Autumn is one of my most favorite times of the year and I appreciate it more this year because it's the first time I've been back home in autumn for five years. Let me run a list by you of things that I love about autumn.

1. Pumpkins & Pumpkin Pie.
Pumpkin carving is a great past-time for me. I can remember carving pumpkins when I was a kid. The strange feel of the gooey innards, the smell of the freshly disembowled pumpkin, and me wielding a knife. Fun fun. Who doesn't love pumpkin pie with whipped cream and crumbly graham cracker crust? Finish that off with some hot apple cider and you're set.

2. Wearing Warm Clothes
Now you might think this is a little strange. I like wearing pants and sweatshirts and long sleeved clothes. During summer I just can't do that without dying of the heat. Autumn finally gives me the chance to wear long sleeved shirts, hoodies, jeans, but I don't have to wear a coat or a winter hat just yet. It's fantastic! Indian summers are even more fantastic cuz I can wear sandals with my jeans. The freezing winter pisses me off, (look for a rant around February about it...)

3. Halloween
Who really cares what the origins of Halloween are? These days it's all about dressing up in costume and partying. It's the biggest costume party of the year. When I was a kid I never dressed up. But for the last five years, (all the while I was in Japan) I've been dressing up. My costumes were: A Tennis Pro, A Crazy Guy with Afro, A Ninja, A Phantom of the Opera, and A Murderous Clown. What will I be this year? Who knows... And trick or treating has to be the most awesome, most insanely genius idea in the history of holidays. Let's just go to people's houses and demand candy. If they don't give us candy then let's toilet paper their house. Trick or treating is an absolutely brilliant idea.

4. The NHL Starts
Being a hockey fan, I love October because that's when the season gets underway again. Enough said.