Author: Matthew Groff

  • Post-Covid NYC

    Yesterday, before I was so rudely interrupted, was my first day truly traveling around New York without a mask. Last week, Gov. Hochul ended the mask mandate for public transportation, thus making all of New York City, and State, mask free. Clearly, if you want to put on a mask, you still can, and from my observations, some people still are. Not many, but still enough.

    I ran errands yesterday, and to accomplish this, I needed to ride the subway. I chose to do this without a mask on. I have gone two and a half years of masking up when I took mass transit, cabs, and Ubers, and I wanted to see what my reaction would be non-masked.

    Oh, so long ago, when I got fully vaccinated, I stopped wearing a mask outside. Now, I followed mandate procedures for transportation, and if the business required a mask, I complied. But that first time walking the dog without a mask on felt very weird. I felt exposed, and very vulnerable, even though I knew I wasn’t. It took some time getting used to it.

    This go around, I didn’t feel any of that while I was down on the platform, or riding on the subway. Though I will add that the car on got on didn’t have many people on it, but on the far end was an old guy that kept coughing, which did make me feel a little uneasy. On the whole, it felt rather normal. Yet, I know I wasn’t on a subway at rush hour, and crammed with people. That situation might cause a different reaction from me.

    Covid isn’t over, but it feels like Covid is over. The kid’s school isn’t requiring masks, and we don’t have to do a health screening before class. All of the teachers are without masks, and just a handful of kids come to school with one on. Everything has now moved into the optional realm, so… It’s like we’re done.

    And I agree with that, to a point. From my perspective, all of these mandates and health rules were put in place to keep people healthy and safe, because there wasn’t a vaccine to stop Covid. Now that everyone has access to the vaccine and booster, I don’t see any reason why anyone should be forced to put a mask on, and I also believe in the reverse of that; no one should force someone to take their mask off. It’s personal choice time, do what you want.

    And having said that, I will continue to get my boosters, as will my wife, and as will my daughter. And, I will also continue to look at all the people who told me that masks do nothing, and that Covid wouldn’t be any worse than the flu as the idiots they are. Just because things have gotten better does give your stupidity a pass.

    (You know the drill. If you are enjoying this blog, then be kind and spread the appreciation with a like, a comment or a share. It will make the world a better place.)

  • Masks and Coverings are Optional Now

    You know how, sometimes, your day will start, and you feel quite assured that you know the direction you will be heading. And then something unexpected happens, and you get sent in a whole new direction? I am sure that has happened to you, and today it happened very much to me.

    See, I was heading out to do the grocery shopping, which takes me down to the Trader Joe’s at Columbus and 93rd. It’s the closest one to our apartment in Harlem, and to get there I have to take a downtown local to 96th. I have been doing this for two and a half years now, so I have this route down. I know the best times to hit the stations to catch a train, and the best place to be on the platform to get in a relatively empty car.

    Now, the governor last week lifted the mask mandate on public transportation, so there are no more COVID restrictions in the City. So, when I decided to go run my errand down to the 93rd Trader Joe’s, I thought that this would be a good opportunity to ride the subway mask-less and write about what my experience was like. You know, blog stuff.

    I headed out for my local station. It was a cool morning that was also stupidly humid. I’m talking Miami or Houston at the height of Summer. Like you clothes just stick to you the second you walk out the door. I’m feeling a little gross, but hey, it’s the end of Summer around here. Fall will show up any day now.

    I walk down the staircase from the street to get to the subway station, and there was a guy taking a leak on the stairs. He had no shame. He made eye contact with me and nodded. I don’t think he was drunk or high, just a rough around the edges gentleman who needed to relieve himself. But, being that he had no shame, his penis was on full display.

    Sadly, a guy taking a wiz in NYC is a rather common observed action. It is truly frowned upon by society, but I have a feeling that public urination was a problem for the Dutch, and it will remain a problem for this town going forward. It’s annoying, and people like that guy do make NYC not the best place to live, but I wasn’t about to stop what I was doing to yell at the guy. I had places to be.

