10 Effects of Unseasonably Warm Weather

It's been a weird week, what with the weather all unseasonably gorgeous and sunny - highs in the 60s for crying out loud! A veritable heat wave for the East Coast. Not that I'm complaining...

But everything just feels a little off-kilter. I've got a couple of big projects brewing. A few things that are weighing heavy on my mind. Feeling a little stuck creatively. Need a little inspiration. Some kind of kick-start.

In the meantime, my list of top 10 Effects of Unseasonably Warm Weather:

1. Being outdoors as much as possible suddenly seems very important.
2. Spotted someone eating an ice cream cone while walking down the street.
3. Everyone seems 100% happier and friendlier; big, goofy grins abound.
4. The side of my face gets a slight sunburn while driving. (Damn! More freckles, too!)
5. Sunglass'd mothers feeding their newborn babies while sitting on park benches.
6. Outdoor seating that's been under wraps for months is resurrected for two freak days of dining al fresco.
7. A walk to an Italian market for dinner ingredients feels like a jaunt through a European neighborhood - with people outside talking, kids playing, a family sitting on the stoop.
8. An odd smell (mud mixed with dead grass?) in the air outside... Not quite spring, not quite winter.
9. Golfers wearing shorts while hitting the links on a "sick day."
10. Flip-flops in January finally make sense.