Does anyone even like these jokes? Probably not. Oh well, more for me.

Anyway, no Making-Of post this week—I actually have to work on some D&D maps, some puzzles, my horrendous outstanding reading list and a few knitting projects.

Oh, and Iʼm going to be out of the state for a work conference and a quick visit to my little brother this week. That happening too.

Otherwise, in terms of what Iʼve been up to has been sketching, reading, working on some giant, really cool projects for work and thinking about switching jobs. Itʼs that kind of month.

Often, the idea of fall is that itʼs a time of change and more commonly a time for death. Which it is easy to see how that association starts, Halloween, decaying flora and fauna, the color palette of the world even changes to what youʼd expect from a Fincher film. Gray and dismal punctuated with pops of bright, saturated reds, very much like a corpse with fresh blood.

I tend to take different view of it. Death should always be thought of, but never in a morbid way. It is simply the other half of life, and I think thatʼs what unsettles people about fall. We donʼt want to think about our ends, but itʼs an important reminder to have. We should want to always remember that if weʼre not on the right path, we need to get off it and find one we care about, and that we can do it if we really try. Iʼm reminded of the Steve Jobs quote on that score:

“It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”

Fall is a time for contemplation of the inevitable and change for the better. Letʼs hope we all find the courage to make the changes we truly need and want.

<3,

Steph

Currently Reading

• The Design of Everyday Things — Don Norman (done!)

• Cult of the Dead Cow: How the Original Hacking Supergroup Might Just Save the World — Joseph Menn (in progress!)

• The Haunting of Hill House — Shirley Jackson (on deck!)