Category: Life

  • A Rainy Day in New York

    What’s left of Hurricane Ida has arrived in the northeast, and currently it’s just a light rain. More, and heavier rain is coming; chubby rain. I know that the chance of flooding is out there, hence why we are just stay in, watching tv and playing with Play-doh on the living room floor.

    I have been searching the news, and friends post for something to write about. And there is a lot going on out there which is weighing on my mind.

    But, it just feels like a lazy rainy Fall day. Maybe read a book and make an extra cup of coffee?

    There are chores and things to do. Lunches to make, and a pediatrician visit later today. I will need to boost the kid’s Bravery Quotient as she most likely will get a flu shot today, and shots are still very scary to her. We talked about it this morning, and she’ll bring one of her stuffed animals with her, for some support.

    Maybe me and the kid will do some math, or read one of her books? Maybe we’ll finish watching Captain Marvel, or make a puppet show? Maybe a puzzle followed by a pillow fort? Maybe even a nap?

    We did make it to September, and though Summer isn’t official over until Labor Day, today feels like an Autumn preview. I might but some jeans on instead of shorts? A sweatshirt, too?

    Not every day is life changing, but some are a little life affirming.

  • New York Move Anniversary

    This past Saturday, August 28th, a personal anniversary of mine slipped by unnoticed. It was the 15-year anniversary of my move to New York. Well… to be correct, I first moved to Jersey City, and THEN to New York City.

    Moving to New York was something that I had always wanted to do. I had been dreaming about it since high school, and though my life went in a lot of different directions, it wasn’t until about 2005 that I sort of got my shit together, and was able to start planning the move.

    But as I think about it, and if I am very honest, I wouldn’t have been able to make the move happen without the support of my friends Alex and Rebecca. Alex was a friend of mine from junior high, and Rebecca was his fiancée at the time. They had a house in Jersey City, and they were kind enough to rent out their basement to me so I had a place to live and get situated. Without them, without their friendship and support, I don’t know how I would have gotten here. And then there was Rebecca’s parents, who would come and visit, and I got to know them, and they made me feel welcome and accepted me into their family group, which was an extremely gracious gesture.

    And as I thought about Alex and Rebecca, I started thinking that in a larger sense, I’ve never really accomplished anything alone. I have been lucky to have friends and family who have supported me, and I really hope that I was the type of friend that supported in return. No one is an island, right?

  • Doing Laundry

    Monday is laundry day around here. The family laundry has been my chore since the kid was born. I used to get up… Well, the new born would get us up at 6am, and on Sundays, I would head out around that time, and walk the one block to the local laundromat. We had been going to that place for years, and all the people who worked there knew me, so it was a friendly place. (In fact, before the kid was born, we used to drop our laundry off and use their wash and fold service. But with a baby, we stopped using the service, and I started doing it all ourselves.) That was six and a half years ago when I started doing the laundry. The laundromat has gone through a renovation and a change in management, but now every Monday, I am there doing it.

    Recently, I started thinking about my chore of the laundry. It takes up two hour of my day, and sometime longer if I do or do not get help folding. It would be nice to have a washer and dryer in our apartment, or at least in the building, but even if that were true, it would still be a chore that I would have to do, and it would still take up time. But, the time really doesn’t bother me, as I am writing this while all the clothes are in the dryer.

    What I started thinking about is how I sort of feel fulfilled doing this chore. Like making dinner every night, I like that I provide a necessary service for my family. I don’t feel like I am being taken advantage of, or that this is a thankless job. I like that I am doing something that helps the family keep moving forward. I never thought I would get to the point in my life where I would enjoy doing laundry.

  • ODDS and ENDS: Fantasy Football, Chopped Cheese Biscuit, That’s Not a Holiday

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

    This week, I received the email alerting me that the Fantasy Football League that I take part in is ready for the coming season. I have been taking part in this league for over ten years, and I’ve won it twice. Our group used to be twelve players, but now we are down to six; four of us went to college together, one guy is a friend I used to work with in New York, and the other guy is the husband of a college friend. I know that the six of us have never been in the same room together, but it does feel like the band is getting back together when fall rolls around.

    Do you know what a chopped cheese sandwich is? It’s a New York bodega thing, but I feel like people outside of the City are starting to find out about it. I say all of this because there is a food market in Harlem, Manhattanville Market, that has a joint called Butterfunk Biscuit Co. that is now offering a Chopped Cheese Biscuit Sandwich. This monstrosity might take 35 minutes off my life, but it looks comfort food amazing! I might not need an excuse to stop by there this weekend.

    Yesterday was “National Dog Day” or as my wife put it, “National Tell Me Your Dog’s Name So I can Try to Hack Your Password Day,” and while we’re at it, it’s also, “What’s Your Mother’s Maiden Name Day,” and “What Street Were You Born On Day” as well…

  • Summer is Almost Over

    We have eighteen days until the kid starts school, which means that we have eighteen days left of Summer. It was a busy summer with day camps, visiting friends, and a vacation to boot. This made those first nine weeks fly by. Looking at the final two weeks, I have this feeling that we don’t have enough time to get ready for school, and the new routine that will follow.

    We’ll have to do some school shopping. We were able to get a rain coat for the kid while up in Maine, but she needs a new winter coat and winter shoes. Let’s not forget that out kid shot up a whole inch this Summer, so we need to do another round of clothes shopping. And school supplies. Always needing school supplies.

    Then there is the anxiety of the Fall. We were told, and our planning, on having the kid attend in person class, but with everything going on, I don’t feel like that is a guarantee. I have this nagging thought in the back of my head that if things get worse with Delta, then we might have to do remote school again. This is one of the reasons why I haven’t taken the kids “school corner” down in the living room. The other is that I am lazy.

    I fear if we do remote school again, that it will just crush all of us. The kid has told me that she wants to be back at school to see her friends, learn, and have fun. She’s excited about being there, and I want her to have that. For the wife and I, school means a return to normal. It means the chance for me to go get a part time job, and help us dig out of the financial hole we are in. And also, school means that I get a little time to write as well.

    So much still feels up in the air, but everything has been up in the air for like two years now. I wouldn’t say we are getting used to it, but we would like a break from this ride. Just eighteen days till the next chapter.