In much the same way as its antecedents in Chinese poetry, much Japanese verse esteems the seasons of spring and autumn above winter and summer for aesthetic reasons, as well as the fact that both seasons are relatively comfortable compared to the humid summer and frigid winters. If you've experienced a New England autumn, you can probably agree that they've definitely got a point.
I finally managed to get out of New York City. The occasion was the wedding of one of Kate's friends (yes, we're using full names now, and there's a picture of her below), now living in Auburn, New York, not too far from Syracuse. We rented a car and drove up there; it took about four hours, and we were still only about half-way across the state. It served to remind me of just how huge this country is in comparison to my own native land; drive four hours north from Cambridge and you can get most of the way up into the north of England.
It was also a very scenic drive, reminiscent of the spectactular mountainsides of Tohoku and other parts. We were perhaps a week too late, but it was still breathtaking in parts. After fifteen months of corporate canyon, I was just happy to see the sky. It was a beautifully clear day, too, at least until we got most of the way into the state, but bitterly cold as well. While we were upstate, a major snowstorm hit Buffalo, NY, leaving 200,000 people without power until it could be restored. Luckily, we were unaffected.
The wedding itself was an interesting social phenomenon, though it was quite fun. Those present were divided roughly between those of Irish extraction (who drank as much as humanly possible and danced away the night) and the bride's side, who were Baptists and so didn't touch a drop or cut any rug at all. As they say, "Why don't Baptists have sex standing up? Because someone might think they're dancing." Anyway. So I just drank in moderation, talked to those around me, and had a pretty good time, apart from embarrassing myself by nearly decapitating the groom's father when a champagne cork from a bottle I was opening bounced off a pillar and narrowly missed him.
The thing about upstate New York, from what I saw and from what Kate told me, is that it's almost the diametric opposite of the city - rural, simple, unsophisticated, somewhat conservative and overwhelmingly white. Not that those are necessarily bad things, but it served as a salutary reminder that New York City is not 'America'. The names on the Confirmation board at the church were all Anglo-Saxon, something I doubt anyone would see in the city. I suppose the wedding and the reception reflected that. One of the best bits was when one of the groom's guests, sozzled as he was, told me that I had a 'European' accent and "we hate Europeans". I just coldly reminded him that I'm not European, I'm British. Not sure how serious he was, whether it was a case of
in vino veritas or if he was too hammered to make it clear either way. Apart from him, though, everyone was just as friendly and welcoming as I have come to expect Americans to be, and what the hell, the booze was free and the food was good.
Much of upstate New York is given over to farm land (well, the bits of it that aren't lakes), though the soil is quite poor in comparison to, say, the Midwest, and the climate is too cold to grow anything very spectacular. It's perfect for apples, though, and we stopped off at an apple farm on the way back to pick some Empire and Jonagolds, and grab a bit of farm pressed cider.
It was great to get out of the city for a weekend and relax. Things, however, are about to get hectic once again...
I have a five-page paper precis, the paperwork for my MA thesis, a 3-day conference and an 800-word position paper due on the 1st, at the same time as getting all of my regular coursework out of the way. You have to put in a hell of a lot of effort even to get to the point where you can clap - and then you have to do it all over again. As if that weren't enough, I've also had my mum here staying with me this week, which means that I've had to spend a certain amount of time with her as well. All I could really spare was Sunday morning; we went to the Guggenheim museum, which I hadn't yet managed. It wasn't as impressive as the Met or the Natural History Museum; I suppose I was rather spoiled seeing those first of all. The architecture inside is very cool, though, with the spiral structure inside leading you gradually up and up until you're at the top, kind of without realising it.
