Yesterday while riding the bus to work in the Bronx, I observed some parenting skills probably comparable to Brit Brit's (Britney Spears that is). A woman, probably in her early to mid 20s, was sitting across from me with 2 toddlers (adorable might I add). I was alarmed when she was swearing profusely into her phone telling someone he was "wasting her fucking minutes" and calling him names. The kids were both crying, one because her pacifier had fell on the floor and the mom wasnt giving it back because it was dirty. The mom proceeded to tell the youngest to "shut up" because she was whining about the pacifier. When we got to their stop, the mom grabbed the youngest girl and basically tossed her to a man who was waiting for them at the bus. She then grabbed the other little girl from her seat who didnt seem to want to leave and tried to stand her ground. The mom violently took the girl by the arms and carried her off the bus. She then proceeded to bitch at the girl and yell more obscenities at the guy. As the bus door closed, an abrupt burst of spanish took over as multiple hispanohablantes were watching this whole incident and I couldn't have gotten a word in at all over the clamor of chatter.....Oh the Bronx.
P.S. Also in the Bronx, which was about 50 degrees this AM, I saw a girl eating a popcicle. Interesting.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
New York vs. Minnesota
My friend from Mn, Amy J, sent me these links and I found them quite interesting. No wonder I find NY so dirty! Minnesota is ranked #1 for cleanliness! I miss that Minnesota clean! (Though they've got nothing on New York's public transportation. Even though I continually bitch about it, it's pretty good.)
Things I've seen lately....
In an attempt to chronicle the weird weird things I see while living in New York, I am starting an entry entitled: Things I've seen lately....let there be many many more entries to follow!
Things I've Seen Lately:
1) When Scott and I were walking down Amsterdam a week or 2 ago, we came to a bodega at the corner of Amsterdam and 103rd and saw a possibly inebriated man with blood all over his face and arm swaying around. People were just staring at him, and upon closer inspection, I noticed he was only wearing one shoe, and his other shoe and a brief case were on the side walk a few feet away from him. Scott and I promptly walked up 3 blocks and over to Broadway before my hero of a boyfriend called 911 who sent an ambulance....well no one else was gonna do it!
2) I've seen 2 separate woman panhandling in pink Croc shoes. Either people like to donate their pink Crocs to the needy, they choose to buy pink Crocs with their panhandling money in stead of...you know...nourishment, or they don't really need to be panhandling. Will have to do some more investigating on this one.
3) Saw a kid put loads of salt onto a piece of Sal and Carmine's pizza (which is already salty/smokey tasting.) This wasn't so much weird as it was gross. Talk about hypernatremia. *wink* And for those of you who know Sal and Carmine (who have been described as "two crusty Italians", who are in their sixties and have perma-frowns), I am convinced they are a gay couple. Just a thought.
4) Lastly, I saw a panhandler on the subway last night, one who didn't smell so good and looked quite dirty, who began holding onto the pole in the middle of the car and singing "It's getting hot in here! So take off all your clothes!" However, people ate this up! He got money for singing this. So I guess his bizzaro tactic worked.
Happy Tuesday everyone. Is it Friday yet??
Things I've Seen Lately:
1) When Scott and I were walking down Amsterdam a week or 2 ago, we came to a bodega at the corner of Amsterdam and 103rd and saw a possibly inebriated man with blood all over his face and arm swaying around. People were just staring at him, and upon closer inspection, I noticed he was only wearing one shoe, and his other shoe and a brief case were on the side walk a few feet away from him. Scott and I promptly walked up 3 blocks and over to Broadway before my hero of a boyfriend called 911 who sent an ambulance....well no one else was gonna do it!
2) I've seen 2 separate woman panhandling in pink Croc shoes. Either people like to donate their pink Crocs to the needy, they choose to buy pink Crocs with their panhandling money in stead of...you know...nourishment, or they don't really need to be panhandling. Will have to do some more investigating on this one.
