Well, Sandy came in. And left again. Left quite the wide swath of destruction behind her. I'm one of the lucky ones. We're high and dry in an inland suburb of NJ, on a hill. No flooding. Also, no downed trees, which were the big worry, with the giant pines in the backyard.
We still have no power, but we have running water. Running hot water. Oh glory hallelujah. Seriously. And gas, too. We've cooked at least one hot meal a day so far. And, there's a fireplace, where we've had a roaring fire for the last two nights. Power and internet are starting to be found, and cafes and the library. Life is actually pretty good.
AND! Here's the other thing! My goal to do more work, more uninterrupted work, has actually been achieved! I've finished the first draft of a big project, most of which was using pen and paper. I've fleshed out much more of a second project. And I've even done a lot of research on pirates -- I had borrowed some library books over a month ago, lugged them places with the intention to read them, and never had. And now, I'm done with an entire book, and halfway through the next, with rich new treasure troves of vocabulary and linguistic ideas to show for it.
Life is really good.