First experience with non-southern falls, pumpkin loaf, Oktoberfest, and other things (Justin)

One time, I dressed up for a Halloween party in flip flops, jeans, and a lion costume (it was a furry vest with a maned hood attached) that had been made to fit the three-year-old version of me, as opposed to the then 17 version of me.  I don't need to tell you that it no longer velcroed across my front or hung down to my waist.  You can probably imagine the ludicrous spectacle, though it might be harder to understand the appeal to a 17-year-old of intentionally becoming that spectacle.  The point is, it was the 31st of October and I was actually warm, exposed chest and all (Actually, I was positively sweating at one point in the night, after my impulsive petty crime of hurling a gummy bear at a passing car--something any adult should excuse on the grounds of, "Oh he's just a kid, no harm no foul," right?--left me facing a testosterone-fueled tirade from the 30-somethings driver, whose decision to slam on the brakes and confront my friends and I so caught us off guard that we neglected to run, prepare an explanation, or do anything at all aside from gawk and nod in agreement to his fiery assault on the irresponsibility of today's youth, a memory I still rewrite from time to time to have me heroically defending myself with an overwhelming torrent of words or intimidating display of raw animal vigor.)

I bring this up because right now, at 2 PM on October 3, it is 54 degrees.  My plans for today had been 1) wake up 2) play with Samson, our kitten 3) make breakfast--probably 2 cage free eggs and 2 Morningstar Farms vegetarian "breakfast patties", which is my staple 4) ride my bike for 20-50 miles 5) come to Island Coffeehouse and Books to read outside on the patio, write a blog entry, and then make my way around Langley to see what our version of Oktoberfest was like.  Well, I did items 1 through 3 just fine, skipped number 4--the one I was most looking forward to--, and am now shivering on the lawn of ICB, too stubborn to go inside or crawl back to my bed (we're too poor to use the heat, so it's the only warm spot in the house) and dream of warmer days in the south.

Fortunately, though I'm too cold to read, today is a fantastic day to people watch in Langley.  TGFO (Thank God For Oktoberfest).  As I typed that, a man wearing white tights, green velvet bloomers, a white shirt and gray vest, and a feathered cap actually walked by.  There he is again!  And now one of his fellows is strolling by with some sort of sweet decoration on his cap.  It looks sort of like a conical dusting feather turned upward and attached to the cap at the base.  Interesting.

All this brings me to the positives about the cold weather, Oktoberfest, and living in Langley: seasonal specials at ICB and the joy of walking into a warm, welcoming coffeehouse from the cold.  Today, we had incredibly soft, hefty slices of pumpkin bread for only 2 dollars.  Needless to say, I polished off a slice prior to beginning this blog entry and would go back for a second if I didn't want to save them for patrons of ICB.  I heartily recommend them, though, and all of you should immediately come claim one of the remaining slices.  Also, we will have pumpkin spice lattes available very soon.  Yum.

As a final note, I want to say that just thinking about our incredible board of directors warms me up inside despite the cold weather--Caitlin has just informed me that I will receive no sympathy because this is not cold and prime biking weather in fact.  I cannot imagine a more energetic, supportive, effective group of people, and it is a pleasure for all us AmeriCorps to work with you.  That's all.