Fall Adjustments

The last few weeks have been hit or miss in bed. Unlike the last few days--which had mostly consisted of futile tossing--last night I actually slept well. Pinpointing 'what went right' is nearly as tough as pinpointing 'what went wrong' as I haven't bothered changed my routine. I like attributing it to the weather--the perfect scapegoat.

I hold a secret spite of August, almost in the same way I lament Sunday. August is bittersweet as it's the last month of Summer which means three things: moving, school, and Fall.

To be honest, I enjoy moving. It gives me a chance to dig through all the miscellaneous mess of papers and junk I've collected over the last year and try to simplify my existence. This year I've been making a special effort to remove anything that I don't need. It's tough to sort through what is necessary and what you're just used to carrying--items that make sense to own yet you never touch. I've had the same bulky electric pencil sharpener sitting on my desk since Freshman year; it's seen wood maybe two times in its life. I used to like regular yellow "Eagle" #2s but those days have been long gone due to the undesired effect of having to sharpen mid-class. The sharpener has stuck with me, through 1001s and 4001s, sitting unused on my desk. Another decadent relic (circa 1998) of which I'm happy to remove from my life is my 'Minneapple' pen mug. I never used any of the pens or pencils in it--the latter explained above--yet was never able to see its departure.

I've found that by having less I seem to get more accomplished as well, a by-product of my capacity to accomplish combined with removal of obstacles on the desk. I even removed my computer from my desk and onto my dresser. Since I only use it for entertainment purposes and I set the keyboard on my lap when typing papers anyway; it's win-win. This year brings on the full set of chemical engineering classes, which were surmounted to me as 'get a running start, grab on, and try to keep your shit together'. I'm ready for it. All the preparation eventually pays off as the weather cools.

I think Fall is the better half of the transitional seasons. Spring is cold with a peek of warmth. Even when that nice day comes, every surface is wet or soggy still shaking off winter. Fall is warmth with a peek of cool. I guess something about sitting in the sun with shorts, flip-flops, and a sweatshirt makes me believe in things I've long since lost. It comes on a random Sunday, walking to a buddy's house for some burgers and beers. The breeze picks up and in the crisp wind a smell fills your nose that is just as quickly gone, but the memory remains. It was your ex-girlfriend's perfume. It was the apples you ganked from the neighbor's yard. It was the pumpkins you smashed on the second of November because come on, they had a day to do it themselves. It was your family's dog. It was the post game bonfire at your best friend's house and you had your arm around whomever you were with and you cared nothing of credit card debt, the current state of the world, or how you were going to find a job. You realize you've stopped walking and just standing on the corner, no cars or people in sight. The only sound accompanying the wind and leaves is your own breathing.