This morning it was seriously bright outside, between the sun and the snow and slick pavement.
As beautiful as the snow was a few days ago, it now already seemed very tired, and I longed for it to be gone.
I have no records to back this up, but my sense it that this has been the coldest winter we've had in a while, perhaps the coldest since I moved to Washington Heights ten years ago. On the other hand, I mentioned this to someone the other day, and he was like: 'oh no, last year was much colder,' so I'm not really sure what to believe.
In the subway, I spent a few minutes observing this movie poster, with which I've become oddly obsessed since it went up a few weeks ago. It seems amazing to me that this project -- which no doubt cost millions of dollars to make and features a big ensemble of 'stars' -- was ever 'green-lighted,' given how horrible it looks on every level. I felt greasy and perverted looking at it, as though I were watching a gruesome car accident, but I couldn't turn away.
I even read a few of the reviews today, and nobody had anything good to say about it, which seems like it couldn't have been a surprise to anyone involved. Maybe it'll be 'big in Europe' or something, which I guess is how Hollywood movies make money these days, although this is also not exactly a fun thing to consider, i.e., the fact that (along with weapons) the biggest export of the United States is shitty culture.
Thankfully I had forgotten about it by the time I reached midtown.
I had to stop in to the hardware store to buy some ventilation tubing for the dryer in the tenants' apartment, which I learned (via a midnight e-mail last night) was broken. (I like to make repairs asap, though, so they won't be hanging over my head.)
The guy in the hardware store tried to sell me some 'cheap plastic shit' and then acted insulted when I asked if he had anything 'heavier-duty,' even though in fact he did have the tubing in aluminum, and it was more expensive than what he had initially tried to sell me. Sometimes the laws of commerce seem to break down at the epicenter of the commercial world, much like the eye of hurricane. Nevertheless, I was impressed by the amount of goods crammed into the tiny little store.
At lunch I went back out into the blinding sun and took some low-angle shots. Clearly this person was not too concerned about the snow!
Lately I've been noticing more and more bikes, which compete for places to be locked up. Even though New York City is a lot 'safer' than it used to be, I'd feel pretty nervous leaving my bike outside for more than thirty seconds. (I also would be nervous about getting hit by a bus.)
This is the building where I work, on the top floor. (The elevators are always broken, which is another cause for concern.)
My office faces west, which is why I can enjoy the setting sun almost every night.
Back in Washington Heights, the sky held a trace of sunlight, a harbinger of the coming spring.
Arriving at the house, I was annoyed that 1) the city did not pick up the garbage today (Washington Heights is always the last on the last, it seems) and 2) that my neighbor insists on putting his trash right on the edge of his property; he does this so that if the Department of Sanitation is giving out tickets, as they sometimes do for the most venial offenses (e.g., a bottle cap in the recycling bag), they might get confused and give it to me instead. I put my bag away and split his open and threw the trash all over his front yard. Just kidding! I left it where it was, and probably won't even say anything to him, because I'd rather just pay the stupid ticket than get into some kind of confrontation.
Besides, I had more important things to worry about, such as repairing the dryer vent.
I switched out the plastic tubing with the aluminum and taped it all together. (Seriously, what did people do before duct tape?)
As with any repair I have ever made, I said a prayer in the hope that it would last for a little while.
To celebrate, I took a GPOYF and then washed my hands. I had bought new toys for all the cats, and was anxious to get home.
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