Month: May 2021

  • Riding the Subway Again

    I am fully vaccinated against Covid-19. I received my second Pfizer shot over two weeks ago, so I am cleared to not wear my mask when outside, and I can ride on mass transit, provided I still mask up.

    The subway is my big test. I have not used mass transit since March 2020, so it has been 14 months that I have stayed in my neighborhood to run errands by myself. When the wife is available, we use our car, but that means it has to be after work or on weekends. Though it works, it’s not always practical. For us to get back to “normal” I need to use the subway to run errands in the City.

    Yesterday, I rode the B train from 125th street to 96th so I could shop at the 93rd Street Trader Joe’s, and then back. This was my test day, and I know that it was a test that I would easily accomplish, so I guess it was more like re-experiencing normalcy.

    Standing on the platform at 125th, I put my headphones on, and listened to music, which I really hadn’t done outside of the home in a while. It was reassuring to hear the overhead announcements about the incoming train stopping on the local track. The smell from the tunnel as the wind rushes up when a train approaches; that twisting smell of tar, and exhaust, and a hint of garbage.

    When I boarded the train and sat, there were very few people around. I wasn’t sure what to do with myself for the short ride. I was listening to music, but I felt that I needed to do something. So, I pulled out my phone and played a game. I wanted to look around, but I felt that I should stay in my little bubble.

    I got out at 96th, and walked down Central Park West. It was reaffirming to listen to music, meandering down the street, and see people coming and going; kids and dog walkers, delivery and doormen, people strolling and self-involved.

    The shopping at Trader Joe’s was normal, or Covid normal. A short line out front, people keeping their distance in the store, and a very long checkout line. My groceries filled two double bagged paper bags, so a modest haul for my family of three, but it was also two heavy bags that I had to carry three blocks and an avenue.

    I was out of shape for that; carrying stuff any distance, and it really wasn’t that long of a distance. We had been doing big grocery shops with the car, so I had forgotten the rule of “You only buy what you can carry.” By the time I made it back to the 96th station, I began to feel the strain in my shoulders.

    I took another B train, uptown this time, and when I stepped on, I took a seat where someone had been sitting who had just gotten off. This was something that everybody does all the time on the subway, and as I sat down, I had the thought that maybe it’s not safe to sit where someone had just been sitting? Then I had to remind myself that I’m vaccinated, and you can’t get it from a surface.

    I departed the B at 125th Street, and when I stepped off the train a smell of fish hit me. I had forgotten that there is a spot on the uptown side of the platform that is right under a fresh seafood shop. It was a little reminder of the quirks at the station. It was a detail that was a fun reminder, but come the sticky heat of summer, it will no longer be so pleasant.

    I made it home, and the total time that the errand took, from leaving the apartment to returning to it, took one hour and thirty minutes. If memory serves, I used to be able to accomplish the task in one hour flat. So, I have something to work towards. Because, I will be doing this again; The riding and walking and carrying, but at some point, I won’t have a mask on, right? That’s the real return.

  • Hey NYC Mayoral Candidates, Buy a Home in Brooklyn

    I quote Desus and Mero on this, “Why would anyone want to be mayor of New York?”

    It is a job where 80% of the city hates you, at any given time, no matter what you do.

    Mind you, I have only lived through two mayors in my time here; Bloomberg and de Blasio. Neither one of those guys inspired me to vote for them. But this election cycle, I feel more civically involved and plan on voting this time around. The truth of the matter is that the Democratic Primary for Mayor is the real election, as the Republican candidate doesn’t stand a chance. Full disclosure, I am not registered as Democrat, I’m an Independent, so I will not be allowed to vote in the primary of either party. General election all the way for me.

    So, there are eight people running for the Democrat nomination; Andrew Yang, Kathryn Garcia, Shaun Donovan, Scott Stringer, Maya Wiley, Ray McGuire, Eric Adams, and Dianne Morales. I haven’t done much research on any candidate, so I’m not sold on anyone. But, the nomination is out of my hands, so, I’ll have to see who is selected.

    But, there are a few things I do want whomever becomes mayor of this city to be aware of, and that’s how much it costs to live here, which is stupidly expensive. (Not San Francisco stupid which is like a whole other planet of unreasonable stupid.) Donovan and McGuire were asked what they thought the median home price in Brooklyn was, and their answer was in the range of $100,000 and less. So you know, the median price of a home in Brooklyn is $900,000. You can read the story here for more information on what the other candidates said, which was closer to being correct.

