You'd think you wouldn't forget something like . . . a season. Autumn to be precise. In San Francisco, the change to Autumn was subtle - maybe a whiff in the air, and the fog stops being so relentless - quite nice, actually. But here, I forgot how the light patterns completely change, the shadows, the angle of the sun, and of course there's the chill and the necessity of closing windows at night (even though in San Francisco, I had to close the windows at night all year round). It's sorta exciting. But it's a love-hate thing. You love how it feels right now, with lungfuls of crisp, cool air, a relief from the Summer heat, but it sucks letting Summer go. That crisp, cool air is Winter's hand on your shoulder. Autumn is Summer dying, lovely and fading.

When I lived here last, I was in high school. On a day like today, at right about this time of day, maybe cross-country would be ending (until I got kicked off the team after having passed out during a race in Van Cordlandt Park in the Bronx). I would have changed and would be hanging out in the gym lobby, goofing off with teammates who were waiting for their rides to pick them up. Or maybe I would have had Jazz/Rock rehearsal down in the art center. At 5:30, the singers would probably start drifting out once their songs were done, but the band would still be jamming horribly. Early in high school, I'd call for someone to pick me up. Sometimes someone would give me a ride. I think I walked a few times. It was only a mile, but it wasn't fun lugging a bass up the hill. In later years, I think I drove a lot, parking off-campus on local streets.

But it's time to move on, and I'll be heading for the monastery near San Diego at the end of October. Exactly one year after my first visit there. The weather should be nice, and for once I'm not dreading the end of Daylight Savings and November. I'll be joining them halfway through their 3-month Winter Retreat, which they shifted to the Autumn because the head honcho, who is living in exile in France from Vietnam, recently got permission to return. It's pretty big deal and he will be going to Vietnam in January, along with a good portion of the San Diego monks, but not all, so I think I'll be able to just stay there. I don't know, I'm playing it by ear and have no idea what will eventually happen.

I got a new 2 lb., 3-season sleeping bag and Teva's today for the monastery. Why did I throw away my old decrepit Birks when I was packing to leave San Francisco? Shows the kind of judgment I was applying at the time. And I dug out my brother's dusty external frame backpack out of the basement, so I'm starting to look the part. I'm expecting to be pretty minimal there. I'll take my digital camera, but not plan to use it unless I decide to leave, at which point I'll take portraits of the monks. I'm still undecided on a CD player for the train ride across the country. That will depend on room. The only luxury item I'm allowing myself are my binoculars and a planisphere (star chart) for star-gazing, and hopefully I can strap a tripod to the backpack. Yup, time to shift the paradigm.