In one day, the weather has turned away from summery heat and brought us a taste of the oncoming winter. This is still California, so there's nothing like ice and snow in the air, and we could make it through until next spring without anything like that. But a chilly breeze nipped through here today with a reminder of what's to come.

This makes it a little harder for me to get started in the morning. It can't get too much harder. A slow start to the day comes pretty naturally, and I've been struggling with insomnia for so long now that I don't even expect much of myself until nine or ten o'clock at the earliest. I'd be happier with a little warmer beginning, but it really doesn't make much difference.

When I'm working my way through the day, I don't notice much about what's going on outside. That includes not just the weather, but the news and sports as well. I just don't pay attention to anything but what I'm doing, and even though I have a "desk" job, it's really physical enough to keep my blood flowing. The cold doesn't slow me down.

It's at the end of the day that the temperature makes a difference. When the sun goes down and I can really feel it, I become immobilized. All I want to do is bundle up and burrow into a chair. The rest of the year, this is the best part of my day, when I have the most energy. From sundown until after midnight I can do anything. When it's cold, I do next to nothing. And when I say I hate winter, that's the reason.

I thought about lighting the furnace today for the first time this year, but I'm not ready yet. I wear shorts well into the fall, even after the weather turns. I try to wear T-shirts year round. But I did make one concession. When I went to Suzanne and John's to watch Survivor tonight, I wore my Marlins jacket. The light one, though, not the heavy one.