"Falling" into Midterms

Autumn is here. The leaves on campus haven’t turned yet, but when they do... awwwww yeah! Autumnal air makes me so happy. It’s brisk and crisp and can almost always be trusted to carry a leafy smell with it, which I think produces a most pleasant olfactory experience.

Sometimes it seems the fall weather carries a more expectant vibe about it, winter is not far from the wing, and everyone knows it. This is probably only the case in states where snow manifests. I imagine the sap in the trees is flowing south; traveling to its sappy winter home.

I’ve seen and heard walnuts and acorns falling from trees like craziness. Oh, autumn is a dangerous time for those who linger under nutty trees...especially if it’s a walnut.

Academically speaking:

Five weeks into the semester. Midterms are in the foreseeable future. Not having been in school for a while, I’m a little overwhelmed. I can only say I *think* I’m prepared, but that’s a possible maybe.

My friend Dale tells me that one usually gets all their wrinkles out in their first semester. I don’t know if this is always the case, but words of encouragement are always appreciated even if at first they seem to be faux.

There have been words that have not been faux, and those were the comments from my English professor on my first paper.

I was really nervous about it, not having written from a specific prompt in, oh, I can’t remember HOW long. The professorial authority in this realm has issued forth encouraging praise and that was fabulous.

Thankfully, there have been lots o’ quirky people on campus to help keep things bright. I think this prevents one’s joie de vie from being bogged down by the clenched fist of academia.