Battles

While I have memories of Nixon, Ford, and Carter, Ronald Reagan is the first presidency I remember with detail. I was in high school when he was first elected, and I voted for his opponent in 1984, the first presidential election in which I was able to vote.

One of the things I remember about the Reagan era was the "war on drugs". Historically, I know that LBJ declared war on poverty and other presidents have led various "wars". What is it with our culture and imagery of violence?

But I understand battles. I realize that my whole life will involve a battle with depression. There will be times that the depression isn't as severe. There will be other days in which I force myself to function. And there will be a lot of days like today, where I'm somewhere in between.

One problem for me, though, is that understanding does not automatically lead to resolution. I know this of myself: often there is a disconnect between the cognitive and the emotional. Maybe the pathway is obstructed with mines. Perhaps it was struck with mortars. After all, we seem to love battles.

A real loss

I just learned that Forrest Church died late yesterday after a long battle with esophageal cancer. He was senior minister at All Souls Unitarian on Lexington Avenue and the author of several books about Unitarian-Universalism. I had the privilege of hearing him preach on a few occasions.

A brilliant person.
A compassionate person.

A real loss.

Rest well, and in peace...

Lunch

I had lunch with Manny today. He's ordained in the American Baptist Church but serves as associate in a United Methodist Church.

Manny's cool. Definitely a progressive both politically and theologically. He met me outside the building where I work, and we sauntered over to 113th Street to Symposium, a very good Greek restaurant. Not fancy. Good. The place has been in business a long time, which is a testament to its quality. A lot of restaurants in NYC fold within a short period. The good thing is that there are lots of good restaurants from which to choose. The bad thing is the competition is so fierce that it's tough for a place to remain open or to keep the really good staff members.

Nothing substantial or insightful about this post. I had a good lunch with Manny. That's all. That's enough.

Theyyyyyyy're baaaaaaack!

The Yankees are back in the playoffs! Last year was hard, as the team failed to make the playoffs for the first time in 14 years. The team hasn't been playing its best ball lately, but they won last night to become the first team in the majors to make the playoffs.

Big game tonight to end the series in LA. Roid Sox are in town for a 3-game series this weekend. Goooooooooooooo Yankees!

Feast of San Gennaro

New York loves a parade and a festival. Maybe it's our version of the small county fair. As the dad of a little girl, it's a cool way to teach her about other cultures - and since my wife is Italian anyway, a trip down to Little Italy for the Feast of San Gennaro is a must.

I took my daughter down there on Saturday and met up with my father-in-law. The weather was perfect, and we got there early enough to miss a lot of the crowd. Yesterday, my wife was off work, so the three of us went. Two days of cannoli and sausages with peppers and onions! Mamma mia!

At one point on Saturday, we looked up and saw the Empire State Building standing above the city. My father-in-law almost got choked up. The man loves his Italian heritage and he loves NYC. He spoils my daughter--like I don't. We stopped off for a cannoli, and of course he had to share the cannoli cream with her. We were just about finished, so I popped into the men's room. By the time I got back, there was a cream puff on the table.

My wife and I are also both fans of The Godfather series of movies. On Mulberry Street, right in the heart of the festival, stands Old St. Patrick's Cathedral. The church served as the scene of the baptism Michael Corleone participated in while he was having his enemies assassinated near the end of The Godfather. Luckily, no one made us an offer we couldn't refuse. (Although, I could go for another one of those sausages.)

Remembering...

Tears fall to water not the lilies,

but the shattered skies

and the broken streets.

A child's call is returned

with the plaintive echo of itself.

Sister

mother

father

brother...

Look not to the east for the sunset,

nor to the west for the sunrise,

but in blue skies on Hudson's shore,

the budding hope breaks forth.

David Webb
September 11, 2009

eeeewwwwwww!!!

Another "first."

This morning, my wife forgot her Employee ID. So, on my way out, I took it to her. While waiting for a connection to the train, an old woman tried to pick me up.

Eeeeeeewwwwww!!!!

I don't know whether to be grossed out, insulted, or flattered.

I should probably cut her some slack. After all, most people would like to think of themselves as attractive. Perhaps, she just wanted to feel attractive this morning.

Still, eeeeeewwwwww!!!!

RIP, Teddy

I had just come in from taking out Heidi and JonJon early this morning when I heard on the radio that Ted Kennedy died early today. I didn't always agree with his positions; e.g., I was really pissed off when he endorsed Obama over Hillary, but the man deserved respect. If nothing else, he showed that perseverance really will overcome the occasional poor choices.

