creative writing

Hey

152 Comments

Hey, I’ve got a commentary without much to say…
It’s finally autumn here in Pasadena. After weeks of relentlessly hot, stifling weather, it’s has been cool and raining on and off since Saturday.
When I was a kid, I was a total California Sun Worshipper. I lived for the summer, took it as a personal affront when we went to the beach and it was foggy. I would intentionally scorch the soles of my feet, toughening them up so I could walk slowly, cooly, across the blistering sand at Zuma beach, impressing (in my own mind, at least) all those bikini-clad hotties who I was too geeky to talk to.
These days, however, I absolutely love Autumn and Winter. I love the flannel sheets, evenings building and enjoying fires in the fireplace and on my neighbor’s lawn, the way the smell of fireplaces hangs in the air all day long, running through piles of leaves while gardeners chase us with rakes.
I love stepping out of the shower into an obscuring mist, and writing “A&W” on the bathroom mirror. I love hot apple cider while we watch The Simpsons together on the couch, wrapped in a woolen blanket.
I love walking out into a clear but crisp day, shivering in the shade but basking in the few spots of warmth the sun delivers through the trees on my street.
Though I feel sad for Demeter when she has to return Persephone to Hades, I am grateful each year for pomegranates in the Underworld.

152 thoughts on “Hey”

  1. Hey Wil,
    Thanks for the pick-me-up. Reading blogs feels like a guilty pleasure sometimes and I find your posts almost always leave me feeling better after reading.
    Thanks!
    –[Ursus]

  3. The falls here seem pretty – sometimes sunny, crisp, green even.
    And then you step outside, and your various appendages chill and turn into veggies from your fridge’s crisper.
    The years I spent in La Jolla, near San Diego, were amusing in that everyone who visited expected lots and lots of sun.
    Thing is, even in the summertime it can be overcast – when you’re right next to the ocean, you’re often stuck being the clouded Jewel of the Sea.
    We now return you to your regularly scheduled program, assuming it’s kinda like G4 and will be airing in bits on UPN.

  4. Wil, that was so poetic. I love that. And autumn is my favorite, too.
    WRITE THE DAMNED BOOK, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  6. zuma beach!!! yeah!!!!!!! its all about point dume baby!
    sorry. i just had to get that out of my system.
    -seth

  7. Speaking of Fall, we in St. George Utah have had a serious drought for the past year. This morning we had more rain in 15 minutes than we have for the last 6 months. Karma working I had to find a sweatshirt and it kept me from being halfway to work on the mt. bike in the middle of it.
    -mike

  8. Demeter’s going to be okay. She was getting way too overbearing and having a lot of boundary issues. This is a good time for her to rethink her priorities.
    But Persephone – she gets to have it all: light and dark, innocent girl and underworld queen, spring flowers, summer lushness, and the deepest secrets of the labyrinth…Persephone rocks.
    And to think that when I first got out from under mom’s thumb I just ended up working in a diner for the summer.

  11. ironically, the fogged-in areas of coastal california get more sun during the fall than during the summer; the fog recedes and the sun pokes its head out, and there’s a beautiful indian summer with crisp clear windy and sunny days, and cold clear nights. :)

  12. Yes, I too love the cooler months. Having grown up in California’s Central Valley, I’ve grown to HATE the summer months. I especially love the months that the local ski resorts are open.
    Oh, and Wil, if you’re reading this… Thanks for mentioning Movable Type. I’m lovin’ it. Works BEAUTIFULLY! I finally finished modifying my templates to take on the looks of the rest of my site.
    –Ian…

  13. Although I have to admit the cooler climate is nice when the bed is soo warm as long as I don’t hae to getup- I don’t mind the winter- I but I lack natural insulation( not that I am as thin as a rail)I just have a hard time keeping warm. This is the time of the year when i love my Down Comforter and heated water bed—- yeah baby!!!!

  15. Well, here in Quebec,Canada the summers are VERY humid and uncomfortable. Makes me feel like an overheated engine. Thank God for air conditionners. I try to stay indoors as much as possible. Autumn and winter are a big relief. I welcome the cold weather and I feel alive again. At least once every winter, I put on my bathing suit and I take a dip in the fresh snow in my backyard. WHAT A THRILL! (of course, I do it at night so my neighbours won’t call the police[laughs]). Some people think I’m crazy but it’s the way I am. I wish we had winter all year round.
    The one thing I NEVER understood is people who say that they love the heat, but they’re always trying to cool down. Either in a swimming pool on in air conditionned homes. If they love the heat so much, why not just endure it???

  17. Shoot, fall around here means ginning season. Which means my allergies take over my life, lol.
    A beautiful entry, nonetheless.
    Nice touch with the mythology references!

