Indian Summer

October has always been my favorite time of year. I love the changing of the seasons & it seems most evident in autumn. Even on Maui one saavy kamaaina can detect the, albeit subtle, change in weather. Last night was the night for me. It was cold in Haiku. Of course I haven't lived at elevation for a couple of years (3) as the last shack was on the cliff's edge in the lands known as Pauwela. So now I reside... perhaps 300ft. amsl (above mean sea level in tek talk).  I made full use of my Canadian goose down comforter. The statement in itself seems absurb put in the context of Hawaii but not really. I love to feel the nighttime air breeze past me while encapsuled in warmth. Even in Alaska in March I slept w/the windows open- certainly helps to have something respiring next to you though yes.

Why can I not stop thinking about snow? Steven's Pass & that sweet town of Leavensworth (?) nearby for the holidays or Hood? or Bachelor? Most likely Mt. Ashland though. Do I put my resume in @ University of Alaska @ Anchorage & get an interview so I can hit Aleyeska in Dec/Jan? Do I concentrate once again on grant writing & Antarctica- which I pondered bgs (before grad school)?  Finland? Norway & that damn ice hotel Nissa Nancy told me about? There's always the possability of hitting the southern hemi's winter in June in Argentina tearing up the Andes. Those were good times indeed- sweet enough for an encore performance surely.

This is what October feels like. I get so excited for a cold front. Hard to live out that fantasy on Maui. I did just see some pictures the other day of a friend snowboarding atop Mauna Loa on Big Island. I have always known about this- even when I went to UH Hilo, but never checked it out. Something about trekking up an 12,000 ft. volcano w/your equipment on your back & all that loss of oxygen I guess prevented me from doing so in the past. Perhaps now w/thoughts of needing to immediately start paying off student loans will grow me some balls to pull this one off. Perhaps I'll be invited by a certain someone to join in on this adventure.

My brain feels like it is going to explode and outside will shoot out October blossoms. School-related stress is like nothing I've encountered before. All these rantings of mine as solely to blow off some steam & keep it all together. With the coming of the autumnal equinox came a feeling of glee- in knowing that school will be over before the coming of winter. This keeps me going. Ok my head really does feel like it is going to explode now- but it is due to Oktoberfest moreso than stress on this  occasion...
more later...