Thinking ahead a little

It's August. The mornings are just a little bit darker, a little cooler (actually, a lot, compared to last week). Autumnal thoughts have been creeping into my head on these mornings—thoughts of football, Halloween, and of course, back to school. 

For those returning for another year of academia, it's an exciting and anxious time, and it often boils down to that first-day-of-school fashion choice. You and the majority of your classmates haven't seen each for three months, so the opening day of school season is like the show without the runway.

I clearly remember returning for my second grade year. My goal was to look like a combination of Greg Brady and Keith Partridge. My parents had finally let me abandon my military-style haircut, and I was ready to step out. I tried on the new flare-stye pants at the Auburn JC Penney, but, apparently, my height hadn't been keeping up with my weight. My mom would've had to cut off the entire flare part, and so, being person she was, she drove the two of us to the downtown Seattle Bon Marché, where they had a larger selection. We came home with two pairs of the "husky"-sized flare pants, in bright colors with stripes, and a bunch of other cool, neo-hippy stuff for slightly overweight young dudes. Naturally, we then went out for lunch.

Whenever I returned home from school shopping with my mom, she always asked me to thank my dad for what I'd received that day. I hope I thanked her too.