No jack(o-lantern) for Jenna

For the first time in my life, I'm not celebrating Halloween. No carving pumpkins, no costumes, no party, no fake cotton webs, plastic spider rings, rubber bats and spooky decorations, not even a night of scary movies and popcorn. Nothing. This makes me a bit sad as it's my favorite holiday. In a country that doesn't really celebrate All Hallows Eve (although I see hints of it becoming popular), it takes a lot of time and effort to pull a celebration together. In the past, P and I have thrown a costume party --a novelty for our foreign friends. But it's all time and effort that I just don't have right now. And as I'm alone during the week, it's just not that much fun to celebrate on your own. I secretly think this is why adults have children...to have a reason to celebrate all the cool holidays and bring the magic back. I was a bit sad about it and my 5pm teleconference did nothing to boost my mood. However, when I finally left the office, Halloween had arrived regardless. Normally, I would be slightly depressed and irritated to walk out into a cold and rainy night, but it felt a bit like the spirit of Halloween forced it's way into my commute home. It was pitch black outside (due to the recent time change), the wind came in huge gusts that nearly blew people over. I almost didn't feel the rain on my bicycle for the wind blowing it sideways. When I arrived on my street, the crisp, cinnamon-colored leaves of fall were swirling in gales around the sidewalk. It was the tiniest bit of Halloween, but just what I needed to cheer my heart.