It's a beautiful day

This post might be running against its grain, though. Blogger crashed safari on my computer three times. I'm not superstitious, but sometimes things just aren't in the cards. Let's see if Firefox is feeling generous today.

A friend visited me last weekend and I just sent him off at JFK. We saw most of the city in three full days and walked an excessive amount, even by this city's standards. Now with the Rising in two ears and Bruce Springsteen squeezing smoky sentence fragments through his weathered vocal chords, I am back to work.

Forgive the title if that band from the 60s still has a corner on the phrase, or if Bono thinks he rightfully stole it in 2000, but today is beautiful. Beyond a glorious sunrise into a crisp, clear sky, several things have already tinted this week a golden hue. In no particular order, save in possible chronology:

1. The A train operator said "Good morning! Welcome back from the weekend."
2. I have been able to listen to two albums in their entirety on headphones, and I am working on the aforementioned third. Enjoying good music while encased in these isolating headphones by Bose is like borrowing solitude in a carnival of commuters. And adding music to any series of events helps me to experience them with a full emotional spectrum.
3. I can still smell the coffee I had earlier on my clothes. It stands out somehow over the aroma in the air of the Starbuck's Coffee I am sitting in, and I must admit it was the best airport brew I have ever had. That is not exactly saying a lot, but I am grateful for that Dunkin Donuts as it was opportune, timely and inexpensive. I am looking forward to flying out of JFK this weekend. As an aside, why is train station coffee always better than airport coffee? It seems like it should be the other way around.
4. Images from the trains I rode this morning, uncharacteristic of my usual route underground, surprised me. Tail sections moved like shark fins on the dark horizon as we approached Terminal 5 (no, not the venue) at around 6AM, intimidating each other and almost haunting me. Fantastic! A large hawk-like bird soared over Rockaway Avenue as we approached a tunnel, in line with the train and in phase with its speed. I imagined today as a film where that was a transition shot between movements, just as I transitioned from one to another. Smiling faces on the subway greeted each other with a vulnerability I rarely see here, and people helped young mothers stow strollers and elderly patrons find seats.

This is sounding too optimistic for me, so as a disclaimer, I fully expect something disturbing later to taint the whole thing. But for now, I am delighted to share it. What have you seen today?