I Don't See The Resemblance, but I Was Told This is a Bryan Ornament For This Year's Holiday Trees

I suppose when I was in my 20s and had shaggy hair with no grays, I sort of look like the Kohl's Christmas ornament of an unshaven man in a flannel (back when people used to call me Shaggy." I never had dark eyebrows, though, and my beard comes in all white, but I guess I can concur that this might be a Bryan, post college, ornament from the tree.

I'm just shocked that the holiday displays are already up in local stores. I'm not there yet. I'm preparing for today's Weir Farm National Historic Site's collaboration with CWP-Fairfield and kicking off the orientation this morning with Reading Landscapes: Writing Nature in the 21st Century. This, I'm proud to say, will be followed with a Run for Your Life Zombie 5K at Walnut Beach this afternoon. I guess I'm excited to be chased by zombies as I run along the shoreline of Milford. I have to admit, I can't promise that I won't punch a zombie that comes after me when I run. I like to go solo, and am unsure about monsters getting in my way. I'm unsure how I will behave.

On a good news front, I just realized we have Fall Break Monday and Tuesday which frees up some of my life for planning, writing, and getting projects out of the way. I'm heading towards conference season and it as robust as ever. I get a little excited, but nerve-wrecked, that my teaching colleagues and I have so many presentations to work on. We'll get there - we always do - but I'm still under the pile of boulders that these days are coming.

I accomplished much in the office on Friday, as there wasn't any action in my hallway and the quiet allowed for me to concentrate. I will say that the buildings new ventilation system seems to be pouring all the hot air into my office. The hallway is cold, but when my door is open the heat cranks out. Now I understand why others have said, "Crandall, we need you to open your door to warm the rest of us up." That seems to me an engineering mistake if you ask me.

I didn't buy the lumberjack hippie and don't think he'll be going on any tree soon (even if I am a proud owner of a 30% Kohls coupon. And I am somewhat sad that those days of insulated shirts, overalls and counterculture attire are of the past. I'm ready for polyester already and velcro shoes. I am feeling old.

Ah, but today I get to commune with the outdoors in Wilton, followed by the sandiness of zombie running. I am looking forward to all that will come.