Better late than never…
Jun 30, 2009 Amy in the Morning
Obviously, we made it home OK, because her I am posting. After managing to make great time for most of the trip home from Buffalo to NYC, we ran into two accidents and almost constant construction in the last 50 miles. Then I ended up in the wrong lane about two freakin’ blocks from the hospital, and was forced to get on the Brooklyn Bridge and then turn around and go back to Manhattan. Sucked! But we made it.
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Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.
Tags: Brooklyn Bridge, Buffalo, NYC, Road Trip
I missed the perfect sledding day
Mar 2, 2009 What's Going On
from my window
We’ve lived in Clinton Hill for seven years now. Our kids are seven and four. And we’ve never once been sledding in Fort Greene Park.
I grew up in Buffalo, so I’ve been sledding enough for ten kids. It was just what you did. It never occurred to me that my kids would hardly ever get to do this. But that’s the way it’s worked out. NYC just doesn’t get much snow! And when it does, you have to take advantage quickly, because NYC snow gets dirty faster than any place I’ve ever been. And somehow, it has always worked out that we’ve been unable to sled after every single snowstorm.
We’ve been out of town, we’ve been sick, we’ve been sled-less. We’ve had to go to classes or shows we’d already paid for. And there were a few times when the conditions were right, but the kids wanted to snuggle on the couch under blankets and watch a movie. A less lazy mom would have insisted they get their snowsuits on, but I was happy to be warm and dry, so I didn’t push. Who am I kidding? I tempted them with popcorn and hot chocolate with big marshmallows.
We’ve come close. One Sunday a couple months ago I called my husband excitedly, telling him to get the kids to Fort Greene Park: walking home from choir I had caught a glimpse from a couple blocks away, and had seen white hills. Nobody was sick, we had just bought two sleds, and I told him to meet me in the park as soon as possible.
A guy standing near me with kids and sleds said “Sorry to eavesdrop, but you might want to call back and tell him the sledding is no good. There isn’t enough snow. A couple hours ago it was good, but now it’s slush.” Dammit. Missed it again.
So today would have been our chance, right? There was a huge storm. There’s almost a foot of snow in some parts of Brooklyn. NYC public schools had the first snow day in five years. And my kids are in Florida! It figures.
Don’t get me wrong, I was thrilled to be able to stay inside all day. I’m a hermit. I don’t like the outdoors and am a natural loner. Between the rest of my family being gone, my awesome neighbor shoveling my sidewalk, alternate side parking being suspended another day for snow removal, and not being able to shower due to a freshly-caulked tub, I won’t be leaving the house until Wednesday when I pick the fam up from the airport. But still, I feel bad that my kids are missing this. When they called me this morning, I didn’t tell them about the snow day. Fiona especially would have been crushed – she loves to shovel. They would have been the only kids at the pool kvetching about the warm weather.
I’ve been on my computer most of the day, and between Twitter, Facebook, and the local parent listserv, it sounds like the sledding was good. I’m not wishing another snowstorm on NYC, but if there is another one, I hope we can finally get our asses to Fort Greene Park!
Originally posted on Selfish Mom
Tags: NYC, snow day, snow storm
Why Do I Give Money To Funny Homeless People?
Aug 3, 2008 What's Going On
I don’t give money to people on the street that often. I used to. Pretty much every time I saw someone begging, I’d give a dollar or two. It seemed like the nice thing to do. Made me feel like I was doing something without actually going to too much trouble. But then I moved to the New York City area ten years ago, and I had to stop. I would have gone broke. I would occasionally buy food for someone, or give them a dollar in a weak moment. But it became the exception rather than the rule.
One thing that consistently has me getting out my wallet, though, is humor. I remember one man who appeared out of the shadows of some scaffolding and said “Hey lady, care to make a donation to the United Negro Pizza Fund?” It was six in the morning, and I was late for work and in a huge rush, but this man managed to make me laugh. How could I not give him money?
There was one guy I came across in Times Square. He was tall, blond, and didn’t look too dirty. More like a backpacker who hadn’t taken a shower in a few days than a homeless person. He had a sign that said “Six foot tall white Jewish guy will rap for $2.” I didn’t give him any money. I didn’t have to: he had a crowd around him and was making cash.
The first couple of times I saw someone with a sign reading “Who am I kidding? I need to buy more beer” I gave some money. But now those signs are so ubiquitous that I hardly notice them anymore.
Last week, I passed by this man on Chambers Street.
I chuckled, but kept walking. Something drew me back, though, so after about two blocks I turned around.
I approached him and crouched down on the sidewalk in front of him. He saw immediately that I was holding a five dollar bill and something in his face woke up. I introduced myself and gave him the five dollars – I didn’t want him to think that I was trying to buy his attention. He could have the money even if he said no to my question. I asked him if I could take a picture of him for my blog (it didn’t occur to me at the time that he might have no idea what a blog was, but I’m sometimes myopic that way) and he said yes.
I felt pretty stupid taking a picture of him, so I did it as quickly as I could. I felt like some tourist, who would later rattle off the places she had visited during her trip to New York City. “I saw the Chrysler Building, and FAO Schwartz, and met a real live homeless person!” So I snapped one picture and then moved closer and sat down across from him.
I asked him if he’s found that humorous signs garner more money than other signs. “Absolutely. Cynical humor works.” He calls himself the Sidewalk Cynic. Has he ever tried sincere, pleading signs? “Nope, didn’t even try.”
So I asked him what some of his other signs have been. The only two he could think of on the spot were “Brad and Angelina are having twins, and I need money for a gift” (very funny) and “Nicole Kidman won’t date me – I don’t have enough money” (not as funny, but he gets points for trying).
I had to get home and was already on the verge of being very late, so I couldn’t stay any longer. I gave him a half smile and said, “If I want to contact you again, there’s no way for me to do that, is there?” He smiled back and said “Sidewalk Cynic at Yahoo.” We both laughed. I wasn’t ready to give him my number. Funny as he was, he was still begging for money on the street for reasons I hadn’t had time to ask him.
So, why do I tend to give money to people who make me laugh? It hardly seems fair. Surely other homeless people are just as hungry or need their fix just as much. I’ve been trying to figure it out since I met Sidewalk Cynic. I think it’s because humor makes them seem more human, as opposed to some drunk, incoherent guy asking for change so that he can buy some liquor and get even more incoherent.
When I see someone who has managed to hold on to his humor despite what he’s going through, I know that he’s held on to some part of his former self, and it gives me hope that he could reverse his fortunes. It shows intelligence. Sidewalk Cynic is obviously keeping up on at least some current events, he hasn’t completely removed himself from society. And instead of playing on the sympathies of passersby, he’s betting that humor will grab people’s attention, and he’s proven himself right. I hope that someday he gets to put his skills to better use than begging. But until that day comes, I’m glad he’s found a little bit of success for himself with his humor. And I’ve got a five in my purse for him just in case I see him again.
Originally posted on Selfish Mom
Tags: Brad and Angelina, chambers, Hillary Clinton, homeless, Manhattan, New York City, Nicole Kidman, NYC, Sidewalk Cynic
