Last weekend was apparently the last vestige of summer, because now it's cold again, or at least California-chilly. I find the weather here to be pretty monotonous, so I get a thrill not just from the change of season, but the shift away from summer, which, in the absence of cold air that freezes the snot in your nose, has no competition for being my least favorite season. I look forward to winter, here, the only time the rains come: sitting on the couch or in the coffee shop, watching water fall miraculously from a gray sky of pearl and lead. And it reminds me of real winters in New England, and college in the Adirondack foothills. Not that I advocate actually living in real winter: real winter is most satisfying in memory, with the occasional visit.

My lease is up at the end of October, so I'm looking for another place. I took my current place in a bit of a hurry, so I'm taking my time with the next one, waiting for The Perfect Thing to come along, some kind of small cottage-y thing, preferably with a garage. There's a lot of stuff available if I were willing to be far away from downtown and the train, out in the hinterlands where there's nothing but houses...but no.

I'm extremely jazzed about the new stereo I'm going to get. I checked it out in Fry's, ordered it on Amazon, then this guy I know pointed out that he sells stereos. Of course, he sells nice stereos (he does home installations usually in the $10,000-and-up range), but since he's one of the tribe, has a baby on the way, and is broke for some reason, I canceled the Amazon order and I'll just buy it from him if it's at all reasonably priced). Also considering one other toy, though it's a bit embarassing as a techno-yuppie-scum item.

And finally, work is good. Any problem I chew on for a week without solving to my satisfaction is a good one.