today i will be taking a tour of the capitol so i can (finally) sign up for the class to learn how to give tours. this brings me extreme, excessive joy, as i've been wanting to do this for ages and have been getting more than a little antsy as of late. there's been a big problem (in my eyes) as of late, with people not being fully aware of what my responsibilities are and whatnot, so i wanted to be able to have everything set, to be able to say, "ok, i handle flags, i handle tour scheduling AND i can give tours. so send that stuff my way." no more messing around, i say...i mean business.

there's a woman who has, as of late, begun to stand at the crosswalk beyond union station in the mornings, not asking for money or anything, but simply standing there and speaking in a prophet-like voice. she spends much of her time criticizing anyone she sees indulging in what she regards as a vice--smoking, drinking coffee, talking on a cell phone, etc. but then she's also loudly wishing everyone a lovely day, a great holiday, etc. she reminds me a great deal of prophet jack in "life or something like it," only without actually attempting to see the future or help the daily travelers. it leaves me puzzled each morning. does she expect someone to speak to her? does she want money? or is it just that she truly loves the sound of her own voice and believes we'll take something away from her daily proclamations? it's to the point now where i both anticipate and dread seeing her as i cross by the fountain. if she wasn't there in the morning, i know i'd wonder if something had happened to her, but i'd also breath a sigh of relief for a quieter morning commute...

i walked through the fallen leaves as i approached my office building. most of the leaves have fallen off the trees that line the streets, and they are so incredibly inviting, just lying there on the ground asking to be trampled. regardless of how old i get, i love watching my feet as i trapse through leaves. i love the crunch they make as i step on them and the swishing sound my foot makes as it moves through and over them and i love the sight of my foot disappearing into a mass of orange, red and brown. if only for a few seconds, i can forget any stress (if i have any at the time) or responsibility and feel like i'm a child again playing out on the lawn behind my old house.

while it's important to play in the leaves as a child, i think it's even more important to walk through them as you become an adult. that way you keep in touch with that childlike self and don't take yourself as seriously as you're expected to all the rest of the time...