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Now that autumn lurks around the corner with its switch blade drawn, ready to mug us all, I reflect on my summer of happiness. One of my biggest regrets was missing out on all of the MJ memorabilia. I bought none of it. The pang of remorse didn’t hit me until I passed a rack of crap left over from the big commotion. Let’s hope that book stores and other retailers can move the rest of this stuff before shelves and tables begin filling with issues and histories and memoirs dedicated to Ted Kennedy. A story from PW says book sales have already jumped way up thanks to the senator’s passing. There’s only one other business I know of that benefits more from death, and it ain’t the fast food industry.

Kennedy’s death doesn’t seem to have caused quite the uproar that Jackson’s did. Nobody in my neck of the woods is pondering suicide, and although he was a helluva speaker his voice doesn’t fill the air waves. Too bad. But I’ll say this. The magazine stands are going to look like one gigantic American flag in about a week. Mark my word.

Enough about important deaths. Let’s talk about trite ones. I lost $1 in the laundry machine downstairs. It’s kaputz.

Now that we’ve discussed trite deaths, let’s move on to mid-range deaths. Summer is gone. Where did the bad boy go? I find myself looking back with fond memories already. What all happened this summer? We lost some celebs. We almost lost track of a governor, but thank the lord he turned up (in Argentina). Iran had some trouble with an election or something, I hear. (Joke.) I zoomed around the Southeast reading from my book. Graded 700 or so AP Lit exams. Spent a little time in Charleston. Spent a little time in Atlanta. Spent some time in the Rockies. Wrote most of another novel. Read some good books. Avoided the beach. Not bad.

My biggest triumph, however, was avoiding the Transformers II movie. I’m so glad I resisted and gave my slow summer afternoons to something else.

So now we move on into fall. This coming weekend I head to Atlanta for the Decatur Book Festival to meet fancy authors and read from my book. Looking forward to it. Must remember to get oil changed tomorrow.