Envying Queen Elizabeth II

I know it's a ridiculous notion - but I often feel the world would be a better place if I had a corgi to come home too. In reality - I'd have to walk and feed the corgi and take it to the vet. But in my mind - I just have a corgi that would be cute and tug on a towel with me and let me twirl it and happiness would abound throughout the land! Instead, I have to live vicariously through corgi journals and accosting corgis I see on the street. Ah well - it's fun to dream!:)

tearing my hair out!

JP ====== I kinda hate right now.

For so many reasons.

My apartment - I hate even more.

I am - SOOOOO FRUSTRATED! I don't know how to proceed - and I just want to throw things at a wall and scream and cry - but I don't think Austin would appreciate me doing that in his apt.

But IOLANTHE is going well. And I apparently had a FABULOUS dance class on Monday - so said my teacher. I just want to put housing crap behind me for more than a few months! GAH!

THE CIDER MILL OF HAPPINESS!:)

Today was an incredible day!

I've been yearning to go to a cider mill all October, but no one could commit to a day, etc, etc, etc...

But today a guy, David, from IOLANTHE, rented a car and told the director and I he was taking us to a cider mill! So we went and had a MOST MARVELOUS time! Great conversation ranging from Kant to Boys to Shakespeare to name etymology to funny backstage stories of the Met, to everything in between. It was lovely! And the Cider Mill was perfectly hokey and fun! A corn maze that was actually quite challenged and four other mazes - all fun! There was a pumpkin slingshot where we shot pumpkins from a medieval siege device and tried to get it into a barrel - none of us succeeded but it was super fun, a tractor ride through beautiful fall foliage and we got to pick out our own pumpkin at the end - and we got a cider donut at the end. Then, David realized his aunt lived just a few minutes away - so his aunt took us all out for Thai food which was delightful! We finally got back to the city and returned the rental car at LaGuardia Airport, and the rental car company got a black limo (just like the one Chuck rides around in!) to take us back to the city! WHAT? We got back to the city, walked David's super cute dog, and ate dessert at a wonderful (and relatively famous) Italian Bakery - Veniero's, then walked in the surprisingly pleasant weather (all day we had perfect weather for our chosen activities!) to the subway! SUCH a fun much needed day - a respite from the - BLARGH - and just - wow - I am happy to have two such fabulous people in my life at the moment! CHEERS TO GOOD FOOD GOOD COMPANY AND GOOD TIMES!

Release the Waldorf

The thing is...I'm not stupid - and I know when you are lying - and I know your tricks - whether you're the president of VLOG or my roommate. And I am insulted you think I'm stupid enough to fall for them. I got news for you - I am smart - I know what you are trying to do - and I am releasing Blair - so - beware...

just some random thoughts...

The world is very very very mysterious. I'm not sure I understand it at all - or if I should even try to.

At any rate - today I failed at being pop/country tap dancing cow. (SURPRISE! Who thought it would be a good idea to call me in for that show!?) What were they smoking!? I failed so badly they didn't want to see my "white witch." Ah well. I then had a HUMONGOUS scare that I lost my precious Any Liu shoes that my mom got me for Christmas - but KAT found them at Ricky's where I had left it when I went to buy a petticoat for my Halloween costume. YAY KAT! I then tried to video tape/interview people for an IOLANTHE publicity video - but only one person agreed to be interviewed. Everyone else got bizarrely camera shy. They are ACTORS! They should RELISH in the spotlight! MWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! During my rehearsal, I learned that I got called in for another AFTRA extra job - which is awesome - but I was looking forward to a day off. But it is a full on real AFTRA job- not a specially negotiated rate job - which means $140. WAHOO! Hopefully it won't be too painful. It IS an "exterior" filming - which means outdoors...

Here's to hoping for a fun day of filming!:)

I should also say I've met some really cool interesting people doing the filming. Some not so cool but for the most part all really nice funny intelligent kind human beings. It's nice!:)

25 questions

1. If you were to attend a costume party tonight, what or whom would you go as?

Well - the FIRST choice would be Arwen in her red dress - but I'll have to wait until Cara makes me that dress! Now... tonight...I'd probably go as a fairy.

2. What are your choice of toppings on a hamburger? And do you prefer gas or charcoal grilling?

OH! DEFINITELY charcoal drilling! MY mom's are the BEST! And I love emmenthaler swiss cheese! and a LITTLE bit of ketchup and mustard!

