I haven't been the best blogger lately. Been so busy at work I've scarcely thought for a moment about writing or reading until the day is over and then I still have ten more things to do. I don't foresee life being any less hectic until the start of 2005. I'm sure pretty much everyone else out there is in the same boat, but I wouldn't know because I've barely found time to read your blogs! This time of year is always like this.
New York can be one of the best places on earth during the holidays, and it can also be one of the worst. It's the best when you're walking down 6th Avenue looking at all the people and decorations, or anywhere else in the city, observing the holiday hoopla take place around you, having no particular hurry. It's magical if you're ice skating in Central Park, or just watching, and being surrounded by the unearthly glow of the city lights that is never completely extinguished (with the exception of a friendly blackout once in an almost never). The shopping can even be fun, when it's not rushed or wrought with hassle. Man do the storefronts in New York sparkle during the holidays. All the pretty, shiny, colorful things. Soft sweaters and different scarves and sparkly dresses and shimmery tops and comfy looking winter gear...and...well, everything. New York has everything. It can be overwhelming when you're trying to figure out where you need to go, how you're going to get there, what you need to get and how you're going to carry it all, how much it's going to cost, how long it's going to take...just thinking about it is enough to make you want to collapse and take a nap.
I have only gotten a very small start on my Christmas shopping and not a single card in the mail yet, so my stress has just barely begun with office work. I have to cook enchiladas for a party at my boyfriend's house tomorrow, but first I have to go to the store and it's cold and raining and I don't want to. And then I actually have to do the cooking. Not to mention my house could use a cleaning and my cat could use a feeding, before I desert them for the weekend. Could I complain a little more do you think? Sure I can.
As an example of one of the ways in which New York can suck balls pretty much any time of year, but more prominently when it's raining and people are tired and grumpy. I worked hard today. I'm tired. My back aches. But I didn't rush out of work, because I didn't want to stress. Wasn't stressed at all. Even when I'd shut down my computer and realized I needed to boot it back up to get someone's address out of my contacts, I sighed heavily, but sat back down and did what I had to do without allowing myself to be consumed by any anxiety about getting home and to the grocery store (which I'm plainly procrastinating about now). Got all the way to my last stop, through the final turnstile, and halfway up the stairs leading out of the subway before running into anything even remotely aggravating. (Is it sad that that is an achievement in New York? To get home without feeling disgruntled at least once at some stranger or running into some kind of obstacle or minor irritation, be it train trouble, or smelly neighbors or loud teenagers? But then, I guess it's an achievement for anyone who commutes, no matter where they live.) So as I'm coming up the second set of stairs I see that it's raining heavily outside. I stop on the stairs to the far righthand side, so that I wasn't in anyone's way, and went to pull my umbrella from my purse, when some rude bitch shoved me purposefully on her way past me. I said "Excuse me" and she said rudely "you're excused. You're kind of stopping on the stairs." YOU KNOW that right then, even though she was already four steps ahead of me in her hustle, my eyes burned into the back of my head. I called out through the crowd of people, in that delicate way that I have about me, "fuck you BITCH. It's KIND OF fucking raining out and I KIND OF wanted to get my umbrella." She rushed out of the stairwell while shouting "what a mouth you have." I shouted back "A mouth, yeah, but at least I don't push people ASSHOLE!"
I was so mad that I quickly walked half a block to my house, tore off my boots and jacket and dialed Rob to vent. He was busy renting a car for one of his workers and couldn't talk. When I hung up the phone I just had to get out my anger so I cried. I cried because sometimes I just fucking hate rude New Yorkers, even though I'm sure I have been classified in someone's mind as a typical rude New Yorker at one time or another over the past few years. We all let stress and our own personal agendas drive us at times and we momentarily forget civility. And then I remembered that I used to want to go ballistic on stoned hippies and rude rednecks and spacey new age crystal mamas and annoying yuppies in Ashland, Oregon too. For completely different reasons of course. Then I felt better when I remembered that no matter where you are, sometimes you are going to get aggravated with total strangers and it's just a part of life. It reminds me of that saying "sometimes you're the bug and other times you're the windshield."
I'm still glad I told that bitch where to put it though.
Posted by Maria at December 10, 2004 08:05 PMheh. you're nicer than I am. I probably would have chased after her and shoved her back. or, you know, stabbed her in the eye with the point on my umbrella. ;-) I can't fucking stand rude people like that.
Posted by: girl at December 10, 2004 11:01 PMThere are no rude people in Massachusetts.
Posted by: Geoffrey at December 10, 2004 11:11 PMI can totally relate..I get this upset over rude people too. Remember the old lady in the grocery store I told you about? I stole her coupon book because she was such a bitch...They are everywhere..rude, obnoxious people...
"sometimes your a louisville slugger, sometimes your the ball" I love that song, is that Dire Straits?
Anyway...I don't know how you do it sometimes, I know movies aren't always 100% truthful but New York looks to me like a hard town to live in despite it's beauty.
But you don't worry about stopping to get your umbrella, like my granny always said:
"Sugar melts and shit floats" You the sugar honey, that rude woman was a TURD.
No rude people in Massachusetts?
Did you move?
Hahahahahahahhaa
Sandy --- LOL!
Maria, just curious, do you love/like/tolerate New York enough to stay? You're young enough to pack it up and go someplace less congested, and consequently, more hassle and stress-free. I just got back from a college visitation with my kid in Virgina and could not believe how incredibly nice everyone, and I mean EVERYONE (tollbooth operators!) was.
