A bittersweet day… word that another coworker is leaving the paper before the year is over. I suppose that’s “the way things are,” testament to a transient world where no one stays anywhere for very long. Selfishly, I feel like the battle to be a journalist gets just a little bit harder each time someone heads toward greener pastures.

I need a haircut and my stylist is on vacation until the end of November. I’ve brought back the beard, but remain undecided about what to do with the rest.

The maples are bare after catching fire just a few weeks ago, and within 5 minutes of my walk back from the library, I ran into two other coworkers who took buyouts in the last year. One was waiting at a light, yelling my name from his car… and the other now works at my neighborhood Starbucks.

But there is still beauty out there…. the oaks are finally changing colors, one of the last to do so each autumn.

Shugo Takumaru – Sleet