Self Discoveries

Yesterday was one of my favorite kinds of fall days -- crisp, cool, cloudless and sunny, so I got that simultaneously warm and cool experience I love so much, with cool air and a cool breeze, but with the sun warm on my face at times, and at other times a cool wind in my face. I walked to the post office and then to the neighborhood rec center to vote in the local election, and ended up taking what at first I thought would be a shorter route, but which turned out to be the long way around because I forgot that one of the canals ran in between, and it's a stretch of canals that no streets cross. But since the whole point was to be outdoors and get some exercise, I didn't mind, and the route took my by the high school during football practice, which added to the whole fall experience. Meanwhile, the elm tree in my front yard has started to turn a bright gold with some leaves falling, and because I am five, I had fun having something to crunch through as I went up the sidewalk. It was the kind of day that made me want pumpkins and soup and cider and other general fall-type stuff. For dinner, I created a new recipe (well, made my own changes to an existing recipe to create something new), and it was sooooo good -- a shrimp and corn chowder with a subtly spicy kick, so that at first it just seems mellow and creamy, and then the spice sneaks up on you.

And now I seem to be paying for yesterday, as I've got a nasty case of sniffling/sneezing/coughing with a lot of sinus pressure. I know that colds aren't caused by being cold, but cold breezes may blow in lots of fun allergens. I was kind of planning to go to choir tonight and get back into that, but I'm not sure I can sing right now. We'll see how I feel later in the day. For now, it's one of my other favorite kinds of fall days, the kind with a steely gray sky and a bit of nip to the air, so as soon as I get one little freelance project done, I'm going to make some tea and curl up with a book.

For an update from yesterday: that possible problem with the book that I dreamed and I wasn't sure if it was real or not -- well, it turns out it was real, and the solution I dreamed also worked. I think there was some more elaborate stuff in the dream that wasn't true, but the core part was. Yay, subconscious! I just hope it's wrong about everything I remember from last night's dreams, or else I'm likely to accidentally insult Nora Roberts to her face at a writing conference (I have NO IDEA where that came from, nor the bit about the German couple -- probably from the former East Germany, since you couldn't tell which one was the man and which was the woman -- that was one of the Dancing With the Stars finalists, considering I don't even watch that show).

In other news, here are some random things I've learned about myself lately:
Cleaning my kitchen gives me the urge to cook, so I end up with a messy kitchen all over again.

I'm starting to feel really lousy on days when I don't exercise. Or maybe I don't exercise on days when I feel lousy. More research may be needed.

My enjoyment of crossword puzzles may have reached the scary addiction stage. I can't watch TV without a puzzle to do (the handheld electronic New York Times puzzle game helps with that). They're also getting to be too easy. However, the Sunday puzzles become more fun when done while under sinus attack and on even a small dose of Benadryl. That ups the challenge level somewhat.

I have more proof that my inner self is 80 years old. While at the rec center for voting yesterday, I picked up an activities newsletter they had in a rack, and while flipping through it, I thought all the activities sounded like a lot of fun. I had no idea there was all this cool stuff going on at the rec center. When I looked for information on how to sign up for these activities, I realized it was the newsletter for the senior citizen activity center in another part of town. Sadly, the only activities at my neighborhood rec center that looked fun were for children under five. I wonder if the senior center people would kick me out for being too young. Somehow, I seriously doubt that I'd be accepted in Baby Ballerinas.

I get very bored just walking for exercise on a route I take repeatedly, so that even half an hour of walking seems to drag and is such a chore, but I can walk for hours with no problem -- even on some of the same routes -- if I have an actual destination and reason for going there. Sightseeing works in much the same way, if my surroundings are new. So to get plenty of exercise, I just need to find more places to go or errands to do that I can walk to, or I need to go to unfamiliar places. Unfortunately, most of the destinations other than the library and post office seem to involve food, which somewhat defeats the purpose of walking to get there.

And now I must finish writing a series of health tips about how to avoid gaining weight during the holiday season so I can give in to the sniffles and enjoy my tea and a book.