Van Cortlandt Park

Old road, a photo by TheTurducken on Flickr.

I decided to go for a hike at Van Cortlandt Park to round out the year. The day was overcast and cold but clear.

At this time of year, everything is very brown. There are no evergreen trees and almost no green plants. Between the weather, the day of the week, and the season, there were very few folks out. Who would think you could be totally alone in New York City?

Greetings from Oregon

Truths about myself I find disappointing

1. Despite not being a morning person, that's the best time of day for me to write. My teaching schedule is carefully crafted to avoid teaching before 10 a.m., and I'd rather suffer any end of bodily ailments than exercise before breakfast. I can be civil in the morning, as long as you don't expect exuberance. But, much to my disgust, that's when I am most focused for writing.
   
2. Risk aversion has negative consequences, too. I'm okay with not losing all my money in Vegas or never experiencing the joy of skydiving. The flip side is that I'll hold on to mediocre circumstances far too long rather than take a small gamble, even if what I'm betting on is myself.
   
3. I like guys who will never move. Our family moved around a lot, and it was a valuable experience. I learned to meet new people. I learned how people are alike and cultures are different, and how socially constructed our world is. I can face moving again with aplomb. Yet, consistently, I am attracted to guys who are strongly rooted in the place they grew up in. The good news is, at least I live in New York City instead of Indiana now. The bad news is, me and the future Mr. Turducken will never pick up and move to London for a year.
   
4. One drink is enough. Not that I want to be an alcoholic, but any more than two drinks isn't worth it the next day. I'm never going to drink Indiana Jones under the table, and that kind of was one of my life goals.
   
5. I'm not really a fan of the Beatles. I guess I'm a Stones person, or even a Zeppelin person.