Vernal Equinox

Happy first day of **Spring (yes, it really is today)! And what a glorious one at that: the sun is brighter than I remember it being in a long time; the snow is melting, creating pools of grimy water around corner curbs; even the damn birds are out chirping their damn lungs out. All is right with the earth.

Nothing much to report here, except a bit of amusement on the commute this morning. On the train I sat next to a man who, incidentally, was reading James Joyce's Ulysses. I was reading my own book nice and quietly (a similarly academic novel of great importance...oh hell, it was Harry Potter, okay?!) when I felt the man noiselessly, but violently, shaking. I glanced over to make sure he wasn't having an epileptic seizure or anything and realized he was laughing! This went on for almost a minute, I kid you not. I would have rather he laughed out loud as the shaking was a bit unnerving. I certainly have no problem laughing out loud in public...do it all the time. Nevertheless, I was amused. I'm so glad to know someone gets so much enjoyment out of reading a *1,000-page exercise in torture (just kidding, I'm sure Ulysses is a wonderful book).

*EDIT: I actually went home and looked at my own copy and realized it's only about 500 pages...my bad.
**My bad again...today is the first FULL day of Spring. Spring began last night. Whatever. It still felt like Spring yesterday more than it does today :-/

Central Park

What a day it was yesterday! Yay to Daylight Savings for keeping the sun out an hour longer. Went to Central Park for a wander and discovered so many things I'm actually ashamed I've never seen before. I can't believe it's been a year and a half since last I was in the park. It seems everyone was out enjoying the late winter weather...and there weren't even any leaves on the trees yet! We entered the park at the Museum of Natural History (81st and 7th) and immediately came upon the Swedish Cottage, Shakespeare Garden, and the Belvedere Castle that overlooks the Delacorte Theatre, the amphitheatre where they show Shakespeare in the Park. Cool stuff. Great views. Then we wandered around and came across a huge fountain with a trio of string musicians playing. Just past the fountain was a cavernous tunnel with mosaic tiling underneath which knelt a man playing the violin and singing the most beautiful operatic tunes. Josh said this guy was on a Discovery Channel special or something...it seems he's something of a CP institution. Further down South we were walking along the arboretum behind the bandshell and heard some loud drumming. We walked over to find a large group of people just dancing to music playing through a boombox and some rather large speakers...some were roller-skating dancing. It was so much fun to see these people let loose and have a good time as though they were in a nightclub on a Saturday night, not in broad daylight in the middle of a park on a Sunday. We stayed for a little and then headed for the exit on Central Park South near the Plaza. All of this we encountered in a mere hour and a half!

I can't wait to revisit Central Park in the Spring, when the weather turns really nice and the flowers are blooming. Three cheers for NYC!