Blue finger nails, looking electric in the winter cold. I’m awaiting the change of season, eager to drop my coat and finally stop shivering at every street corner when the wind blows so hard it makes me fly instead of walking. How long has it been? Years since I’ve felt the warm sunlight on my skin? It seems that way. Who moves to NYC for the weather, you’re gonna ask?
Growing up on the French Riviera and moving to NYC was definitely a drastic change. I was used to 350 days of sunlight, and temperatures averaging 50-60 degrees all year long. Sure, the summer is super hot, and most people stay inside in the afternoon, but I went to the beach, and looked tanner than I do now. My walks consisted of long strolls by the water, crystal blue on the nicest day, and swims along the shore for hours. I certainly miss that luxury.
But today, I can’t complain about where I live. Sure, it’s freezing outside. And the subway ride feels like a trip to the underworld. This guy plays the guitar and displays this sign in his guitar case that says “the wheel is still spinning but the hamster is dead”. Tourists love that kind of stuff. I also see this lady who sits under this big pillar and sings gospel because the sound is particularly great in this exact spot. I sometimes wonder whether people fight over spots in the subway station. They definitely need some sort of authorization to stand for hours in the same area, and the crowded ones where they can get the most views and tips. Last weekend, some hip hop crews kept dancing to the beat of Michael Jackson’s oldies. It was fun to watch. I usually never take the time to stop and appreciate the art because I’m always in a hurry, but outsiders love the free entertainment. Certainly makes for great amateurish out of focus Youtube videos.
I walked five miles in the park yesterday, and then decided to get a manicure because my hands were frozen. My brain runs on a weird logic sometimes. My blue polish is called “Butler, please!”. No idea who came up with the name, but I loved it, so I painted my claws with it! If someone asks me why, I’ll just reply I needed to uplift my spirits because the hamster’s dead.
That electronic cigarette I bought the other day is the best thing ever! I quit smoking a while back, because smoking is bad for you. The tar, and the smell, and the whole coughing-tuberculosis-I’m gonna-die-within-the-next-thirty-seconds weren’t sexy at all. But now? Heck, I get the nicotine rush without having to stink! Yeep! And I can still exercise and not feel any of the effects. It’s nice. Must come with a price though. Usually nothing is harmless. Even eating a ton of lettuce isn’t harmless. Although lettuce looks pretty harmless to me.
The air we breathe, and the water we drink are contaminated somehow anyway. I remember being a kid after the nuclear plant blew up in Chernobyl, and the radioactive cloud passed over Western Europe, rain pouring on fields and contaminating everything. I must have drunk that stuff in my breast milk, maybe that’s the reason why I got a spider in my brain.
Butler, please! I need a giant ice coffee to wake me up! And a big furry hand-warmer too! Preferably pink. Pink looks good. Spring’s almost there. In two months, I’ll be sweating, but inside my office, I’ll keep the space heater on because I’m a chronic sufferer of climate control issues. Being a woman is just so precious.
The Manicheans 
I’ve been distracted lately, and when I come back, I find this. I love your perspective.