3. You are chosen to have lunch with the President. The condition is you only get to ask one question. What do you ask?

Can you get me a work permit for the UK?

4. It's your first day of vacation, what are you doing?

er....lame question - what vacation? Sanibel - swimming - Stratford - stalking Trouters - Paris - shopping...

5. What is your concession stand must-have at the movies?

I'm weird - I don't eat movie theatre food.

6. Which do you dislike most: pop-up ads or spam email?

pop-up ads.

7. What do you think Captain Hook's name was before he had a hook for a hand?

Good question - I have no idea!

8. Rock, paper, or scissors?

Rock.

9. How long was it from 'the first date' until the proposal of marriage? How long until the wedding?

er............????

10. Which is worse, being in a place that is too loud, or too quiet?

TOO LOUD! UGH!

11. What is one quality that you really appreciate in a person?

Honesty

12. At the good old general store, what particular kind of candy would you expect to be in the big jar at the counter?

chocolate or big fat peppermint sticks!

13. What is the most distinguishing landmark in your city?

Well everyone who visits form the UK always wants to see ground zero - but I would say the statue of liberty or the huge electronic concoction in Times Square.

14. Everyone hears discussions that they consider boring. What topic can put you to sleep quicker than any other?

Wallstreet stuff...

15. How many times did it take you to pass your drivers test?

2 I believe...I forget actually...

16. If you had to have the same topping on your vanilla ice cream for the rest of your life, what topping would you choose?

Dark chocolate chips - Ghiradelli - duh!

17. What food item would need to be removed from the market altogether in order for you to live a healthier, longer life?

chocolate chips

18. You are offered an envelope that you know contains $50. You are then told that you may either keep it or exchange it for another envelope that may contain $500 or may be empty. Do you keep the first envelope, or do you take your chances with the second?

Keep envelop. I'm not a gambling girl...

19. If you had to choose, which would you give up: cable TV, or DSL/cable internet?

t.v. - I LOVE MY INTERNET!

20. What is your highest level of education?

BA

21. How much is a gallon of gas in your city? What was the highest it's been?

I don't know - but my subway pass is $89 a month...blargh!

22. What kind of lunch box did you have as a kid?

I had lots - but the one that comes to mind was a purple plastic one that I believe some squirrells ate through...

23. What would you rather have, a nanny, a housekeeper, a cook, or a chauffeur?

Housekeeper! I hate cleaning!

24. Would you rather be trapped in an elevator, or stuck in traffic?

traffic.

25. Lets say a brick fell on your foot, and your kid is standing right next to you, what is your 'cleaned up' swear word?

FUDGEMUFFINS! or SHITAKE MUSHROOMS!

as the leaves change.

It's 4 a.m. I can't sleep. Not because I'm not tired. No - because the IOFOIDFODSIFHDSUFH REGGAETON! I've called the police twice. Nothing. In fact, I called and checked up on ALL of my complaints and they official record is that the police came and saw no offenses. I feel like I'm living in a horrible movie where I am going crazy or and justifiably paranoid. The super does nothing. THe management does nothing. I can't sleep - I don't get m required 6 hours - and as a result can't make it through the day because I am so f-ing exhausted. It is incredibly stressful on my psyche - not knowing if I will be allowed to sleep by my neighbors - and I hate walking in and out of my building where everyone comments about how Im the gringa or white girl who doesnt like their music. WTF. It's 4 a.m. There is NO need to playing your music so loud I can hear it on the third Floor of an apt. set BACK from the road. In fact - tonight I can't even SEE the car - so the car is parked pretty far away.

I need to move. I am moving. Hopefully with Kat to Austin's building - which on one level is incredibly creepy - on another level - incredibly amazing. IFFFF it worked out - the apt is a THREE bedroom in our budget - though the third is apparently very "small" (we've yet to see it.) So we can afford all three rooms just the two of us, ORRRRRR we can rent the third room to someone wanting super cheap rent. There is laundry in the building - a TREMENDOUS LUXURY for us New Yorkers. TWO elevators. NICE neighbors - it's QUIET! I will stop being TORMENTED uneccesarily by this AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL MUSIC! And it's IMMEDIATELY off of the A train - like - the exit of the train is one building away from the apt. we'd live in. There is a Starbucks across the street! AHHH! I am euphoric just THINKING about it! I hope it all works out!

