I Almost Forgot what My Scarf Tasted Like

I have wanted to write for some time now- days actually, but this season has kept me very busy with rehearsals and parties and time with friends. I’ve really enjoyed this Christmas seasonhere in NYC. We are all moved into our spacious one-bedroom apartment and I absolutely love it. We bought a real Christmas tree last weekend in the pouring rain. And it looks pretty good for a tiny, $25 tree.

I bought two packs of .99 cent ornaments at Jacks (which was an entirely new experience for me as well) and put a big red bow on the top. I have a strand of white Christmas lights, of which about 10-15 of the bulbs don’t light up. Luckily, it’s the bulbs closest to the plug that don’t work, so I wrapped the tree in the ¾ of lights that work and plugged that electrical fire hazard right on into the wall. --- Oh, and the best part, I “borrowed” the lights from my worship director’s office. Thank for the lights, Beth, by the way… I’ll return your broken lights after the first of the year.

I’ve lost a glove twice now, but I’ve found it twice too, so that makes me extremely happy. Once, leaving the subway I dropped it climbing the stairs up to the street level and the girl behind me was nice enough to pick it up and stop me to return it. I had my iPod on so she had to tap me. I was perplexed at her niceness. People are not this nice in the city. I think I told her “Thank You” like three times. Then, I dropped my glove again outside my friend’s apartment building and upon doing a clothing inventory when I got inside her warm place I realized I was missing a glove. I found it lying outside the glass door downstairs.

I get wool fuzz in my mouth and in my eyelashes. My nose runs so I carry those pocket Kleenexes with me at all times. I don’t care about being fashionable, just warm. Warmth is the number one priority. And like my sister realized when she visited here, no one is going to see what you’re wearing underneath your coat, because your coat isn’t going to come off much.

Like Saturday. I went to the grocery store in my pajama bottoms, goulashes, over-sized sleep t-shirt that says, “Texas on Tour” and my big poofy coat. No bra, no make-up no hair washed. But no one could tell because my coat comes down past my knees and my goulashes up to my knees and with my big pink hat on, I looked pretty pitiful anyway. But at least I was warm.

If necessary, I will leave my house fifteen minutes earlier to catch the cross town bus to avoid walking in the wind and rain. This morning the snow was still piled up on the curbs and I considered taking the bus, but I get rather impatient waiting… and waiting… and waiting. So, I walked this morning and it wasn’t so bad. There was no precipitation, just sludge.

In the winter the subways can begin to stink as homeless people move their home from the streets to the train cars. The subway station I get on at each morning has started to smell a little like a cattle trailer. I think it’s because the homeless have moved in. Kind of sad and gross, but what can you do? (I’ll write another blog about this tomorrow.) One cardboard sign that a guy was holding as he sat outside Grand Central Station read, “Homeless, Please Help, Bad Heart.” Same guy, same time, everyday.

In the winter people are less likely to pick up their dog poop, especially in the snow. And the sanitation department is less likely to pick up the trash when there’s a blizzard and so the trash sits covered in snow on the curb.

It’s dark at 4:00 and my serotonin starts to wane. I want to go to bed at 7:00. I don’t want to eat fruits and vegetable which are imported from Florida or Mexico. I want to eat legumes and root vegetables and oatmeal and Campbell’s tomato soup made with skim milk in a saucepan on the stovetop.

I don’t want to run errands like I usually enjoy doing: CVS, Hallmark, dry cleaning. I mean heck, I haven’t even been to the gym in a week- and for no good reason. I just want to go to work and go home. I’m in hibernation mode. I’m settling in for a long winters nap.