Two Beers, A Camera, And A Full Moon

The dogs and I hung out together last night. I got my hockey tickets in the mail yesterday, so they are trying to butter me up. No way am I taking one of them to a game. I can't even keep them from stealing bread off of the counter top. I imagine that one or two beers and Maddie would be throwing stuff onto the ice.

Speaking of beers, I had a couple last night, just enough of the devil's urine to start to feel good about the world. I let the dogs out and was hit by a gust of cool air. For those of you not living in the South, cool air is defined as "anything less than 80 degrees" (that's Fahrenheit you freaky metric using Canucks, a good Southern redneck thinks Centigrade is one of them little bugs with all of the legs). So I step outside with the girls for a bit and was instantly surprised at how much light there was. I went back inside, grabbed the camera, and turned off all of the indoor lights. A full moon! It was overcast and the clouds just seemed to swirl around that big bright ball in the sky. I spent the next ten minutes taking pictures of the moon trying to capture how beautiful it was. Unfortunately, the exposure was so long and I had no tripod so the moon itself is kinda blurry. I like them anyway.

I got to sleep with the windows open last night, which is a joy for me. Now this morning, I'm reflecting on the fact that fall is coming. The leaves on some of the trees are starting to turn, the days are growing noticeably shorter, and the temperatures are dropping. I love the fall. It feels like mother nature is settling down for a nap, tired from the summer's relentless cycle of heat and storms. It's weary eyes half closed, looking forward to the quiet restfulness that is winter. Unfortunately, I hate the winter. It isn't the cold so much as the gloomy days and long nights. I tend to be a night owl, but I cherish the sunlight. Last winter there was a blurb on CNN about a small town in Alaska that was having a "daylight" party. Apparently it was their last day of sunlight for the next three months. I got misty eyed at the thought of it. I would surely be a suicidal alcoholic with no sun for three months.

I have a nice fall planned. Between the football and hockey, I'm hoping to sandwich a little World Series action. Tickets for the NL central division playoffs and the NLCS go on sale with the Cardinals on Monday. I only worry that they have peaked to soon and one of the wild card teams, like Florida or Houston, will be full of piss and vinegar after having battled to make the playoffs. Much like they were with Boston last year, my Cards won't be prepared for that kind of intensity.

I know this was a rambling post, but this morning I got up and decided to listen to a free CD I found at Best Buy. "Essential Sights & Sounds." Track four was Janis Joplin's "Piece Of My Heart" and it just put me in the mood to write. Thanks for tolerating me.