What falls in the fall?

Fall has always been my favorite time of year. More than any other season, fall brings about a sense of change. The leaves turn yellow, red, orange and brown, then fall down. The frost teases and the fog takes over in the mornings. The harvest represents Mother Nature's final push before the winter, and in a way, I think the human soul ripens too. Urgency blends with tranquility as we let go of the summer and hunker down for the winter.

One of my recent favorite fall memories is William's holiday concert during his kindergarten year. They sang a children's song called "What Falls in the Fall." The lyrics are tattooed on my brain:

What falls in the fall
Leaves fall in the fall
Down, down, down, down, down
When the summer ends
You've got to hug a friend
To keep your body warm in the fall

On the brink

When we learned that William was on the way (aka, that he was a fertilized egg inside Amanda's uterus), we knew a cross-country move was imminent. About a month after the pregnancy test proved positive, Amanda scored a job in Tacoma. We left Arizona and never looked back.

That was nearly eight years ago. Exciting times!

Now we're at another crossroads. This time, it involves my career. Any day now, I will learn whether my career will enter the next chapter or continue at a climax. Along with this, my first novel is ready to print. I feel the pressure. If everything falls into place, the novel will be ready to read by the time I move forward in the journalism world.

I am on the brink of an exciting time in my career. Some people might not understand why this move needs to be made. But I have goals. I can see the arc. I must follow the path.

On the brink ...

Gossip's emotional grip

Covering local politics for the newspaper is a lot like hosting out-of-town relatives. At first, it's fresh and exciting, but by the end, everyone wants their life back.

I love the high-stakes reporting and unexpected detours that accompany the silly political season. The local hijinks seem trivial in hindsight, but in the moment, they make or break the direction of both the government and the gossip.

Gossip is defined as "casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true." We are quick to dismiss gossip, yet gossip galvanizes groups into action. Forget about the facts. Yes, facts matter, but the facts lack the emotional grip of gossip. Gossip aims for the jugular, facts be damned. Gossip inspires people to find the facts, but do facts send people searching for gossip? Gossip sparks interest. Gossip motivates people to talk. Gossip starts with a whisper with the potential to swell into a collective yell.

Speaking of gossip, did you hear the rumors about a local councilman's sordid affair with the intern? Or would you rather hear about the councilman's recent awards for distinguished service?

That's what I thought.

Off to the presses

My first novel, "Walter's Searchlight," was sent to the printer today. I plan to hold a release party/gathering in November. Stay tuned.

It was hard to pull the trigger. It was harder to admit there was nothing more to improve, nothing more to edit, nothing more to say. I'm sure I will want to change something every time I look at the thing.

I know this much: I wrote the book with love. And if you write with love, you'll never be wrong. This book was written to express the emotions of a downtrodden soul in search of his purpose in life. The book was not written to impress anyone, and this book is not a veiled autobiography.

On a strange side note, I felt as though Grandpa was there with me during the process. I wrote the book for me — because I didn't want to leave this Earth without seeing if I could do it. I wrote the book for my family — on the slim chance that it could help pay for my children's college. I wrote the book for Grandpa — because this was a story I never got to tell him, and I wanted to make him proud.

Pumpkin fever

Autumn has always been my favorite season. The change in weather invigorates my soul. The days shrink, the night expands, the clouds stay longer and the rain wakes up.

This year, I have an unusually strong craving for pumpkins. Pumpkins are worth so much more than jack-o-lanterns and Thanksgiving table settings.

I want pumpkin pie, pumpkin beer, pumpkin cake, pumpkin candy, pumpkin doughnuts, pumpkin spice lattes — anything pumpkin. I want to roll up pumpkin pulp and smoke it. I want to melt a pumpkin and inject it. I want to pulverize a pumpkin and snort it.

The family and I will travel to Oregon later this month for a pumpkin beer festival. I look forward to guzzling pumpkin porters and gorging on pumpkin products.

I will return with orange skin and a stem sprouting from my crown.