It's Awesome Time

Autumn is my FAVORITE season. What a shame that the leaves only last a month. When I was a little kid and in primary at church, we had music practice and learned the song It's Autumn Time; that's where it all started. Then a family friend misheard the words and began singing it as It's Awesome Time, and in my opinion that version is better. So today's post is an Ode to Autumn Time or Awesome Time, whichever you prefer.

*The following poem is actually a haiku, not an ode, but for some reason writing "today's post is a haiku to Autumn Time" sounded silly.



Hoar frost broke the blades
Soft grass now brittle stubble
Footprints gaping wide



I'm still working intensively on my research from India, job applications and graduate school prep, so the last month has been spent behind my laptop. Hooray for the internet, a cell phone, and a talkative family, or I wouldn't know anything about the outside world! To break up the day I've started taking walks. My family lives in a fairly rural area, so my circuit usually includes talking with Lola the goat, running through the orchard, and feeding wind-fallen apples to the neighbor's horses. It's not often that I get to live in such a peaceful and private environment, so I'm counting myself lucky! I've been feeling frustrated over fallen-through jobs, ever-expanding papers, and no light at the end of the grad school tunnel; but how long can that last when the neighbor kids come over and you suddenly find yourself chasing a goat and a two year old up and down the pasture?

The New Me

My blog finally received its much-needed face lift! So yes, you are at the correct blog - it just isn't the usual self-made tacky me. Movin' up in the world!

I must say that I've been "moving up" in several other important areas. For example, my pumpkin carving skills reached an entirely new level this Halloween (I'm not responsible for Woody Allen or the pirate ship, but Calvin is all mine). On top of that, I even went clothes shopping last Saturday! Many of you know what a momentous occasion that is for me - I doubled the number of blouses in my closet (it only took three), but failed to find any pants. That's a problem. When I came back to Washington and the weather turned cool, I stole some of Michelle's old jeans to get by, but that's all I've got and winter's coming on. Darn it, India has turned me into the cheapest person alive, but capris don't cut it. Does anyone else feel this kind of angst when it comes to investing in how you look? I will have you know that I now do my hair every day, so at least I've progressed to investing time, if not money, in some part of my appearance.

Next on the list: I should probably graduate from my leather slippers and buy a pair of close-toed shoes. Then again...I remember my brother Matt wearing his felt slippers with rubber soles through his entire senior year of school! That's the spirit - until I have a dress-up job, why spend money on new stuff?