Autumn

After an extended summer, autumn has officially arrived in my neck of Ontario. The days are still sunny and even warm, but the nights are getting cooler, the rains are colder, the daylight hours grow shorter. The change of seasons is a natural, even beautiful, thing, but it is always tinged with sadness.

Autum is not without its charms. The leaves are changing colours on the trees. The geese are flying in honking vee formations in the twilight sky. The pumpkins are turning orange on the vine. The evening air is crisp and refreshing.

It is a sad time, but it is good.

A Technicality

I realized earlier today that I am technically between jobs. Friday I left a job I had held for nearly five years, and I don't start the new position until tomorrow morning.

Departure (D-3)

The long to-do list from last week has now been whittled down to three remaining tasks. My calendar has  three meetings booked. The surface of my desk is almost supernaturally empty.

It is really odd talking about projects today with people I will probably never see again after Friday, but that's the way it is.

Departure (D-4)

I have not blogged for a while.

In part, this absence has been because of summer vacation. In part, it is because I was in the midst of job interviews. In part, it is because I have been busy trying to get all my outstanding projects completed so that it is a clean transition.

I have been so busy that I have been able to avoid the emotions that come from leaving colleagues I have worked with for almost five years. But now, as the to-do list gets whittled down, the emotions are starting to creep in.

It's going to be a rough week.

My Alibi

I try to get in to work by 6:30 on Fridays. It gives me a precious extra hour or so to get work done without interruptions so that I can leave at a decent time in the afternoon.

I try to get in to work by 6:30, but yesterday I didn't get in until 7:00, even though I got up at my regular time. Luckily, I got a good photo of the culprit that kept me from getting into work on time:

Northern Griot, Urban Sharecropper: Part 5

I'm happy to say that the garden is finally starting to bear fruits and vegetables. It is still a bit early for the tomatoes -- the bushes are loaded but the fruits are still green -- but the first crop of peppers has been harvested (and eaten).

Northern Griot, Urban Sharecropper: Part 4 (or Garden Pride)

My balcony garden is growing quite well, helped no doubt by the summer-like temperatures we have been having for the past 6 weeks. The hot temperatures are causing one small problem -- all my zucchini flowers are males, which means I may not end up with fruit despite the many flowers. It looks like the bars on Church Street are not the only all-male environment during this Pride Week.