Well it's been a little longer than usual, but I've been away in the Big Apple for the past 4 days or so and unable to post.......my brother has a dial-up connection and I have a lack of patience. Seriously. Dial-up is so 20th century.

I have hitherto maintained a policy of not talking about my work on this blog, and I think I'm going to do the same about family. There's just way to much potential for stuff I say to get taken the wrong way. Thus, since my trip to NYC was fairly family-intensive, I will stick to general impressions and random thoughts that came to me as a result of my trip.

Chief among these is the notable lack of sky in NYC. Once you're in Manhattan, the sky diminishes to a lonely strip of blue that seems far less real than the strip of asphalt beneath your feet. I feel it contributes to a surreal science fiction atmosphere. Late one foggy night we were walking on a damp street bathed in the timeless glow of neon signs, with some Chinese guy inviting us to his all-night restaurant for noodles. It was like I had suddenly stepped into Bladerunner or something.

I like to look up at the sky for reference -- I find I do it quite often. To see if there are clouds nearby, to see where the sun is, to simply stare up and zone out. In Manhattan, zoning out is not permitted. It might even be against the law --- everyone there is so busy doing things. Places to go, people to meet, no time for philosphizing or musing on the origin and path of things.