Happy Halloween! Another Monday has adeptly crept up on me with alarming speed. The smell of warmed, spiced apple cider, and a variety of treats, is wafting through the library, tantalizing would be study-ers. It’s vaguely reminiscent of Hogwarts, but about as much of a distraction as I can allow myself. Thank goodness there’s no Halloween Ball.

Everything has started to pile up to the point that regret can often be found in even the slightest amount of social time. It’s a fight to find balance between sanity and school. My contribution to my sanity was a Halloween/house-warming party at Phil and Cass’s place on Friday night. Sarah and my attendance had the added benefit of delaying our return to Wrigleyville enough that when we arrived, there was a parking spot fairly close to our place — despite the World Series.

I spent the rest of the weekend trying desperately to peak the mountain of school work and studying I have to accomplish for the impending exams and projects. I have a videotaped head-to-toe exam on Wednesday and a business marketing project to present with my group on Thursday with a narrative report kicker. Then, this coming week, the gauntlet of written exams comes down and doesn’t let up for a few weeks. It’s not time to let it all get to my head, though. After all, the World Series has been very eventful and, despite my deep-seated dislike of baseball, I have actually enjoyed watching the games. Perhaps living so close to the epicenter of Chicago’s baseball mania has infected me with a touch of interest.

And, 1% of all sales go to charity…can I write this off?

Also, another great thing to focus on, when all else seems bleak, is the fact that we’re in a rather golden age of finely crafted beer. Indeed, winter is coming and that means dark beers galore and Dr. McRae gave me a phenomenal rationale in first trimester to have a few beers. Mind you, the source of alcohol, that at two to three drinks a night is responsible for that slight up-tick of HDL and the reverse for LDL, is paramount. However, I’m an expert at rationalization and have clung to the idea that since the rest of my diet is quite impeccable, I will still get some positive effects because the few extra calories are of no consequence to me.