The Times has a good write-up: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/27/us/politics/27kennedy.html?hp

RIP, Teddy.

lunchtime miscellany

After several days of oppressive heat and humidity, we have had a couple of nice days here. I had a lunch meeting yesterday and couldn't get out, but today I got out of the building. Zabar's is just a few subway stops from here. They have outstanding coffee at really reasonable prices, and I walked a good bit of the way back.

As I was walking towards the subway stop to go to Zabar's, I gained ground on this man walking. Just from a few things, I thought, "This guy has a Napoleon complex." Everyone in NYC has a complex. It's the thing to do. Anyway, this guy was short - probably about 5-2. He had fairly well-developed biceps. The main thing, though, was that he wasn't walking so much as he was strutting. I remember the opening theme from that old CBS show The Jeffersons. George Jefferson would walk with his arms held stiff and just out from the side, and he rocked them as he walked. That was the mirror of this guy I saw.

All of a sudden, he bent down and picked up someone's partially smoked cigarette. He smoothed it out and put it in his mouth. Add another thing to the list of "I thought I had seen it all..."

NYC has a love-hate relationship with smoking. Cigarettes cost about $10 a pack. Smoking is prohibited in restaurants and bars. As someone who has never habitually smoked, I love it. Still, I'm friends with a few smokers and they hate it. Smokers are "banished" to outside in most places, and they show their disdain by throwing cigarette butts all over the place.

***

I made it to Zabar's with nothing else really noteworthy, got my coffee, got some tea, and was heading out when I saw these loaves of freshly baked olive bread in the bakery. We're having tapas tonight, and that bread will be perfect for it. (That's a great thing about NYC. You can always find something that will make a "perfect" meal.) The line was short, so I started to wait to get a loaf. Picture the bitchiest stereotypical old Jewish woman you can imagine. She was hassling the bread guy. He had to hold up about a half dozen rounds of sourdough bread before she saw one that satisfied her. She kept cackling, "That one's not round enough."

Then she had him slice it. Oy vey!

***

Hey, at least the Yankees took two out of three at Boston this weekend. Go Yankees!

Yankees Sweep the Roid Sox!!!

More to be written soon, but oh, the joy of victory.
Thursday: NY 13, Boston 6
Friday: NY 2, Boston 0 (15 innings) I WAS THERE!!!
Saturday: NY 5, Boston 0
Sunday: NY 5, Boston 2

Go, Yankees!!!!!

Caption for photo: Sparky the Yankee dog helps in effort to sweep the Boston Roid Sox!

agency restructuring

Well, I have dodged a bullet for awhile, anyway. The agency I've worked for for almost two years has downsized. My position was merged with another, and I was named to it. Still, it's on an interim basis until the board of directors makes it permanent in October. At that point, I'll have to reapply for it.

More than 40 of my colleagues either opted for early retirement and were fired. To add insult to injury, the official release referred to the actions as "right-sizing." At the very least, those in charge could have shown the decency and respect for those whose lives have just been disrupted in an extreme was not to trivialize what's going on by using cutesy expressions.

My wife suggested that I have a bit of "survivors' guilt." I think she's right. I am extremely grateful to still be working. Nevertheless, I can hardly imagine what some of these people are going through. Some of them have children in school. How will they pay their bills? I hurt for them.

Newspapers

There is no paper quite like the New York Times. Even before I moved here, I read it as often as possible. In my opinion, it's gone downhill a little bit. I think the Times' publishers have tried too hard to make it "America's paper." That's watered it down a bit. Nevertheless, it's a great paper.

On the subway, though, you don't see as many people reading the Times. Maybe it's because it's a normal-sized paper. (Experienced commuters can fold a copy of the Times so only about a 5-6 inch wide section is revealed, thereby not crowding other commuters too much.) Maybe it's because it's up to $2 on weekdays and $5 on Sundays. Maybe it's something else, like those damned earbuds that do NOT prevent music from blaring loudly.

NYC has several papers, but the other "Big 2" are the NY Daily News and the NY Post. For the most part, I wouldn't use the Post to line a bird cage. It is a farce, the National Enquirer printed on a daily basis.

Then there's the Daily News. It isn't the repository of serious journalism that the Times is, but it is a quick, informative read. The editorial page is pretty fair, although some of the letters to the editor make me cringe. And at 50 cents a copy Monday-Friday, 75 cents on Saturday, and $1.25 on Sunday, it's still a bargain.

Sweet!!!

