up to ithaca (lyn)

As I prepare for my weekend at Cornell, I have one dilemma:  which coat should I wear?  I've checked the Ithaca weather and the days are predicted to be in the 40s, although nights are much colder. I've forgotten what 40’s feel like.  It’s still October and wearing a down coat seems wrong.  I figure I can always layer.  I go with my black nylon trench.

I get up at the ridiculous hour of 4:30, in order to make the 6am bus.  I bring a thermos of coffee, my leftover unhealthy cinnamon swirl, and some yogurt with fruit.  I have plenty of food for the 4 1/2 hour ride, and end up skipping the yogurt.  

I pack enough stuff to keep me busy for a train from NY to Tokyo, if such a thing existed.  I have my fully charged iPad, my iPhone, my Nano, a half read novel (Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner) two New York Magazines, two People magazines, today’s Times and today’s Post.

I'm learning to like busses and this one, a charter service direct to Cornell (no stops), is great. Pick up and delivery is walking distance (even with my luggage) from my house; the clientele is other Cornell parents and students; there’s Wi-Fi that works; free water; and even pillows. I drink my coffee, eat my unhealthy cinnamon bun, take down the pillow, and sleep comfortably for the next three hours.  I awake to see a light dusting of snow on the ground.  Neither my book nor my many magazines get read.

We arrive in Ithaca. The colors of autumn drown the campus in a palette of reds and yellows. The driver announces our stop and the weather. Thirty-seven degrees.  And, it’s sunny.  I think I brought the wrong coat.