Fires in the Attic

Last Friday was one of the coldest days in recent memory (which isn’t saying very much at all, frankly).

Of course, being such a blistering and unnatural day to be anywhere other than the the warm confines bedding, An Rong needed to come back to the city and get his photo framed for an art contest somewhere in Long Island. I know what you’re thinking. Who the hell goes to Long Island any way? I couldn’t agree more. So instead of roughing it out for 2 hours in the cold, I went to the school library (we have nice sofas there). Art school students never read anyway, so it’s genuinely quiet inside - not to mention cosy.

Think back when to when you were three years old, 6 inches of alabaster dusted wool lay thick on the ground: You’re in the family den, the embers in the fireplace still smoldering and warm, and your mother held you close to her bosom. You feel the warmth through the fabric on her chest, the faint drum of her heart beating…

Not like that at all.

I pulled a bum-style on the sofa, curled up with my macbook pro typing my art history midterm due on midnight of the same day. Having slept on average, 4 hours a day for the week (this is the norm, let the precedent be set here), I was dozing off mid-sentence a few times - a paragraph. Nothing better than a page full of S’s. Two hours later, and with my battery almost drained, I found out that An Rong was running late. Okay, another two hours, which was passed by reading art magazines and dozing off, in some kind of half-awakened state. Think Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment (your favorite novel).

Giving up to delirium, I decided to head down to Union Square to grab a bite to eat before meeting up. The usual stall didn’t have any of the Ginger-Molasses cookies though! At a loss, I went to the Bread Alone stall and bought a banana walnut muffin. I have to admit, it was very good considering being out in the sub-freezing temperatures all day. I sat down on a bench in Union Square, deciding that it was the most empty I’ve seen ever. The birds didn’t seem to mind the cold at all though – A whole bunch of sparrows approached me the moment I sat down. I swear, they have a 8th sense for this kind of thing.

EMACIATED ASIAN KID APPROACHING WITH MUFFIN:SCRAMBLE

Something like that.

I ended up throwing crumbs at them anyway though. I’m not sure what it is, but I’d feel bad if I didn’t give them some crumbs. It then occurred to me that I’m sitting in a park, essentially alone, feeding birds. I swear I have social skills. Really!

Regardless, I’m sure that the sparrows get by fine without my fine contributions of butter to their diet, but I’m soft hearted. Of course, this doesn’t apply to people: Hands off my muffins.

The lesson of the day: Don’t go anywhere with An Rong without checking the forecast.

Edit: Guess where I’m typing this. Hint: It’s Friday, and I’m killing time.