The problem is for many years I lived my life publicly.

This morning there were pellets of hail in the windowbox basil and a layer of snow covering the impatiens in the backyard and I stood there in my pajama bottoms and too-large t-shirt and falling apart slippers and stared and thought 'how odd'. Have I just never noticed before the overlap of late season blooming flowers and early season falling snow?

I rifled through the front closet for a hat and a scarf that reasonably matched because I was in that mood, fashion over comfort or warmth, and after I bundled it all up and moved around the apartment gathering last-minute items and saw myself in the mirror. Who is that man? I did not recognize him and he intrigued me. Maybe I'm just extra sensitive to my face right now because it will be changing soon, I'm shaving off the hair for a drag act in Austin, Texas.

Oh yeah, I'm going to Austin. That's next weekend. I'm driving down there with foxycoxy. It sort of snuck up on me, but I'm looking forward to it. Except for the weather. Seceretly, I'm enjoying the cold. However, it will be here (and lots of it) when I get back. One last burst of warm air on my bare arm through the window of a car isn't a bad goodbye to the summer.

I got an unexpected e-mail today from a former mentor about an essay I wrote that had impeccable timing in completely rejuvenating me. I like when this happens.