15 October 2007

Boot 'N Paddle - October 5

For all you sad sacks out there (sad people love Boot ‘N Paddle), it’s autumn, so cheer up. I don’t mean for that to sound too harsh or unsympathetic, but really! There is so little to be unhappy about in the fall. Summertime? It can be so…like, when the sun is so bright, and you just think, “dang, I wish it were fall.” And spring. You’re thinking, “I hate this wannabe fall.” Winter, is actually pretty great, too. But fall? Oh yeah.
The smells! Wood smoke. I’m not a huge fan of people that smell too strongly of any particular scent. Exception…wood smoke. If you smell like wood smoke, I will almost certainly like you. I will at the very least, in discussing your flaws, throw in an “although… he/she does smell like wood smoke.” The only thing better than people who smell like wood smoke, is wood smoke. Wood smoke. It smells amazing! Think about this scenario. You wake up in the morning. The floor is cold when you swing your bare feet off of your bed and set them down. The fire went out during the night so you throw some kindling on the embers and it starts right up. It’s not long until you add a couple of other nostalgia builders…the smell of bacon and coffee. If I could eat wood smoke, I would. With bacon and coffee, that dream becomes a reality. Those are just a few of the smells. Think about fallen leaves, crisp air, and wool.
Holy cow…wool! This is probably the best part about autumn. I have a lot of sweaters. I just acquired a new one today. I’m wearing one right now. The best part about sweaters is that there is never a “bad” sweater. It doesn’t matter if you have one with Balou on the front. What matters is that it keeps you warm. Add one button down shirt beneath the sweater and we are really getting autumnal. I’m not trying to delve to far into the fashion aspects of fall, but… you can’t have too much wool. Get a scarf.
Of course I have to address the aestheticism of fall. It’s great. We all know that. I’m color blind, and I know that. (It’s not like I don’t see color. I just see colors differently than you do. The colors might even look more vibrant to me than they do to you…so…maybe I actually feel badly for you).
I’m starting to get anxious writing this (actually my intern is writing this… I dictate all of my Boot ‘N Paddles). There is so much to love about fall! Cider! Apples! Pumpkins! Halloween! Fall zephyrs! Christmas is coming! Squirrels! Migration! Bears! Canoeing! Lambs! Soup! Corn chowder! Chicken and dumpling! Split pea! Baked beans! Casseroles! Hot cider! Falafel wraps (they aren’t really autumnal…I just like them)! Flannel! Splitting wood! Crunching! Leaf piles! Sleeping! Chilly, cloudy days! Knit socks! Autumn romance!
If you’re cooped up in the computer lab or stuck in a class, don’t forget it’s fall outside! I never do. If you see someone wearing a couple of layers underneath a sweater and a scarf, drinking hot cider, and breathing slowly and heavily through their nose, that is probably me. The guy next to me is my intern.

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