More fickle weather

Just a couple of pictures to show how the recent weather in the city has been.

I clicked this picture from the boardwalk on the way to the Path Station on Thursday morning. It was a bit foggy over the river, there was rain in the air, and the skyline looked different than usual.

If I thought Thursday was special, Friday was even better. Check this out, another picture from the boardwalk.

In the early morning, you could barely see the river from my water-front apartment's window. This was around 10 am. Where's New York City, eh?

It was again raining on Friday and I expected it to get murkier as the day went along. Guess what I see on the way back in the evening?

So much for expectations.

Fickle weather

In a classic example of the recent fickle weather in New York, it started raining today the moment I got out of the Path station. So the next ten minutes' walk to my office was all about dodging umbrellas and trying to walk under building overhangs. Getting soaked in the rain is a fun thought; but definitely not in your morning rush to office. Well, suits me right in a way; as the forecast clearly suggested a 40% chance of rain in the afternoon. Recent experiences of dry spells with 60% precipitation chances forecast didn't help though.

Oh well, I somehow managed to reach office without getting completely drenched. And wondered how much it would rain in the afternoon.

As the weather goes, when I came out to get some lunch, the sun was out and there was probably not a speck of cloud in the sky. My fears of getting drenched again were probably misplaced. Little did I know...

Just before leaving for home, I dropped down to the local Starbucks for a shot of coffee. I stepped out with a cappuccino in hand and it started pouring cats and dogs. (And probably pigs and ducks too). Thought that I could easily make the 50 m dash to my office; half-way through realized that my cappuccino was spilling all over my hand; slowed down for a moment and...the rain just shifted up a couple of gears. Reached the building just about 4 seconds later than my colleagues and 40 times more soaked than any of them.

Just watched the rain, sipping my coffee; wound up my work and left for home. Came out of the Path station on this side and...it's bright and sunny again. Heck, where are the clouds gone now?

Addiction syndromes

It's been just seven days since the IPL ended and I am already experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Suddenly, there are no live scores to follow, no match previews or reports to read, no anticipation of yet another thriller of a match. Thirty seven days of non-stop T20 cricket; and now the mornings just aren't the same again. Heck, I have even started having lunch before 1. But then, there just seems to be no fun in it.

Phew, what is it that makes us addicted to something so badly?

Every morning, I walk the 10-odd minutes to the Path station, take the train to WTC, walk a further 10 minutes to office, and still am practically half-asleep. There's nothing that refreshes me more than the ritual of sipping my morning cappuccino; and until I have had my cuppa, I seem pretty cranky to myself.

And then, there is the addiction to work...

...well, addictions do have their problems. The ones like substance abuse of course, are much serious. Even relatively less harmless ones like smoking and gambling can have vast repercussions over the long run. But they sure do give you the momentary 'high'. And that is what most people live for, I suppose.

So, what does a cricket addict like me do when you are just off a month-long 'high'? Oh well, the World T20 starts this weekend; and I am all excited. :)

And as far as the caffeine is concerned, hey, how does it harm anyone if all it takes to stir someone up is a cup of hot coffee? Or tea? Or even T, for that matter? (There I go again...:))