i guess it really is winter after all.

SnOw SnApShOts.

out the back window.

out the front window.

just when it seemed like this winter was officially going to be the winter that wasn't, we got sucker-punched with a record breaking blizzard. i gotta say good for mother nature keeping us on our toes and throwing in a surprise curve ball. i must admit, i didn't believe the forecast and thought it was sheer hype. my cynicism coming from 27 years of living in the northeast and watching the rabid ferocity with which local news stations and weathermen will jump on any chance to forecast a winter storm, particularly during extended stretches of no snowfall to speak of, and more than half the time, i'd dare a say a strong majority of the time, being absolutely wrong in their predictions. more often than not, these supposed blizzards and nor'easters get "talked out to sea" and never hit us. i have many a painful memory of anticipated snow days that never materialized because of blatant misforecasts by the weathermen. and so i was surprised yesterday morning to see the weathermen still talking about it, still issuing blizzard warnings for the city, laying out their timelines for the storm and making their accumulation predictions. and i was also relieved, as it looked like it wouldn't start in earnest until after midnight, and might, therefore, not negatively impact audience turnout for our shenanigans show. at about 3:00 yesterday afternoon, when the flurries were becoming more steady, and slightly ahead of schedule, i started to think, "oh shit, it's really going to snow isn't it?" and out the window flew my denial. it snowed as i went to rehearsal at 5:00pm. and it really snowed as jessma & i trudged from e. 2nd & c to st. marks & 1st at 9:00pm. and at that point i was not a happy camper. and i was more or less cursing the cold wet white shit falling from the sky. and my heart sank as i started to wonder who the hell would be crazy enough to willingly leave warm, dry apartments in these conditions just to watch some sketch comedy? well, it turns out a lot of people are that crazy. our turn out was amazing. we had to put people on the floor and scrounge up extra chairs. it turns out i was wrong twice yesterday. new york city was in fact due for a blizzard. and people do come out in snow storms to see shows. sometimes, it's good to be wrong.

the thing about snow is that it is actually quite breathtaking. even though it presents challenges, even though it delays or cancels things, even though it makes travel trying, even though it leaves you cold and raw and numb. it is still exquisite. the blizzard has been beautiful. everything is covered in white, giving off an impression of safety and serenity. bedford ave, which is usually bustling on a sunday, was sleepy this afternoon. and, again, tonight, as i made my way from my bikram class on the lower east side to the first avenue L station, there were few people out and about. the streets are far emptier than they would otherwise be, affording you the opportunity to enjoy them, to take in the scenery with some degree of privacy and ease, and so i did. rather than walking straight up first avenue, i took detours up and down the side streets, wandered over to see tomkins square park asleep under almost 2 feet of snow, to gaze at the beautiful brownstones and townhouses of the east village with their windowsills, staircases, and wrought iron railings and gates perfectly adorned with white fluffy snow. like a scene out of a perfectly crafted novel or movie. i love nighttime after a snowfall, the unexpected brightness because moonlight and streetlights and porch lights reflect off of the bright white snow rather than the dark dull concrete and pavement. i love the way snow finds every crook and crevice and redefines the space it lands on. i can walk down a block i walk down every single day and i will see something different after a snowfall like we just had. a space between buildings. a design in a fence. something will be highlighted by its new coat of snow and i will see it for the first time. i love the way snow can bring everything to a standstill. with cars buried and many sidewalks not even having seen a shovel yet, everything changes. getting from here to there is not what it was yesterday, is not what it will be tomorrow. today it is a challenge, if not impossible, and might not be worth the effort. and if you can't run out for this or can't get out for that, you stay in and instead do something else, maybe something you've been putting off, maybe something you wouldn't have made time to do otherwise...