    Anyway, I catch the train down to 96th, and get off. And as I am walking down the platform headed toward the stairs, unfortunately, there was a homeless person sleeping on the bench down there, with a granny cart filled with items and clothing. The Mayor is claiming they are cleaning up and helping the homeless that call the subway home, but they really aren’t. I just went along my way up the stairs.

    And at 96th, if you don’t know, it’s a stacked station, meaning that the downtown tracks are on the lowest level. Above them are the uptown tracks with the turnstile entrance and MTA booth. From there you take the stairs up to the street.

    I’m coming up the stairs to the uptown level, and I see lots of clothes spread on the uptown platform. My first thought is that these clothes must belong to the homeless guy sleeping on the bench. But when I get to the top of the stairs, and head for the turnstiles which lead to the MTA booth, and the street level stairs, there’s a naked guy on the other side of the turnstile in front of the MTA booth. And he’s a big naked guy. Taller than me. With his penis hanging out.

    Oh, the guy in the MTA booth was doing a heroic job of saying, “Sir. Sir. Sir!” It was like a Meisner acting exercise, with the “sir” taking on a new inflection every time the MTA guy yelled.

    And for a very fast second I thought, I could make it past this guys. I could squeeze through the turnstile, and avoid this guy touching me. I mean, he was naked, so I knew he wasn’t hiding anything.

    Then New Yorker Matt reappeared. “Yeah, fuck this.” I started to turn to go back down the stairs for the other exit that was further down the platform.

    But before I could get on my way, the naked guy yelled at me, “Could you thrown me my clothes?”

    “No, man.” I said. Honestly, he could easily just jump the turnstile and get his clothes himself. I mean, he was already in trouble, skipping a fare was the least of his concerns.

    So, yeah. I saw a whole lot of penis today. Wasn’t expecting that. And I would like to add, still not the weirdest situation I have been in on the subway.

    (And, you should like this blog post. Also, feel free to share it, and if you have a story about the MTA, please share it in the comments.)

  • The NFL and Cowboy Fans

    There were no Premiere League matches this weekend out of respect for the passing of the Queen, which I expected and feels like the right thing to do. That left me with that other football league: The NFL.

    Just like the last twelve or so years, I’m in a Fantasy Football league with friends. I have posted many times before that I’m not the most current fan of the league, and as such, I let the computer draft a team for me. In my defense, I have won our league twice, and one of the teams had a losing record. So, I’m clueless, or my teams peek at the right time. As we are coming to the conclusion of the first weekend of NFL action, I just might eek out a win. A couple of things need to break my way, but it is possible.

    The other thing that happens during this time of year is that I have a group of friends from college, who are all Dallas Cowboy fans, and we have a group chat that continues during their games. We’ve been doing this chat for sixteen years, and we still have yet to win a Super Bowl…

    And last night on Sunday Night Football, we were all ready to go. Positive that this WILL BE THE YEAR, that the COWBOYS will WIN THE SUPER BOWL!!!

    But it would appear that the Cowboys don’t have a deep threat, which ends up making the Offense pretty vulnerable. Now, the Defense still looked solid. They did hold Tampa Bay to 19 points, which I think included shutting down Brady in the Red Zone three times.

    Oh, and Dak broke his hand and will be out for weeks…

    Super Bowl?

    Ever heard of Cooper Rush? Most people haven’t, and he’s the Cowboys back up QB. Last year he had the game of his life in his one start against the Vikings, in a must win game, and he found a way for them to win. I admit that I made jokes about the guy, and how hopeless the team would be in that game. I was thoroughly shamed by Mr. Rush, and will hold my tongue as he takes over for the rest of the foreseeable season.

    Now, we should get back to the real issue of this team, which is Jerry Jones letting Amari Cooper leave, and not getting a deep threat receiver replacement for him. Yes, I will blame Jerry Jones for any failure on this team, that’s just how I was raised as a Cowboys fan. I do have a feeling that some “dealing” will happen in the next few weeks. I wouldn’t be surprised if Jimmy G shows up, along with some veteran receivers as well. Better late than never, right?

