Summer's Gone part II

Originally written 10/2/7

It’s been odd this week. Temps have gone back up to the mid 80’s. Work in the bathroom from hell is taking a week or so off. At least we got the shower working. And that’s it; no sink, no toilet, so it’s still 2 flights down to pee. Unless it’s really late, and I just whiz in the tub. Gotta break it in somehow.

So with this new found time, I have gotten back to more actively looking for the Job. Honestly, I’d rather be doing that then fucking around in the bathroom. At least now I have a slightly greater sense of sccomplishment when the wife comes home. It’s not like I was looking at porn all day. Some of the day, sure, but certainly not all of it.

I’ve also gotten back to taking Bauer the Missile Pup for walks during the day. Now I find this oddly peaceful. Sure, it’s good to get him out and try to get some energy out of him so he’s mellow for the night. With the weather being so nice these last 2 days, it’s almost, almost like summer is back. I can’t describe it, but the clear blue sky has the hue like it’s still July. Barely a cloud in the sky, and just nothing but sunshine. Half the time I’m tripping over him because I’m off in another world. It’s funny. I take him out like 2-3 in the afternoon, and it’s relatively quiet in the neighborhood. I hear crickets. With it being cool at night, we sleep with the windows open, and I lay there, just listening to orcheatras of crickets. I have a hard time falling asleep at night. Last year for Xmas, Tara bought me one of those alarm clocks that shoots the time up on the ceiling and can play nature sounds. That helps me by putting a soft blue glow in the room, and I can choose different sounds as I try to fall asleep. Even thought there is a “cricket=setting” if you will, it just doesn’t compare to the real thing. I guess with all the noise we’ve had going on in the house the last few weeks, it’s cool to get back to that.

I’m definitely in a better state of mind these last 2 days. It’s the combo of not having to work in the bathroom, getting back to a regular sched in the gym, having time to look for The Job, having time to do stuff around the house, silence, spending time with Bauer, almost summer like weather.

October’s a week away, and the signs are all there. Instead of the occasional dead leaf blowing through the backyard, there’s small waves of them. As I take Bau around here, I see more and more houses getting decked out for Halloween. OK, that is pretty cool, but still a sign of fall. The mornings have more of a chill. I don’t listen to Margaritaville on Sirius anymore.

Speaking of music, I am in the process of changing the jukebox to have songs that remind me of fall. Generally, fall seems to mellow me out a bit. For some reason, it’s acoustic stuff; stuff you can imagine at a campfire. (That explains Neil Young’s Harvest Moon) Heather Nova is a huge favorite of mine. She has helped me out of some really dark days. Well, not her personally, but her music. If she personally could have helped me out, I would have been far better off and more well adjusted. The first time I ever saw here was during the month of November, so her music has always been fall to me. I also get into the Gothic stuff for Halloween. That shit’s hard to find. Black Tape for a Blue Girl is very evocative and ethereal. I break out their stuff from now to past Halloween. But it’s hard to find their songs to play for you here. There’s a local band Tapping the Vein that I play this time of year. You can throw Lacuna Coil in there, too. In some cases, like the Cowboy Junkies, a lot of there stuff is fall to me, don’t ask me why. However, it’s hard to find those songs for the player on the front page. Ditto for Dar Williams. Another folkie, acoustic artist. She does a killer song The End of the Summer that is, well, killer for this time of the year. (Again, I can’t find it to play for you) The Phil Collins stuff is kind of a push, but I like the tone those songs have. I’m still working on getting more songs up there.

I know this warm weather is just a tease. We usually get one shot of Indian Summer per year, and this is likely it. Soon, it will be time to trade in the cargo shorts for black jeans, flip flops for sneakers. But until then, fuck it, it’s still nice out and I’m heading to the hammock.