No Stars
Valentine's day is over. I can move What is a Flower? off of the favored, featured spot on this site. I did not send it with flowers to anyone, despite thinking about sending it to someone far away.
Wednesday night I went to see Barenaked Ladies at the Olympic Medals Plaza in Salt Lake City. This was my first time in SLC since the Olympics have come to town. I am too preoccupied and pensive to truly enjoy the spectacle, hoopla, and actual acheivement involved in the olympics at the moment.
But I accepted the BNL tickets, and went with my sister. I took in the spectacle. I stood in one of the giant snow globes placed by Hallmark. I sent one of their free Olympic greeting cards to the only person whose address I had on me (my friend Hilary, in Hong Kong), and signed it "Mitt." I looked at the ice sculptures. I endured the MC'ing by Steve Young, and the guy from Saturday Night Live, whose name I might remember if SNL hadn't been essentially banned from Utah television years ago. I watched medalists accept their honors with reactions ranging from dignified to childishly exuberant. I even drank a bit of the infectious high spirits of the crowd. And BNL put on a wonderful show.
I looked up at the sky partway through the night. Spotlights, helicopters, and the glow and roar of the city reflected off of the soupy haze that hangs over SLC so often this time of year. But no stars. For the moment, those in the city are sure of where they want to be, and surrounded by human wonders. For the moment, stars are superfluous for navigation or gazing. In the midst of ceremony and revelry, the sense of wonder, if not the sense of home, is bound to the activity on the ground.