  18. You gotta love those crisp autumn days going out playing a pick up game of football or hikeing in the woods taking pictures of nature or sitting on the beach watching the waves come in.

  19. You gotta love those crisp autumn days going out playing a pick up game of football or hikeing in the woods taking pictures of nature or sitting on the beach watching the waves come in.

  23. Hey, been a while since i could post, but now that i’ve got a new job/place to live, maybe i can catch up. I must say that i seem to feel the way will does about autumn at the start of each season. Looking forward to whatever it is i like about the upcoming season, and being glad that it’s another 8 months until i have to put up with what i didn’t like about the last season. (Canada has only 3 seasons – pre-hockey, hockey and post-hockey ;) – but anyways, i gotta agree that i’m looking forward to autumn for some similar reasons as wil: getting all cozy under the covers on a cold evening with someone special and just relaxing watching a movie or whatnot. That and forgetting about the fling with the summer-girl (and hoping that i won’t be thinking the same when winter comes about the autumn-girl). Your post was really cool, it’s good to see another side to you Wil, but i think it’s a side that guys only have to show once in a while. Looking forward to another update soon.
    Ryan_W

  24. Yeah, I love Autumn too, just comfortable, not hot and prickly like summer or aching and cold like winter. Just … comfortable. I guess I’ve never actually seen snow so I wouldn’t know about your Winters but I don’t like Summer too much.It’s just annoyingwhen you get all sweaty while you’re just sitting around doing nothing because it’s too hot to move. Autumn is a huge relief for all of us I think.

  26. So I’m flipping around the television last night when I hear a familiar voice. I check the channel, it’s not 168 (which airs TNG nightly), it’s 177..nickelodeon. Family Double Dare. Wil bouncing around and the host ripping on you him every chance he got. That was amusing to watch. Quite the energy back then.
    I prefer winter to summer, summer gets too hot. My favorite of all though is autumn in New England. It’s unparallelled by anthing anywhere else. But then again my opinion could be jaded from being stuck 4 years in the south so far.

  27. Um, yes. Oingo Boingo rocks. Winter sucks. Autumn, however, is acceptable.
    Haunted Mansion Holiday opens in Disneyland tomorrow, with a brand new score written by Danny Elfman. It runs through the first week of January.
    And, coincidentally, there are several geocaches in the Disneyland Resort.
    So, Wil, you slayed them at the Con. What are you going to do now?

  30. I love autumn too! I love the smell of leaves on a cool day coming home from school, and i love the way the leaves change, especially here in PA where the Nicholson Bridge is. I love pumpkins and apple cider and corn mazes. Speaking of food we just had pomegranates in class today. well, Have a nice Day? :P

  31. Well Wil dear,
    I must say that Fall is my very most favorite time of year. I grew up in the hills of New England and just fell in love with the colors!
    Sadly, however, I’m now living in NORTHERN MINNESOTA where we have two seasons summer which lasts for all of maybe 2 months…and winter which lasts for the rest of the year… I’ll be waving at you from under about 4 feet of heavy snow in about a month or two…
    G’nite!
    Eternally,
    Ember

  32. Okay, it’s all getting kinda outta hand here. Fair enough, autumn is nice. Leaves fall, make the world look pretty. But for fuck sakes, if Wil said to taste shit on toast, I’m beginning to think a few of you would. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a diss to any of Wils fans, I love Wil myself and can’t wait to get my hands on his book, but chill people, instead of telling Wil why you love what he loves, tell him about what YOU love. I LOVE summer cos all the guys get topless :)

  33. Best time of the year is when the air turns from hot and muggy to cool and crisp, shirts go from short sleeve to long, and coffee goes from iced to hot. Absolutely the best.

  35. I love the fall, too. I love winter more now, when I live in Seattle, than I did when I lived in Wisconsin. I felt very ready for it to be fall this year. Just like I felt very ready for spring. It seems I am always tired of the season about two weeks before the season changes. Is that fickle?
    But I do love the fires in the fireplace, flannel sheets, thick knit socks, and crocheting afghans while I watch tv. I feel less restless being at home. During the summer I feel anxious if I am at home because I feel like I should be out in the sun.

  36. I have to admit I have ALWAYS dreded summer, I love the winter I ALWAYS have loved winter, biginning of spring and the mid. to end fall. Though I hate the summer, still, I LOVE summer vacation. Yeah I know I am SO hipicritical. Oh well. Anyway glad to hear that you are not dead, I mean really, usually you post then you make a few mor post in the same day. HUH. Then you g and make two post (that are very good might I add)and then you disappear. Freaky. You just can’t do this to people. Just kidding. Hey enjoy the fall. Don’t get sick and please, PLEASE, don’t die.