And on Monday - I will do my final AFTRA extra thingy to qualify for equity! AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! THANK GOODNESS! Then all I have to do is wait for March 5th!

I have high hopes for the coming months. Let's hope they come to fruition. Happy Apt. Happy jobs! (HOPEFULLY a supernumerary at the Met - and extra work for t.v. while waiting to get seen for auditions), meeting cool new people, let's hope happy things happen!

I'm watching Giada fail at eating crabs on t.v. - it's making me laugh - my mom would be in despair at this sight!

strange

I am very confused - I woke up this morning to a "vloglog" e-mail saying that "vlogworks" was finally in the making and to contact marlene for more info. vlogworks was the program IIIIIIIIIIII put together for VLOG where little studio productions are mounted every month as fundraisers/a chance for people who don't get cast in roles in the mainstage productions of VLOG, to benefit VLOG both financially and morally. What? So I e-mailed them, and YES - it is INDEED my program - but given to this other to head up - because --- no one really knows why. Awesome. I read the e-mail - got too mind boggled - and went back to bed because my brain just couldn't process it.

I then ACTUALLY woke up to a phone call from theatreworks -a company I have NEVER auditioned for, asking me to come in an audition for The White Witch in the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe musical. The White Witch belt s jazz and pop songs - not a hint of legit in it. WHAT? Whose awful (but flattering) idea was this? I was like - whatever - I'll go in and sing what I sing -- I'm not going to turn into a jazzy pop singer by Tuesday...

And speaking of turning into a jazzy pop singer - apparently everyone thinks I should be getting an opera degree. What. I'm so confused. Meeeeehhhhhhhh.....someone just give me a job - opera - pop - musical theatre - I don't really care - just give me a job - lol.

Then --- well - There is massive Jean-Paul drama --- where - according to the subletter randomly staying here that I didn't know about --- he is secretly planning to move in with his new girlfriend and not tell me...that is pretty awesome if you ask me. But - it's actually o.k. - because quite frankly - I hate this f-ing apt. and the DIFJDSFUIHDu reggaeton - and was thinking of moving anyway - so seriously - that Kat and I have an appointment to look at two apts. in Austin's building tomorrow. Yes - I do feel somewhat creepy - but having lived in his apt. I can say it is a PLEASANT wonderful place with laundry IN THE BUILDING and NO F-ING REGGAETON!

Then - this is one of those - I'll believe it when I see it things - the director of Iolanthe said she could get me a job as a supernumerary at the Met - (someone who basically is one stage to fill up space and look pretty, they don't necessarily sing or dance - thought I suppose they could - they really just kinda --- "act".) That would be --- ridiculously amazing. I hope SOOO MUCH that comes to fruitions! Oh yes - and she gave me another free ticket to the Met --- some opera I've never heard of, but apparently the leading tenor is hot and takes his shirt off...you know those hot opera men.

So yeah - I had a voice lesson- that was normal and nice...

Oh, I decided it's not worth fighting VLOG. Whatever - they can do what they want with my proposal - I need to go off and get paid...come on Met - or Bway - or awesome regional theatre - HIRE ME!

October

FINALLY! I get to be on GOSSIP GIRL! And they were MERCIFUL! I'm not called in until 3:45 p.m.! That may mean I am going until 6 a.m. but that is SOOOO much preferred to be CALLED at 6 a.m. I feel a bit ridiculous though, because I am fully bringing a suitcase with Fall clothing options. Gossip Girl is CRAZY! They wear fancy sparkly ballgowns to prison, so I am bringing many "options," they will have to like one of them...

Austin's cats are finally warming up to me - I'm obviously a dog person - but cats are cute and furry too - and don't have to be walked - a DEFINITE plus! Plus I am in LOVE with the building. I called the management to see how much it would cost for a two bedroom (Kat would move with me) but I havent heard back. Then again it WAS a holiday today.

I finally bought my Halloween costume. It was the cheapest option. I think that was smart - as beautiful as the cosplay Arwen costumes were.

October is almost half way through and there is still so much to do! Cider Mill! Fall foliage touring! Jack-o-Laterns! Halloween! Baking pumkin bread! I LOVE OCTOBER!

