Bad Luck, My Ass – I Mean My Eye!

A black cat crossed my path on a cool November night and I asked myself: if a black cat crosses your path and you don’t see it, is that still bad luck? I posed this question to my Facebook friends and received a couple of thoughtful replies, one of which was that I should consider it to be good luck.  My initial response to that remark was “how cute”.  I recalled the cat incident 48 hours later while waiting for my train on the elevated track platform, and had a revelation:  My friend was right!

Why should a black cat crossing your path be bad luck?  Is a black sheep bad? No, it isn’t!  A black flag is a race car driver’s anathema because someone decreed this many years ago, not because of any physical characteristic.  The black side moves second in chess because some king decided so thousands of years ago.  (Or was it a queen?)  Not all connotations of black are bad.  Black-tie affairs are elegant occasions.  Every businessperson desires to be in the black.  And a blackjack is always a winning hand.  Black-is-bad is a crock of doo-doo. Black coffee exemplifies this perfectly - some love it; some hate it.  Same goes for black licorice.

I’m hoping that you will remember this gibberish the next time a black cat crosses your path – at least some of it, anyway!  Don’t give that cat a second thought, unless it’s yours, or you’re really into cats.  In either case, you’re on your own.

Thanksgiving Haiku

Happy Thanksgiving

Friends old and new, tried and true

Let’s pause to give thanks.

New York City 10.31.11 Notes

These notes were taken during my visit on October 31, 2011.

The trip got off to a rough start as I had to get out of bed at 6:30AM for the quick turnaround (just got home at about 5:30 AM from dialysis).  It was difficult, but I did it and am so glad that I did!  The entire point of the trip was to see if I could do it, and I could!

I couldn’t help but notice the beautiful fall colors on I-95.

Comfortable walking shoes are a beautiful thing!

The newer subway cars on the F line have electronic signage – very cool.  The public service announcements on all trains and platforms were loud, clear and intelligible.  I was shocked!

New Yorkers don’t give a frack; they just stare at you.  That is considered rude in DC.

Many routes and station names have changed.  Thank goodness for the Internet!

The R train is the same train I rode on in 1999.  So is the C train.

NYC subway ads are 800 times more creative and passionate than the advertisements in the DC Metro, which are much more business and philanthropy-oriented.

Black leather is still the in thing in Noo Yawk.

Why do they bother painting the subway stations?  The peeling paint is disgusting and unhealthy.

There are many Droid-heads staring at their smartphones and iPods, but not as many as there are in DC. 

The food at Applebee’s has a lot of sodium.

Mom is sharper than ever!

The R train features the “hip” Brooklyn crowd.  LOL.  Brooklyn is the new East Village.

You have to be in good shape to get around NYC, as there aren’t a whole lot of elevators and escalators.  I made it home OK, but man, I’ve slept like a baby every night since!

I happened to be on the subway during the 5PM rush (headed toward the 9/11 Memorial).  I felt just like part of the crowd – I was tired and wanted to go home.

***   ***   ***  ***   ***   ***  ***   ***   ***  ***   ***   *** 

The 9/11 Memorial is sober and subdued.  Subtle.  Frankly, it’s less than exciting.  The somber tone is captured and then some.  It is a tomb.

Even those who didn’t know someone who died or don’t live in NYC cannot miss the fact that this was some way serious sh*t – for New Yorkers in particular.

Security is over-the-top and then some.  There were four checkpoints before the security screening, and then three or four more.  You also have to walk about two city blocks to get from the entry point to the actual memorial.  And this is all once you get there.  If you don’t know the way, good luck!  Bring a lot of patience; you will need it.  And wear comfortable shoes.

I definitely want to return in the daytime to see if the vibe is any different.

All the new construction is magnificent.

***   ***   ***  ***   ***   ***  ***   ***   ***  ***   ***   *** 

Times Square takes no prisoners when it comes to gouging tourists.  Nine dollars for a slice of pizza!

Leaving the 9/11 Memorial, I was walking toward the Cortlandt Street subway station when I heard a train passing by underneath.  I smiled when I recognized that unmistakable rumble.

RAMBLINGS VOL X

It is time to turn the bass player in me loose!

My first jam will be Greensleeves!

If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. Jeremiah 29:13 NLT

Frederika Vaupen, my favorite boss and first business mentor, could hold a thought through a hurricane.  We would be sitting in her office struggling through the latest challenge and someone would come in to report an emergency.  She would make a couple of phone calls, discuss the issue with us, make a couple more calls, field a couple more issues, and then say “Now where were we?  We were discussing…”  She would do this every day.  I mention this because my short-term memory is coming back strong.

