place to make our home has been a wonderful decision so far. And it’s a decision made even more wonderful when friends buy houses within walking distance. Jennifer and Scott celebrated their recent purchase with a housewarming yesterday — it included delicious pancakes and the music of The Primate Fiasco. Photos here.

Last night, our neighborhood watch group took a tour around the ward. Much of it seemed like a photo opportunity for the sheriff and chief of police, but it was also a good chance for us to finally mingle with some of our neighbors. I posted photos of the Ward 4 walk at MassLive.com.

P.S. Here’s a better link: Gallery view