First day of Fall

I'm a week late in my post - it should be 9.16.11, but I can't figure out how to back-date a post to make it more realistic. At least I wrote the post on paper so have it to refer to. So, let me take you back in time a week or so...

Never mind the equinoxes. Ignore that where we live it could easily be 85° by the end of the month. Just enjoy today. It's 54° out, only 66 in the house. Dry with a light breeze. I'm in jeans and a light cardigan, although after a brief trip outside I may have to put on some socks or house slippers. Drat! How will I keep my feet in running form this winter?? Still, the change in season is exciting. Although it's hard to believe the year is 3/4 finished. Where did it go? Why is it always September that flies away? Ah, that burning dust smell from the first use of central heat, that's a sure sign it's early fall. And baby pumpkins! I love baby pumpkins and always buy one every year. They're just so cute and useless!

Although apparently someone found a use for them!

Contagion didn't catch

The new movie Contagion received great reviews, and we were excited to go see it. The 'chillingly real epidemic' and 'breakdown of society in response' sounded too good to pass up. Despite a renowned cast and obvious scientific background, there just wasn't much to the movie. We were never shocked, disturbed, scared, or awed.  Later on we weren't afraid to touch common surfaces like doorknobs. After the movie someone coughed in front of us and I wished I'd felt a little thrill, an impression carried over from the movie. Did you ever watch The Mothman Prophecies or any other movie where the phone rings as part of the plot? Imagine watching it on DVD and having the phone in your house ring midway through the movie, feeling that quick jolt before you convince yourself it's ok to answer it in real life. That's what was missing from Contagion. It had the chance to really shock and scare us with The Truth, and yet failed to deliver. It's been a while since I've seen it, but I think the movie Outbreak with Dustin Hoffman did a better job scaring people with an infectious disease than did Contagion. Alas!

Speaking of the CDC and a different kind of contagion - have you checked out their page on preparing for a Zombie Apocalypse? Seriously, it makes you appreciate the CDC even more to know they have your back for when Zombies strike. Unless it ends up like The Walking Dead (season 2 starts next month!!) and the CDC is the last place you want to be. Their Zombie Preparedness page has all sorts of useful information like:

"Plan your evacuation route. When zombies are hungry they won’t stop until they get food (i.e., brains), which means you need to get out of town fast! Plan where you would go and multiple routes you would take ahead of time so that the flesh eaters don’t have a chance! This is also helpful when natural disasters strike and you have to take shelter fast."


I've realized in the past few months that I really like zombies. I don't care how sexy or sparkly or glamour-ous a vampire might be, I'm definitely on Team Zombie.

Gullywasher

Thunderstorm doesn't begin to describe the amount of rain coming down right now. The gutters are literally overflowing and rain is blowing sideways off the trees. There was a long period of thunder before the rains started, and it's been raining at flood-levels for a while now. I can't believe there was this much water in the clouds, given how freakin dry it's been lately. The thunder is deep enough I swear I feel the house shaking. Or maybe that's just Kayla the dog hiding under my desk.

I love playing in the rain, always have. I wonder if my mom still thinks back on those times whenever there's a good storm. In my memory we were always out in the rain except when forced into the basement by tornado warnings. I think we even had rainclothes that were easy to peel out of when drenched. I still love the rain just as much, although one of my favorite things to do now is go running. If I'd known how long this storm was going to last I think I would've played hookie and gone out in it. I told myself it wouldn't last long, then I'd be wet and still have to get back to work. Now I'm regretting it, this is such an awesomely heavy rain.[peeking outside] oh, it's just about finished now. Actually, other than responsibly working, it's probably good I stayed home. Poor Kayla is so thunder-shy she would've been a right mess when I got back. Oh but it would've been FUN! [peeking out again] Dang, the rain is starting up again, teasing me. But the sky is lighter, so maybe it really is ending. Definitely too late now. I'll just sit at my desk and stare out the window wistfully...