The one act reading was today. I think it actually went really well. The actors were wonderful. They really made the script work. I was so happy they all committed themselves so fully and the audience actually enjoyed it! YAY! Plus - they looked ridiculously beautiful - it was a WHITE box theatre - and they wore all black and the effect was stunning. It also felt great to give two actors from VLOG a chacne to actually say LINES! They are always in the chorus - so they finally got to shine!:)

Halloween

It would appear my goal for Halloween is a bit different from everyone else's...my goal is to be warm and comfortable, perhaps left over from the days of SUPER trick or treating where I would get more candy than anyone else because I wore rollerblades or super comfy shoes.

Ah, but I am all grown up now and living in the city...you know what THAT means. It means it's SEXY time! That means...it is basically impossible to acquire a costume that isn't "Slutty Alice in Wonderland" "Dominatrix Cleopatra" "Sexy Bo Peep" "Robin the the Hood" or the Princess Leia gold bikini costume. Of course, I could put together my own costume, but while plotting the costumes with friends you get things such as "Ondine" (the water nymph who seduces and drowns men) Salome, sexy fairy, or - "I might just wear a cowboy hat." WHAT? What happened to truly great costumes? I don't want to go as "Sexy Candy Corn" (aka - black leather skirt with yellow and orange bikini top and a black witches hat" - I want to go as something awesome. (For some reason this year that means I have my heart set on Arwen from Lord of the Rings, it would appear five years too late as none of the stores are currently carrying her costume so I either have to special order from Hong Kong or amazon, which may be in Hong Kong for all I know!

I feel there is so much pressure to have either an awesome costume or and awesomely "I don't care" costume. Oh Halloween! How I love you but how much trouble you cause at the same time!

trying to find the zen happy place

Don't you just LOVE it when the living playwright sends you a REWRITTEN SCRIPT she did not tell you about the day before the one and only rehearsal. That is awesome. I ANSWERED THE PHONE FOR YOU!

Don't you also love when you see a job advertised "looking for applicant with a deep knowledge of opera, ballet, shakespeare, and european theatre" and THEN you see IT DOESNT PAY ANYTHING but you can get a COLLEGE CREDIT! DOH!

And then - Halloween - you see - I LOVE Halloween - but it always present a problem - the costume...what is the acceptable amount to spend on a costume? Should I spend $100 on an Arwen costume...or go as a fairy...again...again...and again...I'm so tired of being a fairy!

That being said - my friend Ward took free headshots/full body shots for me today in a cocktail dress and ballgown so I can use it for the background/extra work submissions! I think they came out very well! Especially given that we did them all in about 30 minutes with horrible sunsetting lighting! GO him! (And thank you him!)

only me....

I don't seem to ever be content. IOLANTHE is all I could EVER hope for in a show. I love everyone in the cast! They are all so funny and kind and talented, and I have a great part, and I'm having a blast! I was so excited to have this be my farewell to non-equity theatre (since, pending one more AFTRA extra job I'll be equity in March and FINALLY get seen at freaking auditions!) But then - they had to go ahead and announce that their next musical was going to be CAROUSEL. Those observant friends of mine, namely Kat, all know I have some very strange need to play Julie Jordan in Carousel. (NOT I repeat NOT CARRIE PIPPERIDGE! If you tell me that, for some reason, I break down in tears. I makes no sense, I know. All the Carries win Tonys and all the Julies fade into oblivion - but I have this intrinsic need to tell Julie's story.) Most people think the musical CAROUSEL is condones spousal abuse, but I don't think that is the story at all. It's about a complex relationship, which isn't Disney! It's real. And people do HORRIBLE things to eachother, and yet, still love each other very much. (Hey everyone - CHUCK AND BLAIR IN GOSSIP GIRL?) Sometimes they only do the horrible things BECAUSE they each other so much. And I think showing that on stage give the audience a chance to contemplate, oh I'm happy I HAVE a Disney life, oh dear I am the abused/abuser and need to change things, or wow - finally someone I can relate to. Apparently this makes me a bad person for thinking this, but I think Julie's song "What's The Use of Wond'rin" basically sums up love. REAL love. Just about better than anything else. "What's the use of Wond'rin if he's good or if he's bad, or if you like the way he wears his, oh what's the use of wond'rin if the ending will be sad, he's your feller and you love him. That's all there is to that." I mean think about it, you have the image in your head of who you're going to fall in love with, but usually - it's someone totally different. Someone who has bad breath, is short, is tall, is fat, is a different race, farts all the time, is a rap producer when you're a pilates instructor, is older, is younger, has a kid, dresses funny, would rather play video games than go to Renaissance Faires, I have seen some pretty crazy couples! But they all love each other! And you can analyze it until the cows comes home - but at the end of the day, they love each other and that's all there is to that. I just love that character. I just love that story. AND DAMN VLOG FOR DOING IT! A)because I was planning to not be equity therefore ineligible for VLOG shows, B) Whenever I want something - and want to so very badly, with ONE exception, it never happens and then I fall into a ball of tears and it's just ---- bad - I don't want to go through that. Esp. not for something as silly as a VLOG production, but I know if I don't get it - I will be a heaping mess. I'm a heaping mess just THINKING about it - and - I should be so much more zen and just say "what's the use of wond'rin if the ending will be sad..." but alas - I'm so much more high strung than that in real life.

