Ugh times two plus huzzah

Yesterday after work I went clothes shopping. You see with the end of grad school thundering nearer, it seems a good idea to get a new suit for job interviews. My current suits (purchased four and a half years ago) fit me well enough, but they do look just a bit dated. My better half had received a mailer about a sale at a big department store with a coupon for an extra 15% off of everything, so it was time to go have a look.

I tried on a suit jacket only to find that, despite it being marked as the size I ought to wear, it was too small. I had to get the biggest suit in the store (48 long, in case you’re curious). Now the old suits still fit me, and they aren’t that infamous size and I doubt that they've grown, so it looks like there is a little game going on with the sizing of menswear. Grrr. I really don’t care for shopping at the big and tall men’s store, as their better clothes are few, far between and overpriced.

The new suit is nice and the price was good too. Now I can wear pale gray to an interview, which seems like a most appropriate color for that dismal function.

Got home a bit later than usual after all that. Saw the one bit of autumn that I don’t care for – the too-early dusk. By 6:30 there was precious little light in the sky. The air was nicely crisp and it smelled faintly of fall. Every so often a step in the park would produce a happy crunch of fallen leaves.

It’s funny, but the different trees in the neighborhood turn quite differently. On some of the hardwoods the leaves nearest the trunk have turned first, so that in the light of dusk or dawn, they appear to be lit from within. On others, the leaves farthest from the trunk turn first, making the tree look frosted. On still others, all the leaves on some limbs turn completely before those on other limbs start to turn. As befits a place settled during a gold rush, most of the leaves turn gold. Apparently it isn’t just the type of trees, but a low iron content in the soil, that keeps many from turning red. For what it’s worth, those that do turn red (like the sumacs and the woodbine vine) tend to be weeds. Perhaps I can get some pictures later this week.

Between the marvelous colors and the more comfortable temperatures (under 55 is really ideal for dog-walking), autumn is terrific. Almost terrific enough to make up for the paucity of daylight. Almost.