Category Archives: observations

January 3, 2012

Subway Gripes

By simply three cents

For some reason I have been taking the subway more often lately. I forgot how amusing it can be down there. When cramming people into a car that travels underground, there are bound to be irritants — and I’m not just talking about the engines.

  • Loud music. Why do I have to hear what you are listening to?
  • People who won’t give up their seat for pregnant ladies and the elderly.
  • People who spread their legs taking up additional seats for said pregnant ladies and elderly people.
  • People with a ridiculous amount of luggage – it would be so much easier for you to take a cab.
  • The gooey liquid dripping from the ceilings of subway stations and the puddles they form on the ground colored with rust and whatever other gross liquids.
  • People who use the emergency exit door to make the alarm go off.
  • People who talk on the phone just as they are walking into the subway – um, hello: there is NO cell service down there.
  • Rude ticket agents. Why do you get to be rude AND keep your job?
  • People who lean on poles. Why does your whole body have to take up the pole when I just want to hold it. The pole. Not your body.
  • People who don’t move into the train car. If you want to stand next to the door, get off the train and be the last one to get back on
  • People that carry backpacks on their backs instead of carrying it at a lower level
  • People who stand and don’t realize where their bags are in relation to a sitting persons head

I’m sure I’m missing loads. What’s your biggest subway gripe?

Leave a comment | posted in observations, peeves

December 31, 2011

My Favorite Posts of 2011

By simply three cents

As 2011 comes to an end, I wanted to post a top ten list of my favorite posts this year but I went over a bit. Oh well.

But readers, I have a question for you. Was there a post I wrote that YOU liked, loved or was otherwise memorable? I’d love to know which one(s)!

There are a variety of ways to search for it through the blog, by date, by category, by tag or by a good old-fashioned search bar. Please write the name of the post or copy the link into the comments below.

Here’s to a happy and healthy 2012 to you and your family. Thanks for reading.

And in no particular order:

Love Affair #indie30

Unleashing My Inner Imelda Marcos

You Say It’s a Split-Flap

Bear With Me

Outdoor Space, a Washing Machine, Oh My!

If I Knew Then What I Know Now

How to Shit Around the World

So You’re Saying There’s a Chance?

#rw2011

A Little Bit of Springtime

40 Days and 40 Nights

A Family History

Simply Spectacular

Eggs and Bread

Leave a comment | posted in introduction, observations

December 23, 2011

A Different Kind of Culture Shock

By simply three cents

I remember coming home from my six months in London, which were finalized with a two-week tour of southern Spain.

I started to interview in New York City and had a lot of time to kill between interviews, so I went shopping. Or rather, because of my financial situation, browsing.

I remember wandering around Macy’s in New York’s Herald Square when I had to go the ladies room. I asked for directions, and I only had to ask once. And I understood all of the directions. The ‘take a right’ and ‘behind the women’s coats,’ I understood it.

There was no sign language necessary. It was different from being away because there was no pointing at things trying to figure out the right word or stopping to ask again because I only got as far into those directions as something as easy as ‘go right’ and then not knowing what was next.

It was pretty cool. And I knew I was home.

Do you have any experience with reverse culture shock?

Leave a comment | posted in observations

December 22, 2011

It’s like playing a game of Paperboy

By simply three cents

Do you remember playing the game Paperboy? I had it as a Nintendo game way back in the day. Loved that game! But I digress.

It might be different from a playing Paperboy on a bike in a suburban neighborhood but I feel like walking through parts of NYC are similar to that game.

You’ve got to dodge tour groups trying to assemble, crush of rush hour workers scrambling to get lunch, sandwich board people directing you to sell your gold, people handing out flyers (which I once did), pop up pocketbook stands, people posing for photos, groups of three walking on a narrow sidewalk, rogue bike messengers and homeless people begging for money. And on a rainy day…you can add in bonus points to dodge those golf umbrellas.

How do you deal?

