The most wonderful time of the YEAR and my grandfather, Patrick Stewart

The time is now, Friends.

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know how I feel about habits... I have continued to stress about needing habit, floundered around the past year of being out of school, and been asking myself what the HECK am I going to do with myself in these next years? What Am I going to do with my life in order bring Dance and art back into the south bay.

And while I can sit here and stress, I like to stop and savor the few things I know to be fact:
1) The sun Rises in the east and sets in the west
2) Gary Masters Willl ALWAYS hold class
3) When the leaves change colors, Apple Hill will ALWAYS be a drive away.

For those of you who don't know, Gary Masters is a mentor of mine for college.  The joke is that every other teacher at LEAST once a semester would inevitably cancel class for one reason or another, except Gary.  One semester his company was performing and more than half of the faculty was out because they were all in his show.  Not Gary, I banked on the fact that he would be there, and when to his surprise I dropped in on an early morning class I shared with him what I knew about the sun and how he would always have class.  He sorta rolled his eyes at me, but I could see his smug look on his face when he walked away.

... I should find out when his classes are this semester.

More personally, If you don;t know what apple hill is, you should.  One of Northern California's best kept secrets is east of sacramento, and the memories I have of it are that of normal children to Disneyland.  My Papa lived in the mountains in colfax, and every year in october for the family Birthdays (and papa's birthday too), we would make the drive to Apple Hill.  And every year when the colors start to change, I start to itch waiting for the weekend I can sneak up the hill for a fresh carmel apple and a pound of honey in celebration of one of my favorite seasons.

My papa, a legend in his own right, was another great contribution to me.  A combination of popeye and captain Crunch, Yuel Brenner and Patrick Stewart, My grandfather the ex marine could have made me famous for his one liners, a la "Shit my dad says".  But more importantly are his spunk, no nonsense attitude, and harsh realities that Keeps him in the front of my brain these past few days.

In my life of recent insecurities, I have found that I always have my biggest support system with me all the time... In the changing colors of the leaves, in the sunrise through my window in the morning, in the first bite of a crisp, fresh october apple.  And even on my crappiest days, in my darkest hours, I can hear "mississippi mud" in my head, and a small weight gets lifted off my Heart.

And I'm counting down the month til I get to return to Apple Hill!