Summertime

Tomorrow is June 1—to me that means summer. The weather here in NYC has been rather erratic as of late (does that sound poetic?). We've had hot days followed by cold days. The allergies are out of control. It's been rainy, then sunny, then rainy again which equals terrible humidity. But with all of this comes a spirit of the city that I've always loved. New Yorkers love being outdoors—sitting in the park, dining at sidewalk cafes, just walking around. Last week I actually had a date (no, hell didn't freeze over as far as I'm aware). We met, then walked across the Brooklyn Bridge which was lit up in celebration of its 125th anniversary. It was beautiful, and so nice to be outside (even though I was hacking up a lung from all of the ragweed that was floating around). Aside from the swarms of people that emerge onto the streets, summer in New York is announced by the stench of trash baking curbside and rat and mouse populations being more apparent. The other night I was walking Pico and saw 4 or 5 rats just sitting on the sidewalk munching away on some food—probably bread crumbs and scraps left by some old lady to feed the pigeons. Also, the subway stations become saunas and extremely rodent-infested. Yesterday as I was waiting for the train to get to work, I was watching two mice run around on the platform. The train came across the track, and one of the mice almost jumped onto one of the cars—I wonder how often that happens. Ahhhh, I'm just glad the summer is here. Happy to not be wearing a coat. Now I just need to find an able-bodied friend to help me get my AC back in the window...

hit it, Harriet!!!