Oh - come fat conductor man running to try and be my white knight! I should mention, I let him take me out to tea last week, and we actually had a really wonderful platonic time. I let him take me out to tea because he was NOT cast in IOLANTHE. He is the head producer of VLOG, and everyone was quaking in their boots to tell him he was not cast, and he said it was o.k. since he was going to have so much fun watching me play IOLANTHE. So this man is basically funding my entire theatre career at the moment, the LEAST I could do was oblige him to an afternoon tea. We had a fabulous time talking about England, Shakespeare, Opera, it was kinda like being with a larger and more eccentric Rovert. Conductor man is VERY smart - he is after all a billionaire in the field of computer science, and spends all his money seeing as many theatre and opera productions as possible. So - all these strange things I never get to talk about with friends, I was able to talk about. He even said he'd be willing to finance a workshop production of a bizarre opera for me to direct over the summer. The one condition was it had to be bizarre. Bizarre I can do. At ANY rate, he e-mailed me saying he was going to try and be musical director/conductor for CAROUSEL. (Knowing that I want to play Julie - since that was a HUGE topic over tea - where we both quoted various bits of the musical and oogled over how perfect the writing was.) GAH! DONT GIVE ME HOPE! DONT GIVE ME HOPE that I MIGHT get to be JULIE!

My one saving grave, which I'm highly doubting will happen, is that the Broward Stage decide to cast me and I won't be AROUND for Carousel. It was a very strange audition. We were supposed to sing TWO songs, so I prepared my ballad and my up tempo, my up tempo has the impressive high notes, the ballad was just "in the style" of the two shows they re doing - MAME and MUSIC MAN- lovely but otherwise unimpressive. So I started with the ballad, during which the pianist messed up twice and then STOPPED PLAYING! And then came in where he THOUGHT I was - and was... o.k....kinda... This ballad is NOT by ANY MEANS difficult! WTF? After I sang it, they said thank you come back at 2 for the dance call. I'm like NO!!!! NO!!!!! YOU NEED TO HEAR THE HIGH NOTES!!!! SO YOU CAST ME IN THE ENSEMBLE BECAUSE NO DANCERS CAN SING THOSE HIGH NOTES!!!! GAH! BOOOO! Would have started with the high notes if I had known I'd only get one song! And what was UP with the pianist? I did o.k. because I did my homework and knew the song, but really?

