Before the Fall

It was a really nice weekend here weather wise, mainly in that it wasn't raining, nor was it 90 degrees. The evenings were legitimately cool and the days were hot but not too hot. Chieko and I were able to enjoy are first air conditioner free nights in quite a while, though it got steamy again this afternoon and I'm once more a slave to energy sucking machine on the wall.


But before I carry on about all things weather, we of course have to take our hats off to Clay Buchholz for his no hitter last night. 23 years old, second start in the majors...don't set the bar too high there Clay. I was happy to be watching the game in bed this morning via Slingbox while sipping coffee. That is how all Sundays should be. I also have to give props to Jason Varitek for calling an awesome game behind the plate. Young guys must feel so confident having him back there.


I've still got some questions about this team, but today is a happy moment, so I'll address those until we go out and lose to the Orioles in the next game.

At any rate, the main point of this post is to celebrate the fact that autumn is coming. Not quite yet, unfortunately, but soon. This weekend was a nice little taste of what's to come. I've always been a big fan of autumn, though in recent years spring has been gaining steam with me. Everything is being reborn in the spring, and that certainly has a palpable effect on my psyche. I always feel more optimistic, energized, and generally more alive when spring comes around.

But there is something that I love about the fall. I love the cool nights and warm sunny days, and being able to enjoy and seek out warmth rather than try to escape it. Autumn is cozy, and I like being cozy, I suppose. Granted, this affinity for the fall was developed in the U.S., where houses are insulated and heated properly, unlike the otherwise wonderful country Japan, where such innovations have never caught on, and we wake up seeing our breath until the kerosene heater warms up the room we are in, and nothing else. The only thing heated electrically in our modern apartment is the toilet seat. And believe me, I am very thankful for that at least.

So while it's forecast to be around 90 again tomorrow, there are still some signs of fall I've been noticing lately. Well, only two. But here they are.

The cicadas are dying!! What a life these little guys and girls live. Two weeks of spazzing out flying into stuff, singing their brains out, and having sex. Then they slip into a catatonic state and lie on the ground until they either a) die naturally b) get stepped on c) get eaten by a bird or d) get eaten by ants. So cicadas, see you next year.

And the second amazing sign of fall: they're cuttin' the rice! I'm not sure what they do with this rice, but I am positive I wouldn't eat it, given that for 8 months of the year when these paddies are fallow, I see all the garbage that collects in them. But it does add some nice greenery to the neighborhood during the summer, which is great. Now that they've cut it, the neighborhood has a nice smell to it akin to freshly cut grass.

I'm heading off to bed now that this post has, for some reason, taken me about 45 minutes to write. I think I may have fixed the problem of scrunched up text that I was lamenting in my last post, and if i haven't, well then I'll just lament some more. Doubt I'll be moving this blog though as I haven't been able to find anything else that is free and comparable in service. For all it's faults Blogger is king of hill for now. Have a nice Sunday.

Edit:
Dammit!! I published this post and checked it out and I was scrolling down looking at all the nicely spaced lines and got to the bottom and it's still all scrunched up! Boo hiss.