By: Nelson Kramer

Humor Editor

It’s finally that time of year again when the temperature drops below 70 degrees, and Pinterest moms put on their cardigans and flock to their nearby cafe to order a pumpkin spice latte. In my eyes, fall is defined by many things — back-to-school, sweater weather, and Halloween, to name a few. It’s an exciting breath of fresh air from the stifling heat of summer, and it marks the last couple of months of nice weather before winter. 

The magic of autumn makes me plan every aspect of my life for the upcoming months, and yet I never fail to disappoint myself by the end of the season. It feels like I make all of these goals and plans to gear up, but it rarely happens. So with that, here is a list of some of my fall dreams and ambitions that usually stay in the idea box.

The enthusiastic academic: Back-to-school season is when I begin manifesting the academic weapon I know I can be. Usually, this feeling of determination starts in the stationary aisle of any store. The sheer amount of dopamine I get from buying a new notebook and pen makes me delusional enough to think I’m going to have the time to write a book. There’s also the new planner that I will never open or the pack of my favorite pencils that I can’t help but lose to the goblin who lives inside my backpack. Although it feels good to be the person who always has extra binder paper to hand out to the needy, the rush of my trip to Office Max will eventually fade, and before I know it, autumn has ended and I have fallen back into my old ways. Don’t worry; there’s always next year.

That giant fall TBR (to be read): If you are anything like me, you will relate to the feeling that a small breeze will topple over the stack of books you’ve been building up. All I want as a self-proclaimed “avid reader” is one rainy day in those brutal warmer months where I can grab a blanket and my current read. Other than the few rainy days in April, I usually don’t get that kind of luck until autumn. I claim to be a “mood-reader,” but I forget to tell people that the only mood I can bear to read in occurs for one season of the year. I have trouble coming to terms with my fear of reading for fun, which is why I steer clear of joining any book clubs.

Planning out the best Halloweekend ever: Every year Halloween passes, and every year, I realize that I didn’t make any plans. Well, this year it’s going to be different. I’m going to message all of my friends and declare a full factory reset to our original plans of going trick or treating and trading candy after like little kids. This year I’m going to make it to a real Halloweekend party! Alas, similar to last year, my plans will come crashing down because my friends and I aren’t even close to being associated with anyone popular enough to be going to a party. On second thought, maybe it’s better if I stick to my favorite trick-or-treating route with that one house that hands out full-size candy bars. 

While autumn is the season that inspires me and almost everyone to better themselves, it also stands as the season of overcommitment. I come out more disappointed than I would have if I hadn’t planned anything. I’ve decided to ignore my urges to overprepare this part of the year. Focusing on the few things that matter will make fall more enjoyable. And on that note, I’m going to go grab my book and my pumpkin spice latte I’ve been sipping on while writing this and stay in my room until winter break.