So I go to the dance call, and I'm KICKING MAJOR ASS! but there are only 8 of us and its 9 minutes of REALLLLLY hard dancing in heels on floor that is most definitely NOT a dance floor. So slippery! And I'm not making it up - one girl slipped and sprained her ankle and couldnt do the rest of the audition. BUT I was kicking MAJOR ass until the very end when he said give me 3 fouettes into a double pirouette. If there is ONE THING I do STUPENDOUSLY, other than put my leg over my head, it's fouettes. I don't know what it is, but I have ALWAYS been able to fouette. I can do the super impressive 32 fouettes from swan lake. I'll be in my ridiculous super advanced ballet and all the primas will have dropped out and I keep going and the teacher is like YOU CAN FOUETTE! WOW! But for SOME REASON - I had TWO TRIES! And I Fell out of the first fouette BOTH TIMES! WTF! Shouldnt have been a problem, except this OTHER GIRL DID THEM! GAHHHHHHHHHH! And she is ALSO from FLORIDA and went to School of the Arts! GAAHAHHAHHHH! WHY! OF ALL THE TIMES I mess up FOUETTES! was it RIGHT THEN!? I could have had a paying JOB! GAHGAHGAHGAHGAHGAHGAHGAHGAH! I am SOOOO LIVID with myself! STILL! And it's been almost a week! But it would have made life sooooo PERFECT! TOOO perfect - that was the problem! Started rehearsals december 5th, I could have put in my notice on work study during tech for Iolanthe, been in florida for the heinously cold months, GOTTEN PAID! GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH GAH! STUPID STUPID STUUUUPID Fouettes!

And stupid Ballad! GAH!

So yeah, I'm having the time of my life, and am STILL unsettled. Only me. Only me!

Also, I feel really unprepared for the Playwright Festival thing I'm directing. The play is soooo --- strange... (I didn't get to pick the play, the play was assigned.) The characters seem - so --- hrmmmmm ---- I probably shouldnt even finish this paragraph for diplomacy reasons... I hope I can make it work. Shakespeare it is most definitely not. Take that for what you will...and I can't even bribe my friends to be in it. I finally got my four cast members, but now they are telling me I need someone to read stage directions. No one seems to be available to read my stage directions. (And quite frankly, I'm not sure I blame them. I feel insulting saying, I want you to be in this play....to read the stage directions.) Oh well, I'm sure it will all work itself out in the end...that's the theatre for you!

phones

The problem with working with LIVING playwrights is...they keep wanting to talk on the phone! Shudder. Phones scare me.

irony continues

YAYAYYAYAYAY! I woke up and was seen for ZERO auditions today! WAHOO!

And the month of irony continues --- VLOG announced their Spring musical - CAROUSEL. Oh oh oh oh oh....the drama in my head....

Irony

I think October is going to be a very ironic month. Let's hope this irony keeps up a happy sense of humor.

It also seems to be the month I am craving butternut squash soup. I don't know WHY I have this sudden need for butternutsquash and pumpkin soup - instead of pie - but there you have it. What a strange tummy I do have.

BTW - I had to turn down TOSCA sniffle - they perform almost every day this month - conflicts with IOLANTHE - and I think the female chorus only actually sings in one song - so no pay and virtually no stage time - sniffle - beautiful opera - but not worth it.

Maybe the NEXT Tosca to come around! LOL!

OCTOBER

I LOVE October! The weather! The leaves! The PUMPKINS! I think pumpkins are the most amazing fruit in the WORLD! It is delicious savory or sweet! Even the seeds are delicious! And you can carve them into incredible jack-o-laterns! And you get to dress up and get candy for it! Cider mills! Apple picking! Hay mazes! All incredible happiness! I love Fall! Ironically I always feel like FALL is the time of rebirth. I feel horribly uncomfortable in the spring - summer is too hot - but FALL is perfect! The colors! Today was the Fort Tryon Renaissance Festival - which is always the first weekend of every October. I could only go for an hour - but what a wonderful hour it was!

And of course, we have VLOG. I remember rehearsing for Pinafore last FAll - and now IOLANTHE. It just feels right. And I love the cast! Everyone is so nice! (I even met a wonderful girl who shares my ridiculous love of pumpkin today! And lives in the Heights! We were jumping around and squealing like middle schoolers - which of course made the boys make fun of us - like middle schoolers, which resulted in laughter for all.) I hope the joy continues!

One of the chorus members (who was also in Fiddler and Pinafore) asked me to be a first soprano in another company's production of TOSCA! I would LOVE to do it. TOSCA is the one opera I love that is "normal" and not Philip Glass or something else super weird. And I'd FINALLY get to use those high notes that never get exercised except for my warm-ups!

So - the SADNESS is that Fabrizio leaves for tour for 8 months on Wednesday - but oddly asked me to stay at his place for a few weeks to cat sit. He is going to pay me AND I get to be away from the HORRENDOUS reggaeton and be closer to the glorious Fort Tryon park to enjoy the leaves even MORE!

I have high hopes for October - let's hope it lives up to expectations!