Fall

Fall is here. Mist turns into rain, humidity into precipitation, and cool into chill. Nature needs it. It's been 6 months since any real rain, but the homo sapiens sapiens aren't too enthusiastic about it. This morning an unexpected number of Gore Tex jackets was out, felt a little bit homey actually. Although 17C is a bit hot for Gore Tex, by Nordic standards. And traffic warnings for wet roads feel a bit unusual. Speaking of Gore Tex, a part of yesterday was spent raiding a local North Face outlet. A while back I tried high-end shopping in SF, yesterday I went for the lower end of the price range (no, I skipped Dollar Tree, was out of time). Outlets, Target, and some other chains. Made some good deals and enjoyed it. Guess a part of me feels more comfortable shopping in El Cerrito and Albany than in Union Square. At least in an economic climate where people are getting annoyed with Jay Leno for joking about the recession (which technically ended last year) and there is a line of unemployed Mexican handymen waiting for work outside of Home Depot. Times are tough here, and people are a bit tense. At least the holiday season is approaching. Stores are packed with pumpkins, bogeymen, and fake chains. Everyone seems to be stocking up and preparing for Halloween and Thanksgiving, and looking forward to it. I suspect Christmas shopping isn't too far off either. Here are a couple of pictures of pumpkin carving kits and escalators for shopping carts. Have a nice weekend!