October just wrapped up and it was a month of many ups and a few downs. I came down with a cold for instance, but what was perhaps the most shocking was the sudden passing of my grandfather. I found out as I had just arrived in my New York hotel and the funeral was the day after I got back. So that definitely put a sad spin on things in October. Despite that I did lots of things that were #happymoments, so let’s focus on the positive instead.
Dance classes
Not sure I talked about this in Happy Moments #1, but I am very much enjoying my current dance classes. I started taking Slow Bal lessons in September and I am enjoying it so much. Slow Bal is a slower style of swing dance that until a few years ago was nearly extinct. Some dancers decided to pick up the slack and there are now movements across the world trying to bring it back.
Downton Abbey
After I got back from New York I got sucked into Downton Abbey upon my mom’s recommendation. I got an Amazon subscription over the summer to watch the Neil Gaiman shows, but found there were a bunch of other things on there that I really enjoy. Downton being one of them. I am currently on Season 4 (so no spoilers please) and hope to breeze through the next few seasons soon so I can watch the movie while it is still out in theaters. I will post a full review once I have watched everything.
Fall time
Now that we’re in November fall has most definitely arrived. This past week the weather has been crisp but sunny and that is my favorite kind of fall weather. The leaves have now also started to turn making for some stunning pictures. I just love this time of year as it is not yet cold enough to become dreary and dreadful and it is still nice enough weather that you can spend some time outside.
Moving to a Campus
My workplace just went through a massive move. For years there had been talks of moving out of the old, decrepit building we were housed in. It was literally falling apart, but still lots of people were nervous about the move. From my perspective it has been a very smooth one. The new building and way of working that comes with it suits my style and I was already used to it, as I had been teaching at different buildings across time for the past 5 years. To have everything in one, beautiful spot is a true step up for me.
New York City
But the best thing that happened this October was definitely my trip to New York. I had been anticipating it for months as I already booked the trip last April. That also meant I had a carefully planned itinerary and while my grandad’s passing definitely added a sad note to everything, it was still great to be away for a while. The weather was amazing as New York was having quite the Indian summer. So that meant I could go out without a coat and only had one day of rain. The weather was just perfect for going about a city and so different from the hot sweltering summer weather I am used to when I have visited the place before.
If you would like to see what I did on my trip: I vlogged the whole thing, so make sure to check out this video to get the full lowdown on the trip. But I visited three museums, walked many miles, saw Harry Potter and The Cursed Child on Broadway and went to Brooklyn. In short, my days were packed full of activities and of course I did some shopping too. I already uploaded a haul too, so have a peek in case you are interested.