NY Commentary, Volume 3

Last week I stopped dead in my tracks as I saw two different people bump into a blind man on the street. He was not in their way, and they had plenty of space to move, they just could not be bothered to think anyone or anything was worth them moving. I'm sure they did not intentionally bump into the man, but so few rude acts in NYC are ever intentional. People just cannot take the time to look outside of their bubble. And it is a vicious cycle. One person is bumped enough times on the street that they begin to think, "If no one will move for me, why should I move for anyone." The next day they are the final bump that pushes someone else to the same thought.

There are days when the number of acts like this that I witness makes me feel that all hope for mankind is lost. I do my best to show kindness to everyone around me, and sometimes all I see is negativity in return. But then there are the days that make my hope soar. A good friend of mine recently saw a homeless man put change in a random car's meter to spare the guy a ticket. I can think of no act more selfless. Here is a man struggling just to live, and yet he spared a few of his coins to make someone else's day a little easier. If everyone would take a moment every day to do one thing to brighten it for someone else, think of difference we could make on the world. “Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” - Scott Adams. How many ripples can you make?

Taxes, Pt 1

I would like to introduce this post by saying, I am in no way a tax expert. I am simply one of many with numerous grievances when it comes to taxes. My parents still laugh about how when I received my first real paycheck when I was 16 I exclaimed, "They took my money!" I may understand the tax system more now, but my thought is still the same every year when I realize just how much money I pay in taxes...

Now on to my tax thought of the day. If you are able to say this: "Blew my tax refund on a new iPhone & MacBook, my outrageous cell phone bill & shenanigans in Asia, plus Lollapalooza, Electric Zoo, and hey, my motorcycle license" I'm guessing your refund didn't have any major effect on your spending; these purchases would all have happened anyways. Don't get me wrong, the individual who said this likely was just having far too much withheld, and the money was really theirs to begin with, but as a 25 year old working my hardest just to pay the bills, including my student loan payments, the idea of not only receiving a refund that size, but then, as a recent college graduate, blowing it all on such extreme luxuries is baffling. Yes, you read correctly, the individual who said this is a recent college graduate. Immediately after graduation was an incredibly tumultuous financial time in my life; you have very little to work with, a mountain of student loan debt looming over you and little to no experience navigating the "real world" with complete financial independence. It is especially baffling when so many tax credits are on the table for expiring this year, including the one for payments made on student loan interest--I won't even get started on this now, I'll save it for Taxes, Pt 2. Stay tuned!

NY Commentary, Volume 2

On a rainy day in NYC the whole city sweats. It feels as though all of the dirt and grime is absorbed into the humid air and smeared across your face, and walking into the subway is reminiscent of the basketball scene in Along Came Polly ...

NY Commentary, Volume 1

I may have grown up in a place where everyone waves, whether or not they know you, but there are some things about NYC that continue to baffle me. For instance, why is it that people rush to get off the subway, frequently lining up and crowding the doors two stations before their stop, only to slow to a near stop as soon as their feet hit the platform? Is there a secret prize you get for being the first out the door that I am not aware of? And where do they think the rest of the door crowders that they are crowding at going to go? I started a new game, with myself, where every time I am standing in the door on the way home, as we approach my stop, I make a point of standing in front of the doors facing INTO the car while the crowders all gather in front of me, slowly inching their way forward. I cannot tell you how anxious some people get, just because there appears to be someone that could possibly be in their way when they try and get off. Come on!

Abbrev Grievs

Between cell phones and social media, abbreviations have slowly snuck their way in to the popular vernacular. Some may be harmless and some may not make sense. But there are some cases when the meaning of words is muddled through the ever popular abbrev.

Case in point: when abbreving the word gorgeous, "gorg" is probably not the best choice. Ex: telling a friend "you look so gorg in all of your pictures!" Don't know that I'd immediately take that as a compliment.

NYC Rule #1

New Yorkers should have to carry a license to operate an umbrella.

A Thought for the Subway

If you are walking close enough for the brim of your baseball cap to be hitting me in the head, you are walking too close.