I haven’t done much for Halloween since I became older than dirt (turned age 40). I’m going to be 44 in about two months. But this year I intend to hand out candy.

I’m going to sit in my driveway and bring out the fire pit. I’m going to drink adult beverages, perhaps roast some marshmallows. I’m going to leave a bowl of candy at the edge of the sidewalk for the kids.

Or maybe I’ll just leave all the lights turned off, lock up the house, and go gamble smoke and drink during prime trick-or-treat hours. Yeah, this is more likely.

Getting old sucks. I used to love Halloween.

As I kid I can remember dressing up as Darth Vader, a pirate, and others. I loved going to school because I knew that there would be no instruction on this day–it was going to be parades and candy and bobbing for apples (do they even do this any more?).

After school I could barely contain my excitement as I waited for the sun to go down. My sisters and I would meet our neighborhood friends in the street (we were playing in the street after dark!!!) for trick-or-treating and fun. Some houses wouldn’t give out candy–instead they would hand out quarters wrapped in tissue paper or roasted peanuts…I skipped those houses.

Later that night my sisters and I would have all the candy spread out on the floor. We would pick through our haul and eat our favorites first. I would eat everything that had chocolate and peanuts immediately–Snickers, Mr Goodbar, Reeses, Peanut M&Ms.

And finally I would go to bed that night with a tummyache from all the sugar I had just consumed. And my mind would be so active from sensory overload from all the day’s events. I would hear my sisters snoring down the hall and I would I wish that I could fall asleep too. But instead I would stare at that light out the window and toss and turn in my bed and think about all the candy in the kitchen.

And now I’m a 43 year old grumpy old man and I don’t eat candy any more or play dress up on Halloween. What’s a good Halloween drink? Don’t say Pumpkin Ale.

Meh.

I love September for so many reasons. Labor day weekend, and the diminished crowds afterwards in my beloved Sierra Nevadas. Late September brings the first day of deer hunting season. The Autumnal equinox brings warm-hot afternoons and rapidly cooling evenings and cold nights (well, here at 5,000 feet it does). Oktoberfest–say no more. It’s time for delicious Marzenbiers, hard apple ciders, and schnapps. And last but not least, the return of the Starbucks PSL (okay not really).

I’ve always loved September, starting when I was a kid. September meant back to school–yes, I was one of those weird kids that actually looked forward to going back to school to see my friends. And when I got to high school my football team was very busy with after school practice, Friday night games, and all the parties and beer drinking after the games.

When I was a student at Chico state September meant, for the first time in my life, I was going to experience all the beautiful fall foliage and changing colors of various trees. I’ll never forget the first time I walked out of my favorite little cafe on campus, right next to Chico creek, and say all the beautiful leaves on the trees on campus. I was frozen in wonderment.

For the last 15 years September means deer hunting with Scott and the rest of the Roseville railroaders. Opening weekend at Jimmy’s ranch is almost always miserably hot but I don’t care–I look forward to it every year and I can’t wait to see my friends.

September is also a reminder that dry-fly fishing season is almost over. After Labor day weekend all the vacationers go home and I’m left with glorious uncrowded rivers to fish. And September is a reminder that this hot weather is just about over–by early-October the 90 degree temperatures are gone.

And September is a gentle nudge that the best is yet to come.

Well, the Giants are in LA for a 3 game series. And the Giants are 3 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West. And it looks like it’s just the Giants and the Doyers in the NL West.

Please, oh please. Please Giants, please sweep the Doyers in LA.

Yes, I lived in Long Beach for 10 years. I wasn’t a baseball fan back then. I was too young to appreciate our national pastime. I did not yet know that baseball is math.

The older I get the more I love baseball. So here I am at 11:15pm on a school night and I’m watching the Giants vs Dodgers tied game in the 11th inning.

Look at all those empty seats. The Giants would never have so many empty seats at a home game. What, never? No, never.

Beat LA!