MTA = "Empty A"?

When I relocated to NYC, I gave my car to my mom.  She thought I had lost my mind until she came up for a visit.  Some people here, including my wife's parents, can't imagine living without their car.  To me, while there are times I wish I had the car when I've got to run a lot of errands, it's just not worth the hassle.    First, there's the parking issue.  If you can find a space on the street, at least two days a week, you've got to move the car while the street cleaner goes by.  Then there's the insurance.  If auto insurance rates in NYC aren't the highest in the nation, they've got to be close.  Fuel is expensive here.  And on and on.

     That leaves the MTA, the Metropolitan Transit Authority, the subways and buses of NYC and immediate surrounding area.  Like a lot of others, I complain about the MTA, especially now since they're about to jack up the fares - AGAIN - and cut service.  It's even more annoying because so many MTA employees are often seen just sitting around.

     I shouldn't complain, though.  The cost of a monthly MTA unlimited pass is now $81, about to go up to $103.  That's still cheaper than a car payment, and if you have a Metrocard and some patience, you really can get anywhere in NYC.

     But riding the subway can be an adventure.  I know that a number of my blog posts will relate to something I've seen or heard on the subway.

     About a month ago, my wife and daughter (almost 19 months old at that time) and I were going down to Herald Square.  I think it was at the 81st St stop on the B-C line that several teenage girls got on and sat opposite us.  Several were wearing softball uniforms from Louis Brandeis HS.  Two of them started making out.  I don't mean simple kissing.  I'm talking about tongue slashing, saliva swapping, hands groping making out.  The only thing that kept this from being out and out sex was that they were still wearing their clothes.  I became pissed!

     It's not that I have anything against lesbians.  I don't.  I think being gay or lesbian or bisexual is as natural as heterosexuality.  I support same-sex marriage.  My wife and I have marched in Pride Parades in two states.  But I draw the line at anyone making out like that in public - especially in front of children.   My wife knew I was getting mad and kept urging me to just let it go.  So I said in a loud voice, "Look, I don't care if they are lesbians, they shouldn't be having sex in front of everyone!"  That did the trick.  I don't think the couple heard me, but one of their friends did and told them to cut it out.  My wife later told me I was lucky I didn't get attacked with one of the softball bats.

    Seriously, is it too much to expect people to wait until they're someplace private before getting it on?

e e cummings

The man was truly a genius...

somewhere i have never travelled

somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond
any experience, your eyes have their silence:
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,
or which i cannot touch because they are too near

your slightest look easily will unclose me
though i have closed myself as fingers,
you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens
(touching skilfully, mysteriously) her first rose

or if your wish be to close me, i and
my life will shut very beautifully, suddenly,
as when the heart of this flower imagines
the snow carefully everywhere descending;

nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals
the power of your intense fragility: whose texture
compels me with the colour of its countries,
rendering death and forever with each breathing

(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens; only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands

 -- e. e. cummings

Epidemic

Coming off the subway Friday morning, I was greeted by the man who passes out a.m. New York. (I don't know what has happened to the guy who was passing out Metro.) A story on page 2 reports on a new book, The Narcissism Epidemic. The authors' study of our society concludes that Americans and Japanese, in particular, have become extremely self-obsessed.
I'm inclined to agree. I've resisted joining social networks. My wife is on Facebook, but I was never really all that interested. The little bit I know about Twitter, is a bit disconcerting to me as well. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't tweeting serve to inform your "circle" of what you're doing? C'mon, is what I had for lunch really that important that I need to share it?
To me, the implications go beyond a question just regarding societal issues and venture into the spiritual. I think if society is ever really going to improve, we must look out for one another. Can I really do that well if I'm absorbed about me? I still cringe at the memory of those shirts, backpacks, etc. with the little bunny that said, "It's all about me!" No, it isn't! It's about you and me and everyone else. It's about the man who passes out a.m. New York at the subway station. It's about the woman who's riding that subway because she doesn't have a place to stay and is afraid to go to a shelter. It's about my daughter who is learning new words. It's about my pastors as they try to help our congregation know God better. I'm part of it, but it's not all about me.
Oy! Could we use another John Donne!
Peace and blessings, or as Tiny Tim said in A Christmas Carol: "And God bless us all, everyone!" Happy Friday, everyone!