Cold Nights, Warm Hearts

They're predicting rain for the next five days, at least, while some Nor'Easter blows through town. I have to remember to wear my rain boots to work so I don't ruin my heels. Most New York women will either wear flip-flops or tennis shoes on the way to work to save their nice shoes from the streets. They carry their good shoes in their bag or in a separate little pouch, and change when they get to work. It's a good idea, because the streets are tough on shoes, and some shoes are quite expensive. I've worn out more pairs here, though I admit I am more of a walker than most people. The other thing about New Yorkers is that they think a few blocks is a long walk. People don't often venture out of their neighborhoods, or if they do, there is so much public transportation, and taxis wherever you look, so why walk? I get strange looks from my coworkers when I tell them I walk over to the library on 58th and Park on my lunch break. Then they act like they were really just surprised that I actually read books. Well, maybe they are genuinely surprised about that, too. The truth is that I haven't been reading as much as I used to, which makes me sad. I keep having overdue books without even having finished them! It's a sad, sad day.

Meanwhile, I'm obsessed with the idea of winter coming in. I can hear it in every raindrop and feel every icy breeze that blows in through the cracks of the a/c unit still in my window. A couple of months ago I planted some snapdragon seeds in a little pot and I was so excited when two of them actually sprouted and started to grow in the sunlight on my bathroom windowsill. Now they are confused by the mixture of frigid air from the window and torrid heat-waves emanating from the radiator pipes, and they are looking a bit wilty no matter how much water I give them or what music I play. They know that there is no place for snapdragons in winter.

I came home from work yesterday to find my roommate making homemade donuts in the kitchen. She fried the dough in a pot of oil over the stove and then rolled them in sugar and cinnamon. We sat and talked in the living room, enjoying the glow of our paper lanterns, and the coziness of warm donuts and cold milk on a blustery October evening. Tired from staying out too late the night before listening to rock'n'roll (the show was great, by the way!) I dozed off under a fleece blanket listening to P and J argue about languages, and then I woke up and ate another donut. It's hard to believe, in moments like this, that my life is not very very good, despite the onset of winter.