Anything you are working towards? Or just living the life right now?
Answer: this question is killing me right now (because i have issues with goals, i don't like them, because i don't like failing because i am kind of perfectionistic:). well i guess i have accomplished one goal which was to survive. three months today! i think there should be some career/arts goal in there somewhere, but i dont think i am at that point. i would like to take an continuing ed class at some school here, and i would like to volunteer at a museum in some fashion. and i would like to be involved in some college aged students lives. but more so i am really wanting to step back in life and live it. ya know. like love work, love the people at work, go to church, for worship sake, get to know my neighbors, and all that is more than enough to keep me very busy, so those other goals seem peripheral at this point. which is a shame, but ya know one step at a time. i gotta get a hold of schedule, money, relationships, and how each of those overlap. so maybe that is my present goal.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
"ladies and gentlemen, we are experiencing train traffic ahead, please be patient"
subway appreciation lesson #3
first watch this video
Now let me just say, the nyc subways arent exactly this packed, but nearly. ok well not really, but they are packed. now in dallas rush hour traffic lasts from about 7:30 am-9:30am and 4:30-maybe 6:45ish. in nyc train rush hour is from about 6:30am-10:30am and 3:30pm-7:30pm literally. if i am coming or going at any of these times it is packed. packed means long waits, standing, pushing through crowds, etc... given i only ride one line, so it could be different on the west side, but over on the green 456 it is packed. so here is what you must appreciate about this. those trains hold say maybe 200 people apiece with 11 cars on each train that is 2200 people per train. with all the trains in the city and over 20 lines running all over the place that is a whole heck of alot of people moving around. i mean it is pretty incredible to think about the bodies that go here and there during those hours. the trains come every few minutes at that time of day and by the time they arrive there have already been two or three local trains pass by the same platform to drop off more people to fill up the next express train arriving. i mean when you think about it the train system really is mind boggling. it is hard to understand the complexity of the coming and going and the ins and outs.
so at the same time we will take a moment to appreciate the ever so rare empty train during rush hour. what happens is (and i am speaking only from experience and observations specifically at grand central 42nd st) a 4 or 5 express train comes in already packed. people have been waiting for a while, so they say to heck with it i WILL get on this train if it kills me. so that train fills like the sardine video example in tokyo. the few and the patient say i will wait for the next train thank you. i wont put myself or the person next to me in any unnecessary discomfort today. and low and behold as soon as the packed train departs and is on its weighed down merry way, a fresh, light-on-its-feet, speedy, nearly empty, 4 or 5 train comes rolling right by to pick up all the patient left overs. then those who are patient get to ride home in style and comfort. of course this is not always the case. many times trains are packed and all are full of tired, worn out, new yorkers who just want to get home. and in that case we have to appreciate the trains either way cause in the end it is the cheapest, hassle free, dependable and quickest means of transportation in the city. so thank you MTA. we should have MTA appreciation day. i will work on that.
first watch this video
Now let me just say, the nyc subways arent exactly this packed, but nearly. ok well not really, but they are packed. now in dallas rush hour traffic lasts from about 7:30 am-9:30am and 4:30-maybe 6:45ish. in nyc train rush hour is from about 6:30am-10:30am and 3:30pm-7:30pm literally. if i am coming or going at any of these times it is packed. packed means long waits, standing, pushing through crowds, etc... given i only ride one line, so it could be different on the west side, but over on the green 456 it is packed. so here is what you must appreciate about this. those trains hold say maybe 200 people apiece with 11 cars on each train that is 2200 people per train. with all the trains in the city and over 20 lines running all over the place that is a whole heck of alot of people moving around. i mean it is pretty incredible to think about the bodies that go here and there during those hours. the trains come every few minutes at that time of day and by the time they arrive there have already been two or three local trains pass by the same platform to drop off more people to fill up the next express train arriving. i mean when you think about it the train system really is mind boggling. it is hard to understand the complexity of the coming and going and the ins and outs.
