"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." (and for the 9 trillionth time someone has now abused that quote...)



The fall. I hate it and I love it. I hate the fact that the days are getting shorter and the weather is getting colder and wetter. I love my nice long, hot days of summer. I do not like being cold. I do not like being cold AND wet even more. And there are times when I really don't have much of a choice in the fall (playing rugby, making poor attempts at runs). Last Saturday was a miserable day to have to be outside...but there I was...in rugby shorts and a short sleeve jersey running around in the mud. I was soaked through and cold from the moment I took off my warmups with no chance of escaping it for at least 50 minutes. (40 minutes for the half plus time to change afterward) I stopped being able to feel my fingers after the first ruck. It was awful. It's even worse to make the attempt at going for a run in this weather. Running in the summer is great. Sunshine, nice hot temperatures so that you really feel like you're getting a good sweat in. Even running in the winter isn't bad. Sure, it's cold, but usually you can remain fairly dry, even running in snowy conditions you don't get saturated like you do trying to run in this awful rain.
But I also love the fall. I love holing up in my "Fortress of Solitude" (or someone else's..although I guess at that point it's not really a "Fortress of Solitude"..) and wasting entire days. I love the feeling of walking in out of the cold and into the warmth of my house. I love sitting in front of a fire with someone I care about. (yeah..that was/is/will be amazing.. ) I love snuggling in bed and spending entire days just having fun, feeling warm, being close. I love the fact that some things just taste better in the fall. Things like coffee, hot cocoa, tea, cider, cookies...they're all just better this time of year. Nice warm sweaters...big fluffy ones made out of wool that are so overly luxuriant they're ridiculous. I love the crisp smell of the cool air and even the soggy smell of the leaves. All the rich smells of the fall (smoke, leathery smells, spicy smells....) are wonderful. Fall for me is a time to be "close". To enjoy being warm (preferably with someone else.. :) ), to enjoy feeling cozy, and to enjoy being indoors.

"...Can't look below me, something will throw me, Curse at the windstorms that October brings..."