3) Saw a kid put loads of salt onto a piece of Sal and Carmine's pizza (which is already salty/smokey tasting.) This wasn't so much weird as it was gross. Talk about hypernatremia. *wink* And for those of you who know Sal and Carmine (who have been described as "two crusty Italians", who are in their sixties and have perma-frowns), I am convinced they are a gay couple. Just a thought.
4) Lastly, I saw a panhandler on the subway last night, one who didn't smell so good and looked quite dirty, who began holding onto the pole in the middle of the car and singing "It's getting hot in here! So take off all your clothes!" However, people ate this up! He got money for singing this. So I guess his bizzaro tactic worked.
Happy Tuesday everyone. Is it Friday yet??
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Politically incorrect, yet entertaining.
I've always been a bigger fan of Target anyways....Check it out.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
New York Happenings: October 07 Edition (somehow my numbering got off, but officially I've been in NY for 17 months now!)
Hello all,
Happy October! I am about 20% calmer than I was in September because things have slowed down a bit at work and I've gotten into the swing of things at school. I actually got A's on my first exams in both classes (Chem and Microbiology) and so I am feeling good! I have already submitted my application to Columbia's nursing school and am starting to work on my application for NYU which isn't due for a bit. I am feeling great about the choice I am making for a career nursing and can't wait to get started. Part of that is because my past year working in research has shown me a negative side of research and the people who are involved in it. This is more true of psychiatrists than psychologists. The psychologists I work with are great. And my boss, who is a psychiatrist, is also great, but it almost feels like he's an exception to the rule. Plus, he's only part time so I have to deal with the not so great psychiatrists more often than I'd like to. Oy vey. If I have to hear about collaborating and grants and research money much longer, I might just scream. Clinical work seems to be the way to go for me. And perhaps, in the future, I can find some research people to work with who are a bit more normal and less greedy. I am lucky in my current job, most of the emphasis is on health services research which is far less competitive and much more compassionate research in my opinion. And the people who work in the area are a completely different breed ( e.g. my boss) than the clinical research psychiatrists, etc.
But enough about that. On to an ankle update. My current doctor and I concluded that this continuing pain I've been having in my ankle us due to ankle joint inflammation. Without getting very specific, he told me this is happening just due to the natural mechanism and weak joint of my ankle. SOOOO, we made some molds for orthotics which I should be getting by the end of the month and I am again doing physical therapy but very limited exercises because it seems like just the wrong amount of pressure in the wrong place will inflame it. I now understand why people get depressed about physical ailments/injuries, or about undiagnosed problems because I definitely went through a phase of that. But the inflammation has lessened in the last few weeks and I am finally feeling more positive that things are improving. Now if I could just get into some cute shoes!!! Soon…soon….
So those of you who read my last New York Happenings update saw the story about the weird man who took my picture on the corner of 95th and Broadway…the guy with the poodle. Just wanted to inform all of you that I saw him again last week! However, he didn't see me so I was in the clear. However this time, his dog was wearing a red kipa (the little head piece that Jewish men wear) kept on by hair clips. The man however was not wearing one. So apparently the dog is Jewish and the man is not. To each their own. Wish I had his camera to take a picture of that! http://newyorkhappenings.blogspot.com/2007/10/crazy-poodle-photog-update.html
The rents are coming out to visit me next month and I can't wait! I had a great visit with Erin and Steve in September. More info plus pictures in the blog. Check it out: http://newyorkhappenings.blogspot.com/2007/09/gasp.html
To be honest, I have not been a very good blogger lately due to my lack of time. But after this semester, I should get back to it.
