The climax of The Great Gatsby takes place on the hottest day of summer in 1922 — a now distant past, but by the next morning, F. Scott Fitzgerald writes, “the night had made a sharp difference in the weather and there was an autumn flavor in the air.” That is how quickly fall can arrive. Last week, it was hot and sunny in Portland, Oregon. Now, a familiar gray chill has descended. The days are getting shorter, and the mornings darker. I have to set my alarm again instead of relying on daylight to wake me. The leaves are starting to change, and I’m now working by the fireplace instead of outside on the patio.
Yet, fall remains my favorite time of the year. When I was younger, fall meant the return of my TV friends and the resolution of season finale cliffhangers. I watched the season four finale of Melrose Place at my friends Crystal and Ann-Marie’s apartment in Athens, Georgia, and caught the season five opener in my New York apartment. A lot used to change during the summer.
Fall also contains my favorite holiday, Halloween. It’s officially spooky movie season, and soon I’ll begin my annual Simpsons Treehouse of Horror rewatch. Fall is so delightful, I happily put up with the relentless rain.
It’s Labor Day weekend, so I’m starting my 40 percent off fall sale for paid subscriptions. That’s just $30 a year. Thanks to all who have upgraded to paid subscriber status recently.
This week, I wrote about Joe Walsh and how he’s chosen to set the rules for who can enter the Democratic Party’s supposed “big tent.”
Dr. Annie Andrews, a pediatrician and someone who probably reads the newspaper, is running for Senate against known dullard Darline Graham, who inherited the seat from her brother, the late Lindsey Graham. This is South Carolina. Andrews is a Democrat. Graham is a Republican. I think you know how this will end.
I examined the concept of fearlessness as depicted in HBO’s Lanterns series.
I shared some fiction and might do so again.
Dear God, please don’t let Republican Christine Drazan win Oregon’s gubernatorial race. We have enough problems already.
That’s it for this week. See you next Tuesday (but not in the insulting way).
We still have highs in the mid-90s here in Upstate SC. That is unusual for September, there is no hint of Fall in the air, but in the stores, there is pumpkin spice this and that, and Halloween stuff. I love Halloween, and will celebrate this year by watching the entire "Addams Family" TV series from my childhood in the 1960s. I finally got it on DVD, as streaming is getting expensive or unreliable.