A good day

It's happy times in Peacegrrl land today. I know...this is highly unusual. And on a MONDAY, nonetheless. But I just can't be pissy right now. Here's why...first, my family escaped Rita without even a power outage. The worst result of the storm for peacegrrl mama was that she said she'd been eating chicken for six days (apparently that's what they stocked up on...), was sick of chicken, never wanted to see chicken again, but the only restaurant or store open within ten miles was Luther's, at which there was a 45-minute line, which she stood in, and then proceeded to buy $65 worth of barbeque. That's my family for you--forget all the other worries of the world. We draw the line when it comes to food! :-)

Second, I had a good weekend. A really good one. That's all I'll say. If you're dying for details, e-mail me

Finally, I came into my office this afternoon and did not have a single nasty message on my voicemail from a student (or worse, a parent) wanting a room change. This is a rare, happy occasion. I have learned to curse the red "you have mail" light on my office phone.

It's also fall, which is my favorite season. Any morning now, I'll wake up and go outside, and the air outside will have changed to cool, and then the leaves will turn, and them somebody will burn them in their yard and the air will have that great autumn smell. I guess fall is all about endings--the end of warm weather, summer, the growing season--but I always feel optimistic during September and October. Fall in Ohio is a different world for me. Texas has its own version of fall, maybe not as spectacular as in other places, but we get the cooler days, the smells, and in some spots even the changing leaves. But up here the trees just totally glow before their leaves fall away. The salt bins start appearing all over campus. I can break out the scarf stash. And I relish ever minute of sunlight before the gloomy winter rolls in.

I know, I'm being a little over-poetic. I can't help it...I'm happy. Or I feel like I'm on the way to happy. The best thing about a new beginning is that there's no guarantee of how it will turn out...and although you can assume the worst, which is what I'm occasionally prone to do, you can also assume the best. And then enjoy the ride. That's what my mom and Ed did from the beginning. I feel very compelled to follow their example.
-pg