Not my photo, but here's the source

School is back in session, and while it would be easy to complain about the crowds and the long wait times for elevators, I'm trying to be positive.

I'm trying to think about the things that I first learned, as a freshman, when I arrived here on campus 20 years ago, in the fall of 1988.

I learned about how to cross a street. Instead of waiting for the light, I learned that people waited until they could dart across at the first opportunity, judging how to do it to not get killed.

So, the whole weekend was meant for lounging around; except for one little detail. I had to do a return at IKEA. In Schaumberg, IL. Before 9/5. I love going there, but it is 2 hours away, and the trip usually results in hours of wandering around the semi-disposable Swedish lawn furniture sold there. My refund was for $60. Almost worth it.

My theory was that $60 was a big enough credit to spend $60. I'd already paid it off the credit card. It was like free money.

J and I went for a jaunt to the south today, and embarked along the Badger State Trail. The Trail will eventually go from Madison to the Illinois Border, but right now, it starts on a quiet country road in Fitchburg.

Going from Verona to pick up the end, I chose an incredibly hilly road to get there. As we got closer, we saw a family of turkeys crossing the road.

They'd been calling me for weeks, begging. I'd kept putting them off. Finally, I acquiesced. They wanted my blood, they'd have my blood.

I'm not sure if other towns have the strong persuasion of the Red Cross to deal with, but they are persistent in cajoling you to come in. And it had been a long time. Not for lack of trying. The last time I was deferred for lack of adequate iron levels in my blood.

Walking from a meeting elsewhere on the hill, we ran across a student busily holding color swatches up to old Abe.

One of my companions stopped and asked what she was doing.

"Oh, I'm making a replica of Abe."

I quickly snapped her picture.

(not my picture, click for source)

There is a way to celebrate a birthday that probably doesn't vary much from place to place. There's cake, of course, and singing of a ritual song. There's food and friends, and laughter. This is pretty much universal.

And then there is the Wii Birthday.

(not my picture, click for source)

Well, not really the last days. I mean, that won't happen until after Labor Day, right?

No, what I am referring to is the last few days before August 15, when the students come back. Summer is this haven in Madison, when the streets are suddenly clearer, the traffic moves through the downtown streets faster, and the terrace isn't quite so packed.

Imagine you've been at your job for a while. It's okay. But you start thinking maybe you need a change. So, you decide to change gears. You say goodbye to all of your friends at work, and try something new. And a few months later, you realize you've made a mistake. You mention to a couple of friends that you miss your old job. Word gets back to the powers that be that you want to get back to business. But they've filled your job, and even though you've done good work for them for many many years, they don't have room for you anymore. Is that their fault? They've moved on.

"I just saw a mouse!", exclaimed my co-worker FunMom. In our office. Where we work, eat, do everything. It was all we could do to grab our laptops and hurry out, pulling the door behind us.

This was a big deal to us, but not to the people who deal with pests on campus all of the time. To them, a mouse is a larger cockroach, but easier to catch.

"And they even have a Chipotle!"

That's what I heard when I recently had to walk my bike down the sidewalk of State Street. It's under construction, yet another phase of what is the city's plan to completely redo it. The town is buzzing with visiting students getting ready for their freshman year and their worried parents.