Some sights from this autumn.

I had two yoga mats - a 5 mm “good” mat and a 1.5 mm travel mat. Both were black. I only use the 5 mm mat inside. Since the majority of my workouts are outside, I’ve gotten a lot of use out of the thinner, lighter travel mat. But it’s beat to hell now: gouges from toenails, cracks in the rubber from the hot sun and a stench I can’t wash out. So I treated myself to a new 1.5 mm mat. I had burned the soles of my feet on the black travel mat, so I opted for something with lighter colors. The mountain/sky scene shows dust and sweat, but the light palette keeps the mat cool to the touch.

QVC hosts repeatedly tell me that my home needs a signature scent but I won’t buy one from them. I enjoy burning candles and buy most online from Nordstrom. But I refrain from purchasing in the summer because I don’t want a wax candle in a box, sitting outside my door, melting in the heat while I’m at work. I’ve burned through many Apotheke candles and decided to try a diffuser in one of my favorite scents: Charcoal. I move the diffuser between living room and bathroom and the scent fills my entire apartment.

This autumn, I tried a few new-to-me bars. Crisol was the coolest. Down the block and around the corner from Nightjar (a bar I like) in Barrio Viejo, Crisol - like Nightjar - is another house with lots of rooms. Crisol is even darker and moodier than its neighboring bar. Each sitting room has vintage writing desk lamps and typewriters. I tried a drink containing creosote - the plant that “smells like rain.”