Nothing like a volcanic eruption to demonstrate how insignificant we really are. Thankfully, Eyjafjallajökul chose to teach us this lesson two months before I’m scheduled to fly to the States for my brother’s wedding. So far, Barcelona’s airport remains open, but the ash cloud is drawing menacingly closer. I suppose it will clear up by June…

UPDATE [two minutes after original post]: Barcelona area airports are now closed after shifting winds bring ash cloud to Catalonia. Well played, Eyjafjallajökul.

Three positive effects of this event are (1) the temporary reduction in carbon emissions from heavy air travel (2) the increased interest in learning how to pronounce Icelandic words and (3) the convoluted tales of the journey home that travelers will be sharing with friends and family for years to come.

This depressing photo was taken from my apartment balcony this afternoon. No retouching was required to make it a black and white shot.

Upstaters may be amused to know that this dusting of snow was enough to collapse the entire city. Schools sent children home early; city buses were called back to the depot. Some minister of something is on TV warning everyone to stay in their homes.

The Catalonian Snow Plan is in full effect. It is called NEUCAT. Neu (pronounced ‘NAY-oo’) is the Catalan word for snow. The fact that the national snow emergency plan has part of my name in it just adds insult to injury. It seems that even moving to a sun-drenched Mediterranean paradise, my fate is inextricably linked to the white beasties. Touché, winter. Touché.

Download your very own copy of the 38-page NEUCAT snow emergency plan

The article “With Immigrants, Growing Diversity of New York Police Dept” from the NYT, points out that 1,042 of 5,593 NYPD officers hired since July 2006 were born in countries other than the United States (a total of 88 countries, to be exact).

Here in Barcelona you would have to work quite hard to find diversity in Barcelona’s city police force. Yet nearly 14% of the city’s population was born abroad (up from 3.9% in 2001).

Doesn’t quite add up, does it.