Comments Off on It’s like playing a game of Paperboy | posted in just silly, observations

December 18, 2011

Touring: The New York Public Library

By simply three cents

I recently stopped by the New York Public Library to take a walk around the inside. Thinking back I don’t know if I have ever even been inside the NYPL before.

First, as I was walking up the iconic steps up to the library, a woman walking just ahead of me fell. Scared the crap out of me. Surprisingly, this woman wasn’t me, but she tripped over some misplaced construction equipment (safety fail by the way). Several of us went right over to her to make sure she was okay. Human kindness at its finest as there were quite a few of us checking on her.

Second, I was surprised at how many people were inside on a weekday. The place was packed. Packed! And not just with tourists checking the place out.

People were working on the libraries’ desktops, personal laptops, netbooks and blackberries. Seats in the various reading rooms were hard to come by for sure.

Because I am nosy, er, curious, I wanted to see what people were doing in the library. I snuck a few glances around. People were writing papers, doing research, playing on Facebook, perusing Google and <gasp> reading.

There were a vast amount of people, and all ages, ethnicities and gender. Who are these people? Are they students? Writers? Researchers? My curiosity was piqued.

I did log on as well to check out any must do’s or sees at the New York Public Library. Thanks to one site, I found out there was a Map Room. Imagine that. Right up my alley. I immediately packed my bag up and set off to find this Map Room.

Inside, there were globes, maps and so many people just as in awe as I was. I could have spent hours checking out old globes and maps and just releasing my inner explorer.

The library had beautiful architecture and an amazing collection of books. In fact, I stumbled upon an entire wall of World Book Encyclopedias. Remember those?

Have you ever been to the New York Public Library? What were you looking for? Did you find it?

1 Comment | posted in in and around NYC, observations

December 17, 2011

Is it a December to Remember?

By simply three cents

We’ve all seen them. The December to Remember commercials. With the easily identifiable theme music and the cheesy situations, the commercials play over and over and over.

I think they are so annoying. Whether I like it or not, the commercials are successful because I remember them. I can identify their music, I know what the offer is and they bother me.

I worked in advertising, I know good or bad, so long as there’s recall, there’s a happy client.

Even though most of these commercials annoy me, there’s one that stands out. And the first time I saw it, I think I even got a little choked up.

It’s the one where the family of four is playing a version of Guitar Hero and when it’s the mom’s turn, of course her song is the easily identifiable song. Her face changes to shock/happiness and they go outside to see the new car. Cheesy I know but it gets me every time.

On the flip side who is surprising someone with a car in this economy? It’s a pretty big investment for one person to pick out all the details and assume the recipient’s tastes. What if it’s a practical problem? What if the recipient is short and can’t see over the steering wheel. Or what if it’s an aesthetic thing? What if the recipient doesn’t like the color?

That’s 36 months of payments for something someone may not even fit in, or like! I guess if someone is buying someone a car, you gracefully accept it but it’s a pretty ballsy investment for the giver to give. What happened to a sweater? Or a book?

Leave a comment | posted in observations, shopping

December 15, 2011

Not so sure what’s going on

By simply three cents

Have you ever been inside a liquor store where you feel like it’s just about to get robbed?

Yeah, I was the other night. I ust wanted to quickly buy a bottle of white wine to go with dinner for that night.

I walked into the store. Felt like it was a little more shady than normal and walked right out.

Leave a comment | posted in observations

December 10, 2011

It’s all in English?!

By simply three cents

During our recent trip to DC, I realized it was easy.

Easy being able to visit memorials and being able to read the plaques without the help of a translator – as well as having a complete understanding of the history – because it’s my country’s history.

Going into a museum and understanding what I was reading as it was in my native English, was exciting! I knew what I was seeing, reading and had probably learned about it in school.

The boyfriend hadn’t been to DC since he was a kid. He remembered there was a huge whale in the Museum of American History. When we saw it, he said he remembered it to be much bigger. I guess when you are much smaller everything seems so much bigger.

