30th Drive, Astoria

An older male, enjoying the nice spring weather.

Big City Snake!

This is largest City Snake I have ever seen! At more than 20 feet, this adult female may be one of the largest in Queens.

I wish I could say this was a bigger deal, but it is nothing in comparison to a 33 foot City Snake found near Battery Park in 2008. My find would also seem small compared to a City Snake found in 1972 in Harlem. At the time, it caused such a commotion that the police had to be dispatched to deal with the crowd. 

Still, this was a very exciting find.

Bizarre City Snake Mating Ritual

This was a picture I took some weeks back as the snow began to melt. As the weather warms, City Snakes will seek to reproduce. Their behavior during this time is mysterious and captivating.

7/1941

     'Hitler's greatest weakness', Stalin told Harry Hopkins on July 31, at their second meeting in the Kremlin, 'was found in the vast numbers of oppressed peoples who hate Hitler and the immoral ways of his government.' These people, Stalin added, 'and countless other millions in nations still unconquered, could receive the kind of encouragement and moral strength they needed to resist Hitler only from one source, and that was the United States.'

From Sir Martin Gilbert's "The Second World War"

West Village City Snakes

Here are a few varieties of City Snakes we found in the West Village.

A few hatchlings in search of food.

An older female.

Bookstore Panic Disorder

There is a special kind of anxiety that I get at book stores and libraries. I get this feeling almost nowhere else, and I really have to refocus myself so that it does not paralyze me completely. I am talking about BPD - Bookstore Panic Disorder.

Last weekend my fiancees dad was in town. He informed us of his intention to buy us books with a gift certificate he had to Strand Books here in NYC. Strand is, at least by my standards, a very nice place. They have new books, used books, rare books, etc. It is always extremely crowded, and it always feels a little exciting to walk in.

But I felt a powerful sense of dread. This happens every time I am in one of these places. I get a kind of anxiety that seems inexplicable. I begin to freak out, I become indecisive, confused, even a little sweaty. That's when I know my BPD is kicking in.

I get this feeling when I look at tables filled with history books, autobiographies, books about foreign affairs, and all sorts of non-fiction. How can there be this much knowledge? How can anyone have the time to absorb all of this information? How will I keep a job when I commit myself to reading ALL of these books?

Then I turn around and I look at the fiction. I remember that I don't read enough fiction - meaning I have told myself that I ought to read more fiction. I worry that I have not read enough of the classics, or that there are so many foreign writers whose work has been translated so that I may read their stories. I think about all the current literature that's out there, that I should be reading. WILL I EVER READ IT ALL?

At this point I have to calm myself down. I remind myself that I read for two reasons:

1. For pleasure - I like reading. It makes me happy, simple as that.
2. To learn - I want to know more, and reading offers me that opportunity.

I have to remember that I will probably never know all that there is to know. About anything. I have to remind myself that as long as I am enjoying myself, that's all that matters - there is no required reading list in life.

I suppose that it is a good thing that this is what brings me anguish. So many people in the US simply don't read. So many people look at reading as a chore, something to be done only when forced.

I suppose that it's also ok to admit that some books suck. I tried to read Moby Dick because I read that it was great. Someone else made me believe I needed to have that experience. Ultimately, I did not care for that experience. I was bored. Sometimes a book is not what you want, even if it universally accepted as a "must-read."

Ultimately, we walked away with a half-dozen new books. Thus far, I have resisted the temptation to begin any of these while my lengthy book on WWII remains unfinished. I have my work cut out for me, though.

I think I may not have enough real problems in my life.

Queensboro Plaza/Long Island City

Some City Snakes as seen in Long Island City. Now that the weather is warming, expect to see more.

 This large female is searching for food on the tracks.

 Young male.

This one must have just hatched!