so at the same time we will take a moment to appreciate the ever so rare empty train during rush hour. what happens is (and i am speaking only from experience and observations specifically at grand central 42nd st) a 4 or 5 express train comes in already packed. people have been waiting for a while, so they say to heck with it i WILL get on this train if it kills me. so that train fills like the sardine video example in tokyo. the few and the patient say i will wait for the next train thank you. i wont put myself or the person next to me in any unnecessary discomfort today. and low and behold as soon as the packed train departs and is on its weighed down merry way, a fresh, light-on-its-feet, speedy, nearly empty, 4 or 5 train comes rolling right by to pick up all the patient left overs. then those who are patient get to ride home in style and comfort. of course this is not always the case. many times trains are packed and all are full of tired, worn out, new yorkers who just want to get home. and in that case we have to appreciate the trains either way cause in the end it is the cheapest, hassle free, dependable and quickest means of transportation in the city. so thank you MTA. we should have MTA appreciation day. i will work on that.
Monday, November 10, 2008
visitors.
my first visitors officially booked their flight, but there is still time for you to beat them up here if you want to see the christmas tree light up on december 3rd. erica and natalie will be coming up on saturday december 13th. yea! then i will come home that next weekend. in case you are interested or wondering the dates of my time home will be from the 22nd-29th. back in nyc for new years.
it hit cold again here. i am drinking my first (of the season) cup of hot chocolate tonight. home made with cocoa powder and peppermint extract. mmmmm. we went to the winter cirque du soleil this weekend which also got us into the wintery spirit with snow fall at the end. and thanksgiving is two weeks away still. reminder to self this is fall weather. yet i am talking about wintery things. hmmm. i still haven't bought uggs. i know you were wondering that too. and i am still not working full time at the paperie either. but soon. but maybe after the new year officially. are there mysteries drifting out there that you want to know. ask me questions if you have them.
it hit cold again here. i am drinking my first (of the season) cup of hot chocolate tonight. home made with cocoa powder and peppermint extract. mmmmm. we went to the winter cirque du soleil this weekend which also got us into the wintery spirit with snow fall at the end. and thanksgiving is two weeks away still. reminder to self this is fall weather. yet i am talking about wintery things. hmmm. i still haven't bought uggs. i know you were wondering that too. and i am still not working full time at the paperie either. but soon. but maybe after the new year officially. are there mysteries drifting out there that you want to know. ask me questions if you have them.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
3three new posts. be sure to see it all.
sorry to bombard all at once. i have been planning these thoughts, but havent gotten to sit down to get them out. the one directly below this is a conversation between my nonexistent grandchild and me. clearly i am not supposed to write fiction. or maybe you are secretly thinking i am not supposed to write anything. if so let me know. dont leave me in the dark.
an excerpt...
of a historical, fictional conversation between my grandchild and me as we reminisce on the days of old. the first black president of the united states. a conversation dedicated to my mimi who told me about sacrificing "nylons" during WWII so they could make more parachutes, among other historical lessons.
child: so did you vote for him?
me: well child times were different, i was young and uniformed. i had been raised to vote for republicans. i slept through my zero hour political science class. i didn't know right from left or red from blue. the week of the election i frantically emailed my older and wiser brother and sister to see who they were voting for, and they both said mccain. i had a lot of discussions with the people i worked with, my roommates, neighbors, and it was a toss up, because i thought it would be great to have a black president, but i wasnt sure that i really believed in obama. i wasnt convinced. i stuck to what i knew and voted straight republican. thats the way i voted, but i was still excited with everyone that he won. and when i went to vote, i had to stand in line for two hours. i was late for work, but it was excused. i was one of about 20 white people in the building voting. i was living in a place where i was the minority. there were tons of people in line. the girl behind me was voting for the first time. she was there with some friends, and they kept talking about the people they saw coming out to vote. these girls said they were respecting some of the men they saw showing up to vote. i thought that was surprising to hear. i knew people would come out to vote, but i was still surprised that it was really coming out that way.
child: so what happened? were people really that excited??