Another example of the awe of young kids was when we passed several groups of school kids peering into a huge (huge doesn’t even seem big enough) fish tank in the Museum of American History. I smiled when I heard one of the kids say ‘how beautiful.’

It made me reflect and wonder how much of ‘that’ I miss when visiting museums and other memorials in other countries. There have been countless times I’ve been in a museum and it’s only in the native language of the country – there isn’t an English translation so you have to guess or revert to pictures and diagrams to understand what’s going on or hope for a stranger’s kindness and a small understanding of English to understand.

In those situations, I become that kid again because that’s almost my level of understanding, if that, in those foreign museums and memorials.

On the flip side, as an adult, I can continue to read, and learn, about that history, in order to gain a better perspective about the world around me than I could have done at six or ten years old.

Leave a comment   |  tags: | posted in observations

December 4, 2011

Unleashing my Inner Imelda Marcos

By simply three cents

The other night I was on a downsizing rampage and scrutinizing the number of pairs of shoes I own.

I felt like my number was too high so I texted 10 friends asking how many they have. As the results began to come in, I was more and more curious, and continued to add members to my unofficial focus group. I added another ten friends, and another ten friends.

Here’s the original text I sent to 30 female friends.

How many pairs of shoes do you have? All in. Flops sneaks heels sandals boots everything…

I got some confused texts back and here is the follow-up text I sent clarifying why I was asking:

I’m getting rid of stuff. Down to shoes I can’t get rid of and I’m just under 50. That is insane. I wear the same 2 pairs each season. That should be 8. 10 tops.

22 have since responded with a number. Several friends responded with ‘not too many’ or ‘a lot’ and since there was not a number attached I am only including the 22 who provided me with an actual number – be it ballpark, or exact.

What can I tell you about the ladies who gave me an actual number?

They live in New York, Chicago and Atlanta. They live in suburbs in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. They are single, married and they co-habitate.  They are teachers, salespeople, marketers, bankers, editors, executive assistants, recruiters, personal shoppers, accountants and stay-at-home moms.  They are 29 – 37 years old. They are my friends.

Out of 23 replies, including myself, here are my observations from my extremely unscientific poll:

  • Friends who started their text back to me with ‘I’m not the best person to ask’ were respondents on either the high-end or low-end with their number of pairs of shoes
  • We, as a whole, seem to wear the same few pairs over and over and openly acknowledge it
  • Two friends with the same name responded with exactly the same number: 50
  • A friend who said she had 20 pairs, said she had no idea I was such a ‘shoe whore’
  • Another friend with 20 pairs, replied that her 3-year-old daughter had more shoes than she did
  • My friend with the highest number of pairs topped the chart at 75 and my friend with the least said she owned a mere 15
  • Some of us (myself included) own a lot of flip-flops, somewhere between 10 and 20 pairs

What’s interesting is that I found no correlation with the number of shoes owned and whether you live in the city or the burbs. I found no correlation with married women versus single women, nor ladies with children.

If I take away the highest and lowest numbers which are 75 and 15, the average number for 21 people is 34.4 pairs of shoes. If I put the 75 and 15 pairs back in, and include those two friends for a 23 respondents, the average  number rises to 35.3 pairs of shoes. This still puts me about 15 pairs more than average in my unscientific poll.

Note: I am no mathematician but I’m sure there are other ways to sort these numbers if you find math fun. I just wanted to know if I had too many shoes, and after seeing these results, I think yes. I am also comforted by my friends who own more pairs than me.

What’s your number? Does it make you want to donate a few pairs of shoes, or go shopping for a few more?

4 Comments | posted in observations

November 29, 2011

One Word #indie30

By simply three cents

One word is the 29th prompt of BootsnAll’s indie travel writing project.

What does travel mean to you in one word?

I couldn’t have written this any better. Take a read at what Adam Seper says. I concur.

Leave a comment | posted in observations, things that make me smile