Good morning!

This has probably got to be the earliest post I've ever put up. Woke up at 7am (willingly and without going back to sleep a couple of times no less...) to catch up on work and it's actually a pretty good feeling. Spring's finally here in Ann Arbor and it's gorgeous! The sun is shining resplendently and the breeze is lovely. The thing about being in the American Midwest is that you *really* appreciate Spring. If you were here the last two days, you'd thought that Summer was here already. In 45 degree weather, people were out reading/ lying/ drinking/ chatting/ frolicking (choose all that apply) in the grass, rolling-blading and jogging bare-bodied, the mobile hot-dog people were back from Southern California (or wherever they go for the five months they're not here) and Starbucks was beginning to sell more than just two Mocha Frappuccinos a day. Everyone was decidedly chirpier, chattier, cheerier- as if we had all been comatose for a long while and suddenly decided to wake up and live again. In California, a 45 degree-day would send people ducking indoors and/or under hats and coats for warmth; here, 40 degrees is an immediate license to whip out those bare-arms, flip-flops, and smiles. It's wonderful...