At night I've been reading Joan Didion. I'm interested in her voice;the flat yet sharp way she talks about her life and California. There have been thunderstorms here for the past two days that have lasted longer than an hour. When I was younger, I thought this meant it was time for the "monsters" to come out, like some strange call to evil. I still feel that fear lingering any time I'm alone when it storms. With the rain has come a relief from the heat. Working all day in my studio without air conditioning has been difficult, I find myself longing for fall and the scent of dry leaves, signaling Halloween.