  38. You forgot to add the rest of your story Wil.
    I love stepping out of the shower into an obscuring mist, and writing “A&W” on the bathroom mirror. I love hot apple cider while we watch The Simpsons together on the couch, wrapped in a woolen blanket….
    “I handed my love-ah plump strawberries and smoked duck meat. She purred and giggled under the weight of my thrusting body, her mouth agape with a mixture of pleasure, longing, and duck meat.”

  40. You have flannel sheets in Pasedena??? Does it ever even snow in Pasedena?? I don’t think you’d like winter so much if you had to shovel snow six months out of the year or have to use a block heater for your car. No wonder americans never go on their little tours through Canada to get to Alaska in the winter. Flannel sheets….hot apple cider….*oh my god break out the scarves and mitts in Pasedena* sheesh.

  42. *whine*
    It’s colder where I live, so you don’t get to say it’s cold.
    *whine*
    My life is pathetic, so I’ll shit on yours.
    *whine* *whine* *whine*
    Give me a fucking break. Read it again, and see if you can puzzle out the deeper meanings, idiots.
    Jesus christ some of you people are so fucking lame. If you don’t like it, go someplace else, losers.

  43. I absolutely love autumn – the weather is perfect – not too hot and not too cold. The leaves here in Virginia turn into a beautiful rainbow of yellows, reds, and oranges and the air is filled with the smell of wood fires. I love drinking hot chocolate or coffee in the morning to warm up when the sun is shining at just the right angle through the windows. In fact, I love autumn so much I designed my webpage colors to feel “autumnish.”
    Enjoy the season!

  44. Up here in SE WI, we have high 40s and apple-chomping sunshine. Gotta love it. We’ll send some chill your way.
    My daughter and I are thinking about doing the Demeter/Persephone for Halloween this year, matter of fact. Who gets to be Hades?

  47. Nice Danny Elfman riff! Their last album is one of their most obscure, but I think it’s one of their best.
    “I like my stupid life just the way it is/And I wouldn’t even trade it for a herd of flying pigs…”

  48. Lucky for me, I live in SouthWestern Canada, Vancouver, BC to be exact..and all we get here is rain. Summer is too hot, but the winters are wet and chilly. Thus Spring and Autumn have become my favorite seasons of all. Not cold enough for you to have to wear gloves, but just chilly enough for you to bundle up in that favorite sweater.
    I love to watch the leaves change colors as they gracefully float to the ground, to be gently ground into a brown paste of mud, leaves, and road muck. Sometimes I wish I lived in the country where I could watch them pile up, or rake them into a pile myself so I could fall into them as I did when I was a child.
    All the baby birds are grown, and getting ready to fly off south with the rest of their kind for the winter, everything takes on a kind of ‘orange-ish’ Halloween glow, and the stores fill with candy and Halloweeny goodness.
    It’s a time of transition. It’s beautiful.

  49. It was 95 degrees and almost 100% humidity on Monday here. Today it’s in the low 70s. I’m still adjusted to the hot summer temperatures, and with the misty grey clouds drifting just over the tops of the skyscrapers, the damp and the cooler breezes are enough to make me shiver.
    Usually the autumn rains denude the tallow trees before they get to change color, but the rains are early this year and I have hopes that we’ll see color for longer than a week.
    I know ‘nothing gold can stay’ but maybe it will linger.
    -Rhayn

  50. I see a few other Canadians put in their 2 cents on fall weather, but I cannot resist. Especially since the poster from BC also knows nothing about ‘real’ weather. Up in Northern Canada, our fall has already surpassed the worst winter weather that our international student from central Mexico has ever experienced, and comes close to our Japanese students winters. We have had our first snow (though it melted), and first frost was long ago, at the start of September. I use flannel sheets/blankets all year round. The down-filled quilt comes out in late August, and I try to avoid turning on the furnace until late September if we can suffer the cold nights. Extra blanket layers are added even after I turn the furnace on, because I have a thermostat controller which lets the house cool down to 15 degrees celcius (about 60 F) overnight to save on heating costs. I know others who go down to 12.
    By this time of year, I am putting the plastic shrink wrap stuff on all of the windows in the house for extra insulation. From November or December to March or April, we plug our cars in at night so they will hopefully start the next morning. Around Christmas, the sun comes up after we arrive at work/school and sets before I leave work. Almost all after-school outdoors play takes place under the street lights, if outdoor play is feasible at all. Farther North, the sun only comes up for an hour or two around noon.
    Much milder than when I was a child, of course, when we could count on at least 2 or 3 days a year that schools closed due to temparatures less than -40 celcius, and a couple more days when the busses wouldn’t start.
    Don’t get me wrong – I like fall, and even winter, and I like snow, but I just wish summer was a lot longer. ;-)

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