SUMMER MUST BE OVER

(taken from my sidewalk where the blossoms have grown tired)

It’s nearly 100 degrees in LA, but I was told it’s officially Fall now.
At least it was official the other day.
This is my favorite time of year…for the smells of it (more noticeable in the east)…for the promise of favorite holidays to come, along with my favorite food and decorations.

But I leave Summer this year with a lot of sadness.
What a season it’s been.

I started it by leaving my job and was determined to spend it my way. Looking for a job, yes, but more so, immersing in what life had to offer. I went to class to learn a web design program. I attended about 3 design and entertainment conferences both here and San Diego where I nearly fainted when I saw Johnny Depp, Robert Downey Jr., Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Tim Burton, James Cameron, Peter Jackson, James Cameron among others. 2 best girlfriends from New York came to visit me on separate occasions, and we were just silly enough to screw my head back on and right again...

... I went to a couple county fairs and looked at some big ass blue ribbon zucchinis. I finally saw John Williams perform at the Hollywood Bowl while sipping wine and picnicking. Some old co-workers came to sprinkle the right dosage of gossip and support. I BBQ'd using my tiny foldable grill with a friend as the grillmaster. I went to Disneyland a few times and bought a few collectibles, ate plenty of turkey leg and corndogs to boot.
I was in fact trying to feed my soul, clearing the cobwebs.

I didn’t find the right full time job. But I picked up a few right-for-right-now part time freelances along the way. Plus, more importantly, a good portion of my "joie de vivre" back.

I also happen to meet the most good-hearted people on this whole wide world. And they live in Temecula. This family, opened their doors without a moment's hesitation to me when I had knocked at sunset asking for help. My car was stuck in our own manmade ditch, and my friend was left trying to rescue the car, while guarding our belongings some several feet away. The wife offered me the bathroom, a bottle of water, while the husband was already out the door, picking up his tractor in order to help pull the car out. Neighbors nearby went to pick up some rope or chains, bringing their muscular sons along for manpower. While all the men struggled with the car, their youngest daughter stayed with me and told me stories about snakes in the area, trying to I guess, "c-h-e-e-r" me up. Of course, I didn't tell her that snakes are actually up there in my list of phobias.
They were our angels that night.

As I say goodbye to Summer, and hello to Fall and Halloween,
here’s a picture of my new pet.



For those who might think I’ve lost my marbles, do know that I am fully aware that this is in fact, a cactus.
A cinnamon cactus more specifically.
See…

You know why I bought it? Simple. It made me laugh.
Because when I saw it I saw 2 feet with toes. And then I thought,
“it’s like Frankenstein's monster dove into the pot. How the heck did he get there?”
The cashiers thought it was cute and raved about it. And when I told them what I saw, they just kind of gave me a glazed over look, matched with a forced, "we've got ourselves a hazelNUT" smile.

That's ok, it’s my world. They just live in it.
And in my world, FALL WILL HAVE TO BE AWESOME.