I woke up and my alarm clock said 2:49, bringing me to gasp in horror, but then I shifted position and noticed that it actually read 12:49, which is a little closer to status quo for me. I made some breakfast and headed over to All Books in search of Margaret Atwood's "The Robber Bride" and Timothy Findley's "Headhunter," both of which were in stock and cheap because All Books does, in fact, rule (even if it did look as though a hurricane had hit it). I finished Yates' book yesterday and it definitely reads as material Sam Mendes would be attracted to - a couple living in suburbia who slowly lose their selves. I started Robber Bride today on a recommendation from a girl I met at Humber. If anyone can point my way towards multiple-point-of-view narratives I'd appreciate it, since I'm mining for writing tips.

Findley's I picked up because I heard it was about Kurtz from Heart of Darkness being let loose into modern day Toronto, which sounds right up my alley.

I need to start my writing output back up to something like 500 words a day. I'm working on another song that should be done by the end of this week. Plus I'm going to try my hand at a review. Last night I watched Romeo + Juliet, the Baz Luhrmann film from 1996. I used to have its poster on my wall. I invited a girl to see it with me when I was 16, but she wasn't particularly into me, so I didn't see it until it hit video.

It's shaping up to be an eventful weekend. The In/Words open mic is tonight, Andrea and I are seeing Jon Lajoie perform at Zaphod's tomorrow night, then I'm having a housewarming on Saturday.

I finished reading The Way the Crow Flies. It's an absolutely riveting mystery narrative rich in detail that brought tears to my eyes at times. She doesn't hit every single note right in the last quarter, but does enough to make it more than worth the read. I feel as though I've picked up some pointers about how to write certain psychological profiles reading it. Yesterday I started Richard Yates' Revolutionary Road, which most will become familiar with as the movie coming out this fall that reunites Leonardo DiCaprio with Kate Winslet. Sam Mendes is directing it and the material feels right up his alley - a 50's suburbanite couple yearns to break out of the mold that "settling down" has trapped them within. Pretty interesting stuff so far, but it's definitely a guy's narrative.

My apartment still smells like paint. I'm trying to get rid of it once and for all using fresh air and vinegar.