Fall Time.

We’ve now reached the interesting crossroads of my year: September, especially the tail end of September, is the worst part of the year almost without fail. Work gets beyond stressful, the school year has started and routines are changing, it just stinks. But then there’s hope: it might not be a hundred degrees in the shade with 100% humidity every single day. That’s kind of nice.

The change is slow and gradual down here: we still get hot temperatures and high humidity for a large portion of the year. That’s what comes with being located roughly on the same North/South point as Cairo. We’re only not a desert because of the gulf coast and weather patterns, I suppose. But it’s nice to have mornings that are cool rather than walking outside and immediately becoming sticky. That’s no fun at all.

There’s something inspiring about it, and I don’t just mean in a hippie sort of creativity way, although I do tend to get the most done when it’s cool out. The weather, the holidays approaching, everything about it is enjoyable and it makes me want to do everything I can get done, as quick as I can, so that I can have more time for the fun parts. Also, it’s possible to do a lot of outdoor activities — I haven’t even cleaned my grill yet because it’s too hot to stand in the sun next to flames and cook.

But soon, soon…

Fall time is my favorite, obviously, and some of it is the impending holidays: Halloween is one of my favorite days of the year, and the lead up to it is also really fun. All of the stuff surrounding it, and also the association with the season, does wonders for my mood. But we shouldn’t overlook Thanksgiving, which occurs at the height of Autumn down here, and is a nice, relaxing change of pace. Christmas barely sneaks in as a Winter holiday just days after the change of seasons, but the promise of it is there.

Because of this, and the fact there are eight more months of the year, I’ve been trying to look for other reasons and things to celebrate — obviously, there’s a smattering of holidays, but that just isn’t enough. Even adding in the equinoxes and solstices leaves us with too few reasons to just enjoy life. I’m not trying to sound like a weirdo, but it just seems like lately everyone and everything is extremely bitchy and negative, all kinds of entertainment have turned edgy and “raw”. There’s definitely a place for that (I mean, I write hardboiled detective stories…), but it doesn’t have to be so ever-present.

So sit back, and enjoy life. Listen to “Dire Dire Docks” from Mario 64 on a loop and watch the sun rise or something. Because it’s that time of year.

(Podcast review delayed until next week due to me enjoying the life out of this week.)