New York City schools were closed due to snow yesterday for the first time since 2004. This morning, I heard a little girl on the subway tell her father, “They should close school today. It’s too cold for school.”
When I got off the train in midtown, I caught a headline of one of the local papers out of the corner of my eye: “Recession Deepens, No End in Sight.” The anxiety is almost palpable these days. Even if you have a job, there is no sense of security, no telling how long it will last, if you’ll be the next to go.
I’m happy that baseball has begun because it provides a welcome distraction to these daily concerns. I’m not one to get especially involved in spring training but it’s comforting to know that somewhere it isn’t cold, and that they are already playing the summer game. Because it can be as cold as it wants, winter can drag out into the middle of April, but there is no stopping what is coming: the Spring, my favorite of all seasons.
The warm weather, the blossoms, and the skirts will be here soon enough. Which won’t erase our worries, of course. But it will provide more lovely distractions.
Thanks for the pic Alex. Do we have Em to thank for the photo?
A good article, I enjoyed it. I too am looking forward to the warm weather and baseball.
One random note though... NYC schools last closed due to snow in january of 2004 not over a decade ago like you mentioned in the article. Not a big deal but just stood out to me heh.
Oh snap. My bad. Thanks for that correction. And no, D that isn't Em's picture, just one I found on-line.
At least the sun is now up when I drive to work at 7:30 am, shining right in my eyes (funny that I don't mind that at the moment) even if it's 9 degrees out.
Wimps.
When I went to school in Sweden as a kid, there was a law that if the temperature was below -18C (0 F), we weren't allowed to have PE outdoors. We kept our eye on that thermometer, and when it hit -19C, we'd be sure to let our PE teacher know about it. And he would grumble at us, and begrudgingly obey the law, and we'd have PE in the gym.
But as far as it got. If it was -17C, we were out there running laps in the snow. There was never a thought at any temperature of actually canceling school.
Baseball a wonderful distraction here too, Alex. The third Prime Minister in a year and half is about to go under, companies are laying people off right and left, and the suicide rate is climbing..
Jazz and Baseball, the eternal tonics for Serenity Now..