me: yes! child! oh well you know i happened to be living in new york city the metropolitan capital of the nation in those days. and i happened to be living in a predominantly jamaican/ carribean neighborhood, so they were ecstatic at the results. there was obama artwork hanging in my building. when it was announced we started hearing some yelling in the streets, that yelling turned into shouts of joy. people hanging out their windows singing "hallelujah". cars were driving down the streets honking in celebration. everyone came outside and shared the joy. it was a nice uplifting spurt for nyc because spirits were definitely down because of the financial state that affected so many new yorkers. the city needed a pick me up. and that is just what happened. the next day at work everyone was so excited. tears of joy, champagne, parties, news papers sold out, hugs, kisses, smiles, high fives, you name it and if it is associated with celebration it was happening. the city was walking on a cloud.
and you know what one of the headlines said? i dont think i could ever forget it. it has always stayed with me, "One man to change the nation" that is what everyone was believing. Everyone thought that this one man was going to change their personal state of being and in turn change the nation. and about that. that was a really sad thing to watch. i think i remember that headline so well, because i thought if people could believe that mumbojumbo, then couldn't they believe the gospel too? one man did change the world. but still these people had put all this hope into obama's empty promises. he made promises of change, and i think people took what he said and thought it meant direct, immediate change. the whole campaign was based on hope. that obama was the hope our country needed. well ill tell ya i didn't buy that. i knew obama would eventually fail those people in numerous ways. our hope is in the Lord. he is the one that brings about real change. but ya know even back then with my skepticism, i knew it was an exciting time to experience another step towards a less racist country. which reminds me of another thing we were thinking on election night. i remember thinkin i hope he doesnt get assassinated right now. he didnt but we were all so fearful for him that that would happen.
child you need to be thankful for the place where you have been raised. be thankful for where our country is today, and know that in the midst of good and bad history shapes who we are and who we become and who comes after us. so when exciting things happen don't throw them to the wayside take it in and experience it.
child: so did you vote for him?
me: well child times were different, i was young and uniformed. i had been raised to vote for republicans. i slept through my zero hour political science class. i didn't know right from left or red from blue. the week of the election i frantically emailed my older and wiser brother and sister to see who they were voting for, and they both said mccain. i had a lot of discussions with the people i worked with, my roommates, neighbors, and it was a toss up, because i thought it would be great to have a black president, but i wasnt sure that i really believed in obama. i wasnt convinced. i stuck to what i knew and voted straight republican. thats the way i voted, but i was still excited with everyone that he won. and when i went to vote, i had to stand in line for two hours. i was late for work, but it was excused. i was one of about 20 white people in the building voting. i was living in a place where i was the minority. there were tons of people in line. the girl behind me was voting for the first time. she was there with some friends, and they kept talking about the people they saw coming out to vote. these girls said they were respecting some of the men they saw showing up to vote. i thought that was surprising to hear. i knew people would come out to vote, but i was still surprised that it was really coming out that way.
child: so what happened? were people really that excited??
me: yes! child! oh well you know i happened to be living in new york city the metropolitan capital of the nation in those days. and i happened to be living in a predominantly jamaican/ carribean neighborhood, so they were ecstatic at the results. there was obama artwork hanging in my building. when it was announced we started hearing some yelling in the streets, that yelling turned into shouts of joy. people hanging out their windows singing "hallelujah". cars were driving down the streets honking in celebration. everyone came outside and shared the joy. it was a nice uplifting spurt for nyc because spirits were definitely down because of the financial state that affected so many new yorkers. the city needed a pick me up. and that is just what happened. the next day at work everyone was so excited. tears of joy, champagne, parties, news papers sold out, hugs, kisses, smiles, high fives, you name it and if it is associated with celebration it was happening. the city was walking on a cloud.
and you know what one of the headlines said? i dont think i could ever forget it. it has always stayed with me, "One man to change the nation" that is what everyone was believing. Everyone thought that this one man was going to change their personal state of being and in turn change the nation. and about that. that was a really sad thing to watch. i think i remember that headline so well, because i thought if people could believe that mumbojumbo, then couldn't they believe the gospel too? one man did change the world. but still these people had put all this hope into obama's empty promises. he made promises of change, and i think people took what he said and thought it meant direct, immediate change. the whole campaign was based on hope. that obama was the hope our country needed. well ill tell ya i didn't buy that. i knew obama would eventually fail those people in numerous ways. our hope is in the Lord. he is the one that brings about real change. but ya know even back then with my skepticism, i knew it was an exciting time to experience another step towards a less racist country. which reminds me of another thing we were thinking on election night. i remember thinkin i hope he doesnt get assassinated right now. he didnt but we were all so fearful for him that that would happen.
