"Where does the time go when it�s not around here?" � Barenaked Ladies, "Great Provider"
Daylight Savings Time ended yesterday and it's the first year I can remember where I felt like I'd lost an hour rather than gained one. When I was little, I always wanted to stay up until 3:00 just to live the 2:00 hour twice. Now that I can stay up that late (and do so on a regular basis), I no longer appreciate the novelty. The whole thing seems too short now, too unexpected, like there's no point in even getting out of bed. Besides, it's so warm and cozy in bed.
I remember thinking when I was in first or second grade that daylight savings time was a huge pain in the ass. I asked the Pat'Rents if school and church and Rescue 911 would be starting an hour early (which made sense, since our internal clocks would be used to that shit anyway) and they just laughed and laughed. I asked a lot of stupid questions as a child (and who are we kidding, I still ask my fair share of them).
Today is the perfect fall day. The chill in the air makes everything move in slow motion, like an old 8mm movie of a family vacation. Little Bobby is waving and Little Suzie is giggling. There is plenty of time to soak everything in, but not enough time to do everything that needs to be done. The semester is already almost over. October fades into November and Thanksgiving, which becomes December and Christmas. It won't be much longer before long the New Year is upon us.
I love that it gets dark now around 5:00. This is my favorite time of day in my favorite time of year. The whole world is adjusting to the cosmic changes some of us barely notice. It's the ultimate of transitional periods, the epitome of everything I love about spring and fall.
It would be an excellent night to lie on a blanket under the stars with Protein, except it's too cloudy to see any stars, so we settle for grabbing a nap in front of Unsolved Mysteries. What is it about Robert Stack's voice that soothes me right into unconsciousness?
It is also an excellent night for hot chocolate. The last time I ordered hot chocolate in a restaurant was last December. Our government team unit was studying at Barnes & Noble. We took a break and I ordered a weird peppermint/candy cane hot chocolate. Mostly I just make my own from the little packets, but I'll probably be ordering a lot more of it this year since I don't have a microwave in my room. I have to get my hot drink fix somewhere, and given my aversion to coffee...let's just say I'm crossing my fingers that the coffee bar in the student center can hook me up with the sweet stuff.
Hot chocolate: another reminder that Christmas is coming. Halloween has barely staked its claim on the end of the month, but the jerks at Books a Million already have carols in the music rotation and snowflakes adorning the aisles. They're trying to drive me slowly insane, what with Jessica Simpson butchering "Silent Night" and Avril taking a vocal hacksaw to "O Holy Night." How did a time of such peace become so trying on the ears?
It's going to be a short gift list this year, which comes with the territory of my poor college student-ness. The advantage of the short list is that it's easy to take care of. I've already done most of my shopping in my head and it won't be long before I've done it all in reality as well.
My favorite gift to give is always a book. There are plenty of titles to choose from and if you have even a vague idea of what the recipient's interests are, it's tough to go wrong. If Mother's Day and Valentine's Day were invented by Hallmark as an excuse to sell cards, Christmas was manufactured by the publishing industry in an attempt to sell books. There is no greater gift than that of the written word, I say, and so many wonderful holiday stories to share. After all, none of us would have the Christmas story memorized if someone hadn�t written it down.
Days like this are why I'm an English major. The interdependence of reading and writing, the magical power of the language � I love when it all comes together like this. Now it's time to curl up under the comforter and stare out the window at the midnight blue sky. The color is named that for a reason and to see it in nature is truly a beautiful experience, like so much of fall. Like so much of fall, it passes much too quickly.
Someone got here by searching for: Losing God in College Reading: A month's worth of readings from my history textbook. Test this week. Ugh. Listening to: Norah Jones Watching: The first seasons of Sex and the City and Six Feet Under. It's amazing what you miss when you don't have HBO. Eating: Oatmeal raisin cookies. Craving: A ranch chicken wrap.
