Went back to the Long Path today. About a mile in the trail becomes what I'd call half single track, since the normal single track width (only enough for one person) is half obscured by the overgrowing foliage, so you end up running with your arms out in front of you to avoid getting swat in the face unknowingly. As I neared the end of this section I encountered a deer trotting straight towards me. I didn't want to scare it, so I stopped about 15 feet shy and said "Hi, deer. I don't want to startle you. Want to run together?" It just stared back at me with a little tilt of the head. I repeated "So, wanna run together?" and started to walk towards it. It turned and did a rather good impression of a scoffing teenager since I was seemingly forcing it to go the other way from its original route. In about 50 feet it found a hole in the trees and scampered off on a tangent. On the way back to the George Washington Bridge I looked up at the underside of my hat brim to see a caterpillar crawling upside down towards my face. How long had it been there? And did it start on top of my head and work its way under? It might have been on there for as much as 7 miles. I returned it to what I assumed might be somewhat yummy leaves and kept on.
Speaking of bugs, saw my first firefly of the season! It's always random when I see the first one, because in NYC I am rarely near grassy areas at night. A few days ago Nathan and I went to grab some pizza. Next door is a small church set some 20 feet back from the sidewalk, enclosed with a gate and with a full lawn and shrubbery. I saw it in the corner where the yard and sidewalk met the pizza establishment. After seeing the glow, I pulled a hard 180 and tried to catch it. Nathan, carrying our dinner, laughed and kept walking. I think he called me something just shy of ridiculous. The firefly made me happy enough to skip to catch back up with him.
Around town it is nearing the end of the school year. NYC schools run by far longer on the calendar than my school district growing up. Many graduations have taken place this last week. And yet yesterday as I was walking to the clinic I saw a young boy in Midtown West all decked out in a blue cap and gown with a yellow ribbon/sash/thing. This fella was maybe in 2nd grade at the oldest. I repressed the desire to glare at the kid. I mean, I've never had a full graduation ceremony, and I've completed both high school and an undergraduate degree. I had to leave my high school ceremony early thanks to the school scheduling it for the same day as track sectionals again, and Iowa did away with summer graduations the year I finished and I missed the message about either walking in the spring (oops, too late) or at the end of the fall (you expect me to come back for that??). I'm looking forward to graduation next year because it will be the first degree that is truly meaningful to me, and I'll get to stay for the whole friggin thing. And yet this little bugger gets a full Pomp & Circumstance just because he could color enough inside the lines and can write his ABCs? Boo hiss. New Yorkers annoy me to no end.
State officials in Albany are also making asses of themselves, but what else is new. NYC and surrounding boroughs send scads of tax money to Albany, only for them to shun many of the approvals needed by the city in order to accomplish major projects. I worry that it is going to happen again this week. One previous example of this is congestion pricing. It's based off of the success of London's similar plan and would have been absolutely amazing. Yet Albany decided that they simply wouldn't even bring it to the floor for a vote. Every so often locals joke about seceding from greater New York State. The difference would be huge - NY State would be the fiscal equivalent of Arkansas. I forget if that includes Long Island seceding with us. Regardless, that's how much impact the NYC area has.
The next big ticket item is a third? fourth? attempt to pass marriage equality legislation. At this point NY recognizes marriages performed elsewhere but does not allow them to be created within the state. It's been a big battle between those living upstate and those in the city. A few weeks ago Sen. Ruben Diaz held an anti-gay rally in the Bronx on the same day as the AIDS Walk in Central Park, supported by former Rep. Anthony Weiner and Assemblyman Richard Gottfried. Sen. Diaz even has a gay daughter or granddaughter, and I forget if she was counter-protesting the Bronx rally or if she was vocally attending the AIDS Walk. Either way, 40,000 showed up in Central Park while only a mere 1,000 showed in the Bronx. Too many people in the NYC area support marriage equality as a civil right. Our neighbors in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont have approved it, with CT offering very articulate legislation as to why. The hearsay goes back and forth depending on which news source you follow as to whether the last needed republican vote is likely or not. It has to pass soon, because I think the session is nearing an end. I'm hoping it doesn't end the same way many other meaningful bills die once when go upstate. I know too many good people whose lives could be improved for the better by the passing of this bill. It has a little to do with what the term is called ("union" versus "marriage"), but more so deals with legal rights like taking care of your family in case of unexpected sickness/death, insurance coverage and getting to ride in the ambulance when your partner is being whisked away to the emergency room.
One last lighter note. On Nathan's suggestion, I picked up a $5 laser at a pet store. Amazing. Here's Sadie showing off her rave dancing skills. If you follow the link to YouTube then you can watch it in proper HD.
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