    Odds are that Donovan and McGuire, who are not leading in the polls, won’t get the nomination, but still, how did these two come up with that number, which was so far off? Clearly, they are out of touch, but do they think $100k buys a lot, or do they think that $100k homes are still available today, or was that what $100k could buy 40 years ago and they just defaulted back to that number?

    Either way, except for Yang, all the candidates got he question wrong. It doesn’t bode well for us if the person who wants to lead has no idea how difficult it is to live in this town. See, who wants this job?

  • If You Ban Books, Remember to Bring Props

    Today, I read an opinion essay in The New York Times by Carmen Maria Machado about books being banned, especially her memoir In The Dream House, in Leander, TX. (Go Texas!) To quote from Machado’s essay;

    “This year, a parent in Leander, Texas — livid that “In the Dream House” appeared on high school classes’ recommended reading lists— brought a pink strap-on dildo to a school board meeting. Voice trembling with disgust, she read excerpts from my book — including one where I referred to a dildo, inspiring the prop — before arguing that letting a student read my book could be considered child abuse.”

    Sadly, the parents in Leander are trying to ban books, which, and no one there seems to have learned this, never works. For one, you can’t kill an idea, and two, the parents are just making these books even more desirable to their kids, because the books have become clandestine.

    Please, read Machado’s essay, as she makes a very persuasive argument for the need of teenagers to have access to books that share a wide range of different viewpoints from a spectrum of authors. But, she also points out that education on healthy relationships is never taught in schools, and her book, and many others, can be a teaching tools for what a compassionate and caring partnership between adults can and should be. I found the essay well written, and made me think more about what my daughter should have access to.

    One last funny note…

    Please click the link, “brought a pink strap-on dildo ,” because I had a question. As the parents were offended by the book, “In the Dream House,” somehow they thought, especially Lori Hines as she is the woman in the picture, that bringing a dildo was a great “prop” idea for the meeting. You know, really ramming home their point, but it does raise questions for me like; Did Lori go out and buy a pink strap-on dildo, did she own one, or did she borrow it? Also, what is she planning on doing with it now that the meeting is over? Did she think about how in the high school, she will be known as the “pink strap-on dildo mom?” If you didn’t want kids exposed to pink strap-on dildos, you have, in fact, exposed your kids to a pink strap-on dildo? (Also, saying pink strap-on dildo over and over again is kind’a fun.) This might be a moment where the stunt upstaged the message.

  • First Day Without the Mask, Sort Of

    As of today, it has been two weeks since I got my second Covid vaccine, which means that the medicine is now completely in my system, and I am at FULL VAX!

    This also means that I can now go out in the open without a mask.

    Which I tried this morning while walking the dog.

    And it was weird.

    Weird not having a mask on. For lack of a better word, I feel very exposed without it.

    When I walked out of my building this morning, I had my mask in my pocket, and I thought if I encountered people that were close to me, I would put the mask on. So, ah, that didn’t work out too well, as this is New York, and there is a person every five feet.

    What I ended up doing was the mask under my chin look, and when a person got close, I would pull it over my nose and mouth. It sort of worked, but I did feel a little silly pulling it up and down. I fully admit that I am now dealing with the social pressure of a mask, and not thinking logically about the need of a mask. But, in my defense, this is my first day, so having some hesitancy seems to be appropriate. Later today, the kid and I will go to the playground at the local park, and that will be the next test. I intend to sit on my bench mask-less. We’ll see if I hold to that.

  • ODDS and ENDS – Sadness Bowls, DnD, and Algot

    “Odds and Ends” is my continuing series of random thoughts and follow ups…

    The other morning, I saw a commercial for Panera Bread which offered their Mac n’ Cheese served in a Bread Bowl. I did what any American would do, which is go on Twitter and make fun of it. After I posted, I immediately remembered Patton Oswald’s “KFC’s Sadness Bowl” routine. I wasn’t trying to steal a bit, but I do think Panera’s Carb-n’ator meal is like a slightly fancier KFC Sadness Bowl. What they have in common, other than shorting your life, is that they both taste great while weeping in your bath tub at 2am.

    I am thinking about writing a fantasy Dungeons and Dragons type of story. Not from the perspective of some noble heroes trying to save their world, but from the vantage point of people living in a small village dealing with the randomness of a world that can be destroyed by magic, or dragons, at any moment. I have a feeling this has been done before, but I haven’t been able to find it. Or as I sit here, I had a thought; what if there was a story about a fantasy world were all the NPC’s have been killed off, and there is nothing but heroes and villains left. Wouldn’t that world grind to a halt?

    Thank you to all the people for reading my “Algot” series of posts. I had no idea that Algot would be the gift that keeps on giving. Also, we might just buy more IKEA stuff…