I got up a bit earlier today than usual and noticed the sun wasn't yet shining into the living room — it was still hanging low, behind the houses across the street. Quite suddenly, I experienced that pang of "summer's over," as I realized how the days have already grown shorter and images of dark cold winter flooded my mind. Of course, winter in California is neither that dark nor that cold. Growing up in New England must (weather) scar one for life.