Summer in L.A. was no fun. Too much heat – too much smog – too many low clouds in the morning and an oven in the afternoon. Every year, the same thing – at least the past 21.
Most of the reason you applied for College somewhere east – anyplace there were seasons.
They don’t have seasons in L.A. – it’s one big chunk of bland. Some people love it – you don’t.
So you woke up this morning and it was different. The light was different, the air was different. The trees were different – leaves everywhere.
And visions of Charlie Brown and The Great Pumpkin fill your head. That’s all you have to go by. A cartoon that makes you look forward to Autumn – it’s come to that.
You head to class and the air has a bite – you don’t remember having a cold nose before. The locals are immune – guys walk around in shorts like it’s Summer. Are they nuts? Everything around you is in focus – colors are shocking. You never saw leaves that color before; not up close and real – arms length magazines and news reports on TV are all you know about.
You are struck by this feeling of wonderful – you feel it in your stomach – feels like you’re going to remember this day, this place, this very minute for a long-long time.
Rumors of rain, possible snow – can’t imagine everything covered in white. You might wait up for that.
You walk to class and everything smells different like you never noticed it before.
Someone’s selling hot Pretzels from a cart – you’ve never had one before, especially dipped in salt and with mustard.
You must’ve been staring for a while because a guy standing next to you wants to know if he can buy you one.
Oh.
And now this.
Even the looks are different. Yeah, but you swore off guys – not after that last one just before you left L.A. – he was a creep. You just didn’t know it at the time. But like your girlfriend told you; “if it has tires or testicles you’re gonna have trouble with it”. For once she was right.
Still. Maybe love this time – maybe hours and days of magic and swept off your feet. Maybe just a warm pretzel and that’s all.
Music from the Pretzel guy’s radio – it’s all falling togethe – it’s starting to make sense.
Maybe there is a Great Pumpkin.
And here’s a blast of CKLW in Toronto from October 27, 1968, a radio station you would hear all over the East and Midwest.