child you need to be thankful for the place where you have been raised. be thankful for where our country is today, and know that in the midst of good and bad history shapes who we are and who we become and who comes after us. so when exciting things happen don't throw them to the wayside take it in and experience it.
factoid
do you know how much tickets to the presidential inauguration are? before you scroll or google think of what you might be willing to pay to see the historical moment standing on the mall in dc a couple of football fields away from the capital. ok got it... now scroll and you can find out if you are going or not.
$995 for standing tickets on the mall (this is actually higher than yesterday).
$1500-$2250 for closer standing options.
well i still might go, but i am NOT buying tickets obviously. i am so close to the actual event and i dont know that i will have an opportunity like this again in my life, so i might just take life up on it. how bout you? we can rent a car and go together...
$995 for standing tickets on the mall (this is actually higher than yesterday).
$1500-$2250 for closer standing options.
well i still might go, but i am NOT buying tickets obviously. i am so close to the actual event and i dont know that i will have an opportunity like this again in my life, so i might just take life up on it. how bout you? we can rent a car and go together...
"Sally you haven't updated your blog in a week," mom said.
its always good to know that mama cares right? i love my mama.
here are some pictures of what happened this past week.
Halloween happened. a holiday that has become a favorite of mine since i have had the opportunity to dress up. i love dressing up. it is so fun. at the paperie, we had to have a costume made out of paper, how appropriate that i make a tree out of paper. get it paper is made out of trees. that was the extent of my smartness...plus our store won a contest between all the 5 kate stores. yea. my mother thought i was "a tree grows in brooklyn"(the book i am reading right now) now i am smart, but just not that smart... i was just a tree in brooklyn/manhattan
marcia the metro card queen, christine the ice queen, and sally the tree queen.
Voting happened. this is ps138 where i voted. notice my surroundings. not many mccain voters around i don't believe. right there is that far right corner at the end of that line against the wall is where i started. i was there for 2 hours. i should have taken a picture of the machine i voted on. i felt like i was going back in time to some 1964 contraption. don't think i would have known what to do if i hadn't done my prevoting research.
Victory happened. for obama our future president, and most new yorkers as they see it. lets just say that people are pretty excited up here. apparently excited enough to take $50 off anything redwhiteorblue.
Disgust happened. we went to get some mexican food. ya know how we have tex-mex this was some odd conglomeration of a type of food that at some point originated from mexico, but i cant come up with a clever name for it sorry. naturally it was a let down, but at least we got free chips and salsa like normal.
here are some pictures of what happened this past week.
Halloween happened. a holiday that has become a favorite of mine since i have had the opportunity to dress up. i love dressing up. it is so fun. at the paperie, we had to have a costume made out of paper, how appropriate that i make a tree out of paper. get it paper is made out of trees. that was the extent of my smartness...plus our store won a contest between all the 5 kate stores. yea. my mother thought i was "a tree grows in brooklyn"(the book i am reading right now) now i am smart, but just not that smart... i was just a tree in brooklyn/manhattan
marcia the metro card queen, christine the ice queen, and sally the tree queen.
Voting happened. this is ps138 where i voted. notice my surroundings. not many mccain voters around i don't believe. right there is that far right corner at the end of that line against the wall is where i started. i was there for 2 hours. i should have taken a picture of the machine i voted on. i felt like i was going back in time to some 1964 contraption. don't think i would have known what to do if i hadn't done my prevoting research.
Victory happened. for obama our future president, and most new yorkers as they see it. lets just say that people are pretty excited up here. apparently excited enough to take $50 off anything redwhiteorblue.
Disgust happened. we went to get some mexican food. ya know how we have tex-mex this was some odd conglomeration of a type of food that at some point originated from mexico, but i cant come up with a clever name for it sorry. naturally it was a let down, but at least we got free chips and salsa like normal.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
