observations

Odds & Ends:

The weather has been incredibly strange the past few days. Yesterday it was an incredible 60 degrees at one point, with bright blue skies and a sun that felt almost spring-like in intensity. Birds were swooping through the air, squirrels were out collecting nuts frantically, and all the school age children were running around like it was the first day of summer vacation. Strange for February!

After living in New York City for 3 years, I'm still amazed at all the things people throw out in their garbage. Items left out for grabs recently include: a skillet, books on baby care, a television set, a television stand, an armchair, several sofas, art magazines, cassette tapes, shoes (men's and women's), a hat and beaded belt. It would be possible to furnish an entire apartment with the things one can find on the street.

Speaking of items on the street ... did anyone notice the old man who sells records on West 4th and 6th Av this past Friday? He's always there, selling old LPs, but on this particular evening he had a magnificent fake reindeer for sale, made of wicker. It was parked out in the middle of the sidewalk, so people had move around it in order to get by. Classic!

On a totally unrelated note, the best hot chocolate in Brooklyn is at the Tea Lounge on 7th Avenue in Park Slope. I'm sure the other locations have equally amazing hot cocoa, as well. All I can say is ... creamy goodness that will blow a person away! Very yummy.

lights and candles

My candle in the window isn't there anymore. (Is everything leaving me? Feels that way.) I don't know if you remember, but a while back I wrote about the comfort of a routine I had developed for evenings I was feeling lonely or low. I'd look out my window and would always see a candle flickering in the window of an apartment a few streets over. It was always such a warm and welcoming sight, and served as a reminder that there were other people out there, at home like me, enjoying the warmth of a flame.

Sadly, my candle is gone. I went to go look for it the past few nights, and it hasn't been there. This is a little too fitting for someone who is not feeling warmth or love right now! I keep losing things and people I love and depend on. Men, candles ... metaphors ... ugh.

Luckily, there's a new candle in a different window to cheer me up. In fact, the owner of this candle has Christmas lights all around the edge of their window, which glow bright white in little star shapes. They also have the red candle that burns on the windowsill. Love it.

The weather may be getting colder, but thank god for the holiday decorations. Like last year, people are out doing themselves in my neighborhood to display plastic lit up Santas, strings of lights and blinking technicolor snowflake ornaments. I might have to try and take some snaps of the Christmas display for this blog. There's something incredibly sweet about a family that takes the time to put up decorations. It shows some dedication to the holiday spirit.

I'm feeling sad right now, but at least I have my lights and blinking flakes and the like. I guess the world can't be totally gray if I have red and green colors flashing all over my nightly walk home from the subway.

But I still say ... life is a series of departures. My Christmas Candle in the Window will be departing after the holidays, and come January, all those decorations will be packed away to collect dust. I'd say that's pretty blue, and not at all a happy thought.