It Has Begun

School, that is. I managed to show up late to my first class, thanks to the wretched construction at the end of my road. Then, the Chamber Choir director decided he didn't want me because I'm only going to there for one more term. Thirdly, I'm in a 200 level economics class and it's driving me crazy!!! But really, everything is going well, despite my whining. I'm taking Latin American Geography and it's a wonderful class that combines all sorts of things like geology and history and sociology and... well, I'm sure you get the idea. I'm also taking Fundamentals of Conducting which is great cause I'm with a bunch of music majors and conducting is actually really interesting!! You'd be surprised what all goes in to being a good conductor. My final class is an independent study International Economics and I could potentially get all of the work done next week and be finished with the class for the rest of the term!!

I'm working on getting fall pictures and getting them put up for you guys. The weather shifted again this evening. We've been having fairly warm weather and all of sudden the wind started blowing today and the clouds look like they're moving in. I'd talk about my garden, but it is entering its decline. *moment of silence* The first frost will be here soon and they'll all bite it but good. The windows are open and we can hear the wind rustling through the trees outside. When I was driving home, I crunched through scatters of leaves and pine needles that weren't there this morning. Hmm, you know, I'm sure I had many more things to tell you guys and I know I have one rant brewing, but I think I'll save it for later. Have a nice weekend, everyone!!

PS Pheath, don't go planning that front row seat yet..... but you might get to. Oh, and is Jenn still in Ashland?

A cheese and pickle sandwich...

... a lemon cucumber, Norah Jones, a filling moon, and the sound of the autumn breeze in the trees. What more could I ask? I was just outside watering and realized I felt incredibly content. My nasturtiums have rallied (slightly) and they're just beautiful splashes of color against the dead grass color of everything else. I was a little sad when I thought about next year and how I won't be able to harangue my parents into planting certain things, and I'm sure my foxgloves and snapdragons are going to get the boot, but I still get to enjoy them this year. Have I raved yet about how much I like this time of year? Especially with this kind of weather. It's in the mid- to upper-70s, low 80s, but there's a bite of something in the air that let's you know fall is here. I can't wait until the leaves start turning! We have some spectacular color shows here, and I always mean to get pictures and hardly ever do. One year I had a ton on the digital and my mother accidentally erased them. It was difficult to overcome my raging bitterness, but I feel I am a better person for the effort. Hmm, I wonder if Matt will notice if a little more of his ice cream goes missing... or perhaps some cookies from his "secret stash" (shouldn't have raided it while I was watching. Ah well, I won't torment you more with my content, air-headed ramblings... tonight. Be prepared for when school starts again and I have to avoid doing homework on a regular basis. Things could get ugly. I'm actually planning on living part of the weeks with friends closer to school in a desperate attempt to conserve money. I said I was done, okay, okay, I'm done.

*thump*

That would be the sound of people fainting in shock as they see that I am putting up a new post. I know, I know, I have been sadly remiss in my blogging duties. Okay, honestly, I've been remiss in a lot of stuff lately. So, recap of my life in the last monthish. Melodie came down for my birthday and we had a wonderful several days which included going to a piano concert (just a quick note that older performers just have a certain je ne sais quois that really adds to the performance) and afternoon tea at the Ashland Springs Hotel, among other delightful things.

My garden (what, you thought I was going to give you a respite? Psh! You'll have all winter for that.) is surviving, although the strawberries have never quite recovered from Midwest and the peppers are pitiful, not to mention that the tomatoes did permanent damage to the crookneck squash. You'll all be thrilled to know that next spring I will have been forced from the nest and most likely will not have access to gardening facilities like those I currently rule in an iron-fisted dictatorship. Autumn has come (does it strike anyone else as odd that autumn definitely arrives rather than just becoming?) and the weather is changing (hallelujah!), so the garden will soon be going to rest. Oh! That's reminds me, must pick blackberries.

I just got back from spending five days in Visalia, California. Why on earth would I be in Visalia, you ask? I will take this opening to make an announcement that may come as a (huge ginormous) surprise to some of you. I have a boyfriend. *pauses for hysterical laughter, gasps of shock, and snorts of derision to subside* And what's more, we've been going out for... one month and twenty days. I was afraid to tell people at first, which seems really silly now, but I'm taking this chance to do some rooftop shouting. His name is Joel (of previous post fame) and he is a wonderful, talented, and generally all around cool guy. I'll try not to get overly mushy and sentimental on a regular basis, but I'm sure you'll all understand if his name comes up occasionally. I would ask that if some of you are doing speculating about our relationship that you just come out and ask me about it rather than assuming you know the truth. This is so I don't sit around worrying about what people are saying about me. But enough negativity!! The season is fine and I have bills to pay, so I will say goodbye for now, hopefully for less time than this last expanse of Mindy-less suffering. *snorts*