This is my favorite time of year.

I woke up this morning and it was 49 degrees. I had my windows open. Everything was cool, dark and my bed felt like heaven.

Soon it will be time to pull on a thick sweater, tuck my flip flops away and go to the apple farm. Something about a cold, crisp day just begs for sitting in front of the fire in the barn, drinking cider. I've been going since I was a kid. It's my favorite fall ritual.

I'll mourn summer. I'll miss the feel of the sunshine on my face and lazy days spent floating in the pool. But I'll greet fall with open arms. Just don't expect me to be this cheery when Old Man Winter settles in.

I haven't created anything in weeks now.

I pick up the pen, put it back down. The stack of empty journals taunts me. Creamy, thick paper begs me to blemish it with my words.

Nothing.

I open the same files, drag a picture here, left align that...

Nothing.

I'm hoping fall and it's crisp, clean air and bright colors will bring me some inspiration. Until then...

I'm 26 years old. When am I going to be a grown up? When am I going to decide "what I want to be"?

I just had an argument with my boss about which was the proper word to use in a sentance. Insure or ensure. I did not write the original copy, yes...copy. There is no such fucking thing as verbiage. It's copy. Anyway, the word used was insure. She asked me to change it to ensure. I didn't think that was right. Ensure is old people Slim-Fast. So I pull out my pal Merriam-Webster. They're on my side. I don't change it.

A challenge.

I pull up the definition. She "hmmms" at me and asks me to pull up ensure. Ensure gives a similar definition but also states that INsure and ENsure are interchangeable. However, INsure is more correct/appropriate. She makes me change it to ENsure, siting that we "always" use the word ENsure. "Is anyone going to notice?" "We need to be consistent and we have probably used ENsure elsewhere in here." "Ok, I'll change it. (Even though you're wrong you stupid bitch)"

I consult with my fellow graphic designer/grammar nerd/Scripps attendee and ask her if it would be petty to put ENsure in all caps to avoid any confusion for the stores who aren't going to read this shit anyway. She gives me this golden nugget of advice: "Please ENSURE (now, I feel it should be INsure, even though Webster says it can be interchangeable, however, SOMEONE here thinks you all might notice and be thrown off if we don't type ENsure here. So, for the sake of argument, from here on out, we will be typing all references to you making sure things are right as EN/INsure. You know, to satisfy both parties. Should this be confusing to you, you know if you have nothing else to do, please use a small object or Sharpie pen to cross out the pre-fix to the word you do not prefer.) that all display cases...blah blah blah..."

You have to pick your battles folks. I may have lost this one, but I have the AP on my side, we'll be back. Tune in next week when I discuss the comma situation.

I almost died today.

I was very nearly t-boned by a green minivan running a yellow light. So maybe it was me running the equally yellow light in the opposite direction...but still. The 2nd green minivan that's tried to kill me in an intersection this month.

I lost my shit for a minute. It was very uncharacteristic of me. Then I remembered what today was. Should have been. Is. Whatever.

I should have my passport in a few short weeks. This pleases me. Mexico is slowly but surely creeping up on me. I'm nervous.

There's not a lot to say right now that isn't going to push me into rant territory, so I'll let it go. For now.