HAPPY AUTUMN!

Today is the first full day of autumn-- huzzah! On Sunday afternoon, I curled up in a blanket with a cup of hot cocoa and a good book, and it got me really excited for fall.

I can't wait for all the vibrant colors, the cozy scents and even the autumn sounds. Author Eric Sloan once wrote: "All sounds, no matter how hushed, are as crisp as autumn air." I like that. To me autumn is magical and beautiful. It is even more picturesque than spring-- in spring the trees have flowers on them, but in fall, all the leaves are brightly colored flowers.

And although back-to-school time has its downside, there's a certain excitement that comes with it too! I love what Tom Hanks' character says in the movie You've Got Mail about sending a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils. I don't remember the quote exactly, but I love that image. :-)

So, although I am not going to decorate my living room with a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils, I am going to pull out my cinnamon scented candle, bake pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, and wish you all a happy autumn!

"It ought not to be attempted."

I am elbow deep in grading the first several assignments of the semester and I just ran across a paper with a Jane Austen quote given as one of the answers. The question asked what the university policy was rearding taking the final exam early. The student simply wrote: "It ought not to be attempted." - Jane Austen

A very classy response! If only all of my students included witty remarks in their homework that would break the tedium of grading for me. :-)

Another thing that ought not be attempted (perhaps) is trying to keep up a blog while working as a university professor. The first couple of weeks of the semester have been too crazy to fit ANYTHING in . The last couple of weeks of summer were also crammed as I tried to squeeze in every last ounce of play that I could. But, finally, I will give the requested details of my fabulous LA trip-- better late than never :-).

The trip included pretty much everything we planned. We didn't make it to Buster Keaton's grave site to get a picture for my friend, but as luck would have it, Buster's 'Star' was just outside the Pantages Theatre where we saw Wicked, so we got a photo of that-- this pic is for you, Jer! Wicked was fantastic-- far exceeding my expectations! I guess I really didn't have any expectations though. Glynda made the show-- I thought the creative depiction of her character was brilliant! The special effects were pretty cool too! I guess I can see what all the hype is about. :-)

We spent the rest of the trip relaxing and eating great food. We soaked in some sun, read great books, and (my favorite) rented bikes to cruise along the beach. If Carrie hadn't lost her credit card on the bike ride, it would have been perfect. We had the credit card in the bike basket (yes, the bike had a basket like the one on the Wizard of Oz-- how appropos). Well, the card must have turned itself around and slipped out the hole sideways becase the holes weren't big enough for it to fit through in any typical way. So we actually cruised the beach twice-- once in a liesurely manner enjoying the view, and once at racing speeds looking for the credit card and trying to get the bikes back on time. My mom, my sister and I also went running every morning along the beach, coveting all the beach houses as we went. Running at sea level is SO nice-- perhaps I should do a marathon on the coast instead of the one I'd planned to do in Utah.

Well, I better get back to grading, but I'll add a couple more photos first. The one on the left is inside the Pantages Theatre where we saw Wicked. The one on the right is me and mom in front of the beach house we're planning to buy as soon as we come up with the capital-- only $10 million or so. ;-)

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