NaNoWriMo, etc

Today is Nov 1 or the first day in the National Novel Writing Month, which, yes, I will be participating in this year and will hopefully get done with more than 2,000 words, because that was just embarrassing.

I'm already off to a great start. I woke up this morning thinking I was going to hit the ground running by attending the Boston NaNoWriMo write in/ kick off at a location that is walking distance from my apartment. Instead, I laid around for a while, checked my email, and then texted Tim "Do you want to skip the write in?" Being a good sport, he replied that that was fine, but for all I know he is there now writing his 2,000plus words today so he can be ahead of me and win.

The problem is that I am a procrastinator. I've never been one to stretch out a project over a long period of time. In fact, I wrote a 30 page semester long research paper start to finish the day before it was due my senior year of college. Sure, that is not 50,000 words, but what I mean is, I need pressure. With 30 days to go, I am just not feeling it.

Instead, I decided to work on my Halloween costume. Yeah, all of you people celebrated Halloween yesterday night, but in my world, real Halloween is today because there are parties today. After much ado I decided my costume was going to be Not A Happy Camper. This means I am going to dress like I am going camping and look unhappy, with the aid of some accessories and props like a marshmallow in my hair and a burnt pant leg.

So, I hop on off to CVS/Whole Foods/White Hen to pick up some supplies. In CVS I grabbed some red lip liner so I can make it look like I got attacked by a bear with some strategically placed claw marks on my arm. In Whole Foods I picked up some marshmallows so I can stick them on my hair (because the absolute WORST thing that can happen while camping is getting marshmallow stuck in your hair). In the White Hen I grabbed a sandwich for lunch. I got back to my apartment and grabbed my mail. My parents sent me a Halloween card with a note that said to buy something spooky and "be safe." Promptly thereafter I fired up my gas stove and started experimenting with burning things.

Can I tell you how easy it is to make perfectly burnt marshmallows on a gas stove? I need 2 for my costume (any more would mean I'd have to rename my costume to "Girl Who Got Marshmallowed" or "The Girl No One Likes on the Camping Trip") and I made two and I was done. Granted, they aren't the perfect specimens of toasted marshmallow goodness that I'd actually want to eat, but they are exactly what you would want in a marshmallow for a costume. An activity I thought would take hours, actually took minutes. Blast.

Of course, this does free up my afternoon a little bit. I could get started on my novel. I could at least write an outline (do writers really make outlines?) or maybe some potential plotlines so I have a starting point. But instead, I will likely paint my nails and eat that sandwich I bought. And then I will probably make some more marshmallows. And then it will be late and I will have to throw my costume together. I've just now decided I don't really want to burn my old jeans even though they have holes in them. I think I might go burn some more marshmallows.

UPDATE: My costume is done and it is lame. I pretty much look like a camper with a couple of marshmallow barrettes and red lip liner streaked on my arm. However, at least I won't be the person who shows up dressed like static cling.