How happy am I that I get to wake up to this every morning for the month of October? Answer: very. The second I step out my door, I get a whiff of salt sea air and listen to the waves, just feet from my little studio vacation rental.

I moved in yesterday (in the rain and drizzle) with the much-appreciated help of Brad. After unloading Penelope (good girl, Penny), we went for a walk on the beach and up and down the boardwalk. While I have my choice of a plethora of fry doe joints, there is not, however, an abundance of good restaurants (or, really, just food that hasn’t been in the deep fat fryer). A word of advice: if you’re ever on Hampton Beach boardwalk, make sure you don’t eat at Mamma Leone’s. I’m pretty sure it belongs on an episode of Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. Yeck.

Good foods dearth aside, I’m looking forward to a month of Atlantic inspiration. The commute is doable – 30 minutes to campus – and well worth the moments of seaside glory. Yesterday, I waded knee-deep in the water, surprised at the mild temperature. My jeans were half-soaked and, after I hung them up to dry, I think half the beach was left on my boot-cuts. Now I get to walk around with beach attached to me. I feel like a fugitive of income tax evasion, staking out my time on an off-season resort.

I love October.