[and don't you know i'm not your ghost anymore]

Spring has, seemingly, arrived in New York City. The appearance of a new season is always slightly comical. We do not realize how accustomed we have become to our fashion choices, or how attached we are to the basic necessities required by demanding temperature extremities. We progress from winter coats with wooly accessories, to hooded pastel spring jackets with floral accents; from carrying a cardigan in our bulky bags full of other random items, to sweating and sticking to our thin tank tops underground where the air ceases to flow; and then we are back to jean jackets and cropped blazers until we break out the winter coats to protect us from the harsh winds and chilly nights. When you add in the changes of fashion to the mix, well...I won't get into that at the moment. What I am trying to get to, in all my rambling, is that on the first day of 62 degree weather in the year 2011, the scene on the streets of New York was an interesting one. Those people who did not need to leave their apartments until later in the day (this is not me, as I leave for work before the sun has risen...lit'rally) had the luxury of being prepared, and were sporting cute skirts and flats; those who, like me, had left their homes when it was a mere 31 degrees under a moonlit dawn, were looking inappropriate and uncomfortable in their fur-hooded coats. For the record, I had looked ahead and braved the cold this morning in order to avoid this trouble in the afternoon; however, I was still feeling a little warm in my socks and boots. This may seem trivial to some of you, but I am completely serious when I say that the combination of fading Winter and blossoming Spring on the seemingly more crowded streets was noticeable to the willing observer.

Enough on that for now.

Many aspects of "going green" are not only a good idea for the planet we occupy, they are also much more practical. I am specifically speaking of carrying cloth shopping bags around for all shopping purposes (groceries, clothes, Target, etc). I mean, in New York City it's easy to look like a douche if you DON'T have your own bags at the check-out counter - any time I have forgotten to think ahead and struggled home with plastic shopping bags is a time of shame and annoyance at myself - so that may be one reason to jump on this bandwagon. Yet the more simple benefit is how much easier it makes everything. Think about it - in most other American cities, people drive to the store. They have laundry machines in their homes. They can run multiple errands at a time and keep loading things up in the trunk of the car. We in NYC still run these multiple errands, mostly because you do not want to be going back and forth on the subway all day. You must find the most efficient and least expensive way to get from point A to point G and back again to point A, all of which is done on foot. Have you ever noticed that what crams into five Target bags can be transported into ONE sturdy personal shopping bag, perhaps throwing your lip gloss or moisturizer in your purse to save some space? I once did that...I had just moved here and I couldn't find my own bag in the depths of my purse, and the cashier had already started bagging things up for me. I had not acquired my New York "toughness" at that point, so I didn't say anything and carried all five bags out of the store, and then found a place out of the way to transport my items into my one bag. Now I am more prepared and, if necessary, more outspoken. I managed to load up three bags today, and as I was walking home I kept thinking about how happy I was and how easy it is to traipse around the city whilst running ten million errands when I have my own supplies. Plus I'm doing a tiny little bit to help the planet. I would say that is a winning combination.

A small disaster when carrying a lot of bags: when your iPod is on shuffle and your hands are undeniably unavailable to do any song changing, a random musical theatre song will pop up. I endured "The Wrong Note Rag" from Wonderful Town for part of my walk home today, and while it was somewhat amusing, it was more than slightly obnoxious. Especially because it isn't the first time that song has invaded my musical psyche. I only have the song because I needed to learn it when I was in the show last August, but somehow my iPod thinks I really want to hear it in times of inescapable listening.

The weekend is here. I am going to relish in it. Mmmm.

[amanda]

*title quote: Christina Perri, "Jar of Hearts"*