Variable Weather

I just went upstairs to get some iced tea (brewed in my Mr Coffee tea maker, which is a $20 purchase that totally changed my life by making decaffeinated iced cheaply, readily, and consistently available - I've also worked out a blend of teas that I prefer even to the best caffeinated tea sold in the typical restaurant) with the intention of coming downstairs to report that this morning, when Robert opened the bedroom window before leaving for work and while I was still in bed, I found myself lying there with a strange sensation it took me a bit to realize was "chilly" because it has been so warm in our apartment ever since last spring, and to tell you all how happy I am with what is perhaps finally the end of summer, but my plan changed when I happened to look out the patio doors to see... snow.  So it appears that in Snow City, the onset of autumn can be determined by the first snow.  Note: it's not cold enough for the snow to stick, but it's still snow.

Clams

The other night, I thought:

I'm really happy.  I'm happy as a clam.

Why are clams happy?

Oh, right - because clams are not in grad school.

Passing My Day

I spent most of the day today (and some of this evening) working on the online data collection for the project I am continuing to help with even though I'm on leave from my program for the semester.  You know, if I actually had to do classes, my TAship, and my other research responsibilities too, it would have been an extremely stressful day.  Instead, it felt a lot like I remember a day at work feeling like, if a day at work had taken place in my home instead of at work...so let me instead call it a lot like a day of having a job and having a big project that you're working on that you're updating people about every hour by email and that kind of thing.  I was busy, and there were a lot of issues to deal with, and some confusion and frustration, but it was also basically awesome.

I did take a break after lunch to walk to the library.  I found that the difference between 66 degrees and 96 degrees is that even though I dress the same (shorts or short skirt with a sleeveless shirt), I sweat a lot less when it's 66 degrees.  I actually encountered one other person wearing shorts who appeared to take note of my clothing as well.  We stood out among the dozens of people wearing long pants, jackets, etc.  I was particularly struck by a guy, obviously dressed for work, wearing a long-sleeved button down shirt under a relatively tight-fitting v-neck pullover sweater.  Wearing a pullover sweater, rather than a jacket or cardigan, really indicates in my view a serious commitment to the idea that we are experiencing cool fall weather.  (It's a major pain in the ass to put on or remove a tight-fitting pullover, esp. with a stiff shirt underneath, so it's not something you wear casually with the expectation that you might get too hot for it.  Even when walking in the midday sun.  This is madness.)