Hope all is well with everyone and you're all enjoying the brisk fall air as I am! I love fall! Love to all,
Lauren
Happy October! I am about 20% calmer than I was in September because things have slowed down a bit at work and I've gotten into the swing of things at school. I actually got A's on my first exams in both classes (Chem and Microbiology) and so I am feeling good! I have already submitted my application to Columbia's nursing school and am starting to work on my application for NYU which isn't due for a bit. I am feeling great about the choice I am making for a career nursing and can't wait to get started. Part of that is because my past year working in research has shown me a negative side of research and the people who are involved in it. This is more true of psychiatrists than psychologists. The psychologists I work with are great. And my boss, who is a psychiatrist, is also great, but it almost feels like he's an exception to the rule. Plus, he's only part time so I have to deal with the not so great psychiatrists more often than I'd like to. Oy vey. If I have to hear about collaborating and grants and research money much longer, I might just scream. Clinical work seems to be the way to go for me. And perhaps, in the future, I can find some research people to work with who are a bit more normal and less greedy. I am lucky in my current job, most of the emphasis is on health services research which is far less competitive and much more compassionate research in my opinion. And the people who work in the area are a completely different breed ( e.g. my boss) than the clinical research psychiatrists, etc.
But enough about that. On to an ankle update. My current doctor and I concluded that this continuing pain I've been having in my ankle us due to ankle joint inflammation. Without getting very specific, he told me this is happening just due to the natural mechanism and weak joint of my ankle. SOOOO, we made some molds for orthotics which I should be getting by the end of the month and I am again doing physical therapy but very limited exercises because it seems like just the wrong amount of pressure in the wrong place will inflame it. I now understand why people get depressed about physical ailments/injuries, or about undiagnosed problems because I definitely went through a phase of that. But the inflammation has lessened in the last few weeks and I am finally feeling more positive that things are improving. Now if I could just get into some cute shoes!!! Soon…soon….
So those of you who read my last New York Happenings update saw the story about the weird man who took my picture on the corner of 95th and Broadway…the guy with the poodle. Just wanted to inform all of you that I saw him again last week! However, he didn't see me so I was in the clear. However this time, his dog was wearing a red kipa (the little head piece that Jewish men wear) kept on by hair clips. The man however was not wearing one. So apparently the dog is Jewish and the man is not. To each their own. Wish I had his camera to take a picture of that! http://newyorkhappenings.blogspot.com/2007/10/crazy-poodle-photog-update.html
The rents are coming out to visit me next month and I can't wait! I had a great visit with Erin and Steve in September. More info plus pictures in the blog. Check it out: http://newyorkhappenings.blogspot.com/2007/09/gasp.html
To be honest, I have not been a very good blogger lately due to my lack of time. But after this semester, I should get back to it.
Hope all is well with everyone and you're all enjoying the brisk fall air as I am! I love fall! Love to all,
Lauren
Friday, October 12, 2007
Crazy poodle photog update
I wanted to share (though haven't had the chance until now) that I saw crazy photographer man this past Monday who took a random picture of my sweaty, tennis-shoe-ed self in front of some random boutique on 95th street about a month ago (See this entry.)
This time when I saw him however, he didn't see me, so no random photos taken of me. (I feel a little bit like a celebrity who avoided the paparazzi...sad). However, he did have his large white poodle with
him (think golden retriever size or bigger), and the poodle had a kipa on. (For those of you who don't know what a kipa is, it's the headpiece that jewish men wear. See the pic.) The kipa was red and held on by hair clips. Funny thing is that photog man wasn't wearing a kipa. So apparently the dog is Jewish, and the photographer is just crazy.
Have a good weekend!
This time when I saw him however, he didn't see me, so no random photos taken of me. (I feel a little bit like a celebrity who avoided the paparazzi...sad). However, he did have his large white poodle with
him (think golden retriever size or bigger), and the poodle had a kipa on. (For those of you who don't know what a kipa is, it's the headpiece that jewish men wear. See the pic.) The kipa was red and held on by hair clips. Funny thing is that photog man wasn't wearing a kipa. So apparently the dog is Jewish, and the photographer is just crazy.Have a good weekend!
Monday, October 8, 2007
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)