Duck, Duck, Goose

I'm sitting here on my comfy red microfibre couch. It's 11.30 p.m. on a Thursday evening. The calendar tells me it's October 28th, but the breeze blowing in from the window is deceivingly summer-ish and my thermostat reads 24.5, despite my attempts to cool the place to 21 degrees.

Life is good.

Earlier this evening I had dinner with four of the most wonderful people I've been blessed to have in my life. Did I say dinner? I meant to say dinner and wine. Oh, yes, wonderful wine. And when my company departed for their respective homes in the countryside, I was left with a bit of wine 'energy' , alone in my apartment. Clearly I had to remedy this situation immediately. So I called Keri, but she was 'watching tv with Andrew'. Then I called Jen, but she already had 'uptown' plans. Finally, I called Katie, a newly found and fantastic friend. Turns out she was in the exact same predicament as me (drinking alone)...except she'd been baking since 5pm and needed someone to help her sample her pumpkin tarts. So I ditched my non-existent plans to thesis write, grabbed a half empty bottle of wine and hopped on my bike. Did I mention I LOVE living downtown?! It's true, I haven't been able to maximize the luxury of being in the 'Tribeca' of Charlottetown, but on occasions such as tonight's, I'm so very glad to live in town. On a somewhat related note, I went three whole weeks before I needed to fill my Echo gas tank!!

Anyways, tonight was great - from dinner to biking through downtown Ch'town to pumpkin tarts with Katie, but here's the best part: tonight is not an anomaly, rather tonight is representative of what PEI has been like since I returned in June. Yes, I daresay PEI has exceeded my greatest expectations, especially since Labour Day. I mean, really, we all know how fantastic an Island summer is, but it can be deceivingly so, especially with an endless stream of 'friends from away' returning home, visitors coming to check the East Coast out, and tonnes of great festivals, etc. to enjoy. Normally, however, Labour Day is supposed to mark the end of this illusion and one must prepare for hibernation. Except, erm, that hasn't happened. Since Labour Day I've been meeting loads of fantastic people, many of whom share my passion for food and there's been plenty to occupy the hours of the day and night. Of equal importance, I finally feel settled. It's been a long time coming, five months to be precise. Finally, I have a job, I have a place to call my own, I have a great group of friends, new and old, and I am closing in on the submission of my thesis.

Yes, I am most definitely glad I decided to come home.

(PS - it turns out my writing is not improved after wine consumption..)