OOH LA LA! #6
thinking about time and growing out my bangs
All week I’ve been thinking the vernal equinox, aka the first day of spring, was happening on March 21. I was on a commercial set all day on Wednesday telling everyone about how excited I was for the first day of spring. But I just looked it up and this year’s vernal equinox occurred on Tuesday, March 19 at 11:06 PM! It came and went and I didn’t even know!
For my fellow astronomy nerds, the equinox occurs in the Northern Hemisphere when the sun is directly over the equator and its energy is in balance between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, which usually falls on March 20 or 21.
BUT - and this is where it gets trippy - this year, because it’s a leap year, spring came early. Leap years happen because Earth actually takes slightly longer than 365 days (the length of a full calendar year) to orbit around the sun, so leap years are meant to sort of absorb that extra amount of time. WHAT?! Without leap years, the season shifts wouldn’t make sense and our calendar would be all wonky. I *just* learned this and now I’m telling you because wow wow wow.
Ok, here’s one more fun fact about this. During the next leap year, 2028, spring will again start on March 19. And! Spring will continue to start at earlier and earlier times on March 19 EVERY LEAP YEAR UNTIL 2103!!!! Time isn’t real.
This week’s OOH LA LA! list includes: ice in the fridge, washing just part of my hair, sun on my face.
For me, a real indicator of luxury is having ready-made ice in the fridge that you did not prepare yourself. I once had a refrigerator with the fancy little ice machine on the outside of the fridge door and it was the pinnacle of domestic luxury. My current apartment refrigerator has a bottom-door freezer with a little ice box inside. It’s not the same, but still, ice is somehow always automatically being made and is always available, anytime I want it. I’m not sure the mechanics of how the refrigerator is doing this, but I know something’s happening because every now and then there’s a whirring sound and then the sound of ice falling into the bucket. It’s a wonder to me and I’m grateful for it.
I currently have a hairstyle with bangs and they are now at the length wherein I must decide if I should trim them or grow them out. It’s a constant debate, really. Bangs bring a real chaos energy to my life that I sort of love, but some days I dream of being an easy, breezy, normal girl. One thing I would miss if I didn’t have bangs is the beauty of washing just part of my hair. When I don’t have time to wash, dry, and style the whole head, my trick is to just wash, dry, and style the bangs, which makes my hair look presentable enough, at least for video calls. What the back of my head looks like is not my business anyway.
New York City, like most places I’ve lived, is currently experiencing the in-between winter-spring season. Some days it’s 72 degrees and sunny and the next it’s 40 degrees and windy. It’s my least favorite season because I’m super sensitive to the air pressure changes and the constant ups and downs. Still, somehow, even on the cool days, there are moments when I catch the warmth of the sun on my face and I feel brand new. Despite living in places with four seasons my whole life, I am always surprised and delighted by this sensation in the spring. I feel the warmth of the sun and just like that, I feel hope again. I have ideas and dreams and I believe that we can change the world! That’s what the sun does to me! Look, I know I’ve talked about the sunshine before, but what can I say, I love the stuff!
Thanks for reading!
I’d love to know about your OOH LA LA! somethings.
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XOXO,
LJ