Times Square, around noon

... or, to be precise, 11.53 a.m.  This is the counterpart to yesterday's image ... By now, mid-evening, the snow has cleared off and out, but there are very few people down below - and it's getting colder, and colder.   

It's strange - one thinks (o.k., I think) of a day in a hotel room as a kind of luxury, allowing one to catch up on work; to do some quiet, peaceful thinking; to take a step back.  Forget it - it's partly like that, to be sure - at least, I've done a good deal of actual work, so if I owe you something, and you're wondering where it is, you have a better chance of getting it sooner rather than later.  (For "work," read all kinds of bits of admin).  My yesterday evening's choice of a very healthy salad combination from Whole Foods (detox green!  Kale! more kale!  brussel sprouts!! green grapes!! etc) seemed like a dismally chilly selection when it came to lunch.  I was super-grateful this evening for a large martini from the hotel bar - looked hopefully around for other marooned MLA-ers, but none in sight - and passed up The Remainder of the Kale in favor of less than healthy cheese.   As for thinking - yes, my self-control stretches as far as periodically turning on CNN and seeing the latest about Michael Wolff's book.

I think, too, that I'm reconsidering my firmly held, up to now, belief in the value of Skype interviews over physical ones.  Physical ones are fine - providing (a) you offer the option of Skype (b) those who want to be there in person can be there.  We managed (a).  But this is an impossible time of the year, and I really feel for all our interviewees who are variously delayed, trapped, plan-changed, and so on - let alone my colleague who's still in LA (well, o.k., maybe I feel less for them, since they posted a picture of a peculiarly delicious looking margarita last night).  I've been apprehensive about technology letting Skypers down; feel that at nerve-inducing MLA everyone's more or less seen on equal terms.  But.  I'd be here anyway - the next couple of days are for me a chance to promote Flash! in one way or another, in addition to the interviews for a new colleague - but I may have drawn that line under conference interviewing.  We'll see.