1/9/06
It was just a little window, a brief, flitting afternoon, but if you were outside today in New York City you would be hard pressed not to mouth "thank you" to the skies. You have to be mindful of these little gifts, a 60-degree present in the middle of so much bitterness, and in turn the hats and coats and scarves and mittens all flew off, wrapped around waists and dangling from back pockets.
You are reminded that there are other seasons, that there was a time (and will be again) with laconic, sexy afternoons of chance meetings and schedules overturned in favor of a beer outside. The sun will one day decide to set near 10pm, and rise not too far after.
I felt sick this morning, and one warm breeze up 7th Avenue and suddenly I recalled what it was like to be seven years old, red tricycles, Big Wheels full of warm water.
Sure, the skies will close again, the sun will retreat, darkness will fall, records will break, the white drifts will pile high - but not today. Most winters never even give you a hint that better times are possible, but this one just showed its cards and gasped hot air in defeat.
Posted by Ian Williams at January 9, 2006 9:53 PMBig Wheels! How I loved mine! The noisier the better. Thanks for jogging that particular memory.
I was partial to a Green Machine.
My mind immediately went to that playground in Riverside Park on 76th St. at the mention of Big Wheel. A brief reminder of eating a CreamSicle while driving that plastic tricycle (with the clicking device removed...it drove my parents crazy), or while stumbling and spazzing out on my first pair of rollerskates: metal through and through and with a key. Now that I think about it, everyone else had those cool disco-era rubber-wheel jobs, but why was I doomed to sound like a runaway boxcar (and look like I was using my grandfather's childhood skates) when my parents could certainly afford the good skates? I'll never know.
But thanks for taking me back to 2nd grade for a small instant this morning.
big wheels! i loved mine but with scruggs, would always trade to ride my best friend's green machine. that kicked ass!
we were feeling the same way in north carolina yesterday. i sat on my front porch swing at 9pm in my pj's and sipped my cocktail. it couldn't have been more perfect! And our 10 day forcast is nothing but 60's the whole way through! yaaaaay!!!
I've been a fan since America Costopia. I love everything you write. Best to you and your fabulous family.
I am reminded of Shelley's ode: "O wind, if winter comes,
can spring be far behind?"The mention of the CreamSicle made me think of the orange Push-Up. Do they still make those?
Annie - they do still make the Orange Push-Up. It seems the ones I have seen in the grocery store lately have Flintstone characters on the wrapping. Look in the freezer section by the ice cream (a place where I browse frequently.)
It's almost 70 degrees in Charlotte today and and we're under Carolina blue skies. So far, it's been a pretty wonderful day. I rode a pony this morning while Ben(15 months) was at Mother's Morning Out and it looked exactly like a pony my parents rented for my 5th birthday. I remember the excitement of climbing on its back and I still get that rush every time I ride. AND . . .I get paid to ride and it's still a joy.
Happy Tuesday and here's to a continuing mild winter.
LFMD- The new Bachelor could be the most beautiful man I've ever seen. Lord, he's hot! There was already a crying meltdown and it was only the first night. G2 is great and I agree that Mark is way past his prime for a twenty-something crowd. I remember the first RR when he made out with Kit. She was a senior Chi-O at UNC when I pledged. I thought she was the coolest. Poor Mark . . .14:59:59 and counting.
here's a real tragedy. i was never allowed to have a big wheel because my g'ma was afraid i would slide under a car backing out of a driveway. therefore i was given an inchworm. you bounce on it and it moves forward like, an inch at a time. anyone remember those? right, no one knows what that is because everyone had a frickin bigwheel. sigh.
I remember the inchworm. I don't think I ever saw one in real life, but I remember the commercials. I started out on an "Ollie". It looked like a curved banana and you sat on its back. It had red yarn hair, eyes and its ears were the handles. It had 4 wheels and you walked it with your feet while riding it. In fact, I got my one and only spanking because of that Ollie. Speed bumps, fast cars, visions of a squashed 3 year old, Mom let me know how serious she was about not riding Ollie in the road.
I had a Big Wheel too! I rode it so much the plastic tires literally wore out. And the Push-ups! I had forgotten those! We used to get those at our neighborhood pool in the summer...our one treat for the day. I am definitely looking for those next time I go to the store...my son would love it!
oh and i totally forgot i had the metal skates at first too. complete with skate key around my neck on a piece of yarn. those were the days. now my kid has skates inside his spiderman shoes that pop out with a button. if only they had those back in the day...
I only had a Sit n Spin and it didn't get me anywhere.
when i was in the fourth or fifth grade, we had races to see who could eat a push-up the fastest. one kid held a stopwatch to time everyone. this went on until one day when someone made joe castellanos laugh while he was in mid-push-up. it was not pretty. the principal banned the sale of push-ups for the rest of the year. ah, the good old days.
Salem's Little Sister -- the most beautiful man evah? I have got to see this show! And yes, I remember Kit. She was the coolest thing about Road Rules! So cute and sassy! I knew she was from UNC, but I did not know she was a Chi O. I bet that those sisters were so excited to see her on TV. The last time I saw Kit, she was on some news show. She certainly was not hooking up with 20 year olds and getting drunk on the Gauntlet! Mark -- get another gig! Please!
UNC has had an inordinate amount of folks representin' on these MTV reality shows. Let's see. . . Kit, Latterrian, the cute gay guy Shane, . . . how did you and I miss our opportunity for MTV Reality Greatest, SLS? While I could not have completed any of the challenges of RR, I certainly could have bitched and whined with the best of them in a rent-free Real World mansion! Moreover, how did Ian miss out on that opportunity??
Hey, remember the obnoxious pseudo-musician from Real World Los Angeles? The one with the stringy long hair, Glen? He was so arrogant, with his band "Perch" and all. How I hated that guy! Well, it turns out that he was a grade school classmate of a good friend of mine from Philadelphia. It is a small world indeed.
Annie--don't know if you're a Sloper, but they have the orange Push-Ups at the Eckerd on 9th Street at 5th Avenue. That's about the only place I've found them around here, and trust me, I've REALLY looked. Emma's right; they have Flintstones characters on the wrapping.
xuxE: your g'ma sounds like the worrisome mama I have become. Be careful! Don't do that! Watch out! I don't think I would let Helen have a Big Wheel either. It is a fine line between being a concerned parent and a big old drag.
Send some of that nice weather to Seattle. We are on our 23rd consecutive day of rain. (And no, that's not normal here, not even in January.)