Not only are the Yankees now tied for the best record in the majors, not only is NY 3.5 games ahead of Boston in the American League East, but it turns out that two of the players credited with leading the Red Sux to the title in 2004 and 2007 had the help of some juice - and I'm not talking about orange juice.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/31/sports/baseball/31doping.html?hp

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/2009/07/30/2009-07-30_report_boston_red_sox_sluggers.html

Maybe Theo Epstein should go ahead and change the team name to the Roid Sox. I have a ticket to the game when those bums come to The Stadium on August 7. Oooooooh, it's gonna be fun!

Sweet!!!

Egad! That's tacky!

Very close to the building where I work is Grant's Tomb. (Old riddle: Who's buried in Grant's Tomb? No one. President & Mrs. Grant are entombed, not buried.) It's really a beautiful structure and well worth the tour. The NFT rates Grant's Tomb as one of the best "hidden secrets" on the Upper West Side. Well, I don't know that I'd go that far, but it is nice.

My mom's maiden name is Grant. Some in the family claim we're connected to Ulysses S. Grant, while others say we aren't. I don't know, and it really isn't germane to this blog.

What is germane is that this beautiful monument is marred! It's surrounded on three sides by these surreal, absolutely tacky mosaic benches. Yesterday, a colleague of mine and I braved the July humidity and ate our lunch there.

I almost wish I had had some sort of inebriant. As gabby as I am, I am almost mute trying to describe these things. I think John Lennon had these in mind when he was singing "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds." There's one section in particular that depicts several faces. I think one of them is William Shakespeare, but he also looks like Kyle's dad from South Park. There was another depiction nearby that tried to look Greek. All I could think of were the plates from La Cage Aux Folles / The Birdcage and wouldn't be surprised to see a delegation from the Village making jokes about sitting on penises.

Oh, well, I suppose tackiness serves the fitting contrast leading to better appreciation of the tasteful.

MTA - Bus Style

I've shared with you a few experiences about the subway, but a lot of commuting takes place on the bus as well. This morning was a bit muggy, so I didn't feel like walking the 3/4 mile from the subway station to the office. (My co-workers appreciate that as well.)

The quickest bus for me to take is the M60. If you've ever flown into or out NYC through LaGuardia Airport, you may have taken the M60. Cheaper than a taxi, though not quite as adventuresome. I usually skip it, though, and take the M104. the M104 takes a little longer but is never as crowded.

This morning, as I came out of the subway station at 125th and St. Nicholas, there was the M60. I was just able to squeeze on. The annoying thing is that there were empty seats in the back. People just bunch up and won't move back. Some drivers won't move the bus until they do - with absolute reluctance and a bunch of complaints.

I can't believe this is what Rosa Parks had in mind.

I'm built like a football player, albeit an out-of-shape football player. I just start moving back, saying, "Excuse me, excuse me..." I get some glares and a few mutters, but once I get about halfway back, it's easy to walk. Even if there aren't any seats towards the back, it's easier to hold onto the pole.

There is one rule of etiquette that is much better observed on buses instead of subways, though. The unwritten rule for both is to let exiting commuters get off first before boarding. That's a joke on the subway, but it's pretty much followed on the bus. If for no other reason, the driver will tell people, "Let 'em off, let 'em off!"

Southern wedding

Ok, so this doesn't really have anything to do with New York, except that it made me appreciate NYC even more.

Recently, I returned to the South for the wedding of one of my nieces. I did enjoy being with my family again, although it was very hot. My daughter, who isn't quite 2 yet, is not accustomed to that kind of heat and humidity. On the first day, she and I went with my mother and her husband to pick up some things from various stores. Each time we'd leave the air-conditioned stores and walk into the heat, my daughter would say, "Hot! Hot!"

On top of that, my niece opted for an outdoor wedding. In late June. At 1:00. Egad! I thought I was going to dissolve into a pool of perspiration. As we were leaving, my wife asked, "How did we ever do this on a regular basis?"

The coup de grace, though, came at the rehearsal dinner. A cousin of my niece's fiance/husband offered a toast. She talked about my niece's fiance/husband's love of hunting and proceeded to weave this train wreck of an extended metaphor comparing their relationship / engagement / wedding to a deer hunting trip. The woman even compared my niece to a 12-point buck. How utterly moronic! At the very least, couldn't she have compared my niece to a doe? In her addled mind, popping the question was equal to raising the rifle and setting the deer (my niece) in the sights.

It gets worse, if you can believe it. The exchange of vows would be when he would pull the trigger. Mush-for-brains even said that when her cousin said, "I do," it would hit the target and my niece would jump "...even higher than that 12-point buck." Finally, she drew a close to this crap - which she was reading from a memo pad - and invited everyone to raise their glasses to toast the couple. As she raised her own glass, she revealed that she hadn't even put anything in her glass. It still had a folded dinner napkin in it. I wanted to call out one of my favorite NY expressions: "Go stab yourself 27 times in the eye with a dull fork, you moron!"

