NOVEMBER AMULET

Many people consider Halloween to be scary, and, in its own way, it can be. What is truly scary, though, is November. 

Hear me out.

First of all, the weather is whatever it wants to be. It can hurricane, snow, ice storm, be seasonable (40s to 50s), or be exactly what it's being right now: Morosely hot and sticky. Yes, we are warming up our cars in the morning to melt the icy windshields and wishing our pools were still open at 3:00 p.m. when it's 80.

Second of all, the sun (and, subsequently, the temperature) plummets around 4:30, so that it is now pitch dark outside when most of us leave work. This affects the psyche to the point where many of us are ready for pajamas by 6:45 p.m.

Lastly, November is scary because the holiday season and the end of the year are both right around the corner. November, in its infinite wisdom, isn't even polite enough to have 31 days in it to buffer the shock.

So, you people can be freaked out by Halloween and ghouls and monsters and sugar shock. I'm freaked out by erratic temperature fluctuations, darkness, and decorating stress. 

I'm leaving the dancing skeleton out as an amulet to ward off November evils, just in case. I'll let you know if it helps.