My Umbrella, My Friend

I owned an umbrella in Kansas, and I owned a hooded sweatshirt in Kansas, but until I moved to New York, I rarely used them. Now that I actually have to walk around in rainy weather, rather than running from my car to a nearby building, I finally have a reason to own these items. For a long time I wanted to need my umbrella, and now I finally do. Yesterday was a rainy, windy day in the City and I had a great time walking, doing some shopping and puddle-jumping around town. Watching everyone else do the same thing just reinforces this feeling of comradery I sense... that we're all in "this" together.

Last night Melinda from the Pulaski House invited me to a gathering at one of her friend's apartments in Queens. The host, Grace, cooked Phillipino food (is that the proper title?), which was delicious, and I really enjoyed meeting some new people. I have some new Facebook friends now. Hah. Grace happens to own a Polaroid camera, which really livens up a party.

Melinda thinks it would be great if everyone owned one of those clear dome umbrellas, rather than the standard black umbrellas that are most used. The black umbrellas have some pointy ends that could potentially blind a passer-by. Melinda says that the points tend to be at her eye-level. Also, when you're walking into the wind, you have to walk with the umbrella in front of you, so you really have no idea what is coming ahead of you. That can be dangerous. I told her that the dome umbrellas might be a great idea, but I wasn't going to start the trend.



Another interesting thing about living in a city with so many umbrellas is the number of casualties you see on the streets after a storm. This morning on my way to work I saw many broken umbrellas on the street. And I wonder, when will my dear friend be a victim of high winds? And how embarassed will I be when mine is either ripped from my hands on the street or inverted and shredded? It can happen to anyone.

Follow this link to see broken umbrella pictures: http://umbrellalove.blogspot.com/2006/09/umbrella-lovely-labor-day.html Jessie, the owner of the blog, is described as "a professional photographer with a penchant for broken umbrellas after a hard rain".


Here's a great idea I found for recycling a broken umbrella. I'm sure this will come in handy for Halloween... or a trip to the theater to watch "Dark Knight".









I have found an interesting umbrella blog in my google searching today. I don't know why this blog exists, but it's great. Check it out. http://brellas.wordpress.com/page/2/ You might get some ideas for your next umbrella.