I can only hope that my niece will be happy.

Neighbor is gone =(

If anything, New York City is a transient place. I mentioned in yesterday's blog that I had helped a neighbor move out of his apartment. He's moving to Colorado, where he has family. Last night, after we had moved almost everything out, he and his sister came over to our apartment to have some pizza and have a time of farewell. I'm really going to miss him. He had only lived in our building for about 15 months, but he's a nice, trustworthy guy.

Good luck, "bread".

Manhattanhenge

Wow! I knew it had been awhile since I added anything to this blog, but I didn't realize it had been over a month. (More on that soon - with descriptions of a wedding in the South, agency restructuring, and a lot of stress!)

A good neighbor is moving from our apartment building. I really hate to see him go, but I'm inclined to think it's best for him. He's gone through a lot of crap this year, and while I think NYC is a fantastic place for new beginnings, its support systems can fall short. In our building, I'd say that most people are friendly, but they aren't particularly sociable. So, he's heading out to Colorado, where he has family.

After helping schlepp some boxes down for him yesterday, I rinsed off to try to catch a twice-annual solar phenomenon called "Manhattanhenge." With its grid system and tall buildings, as well as its western border of the Hudson River, two time each year, the setting sun is perfectly aligned with the east-west streets on Manhattan. The skyscrapers make a precise frame.

Since the best views of this are on the east side, I thought I'd make better time by transferring to the #4 at Yankee Stadium. Unfortunately, instead of running express, the train made all local stops, and by the time I got out at Grand Central, the sun was almost completely set. I was only able to see the top rim of the setting sun, but it was still cool. The weather was gorgeous, and I walked over to Bryant Park before returning home.

Oh well, I'll try again next year.

All around but never there before

This morning, I had occasion to come out of the subway at Herald Square.  I needed to be over on 32nd & 1st Avenue.  With morning traffic, I thought I'd get there just as quickly by walking than by catching a cab or bus.  I've walked east on 34th Street several times, but today I walked on 32nd St.

For a couple of blocks from 6th Ave to Madison on 32nd is a small Korean community.  I'd been so close to this but hadn't seen it.  I spotted a couple of restaurants that deserve some more attention.  It could be a nice weekend stroll with my wife and daughter.

I appreciate some of the ethnic enclaves here in NYC.  Back in 2005, before I had relocated here, I spent a long weekend here.  On the Monday before I had to go to the airport, I started at Battery Park and walked north.  On the way, I ventured through Chinatown and ended up on a street that was hardly bigger than an alley.  All the windows of the businesses there had Chinese words.  The newspapers were written in Chinese.  The people spoke Chinese.  I was the only caucasian there.  And then, just steps away, I was in Little Italy.  Today, it was Korea.  Tomorrow, it might be Ghana.

NYC misconceptions

Last December, we went to see family and friends in the South. At one gathering, one of my nephews said something that irritated me. He was talking to my oldest brother and was recounting a trip his family made to The City when he was maybe 7. He said, "You know, typical New York attitude..."

I don't know that he's been back to NYC since then. If there's one thing I can attest to, there are few things in the Big Apple or among New Yorkers that are "typical."

Here's the beginning of a list of misconceptions about NYC and the reality...

Misconception: It's easy to get lost in New York.
Reality: If you're below 14th Street in Manhattan or almost anywhere in one of the Outer Boroughs, that's mostly true. Above 14th St in Mannyhatty, though, is mostly one big grid. Just look for the Empire State Building to get your bearings. Everyone else does.

Misconception: You'll get robbed in New York.
Reality: FBI stats show less crime, per capita, in NYC than in the town I left or the town where my sister lives now. Even with the tougher economic situation, NYC crime stats are down. Keep your wallet in your front pocket and be aware.

Misconception: New Yorkers are rude.
Reality: Some are, but most New Yorkers aren't rude. They're in a hurry. Do NOT stop in the middle of the sidewalk.

Misconception: If you stand near the edge of the subway platform, someone will push you onto the tracks. (My oldest brother's wife really believes this.)
Reality: Are you kidding me? That would delay the subway service. Everyone else would kill the person who pushed you onto the tracks.

Misconception: New Yorkers are in a hurry.
Reality: True, unless you're one of those fat arses who insist on walking in front of me at the subway station and take 15 minutes to climb or descend one flight of stairs and make me miss my train AAARRRRGGGGHH!, OR jibber jabber with two or three of your fat-arsed friends side by side on the sidewalk.

More to come...