BRRRRR

Baby, it's cold outside!

New England's cruel cold still holds our Valley in its merciless grip. However the cold is very good for the gradually evolving ice skating rink underway in Kendrick Park in downtown Amherst. When I went past I saw they had a hose running. 

Lest anyone mess with the creative process, this sign stood nearby. Looks like "hose" was initially misspelled.

A trash can and bench await the first skaters.

 



The ice is starting to look pretty smooth. I predict this civic project will be a big success, possibly smoothing over some of the hard feelings leftover from the taxing and banning of the Boy Scouts from the park.

In Northampton this morning on my way to the bus stop I passed my neighbors Mr. and Mrs. Horse and saw that it was so cold that Mrs. Horse had a colorful coat on. 

Her husband preferred more conservative looking attire.

Downtown there was this giant poster of Martin Luther King. I'm surprised that the place next door The Pinocchio Pizza Express went out of business. Every time I went past it seemed crowded. 

This businessman has said to hell with the cold. 

Everything is on sale, but there was nothing in the window for me to buy, being an already recognized expert in the field. 

These are my sentiments exactly. 

However, I am slightly dismayed to note that the phrase "Life is Good" is a registered trademark.

Recently I was waxing nostalgic about my time as a resident at the UMass Sylvan dorms. Someone sent me this entry from the Urban Dictionary entry on UMass in general and Sylvan in particular. 

UMass Amherst - A Massachusetts public institution of higher learning located in the middle of nowhere aka Amherst, Massachusetts. The location leads to the insane amount of partying that occurs, since there is nothing better to do. For the academic year of 2005-2006, UMass Amherst (Also known as Zoomass or Zoomass-Slamherst) was rated by the Princeton Review as the #9 party school in the country. ABC also rated it the most violent campus in the nation, but this was based on skewed numbers and outdated facts. UMass is home to Sylvan Residence Area, rated as one of the most sexually active campus residences in the country. Despite this, and noted Sylvanites such as Frank Black of the Pixies, Sylvan tends to be the last choice for residence for all incoming and current students due to its distance from the parties and campus center.

I didn't experience Sylvan as being so sexually active, but maybe it was for straight people. Myself, I had to go over to Southwest when I wanted to get down with the boys.

Finally, on the bus this morning someone was transporting their painting. It's delightful sights like this which remind me to feel lucky that I live in a community where I am surrounded by artists.

Some of those artists are musicians. Here is another video I ripped off from Paolo Mastrangelo, this one showing singer/songwriter Witt Wisebram singing an anti-war tune at a house party on State Street in Northampton. I can't make out the words, and I might not agree with them if I could, but I like that he sings with passion.