Endless summer comes to an end

Where did the time go?

Today marks the start of autumn, with sunny days getting shorter and dark nights getting longer. Friday’s sunrise is at 6:21 a.m., a minute later than Thursday — and sunset is pegged at 6:27 p.m., a minute earlier than the day before.

In Hawaii, we don’t get the explosion of color as the leaves change, but fall does trigger a psychological turn to things sienna, cool, crisp and … holiday?

Halloween is still more than a month away, but a few local retailers have already got their Christmas items out. Whoa! As if time doesn’t pass all too quickly on its own.

Rainbow Books loses its glow

Want yet another trigger to get depressed?

Sure you do.

Some guy named Matt Stopera went to Buzz-feed.com, the site that "tracks the Web’s obsessions in real time." Under the category "culture buzz," Stopera posted "25 Depressing Portraits of Closed Bookstores."

Now that all the books have been cleared out, these pictures really do have to be worth 1,000 words. The one right on top of the pack is a doozy. The Thomas Jefferson quote, "I cannot live without books" is still painted on a wall from which all the shelves have been stripped. Just sad.

And we’re all invited to pile on with more photographic misery. If somebody wants to post a pic of Rainbow Books & Records, the longstanding University Avenue bookseller that’s set to close Sunday, you can. Go to www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/portraits-of-closed-bookstores and, near the headline, click the "add yours" button. Sniff.