Whoo-hoo, I am completely buzzed on caffeine. This morning I had coffee at around 4:30, a diet coke near 6:30, and a latte at 7:30. Will I ever sleep again? If I have a heart attack here at Alterra’s, will they call the ambulance?

The last few weeks have been a bit manic but I’m ok this morning. Highlights!

• My birthday passed well. Really, this was one of the best birthdays I can remember, so thanks for all the messages, people. I had a rough stretch the few days before so the birthday came at a good time. The weather was strangely warm, though. Usually I associate my birthday with cold, pissing rain. I’d rather have the cold, pissing rain, but oh well, if I start complaining about warm weather on my birthday, with all the emotional uplift pouring my way, kick me in the nuts or something.

• Work has been fine. Working out has been good, too. I’ve switched schedules a bit, 45 minutes of cardio a day spread over three different machines rather than one or two. Time passes quicker that way.

• What have I read? Coupland’s Microserfs, Beautiful Creatures, and I just started the new William Gibson. Last night I sat in the glider after a shower, turned on Stars of the Lid (although I rarely listen to music while reading), and read a good seventy or eighty pages. Excellent so far.

• Next weekend will be busy. Dan’s scheduled to come up for the DBT and eels concerts. I hardly bother with any gigs, and then two of my favorite bands play on consecutive nights in Milwaukee. I’m thinking of springing for a hotel room downtown so we don’t have to drive back north or worry of the kids waking or anything.

• Autumn has arrived. This morning I drove over to the Lion’s Den and continued taking photographs for the book. I hope to finish by the end of the year.

• Did I mention my brother visited? Why yes, he did, last weekend. He’s as low maintenance as a visitor can be. He sleeps in his van, for christ’s sake. I don’t think he wanted to watch football, though. But we talked about our history, sort of freaking out M in the process, I think, and ate tacos. We’re different in many ways but both seek out safe, small places, too. He’s my brother, the only family member with whom I feel much of a connection, really. I’m glad he visited.

• Blonde girls get better service at coffee shops than normal people.

• I need a stretch of regular journal entries. They help.

• Mogwai’s Happy Music for Happy People is one of the greatest albums ever.

• More later.

Why good morning, blog readers. I’m in the somewhat-newly cleaned office next to N as he plays Civilization on the other computer. I’d take the laptop into the other room but the crapass power cord detached, somehow, and the battery is low. And how are you? The temperatures are cooler today, probably in the low sixties, now, and I’ve located and readied my pullovers, etc. N, of course, is sitting in his underwear with no estimated time of wearing pants. Well, I’m taking T and he to the farmers market in thirty minutes, so he’ll most likely wear pants then.

The semester’s start has been fine, really, although I don’t feel much of an adrenaline rush teaching. Usually the start of the school year is kind of exciting, but I’ve been too tired for the usual excitement. I’m not sure why. Slight burnout? Maybe I needed a couple weeks to get back in the groove after not teaching all summer. I taught the FUCK out of Wednesday and Thursdays’ classes if only to hold myself to some standards of not sucking.

What else is going on? This is Labor Day weekend. T invited the entire neighborhood over to a bonfire tonight. Good bonfire weather, anyway. If I’m feeling a bit better I’ll get drunk. Maybe I’ll read Beautiful Creatures with tea.

The boys’ start of the school year has been great save one incident in which N got pissed about some writing assignment and told his cute, young second grade teacher that school is “torturous”. I’m glad he has a good vocabulary, anyway. M is at a new school. She was worried about teaching middle schoolers but everything has been fine so far.

I finished Celine’s Journey to the End of Night. Great book. The review’s up on GR. Did I mention I saw Brown Bunny, too. Although I fast forwarded through a few scenes I thought the movie was brilliant, the best film about depression and isolation I’ve ever seen. This weekend I have Buffalo 66 from Netflix, also featuring Vincent Gallo. I’m looking forward to it.

Ok, I better get the boys ready. More later.