Tomorrow's the big day, ie. the day the House begins its next Parliament session. They'll be choosing a Speaker to kick things off, and from the murmurs I hear its going to come to ballots. I was reading an old Hansard from the 37th Parliament, comparing it with the last, and it just went to show that the process can either take an hour or several.

I'm not feeling nervous about it. By this point I think that most of my questions are going to be answered in the process. They'll be keeping an eye on me at first. Murray said he'd look into getting me some extra hours in January to practice, and I want to take full advantage.

A few of us went to the diner last night and hung out. It was a good weekend for seeing people; I'd like to get into the habit of seeing them every weekend, just to hang out over a pint or milkshake. Tonight Andrea and I are going to catch a showing of Jules et Jim at the Bytowne.

Someone upstairs is singing Happy Birthday.

I may need to revert to the two-alarm system of getting out of bed in the morning. My body isn't used to 9 AM.

I hate my sleep schedule. I cannot for the life of me fall asleep before 3 o'clock in the morning, and then I routinely sleep until at least noon. If I were back on nights, it would be fine, but as it stands I feel like I'm on a completely different schedule from the rest of the world. I need a job, something, to return to a semblance of normalcy. Andrea is in bed by 11. That's four additional hours I have to amuse myself. If I'm at her place, I can't write. I lie in bed trying to calm the flow of ideas, because I want to be beside her. I need to start forcing myself up early and going to bed at a reasonable time. At least until work at the Senate resumes.

Tonight I'm going to a volunteers meeting for the Writers Festival. For one reason or another I have never attended a single Writers Festival event. Since I'm feeling more like a writer lately than ever before, it's probably about time I started lending a hand in the community again.

I've been having trouble sleeping lately. I'll lay awake in bed until as late as 4 in the morning, and the other night the reason struck me: I have to get back to writing my novel. It's been stewing in my brain for the better part of two years now. Last night I sat down as my kitchen table, my new workspace, and started writing out the narrative outline and descriptions of the woman I want to try and bring to life through the senses of others. before I make her a series of assertions I want to make sure that she is, in fact, real. That she is a person who makes decisions and has a set of ethics and lives a full life despite the tragedy with which she is afflicted. After sketching out in general terms the first half or so of her life, I was able to fall asleep at 2. It's working.

The new television arrived yesterday and it's pretty fantastic. It makes me want to revisit my entire movie collection. Yesterday Andrea came over and we watched Punch-Drunk Love. Unfortunately, she wasn't a fan, but damn if it didn't look great on the new TV.

I've started reading Alligator by Lisa Moore. Moore is a good writer, but I'm having trouble getting into it despite the phenomenal first chapter. Her descriptions of small things are poetic but too numerous. Maybe it's just not something I'm in the mood for right now.