Idiosycratic Life

Happy October!! I love October. I think this is the best month of the year. For one thing, Halloween is by far my favorite holiday.
My dad and Brad and I would always set up these fun displays in our front yard. One year I got to be a severed head on a platter. It was great.

I love when the leaves turn orange against a brillant cyan sky. (For one thing, orange and cyan are opposites on the color wheel, so that's a particularly good combination as far as visual impact goes... Shutting Photojournalist Angie up now). I love scary hayrides and football games (except now that I am covering high school football for the paper. It's kind of fun, actually, except for the little kids who follow me around saying. "Hey TV lady! Hey TV lady! Hey TV lady!" I didn't answer them at first, not because I was ignoring them, but because I am so obviously not shooting with a TV/video camera and I didn't realize they meant me. I am the Newspaper Lady, not the TV Lady) and apple cider and marching band. In Syracuse, October also meant the first snow, which is kind of crazy, except that the first snow is always fun, and it's kind of cool that it gets to be in this great month.

For another thing, so many wonderful people were born in this month. (Happy birthday, Jon! You have been on Earth for 26 years!!!) Jon's birthday is today, obviously. But Brad Plotner (brotherfriend), Gwen (blurry good sisterfren), Heather Liskey (of the Highly Esteemed Young Friends), Stephen (bestpartnerloveoflifetimefriend)- AAHH! I just dropped veggie dip on my pants ARG!-- and Erika (College Roommate Goddessfriend) all have birthdays this month. Hooray for all of you for being alive and in my life!

DO NOT READ THIS NEXT PART IF YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THE TOPIC OF WOMEN'S FERTILITY!!!! Okay? That was a fair warning, right? This year I will also be celebrating the ten-year anniversary of my first period on October 21. Woo hoo! A full decade of menstruation. I came inside from playing field hockey in 8th period gym class when I discovered it. I had spent the quarter in change on a Strawberry Shortcake/Chief Crunchy frozen confection (Doh!) so I couldn't buy the needed item from the convenient machine in the stall, so I had to go to 9th period English and ask Mrs. Quay (who probably stopped being fertile during the Carter Administration) for a pass to the nurse. She said, "Tut, tut. (She actually used the words "tut, tut") "You have a word wealth test to take, Miss Gaul" (She actually said "Miss Gaul." Hi Scott! :) I was like, "Uh, I'll be right back." And I was. It wasn't terribly eventful, but I feel like celebrating it nonetheless. The anniversary is October 21. Aren't you glad you know that?

IT IS NOW SAFE TO RESUME READING. There. Well, actually, I should go. My film is ready to come out of the dryer.