Which basically means that I gave myself permission to be lazy on my first day up the mountain. And I kept a glass of water next to me at all times. I lost count of how many I drank.
I don't mean that I haven't done anything with my day. I unpacked. I typed up all the manuscript scribblings that I have. I added two new scenes. I did a little yoga. I called my sister twice, because it's her birthday. I received a bunch of calls - from my father, my uncle, my ex-roommate, and my mother - all of them worried that I might be lonely.
I wasn't lonely. It was just too quiet. Cars rarely travel this far up the mountain, and the snow muffles sound. Luckily, it's easy to fill up the silence. I watched two movies. While I unpacked, I turned up my iTunes and sang along as loud as possible.
This is where I'm hanging out.
My view. I know - it's a hard life.
My writing nest. Usually, the blanket goes over my lap. 
The cold is a bit intense (see right).But overall, I'm relieved to be here, where writing is the whole point. My dad called this the first day of my new life, and I think he's right. This is where I can get really serious about my writing career and put that seriousness into action.
That said, I have discovered that I am just over a third of the way through my manuscript. 11K words in a month may seem like a lot to some, but I started with 3K. And a few years ago, when I was a full-time student, I averaged about 24.7K a month. I feel woefully behind. Sigh.
On the bright side, I've gotten Ashley to the right spot, and it's basically all adventure and fun stuff for the next 20K. Woo-hoo!!
