Fall cometh

After a June filled with rain, and temperatures not breaking into the 90's until only weeks ago, yesterday was officially the most beautiful day of the summer. The sky was the deepest, richest pure blue I've seen yet. It was the perfect New England day. What does all of this mean? Why was it the most beautiful day of the summer? Easy...because fall has hit Hanover, NH. Whether or not it is here to stay, I cannot say. Still, all of the telltale signs are there.

I first suspected something a week ago when that fall smell was in the air. Since then, the light has started to tilt. Everything has begun to take on the beautiful contrast that we only find in the transition seasons. The humidity has disappeared, and my window fan has too. But this morning brought the surest sign. It wasn't just that it was cold. It wasn't just that I had to wear a fleece for the walk to work. It was the quiet. Obviously the total calm of a fresh snow hasn't yet come, but even dipping into the 40's brought with it a new serenity to my normally lively commute. I wasn't aware that construction workers were tied into the tao of the universe, but even the usual din of distant construction was gone. The slightest scamper of a chipmunk enjoyed the same contrast of sound as has recently appeared in the light.

Once I realized that fall is here, I had to ask myself: "how do I feel about that?" Though my first instinct is to say: "F*CK!", I have to admit that I'm finding a certain excitement, a certain familiarity, a certain comfort in the coming of seasons. BBQing in the dark last night was actually kind of exciting. So, what's different this year? Why does this year remind me of fall at Williams and last year did not?

Just as I'm finding some hidden excitement about returning to med school; just as I've found myself thinking that school might be a more comfortable and appropriate existence for me, I think that my mind might finally be ready to return to life as normal. After everything was blown apart, dissected, and thrown back together, maybe I've finally had enough time to throttle back on. It makes sense too that the fall would be more comfortable. Things didn't just come back together randomly, I find myself this year in a much more stable situation than last. With Karl and our fantastic place, I'm feeling, maybe for the first time ever, ready to nest in somewhere away from home. I'm sure that my opinion will change after a couple of months of brutal temps, but I hope that I can continue to find beauty in the subtlety of change.

In terms of health updates, my PA over at Dick's House and I have decided to get serious about this hypertension thing. I get high readings before I even get out of bed in the morning. I went over for bloodwork yesterday morning to rule out causes of secondary hypertension. No results yet for aldosterone, etc, but my cholesterol was "fabulous".

The theme this week for riding has been the extreme want, but total denial of recovery. After the hard, long ride on Sunday, I ran into Michael Rea on Monday. Of course I had to join him, but of course he was doing a very hard endurance ride. You saw my HR chart for the race on Tuesday. Karl and I showed for Mike Holmes' invitation on Wednesday. Of course Holmes showed up on his Cervelo TT rig and with Paul "Sally Pants" Salipante in tow. Ruddsburo turned into an all out battle. And to top it off, the beginner's 1st year med school ride last night turned into an all out team trial after karl had a sidewall blowout that required a replacement wheel from Holmes' house. I don't know that I've ever covered Rt5 north that quickly.

No new pics, so how about an old one? My first camping trip. Have you ever seen a kid more excited?