My latest obsession is ice. Also, something called Yoga Toes that I ordered out of a magazine, but that's really off topic. Back to ice.

I first realized how little I knew about it when I took a short cut through Central Park. One of the large ponds I passed was almost totally frozen over. I was completely taken by surprise, as I had never really seen a frozen body of water. It looked beautiful... like something out of a movie. (Probably because the scene has actually been used in dozens of films.)

As I was taking in the serene surroundings --some might call it a winter wonderland-- I noticed out of the corner of my eye a large garbage can lying on top of the pond. Clearly someone else had been equally fascinated with the frozen water and taken it upon themselves to test the ice's thickness.

Well, it was thick. But now there was an ugly garbage can ruining the picturesque park. I then started to notice bottles and trash that people had thrown onto the ice. Horrible.

However, little did I know that was just the beginning. Turns out ice has a huge potential for nastiness. You don't need to be scientist to know that when the temperatures go below 32, liquids can freeze. Well, have you ever given much thought to how many different liquids there are on the streets of New York City?? I don't think I need to go into too much detail here, but let me say I have seen a lot of nasty stuff frozen on the sidewalks.

Ever since the weather turned cold my mom has been diligently reminding me to watch out for black ice. Well Momma, I'm watching...and I'm not a liking' what I see!