Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. ~George Eliot

It was 70 degrees out today. I know summer's not quite down for the count, as it tends to hang on quite tenaciously around here, but it was enough to set things stirring. Fall is my favorite season of the year, though it's hard to put into words why I like it so much. During the fall, I feel restless and energized, simultaneously happy and itchy to be on the move. I'm hoping for a good, long, cool fall this year. With lots of hiking. Hiiiiiiiking. Yes, precious. And hot chocolate. And mooning over pretty leaves.



Hooray for free school!

So, as I believe I've admitted before, I'm a huge, huge nerd. I love learning, just to learn. I loved school. I'm far enough removed from my senior-year-burnout that I've started to miss it, so I'm taking a class at my old college. (My alma mater, I guess I should say, though that sounds sort of snooty for some reason.) I was poking around in the online course catalog a few months ago, looking for a specific seminar, and stumbled upon a lit survey course covering the short story form. It's a night class that meets only once a week, and I had the professor as an undergrad and really liked his style.

I did a term of AmeriCorps service last year, so I have some funds that can be spent at any accredited university. The only thing more fabulous than going to the bookstore again and picking out an armload of brand new books is going to the bookstore, picking out an armload of brand new books, and not having to pay for them.

It was a very good day. And we're starting with Poe. Oh, bliss...





P.S. OMG. Yum:





Reading: Book 4 in the Mediator series. Loving it! Wanting to read this instead of my books for class!

Playing: Plans by Death Cab for Cutie