    Man, this could be a long Cowboys season.

  • ODDS and ENDS: The Queen, and Tottenham Updates

    (Hey! Ho! Let’s Go!)

    I don’ think there is any way to avoid this story, which is that Queen Elizabeth has died. And I don’t think the story should be avoided. In a world history sense, a head of state has died, will be mourned and buried, and a new head of state will be put in place, through a very long and old ceremony. A Ceremony that doesn’t happen very often. The Queen was of the World War II generation, though just barely, and as of such knew and participated in a world of empires and colonies. For that reason, I understand why there are people out there who have no intention of mourning her. (I am not surprised that Irish Twitter is behaving in that way.) For me, as an American, I have found the British Monarchy odd and fascinating. I fully believe, as all good Americans should, that there is no need for a monarchy, and cannot understand why a nation keeps a family in ceremonial power though they serve no functioning constitutional purpose. (I guess that makes me a pragmatic America.) Yet, as an American, I understand that there wouldn’t have been a US if not for a UK and that monarchy. But at the end of the day, I can’t shake the acknowledgment that the Queen was someone’s wife, and someone’s mother, and grandmother, and great grandmother.

    Yes, Tottenham Hotspur has yet to lose a match, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to complain about the team. On Wednesday, Spurs kicked off their Champions League campaign against Marseille, and I noted earlier that I know absolutely nothing about Marseille other than they are from France. But I was able to easily watch the match live on Paramount+ while my kid was running around the playground. (You hear that Peacock?!?! Take a lesson from Paramount+ and learn how to stream matches live!) What I saw was Tottenham starting off shaky again, but holding it together, again. Thank god for the Richarlison pick up from Everton during the off-season, as he was the only player showing some life out there. I apricate the win, but I’m beginning to get nervous for Son. For the past couple of seasons Kane/Son was an unstoppable team on the pitch: If Kane wasn’t scoring then it was Son, and vice versa. Hell, Son was tied with Salah last season for the Golden Boot in the Premier League. But, thus far, Son has had seven appearances and 0 goals. I was looking forward to this Saturday when Tottenham played against Man City, to see if Conte was going to make more of an effort to get Son involved, but with the Queen’s passing, all matches this weekend have been postponed. Just going to have to wait another week and wonder.

    (Yo! I see you! And if you want to help me out, then take a moment to like this blog, or share it, or leave me a comment about how Dejan Kulusevski is the real difference maker this season for Spurs. All would be apricated.)

  • School Has Started! AGAIN!

    School started today in New York City. I know we start later than most of the country. My nieces and nephews back in Texas started school in the middle of August, and just about everywhere else gets their kids back into class before Labor Day. Either way, today was the day that the kid went back to school.

    The kid was ready to explode this morning! When I went to wake her up, she was buried deep in her blankets. I opened the shades to let in the sunlight and got a weak groan from her. But when I announced in her general direction, that today was the first day of school, she shot up in bed, eyes wide, and told me what friends she was hoping would be in her class. Her backpack was packed, and lunch made. She picked out what she wanted to wear the night before. This kid was ready.

    It was a calming reassurance getting ready for school. We brushed our teeth and took the first day pictures. We held hands as we crossed the street, and said hello to the same crossing guard who has been on that corner for years. We saw friends and parents of friends walking to the school. It was a cool, slightly cloudy September morning, but it felt perfect for going to school.

    A few things were different about this first day. There were no masks. We didn’t have to fill out a health screening. The kids weren’t kept three feet apart as the lined up to go into school. It was what I would come close to calling normal, though I am aware that this will not be a normal year. COVID isn’t fully gone, and the ramification of the past two years are still present. Students are still playing catch up, both academically and emotionally. There’s a lot that we all need to pitch in and help with.

    But, the tumbler of life has clicked into another season of the year, and things begin anew.