getting closer

It's only the 20th of August and already it smells, feels and looks like Autumn. Two weekends ago my friend Blake mentioned that he smelled Autumn in the air of Manhattan...I shook it off, ignoring the prospect of Fall coming so soon. But, in the last few days of driving around, I've seen the wind carrying orange and yellow leaves from the trees. It's far too early for this, as there are about 32 days left until Autumn officially begins. I guess it goes to show that the universe and our atmosphere are changing, creating seasonal shifts earlier or later than we expect.

I thought I was quite traveled (or at least experienced with different accents) until I took this quiz: http://www.languagetrainersgroup.com/accent_game.html. My score was so pathetic that I won't even share it with you! All I can say is that my savings account is getting larger and perhaps it is time for that next vacation...so that I can come back and take the quiz again, acing it!

Today at work it was a relatively slow day, but easy. I had good co-workers to work with and, for the most part, everyone was happy and relaxed. Dinner was slow and steady, with some very friendly customers. The kicker to the evening was a table of five - they ordered appetizers, entrees and two desserts...and three bottles of wine. Now, we're not talking $47 bottles of wine. Jonathan recently upgraded our wine selection to include some pretty pricey, distinct wines. Two of the three bottles purchased were Cabernet Sauvignons with price tags of $237 and $670. YES, SIX-HUNDRED AND SEVENTY DOLLARS! As it turns out, the more expensive of the two is probably one of only 50 bottles of that wine bottled. I feel lucky to have been able to try it, as there was enough leftover in the decanter for the staff to taste. If it weren't for those bottles of wine (which were delicious - cherried, musty, full-bodied) then we would have left with crappy tips for the night. But since the table's bill came out to over $1,000, the $371 tip helped out immensely!

Right now I'm listening to one of my favorite sounds from the neighborhood. A train is moving along the tracks at high speed, just a few blocks away. It's one of the most relaxing sounds to hear when I'm lying in bed at night dozing off to sleep. Another of my favorites is the sound of rain on the leaves of the maple tree outside my window. Unfortunately, mom and dad had that tree cut down this summer to give more morning sun to the yard and pool. I miss the sound already, but I guess I'll have to find it somewhere else.

I wonder how many orange, yellow and brown leaves I'll see tomorrow on my hike through Canoe Meadows. Perhaps I'll get a whiff of summer again when the sun is high and I'm riding my bike through town...hopefully sweating in the summer heat.