I lived in NY for two years, and I miss it a lot, but I think I loved it because I knew I was getting out after a couple of years.
Posted by: Vickie at December 11, 2004 07:20 AMYou actually were more polite than I think I would have been. Forget about it now though because that is actually part of the fun of living in that city. ( I know sounds dumb)
I have many cards to send and a trick I do to speed the process up is
1. Address all the envelopes first.
2. Seperate by category(Love them, must send etc.)
I do all the must send first. Then I get through my fun ones over a three day period.
As they are completed, they go in the mail. It works for me. It doesn't seem like such a chore that way!
Ok, so maybe there is one rude person in Massachusetts.
Posted by: Geoffrey at December 11, 2004 05:56 PMwe just started our shopping today, but it wasn't exactly real shopping. it consisted of putting about 6 things in our shopping cart at Amazon and hitting "purchase." ;) we don't have a lot of stuff that we have to shop for this year. most of them are gift cards to restaurants, DVDs (which we got on Amazon), and a calendar for my mother b/c she asks for one every single year. other than that, we have to get gifts for each other, but those will likely consist of DVDs and cds too. most of the time we just buy each other stuff off of our wishlists (and sometimes I buy him clothes). we're not terribly imaginative. :)
Posted by: girl at December 11, 2004 08:27 PMI found the most wonderful import store last weekend and bought everything for everybody there. I am so "thematic" that way. One year I bought everything at a church handmade bazarre. I gave quilts and tole painting, etc. This year it's wood and stone carvings from Africa. Well, except for the signed Hummel piece I got DW. That's a traditional thing I do every year that has contributed to 3 curios in the house. Amazing how 30 years fills a shelf.
Back to the African pieces ... It started off with me looking for something for my Dad and his new wife. I wanted a pair of love birds. But nothing I looked at was right. I had passed this import store twice and decided to go in out of futility. The windows had those giant carved elephant heads, brass monkeys, and huge chinese dogs. Beautiful, but not my taste. I told the owner what I wanted, and he said "no, I'm sorry, but I do have this." and he took me over to a display with these wonderful stone figurines in green soapstone. Very modern african. Not the traditional aboriginal art but modern interpretive human shapes merged into mobius loops. I has fascinated. I ended up wandering the store and kept bringing more pieces to the counter for them to box up. He served me tea and we talked and it was a really pleasant experience. I hope everyone enjoys them. I've had them out of their boxes a few times displayed on my desk. I should get one for me.
Posted by: 403 at December 11, 2004 10:42 PMOkay, calm down and take a deep breath. My last job was on a TV show called Johnny Zero, filming over at Silvercup. Now I currently live outside Philly, (why? Well, my rent went from $2400/month to $465/month to begin with). Since you live in NYC I'm sure you know what the rush hour traffic has been like.
Girlfriend, it only takes me one hour and ten minutes to get to Silvercup at 5:00 in the morning, yet when I leave the studio parking lot at 5:15 I can't even get into the Lincoln Tunnel before 7 o'fucking clock! That means I don't get home til about 9:00 pm! It's only like this before Christmas! If it wasn't for medicinal tokes of the Noble Weed I am absolutely sure I would kill 2 or 3 dozen people during that evening commute. (I once actually punched out a bus driver on 34th street for cutting me off and then flipping me off.)
So, take a hint from d, smoke a little, drop a v, chill, it will all be over as soon as the holidays are past.
d.
Posted by: deuddersun at December 11, 2004 11:03 PMNo rude people in Massachusetts?
Did you move?
Sandy, brilliant.
Deudderson, I just about smoked and "chilled" myself into a coma this weekend. Good grief. Man, I can't believe you do that commute everyday from Philly. I guess it's worth it to pay the cheaper rent, but I love the convenience of the train. I used to live in New Jersey, and I took the bus through the Lincoln Tunnel everyday. Ah yes, I remember the traffic. I love not having a car here or having to deal with that kind of traffic on the way to and from Manhattan. Though I occasionally endure train traffic, which can be almost as aggravating when you're late for work. I sit in the passengers seat of my boyfriend's car for liesure trips, and that's good enough for me.
Girl, you reminded me that I need to get my internet shopping done. Just a tip: http://cheap-cds.com/surf/home has great prices, an amazing selection and when I ordered, they came within three days. Check it out.
Posted by: Maria at December 12, 2004 12:21 PMIt could have been worse; it could have been raining.
Oh....nevermind.
Just try to think of everything in a more positive light - you could have had a colostomy recently and the bag could have been full.
But since you didn't, then it's a postive thing.
Posted by: Mad Mikey at December 12, 2004 02:51 PMoh, I know. I've gotten a lot of cds there in the past for excellent prices. another place I like (though the shipping tends to be slow) is deepdiscountdvd.com. I also buy a ton of stuff on ebay and half.com that's new.
Posted by: girl at December 13, 2004 09:03 AMGood on ya. I hate rude people. I could never live in New York.
Utahns aren't rude. Seriously. Except when you don't eat their green jello with carrot shavings. Then they get rather testy.
Posted by: Connie at December 13, 2004 04:22 PMdude. green jello is bad enough, but green jello with carrot shavings? that's just nasty.
Posted by: girl at December 14, 2004 08:55 AM