crocus pocus; or, some thoughts on civic duty.

tomorrow is the first day of spring! needless to say the high line was in bloom yesterday, full of people enjoying the rays. yellow, pink and purple crocuses have been making their tentative appearances this week, cautiously spreading out amongst the dry wild grasses that flank the long elevated park.

such a beautiful weekend almost makes me forget that i have grand jury duty two mornings a week from now until SEPTEMBER.

also on our collective national plate in the upcoming weeks are income tax returns, and [drum roll] the united states census of 2010. with the latter comes confusion about how to answer the two race/ethnicity questions. if you are of spanish or latin american descent, you may have to think about this one a little. one might even go so far as to ask, why should i even answer those questions? the census is supposed to be a head count, right...?

one thing is for sure though, don't let the lovely season distract you from actually filling out and sending in the bloody thing. if they don't count your head, your neighborhood won't get the money. it's all well and good to speculate and theorize and of course, to gripe, but the very idea of boycotting the census is just idiotic. just check the dang boxes and make sure you fold it right when you put it in the return envelope. they've even included the postage! that was big of them, no?

now then. get thee to the park!

i swear i'm not a NASCAR fan. really.

carl edwards has been placed on probation for three races after "intentionally wrecking" brad keselowski, whose vehicle flipped precariously and somehow miraculously landed right-side-up with no resulting explosions. i admit complete ignorance on the subject of car racing, but it looks to me like sheer luck that keselowski wasn't severely injured or killed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_4I12wwBIE

so edwards deliberately runs into another car, and he still gets to race and everything, he's just under a little extra scrutiny. for three measly races. for hitting another guy. on purpose.

one wonders, if this wasn't a so-called sport, would carl edwards be under arrest? i mean, this is a little more severe than one guy tripping another on a basketball court. where's the line between intentional wreck and attempted murder? or vehicular manslaughter? wait, i guess keselowski would have had to actually die for that one to be applicable, eh? right.

i could rant all day about skewed justice, but spring is tantalizing me with this beautiful sunny afternoon (not to mention the impending clock-changing ritual this weekend) so into the streets i go. i just have to remember not to piss off any "professional" drivers.