Lovely Weather We're Having

On the cusp of March, the weather here is finally beginning to show some signs of promise.  The ice is melting, my chances of slipping and falling on campus have lessened, and sunny days over 35 degrees are starting to outnumber those that are subzero and overcast.  I admit, I cannot go play outside, barelegged, in a dress, but just forgoing the extra layers I usually require in the morning is beyond refreshing.  Warm spring days remind of a few things: track meets in junior high, walking on barren railroad tracks, and The Virgin Suicides.  While the book by Jeffrey Eugenides is fantastic, allowing you to create your own perception of the Lisbon girls and how the light may hit their identical blonde locks while they lounge on the lawn, the images in the Sofia Coppola film version are beautiful.  Although the subject matter is dark, the light-soaked motif, breezy 70's threads, and green grasses are anything but.  Something about watching it just makes me yearn to throw on something made of sheer cotton, let my hair air dry, and lay out on my old high school's football field at dusk in the dewy grass.   Rent and/or read it, and find your own inspiration in the words and images surrounding Lux, Cecelia, Mary, Therese, and Bonnie.  You may even find yourself in a new, sun-drenched light.