Thursday, February 24, 2005

February Blue Gray & Saffron

...


What do people do in February?

According to the sun, it's not the darkest month of the year, but according to the weather and the mind's eye (in the Northern Hemisphere) it often is the darkest month. As we all know, bitter, icy, ass-busting blizzards just aren't the same without Christmas lights and eggnog.

December is the month with the most shopping, and January is the month with the least shopping - except for big screen TVs (so the pre-Superbowl ads would have us believe). And are there really that many people who want to be sure they pick up a few extra boxes of Valentine's candy before it's even February? Those are the most serious addicts of heart-shaped boxes of chocolate. I'd bet February is our second least busy month for shopping - though I hear eBay does a whopping business in the dreary days of Feb, when so many are stuck sitting at home. And I'm sure it's likewise for the Home Shopping Network - especially since it ought to be called the SJN, Shopping for Jewelry Network - and even guys look at jewelry around mid-February (after their significant others have said "on that's the one" about a dozen times more than usual).

Of course, yes, mid-autumn proves it - lots of people are busy making babies during February, ostensibly to create a little extra warmth on those long February nights (and certainly millions more are just practicing, going through the motions, so to speak), without many new shows or sports to fill them with glee. Gotta rustle around a little bit to fight off that cabin fever.

So those are the competing glows of February... The glow of the TV screen, for the masses leading lives of ad-filled/sit-com desperation. The glow of the computer screen, for the gazillion eBay-ers and indoor e-surfers (or maybe now it's just the little glow of your phone screen in the privacy of your own room, ooh la la). AND, ah, X O, the glow in the hearts of romantics and in the beds of those who have thrown the flowers aside, swallowed the chocolates and polishing off the champagne and are finally getting down to business.

Weather-wise, it's been like a civil war out there this month - all competing blues and grays, especially after mid-night the 14th, when all the Valentine's displays disappear, and the candy isle comes down. But at least that majesterial whim known as "The Gates" has come to (and will so soon be gone from) Central Park to bring some lyrical undulations of saffron to the walkways and paths, orangish/golden glowing embers and floating fire to the eyes of all who go to stroll and gaze - and all who can catch a glimpse on a glowing screen - and see that such a work of art could so please the palette-deprived and sunset-starved eyes deep in the heart of February. Variations on good old international orange never looked so good against those earthy grays and browns and blues.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home