The Autumn Blues

So my most dreaded season has begun. For someone who hates cold weather so much living in Ohio is probably ill advised. I think Fall is such a dreadful time for me primarily because one would think that there will be a gradual decline into the bowels of winter. Perhaps have some pleasant days in between the uncomfortable heat and the uncomfortable cold. But not here. Not in Ohio. Last week were in the 80s. tonight I'll be firing up my furnace for the first time. I'm most certainly am not looking forward to my utilities skyrocketing.

Of course, if watching everything around you die and all the colors of Nature fade isn't enough to damper anyone's spirits, then there's always Halloween.

Don't get me wrong; Halloween isn't all together terrible. I always end up enjoying it to a degree when it's all said and done; but there's so much hype and preparation around it that it kills any possible excitement.
As a kid when you're in grade school there was so much focus on Halloween. You even got to leave school for like an hour to go home and get in costume. I think all of that conditioning has been hard for a lot of us to grow out of. We've all got those friends who are planning their parties and costumes in August. Not matching their enthusiasm will quickly and assuredly getting you tarred, feathered, and banished from any social circles you may have been accepted into.

Mostly I'm just bitter because being in bands means that you have to 'work' on most of the more fun holidays. Of course, those do prove to be the most lucrative shows (and probably the only time one can justify spending so much time being a musician) but it's a real drag to have all of your friends that you don't get to see for the majority of the year who are in town foe Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas because you have to spend the whole night loading/unloading/performing.

Maybe I'm just a poster-child for SAD but it seems that bears have it right. This Fall and Winter I'll be spending my time hibernating.