HEART or HATER?  This one just popped into my head.  You can also spell EARTH with the same five letters.

Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.  James 1:19

Tonight I start nocturnal dialysis (a two-week trial).  Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday evenings.  I’ll have much more to report soon.  For now, I am anxious and excited.  I’ve been asked to find out who Archie is and make sure that the technician who is NOT Archie – the taller one -- finishes my buttonhole vascular access.  You better believe that I will make this happen.  [Author note:  The technician who is NOT Archie is named Mauricio.  He is the best.  He knows what he is doing and explains why he is doing it.]

My life is starting to get busy and complicated again.  All the old doubts are trying to creep back in, but now I know that I can handle whatever comes along.  I know this because that is exactly what I have been doing.

It’s starting to be the time of year when the sun shines directly into my bedroom in the early morning.  The sunshine feels good on my skin, but not on my eyes or my brain.  I don’t like closing my curtain, so I compromise by precisely placing a shirt or towel on the curtain rod to block the direct sunlight.

I generally know that it is time to eat when I start to think incessantly about food.  It is almost my usual breakfast time, and I just flashed on the “Soup Nazi” soup that I used to occasionally get on my lunch breaks when I worked in midtown Manhattan.  The soup stand was the same place that was featured in the Seinfeld “Soup Nazi” episode.  The soup was rather expensive, but in true Noo Yawk style is worth every damn penny.  A cup would come with a piece of bread and an orange, and made a good lunch.  A bowl would come with at least an orange and at least one piece of bread, and was a complete meal.  The first flavor that comes to mind is mulligatawny, followed by lobster bisque, she-crab, split pea and ham,   Oh my Gawd that soup is good! 

I was in Manhattan a few weeks ago and had some time to kill, so I walked from the Port Authority bus terminal to the Carnegie Deli and in the process revisited some of my old stomping grounds.  The Soup Nazi soup stand was part of the trek.  When I stopped to take a photo, the original Kramer happened to be there, along with his “Seinfeld Reality Tour” bus.  I also walked by Worldwide Plaza, the imposing edifice that was the backdrop for many of Elaine’s office shenanigans.  Many of the Seinfeld venues were part of my daily Noo Yawk experience when I lived there. 

My cravings list continues to grow.  Just a few minutes ago I had a sudden craving for orange juice - another renal diet no-no.  I used to pound the OJ in my younger years, but not so much recently.  And, of course, not at all since it was precluded from my diet about two years ago.  But the craving came this morning, as clear as this morning’s sky, from out of nowhere.  I tried to get it off my mind by flipping from computer to TV.  The TV was tuned to the Food Network, and “Semi-Homemade” was on.  The host was doing a Halloween party-themed show and was dressed as Lucy Ricardo in the grape-stomping episode (an all-time TV best moment).  The host (her name will come to me any minute) was creating a punch for the viewers, so she had a huge punchbowl front and center.  So what does she pour into the punchbowl?  A half-gallon of fresh-squeezed orange juice!  Oh great!  Thank you very much!  (Her name is Sandra Lee.)

So far nocturnal dialysis is a winner!  Tonight I finish Week One.  My body is still adjusting, but that’s what it is supposed to be doing.  Two things I need to do immediately are lighten by backpack and purchase some cheap, comfortable sweatpants.  I’m making a trip to Modell’s tomorrow to purchase sweatpants for the overnight dialysis session and for the upcoming cold-weather runs.  As for my backpack, the only reading material I will bring is my Kindle.  I can’t read normal books anyway in the low lighting used in the center for the overnight sessions; the Kindle’s lighting is perfect for this environment.  And when my Kindle Fire arrives in a month or so – oh baby!!  I will be set.  Books, Scrabble, other games, browsing, e-mail, Facebook, Twitter and xFinity movies all on a seven-inch color screen!  And the Kindle Fire uses the Amazon Whispernet, so I’ll no longer have to worry about whether an Internet access point is available and whether it is up or down.

I just read a story about Berlin on the Internet, and it sounds like Berlin has changed a lot since my visit in 1984.  The West side was vibrant and unmistakably open and friendly when I was there.  The East side was just as described in the story: gray and depressing.  One thing the East Side had was remarkably low prices.  In 1984, the dollar was strong and the Deutschmark was strong compared to the Ostmark, so I was truly in a shopper's paradise for about five hours.  I look forward to returning one day and visiting the Berlin Zoo, among other places.

I am so done with all the petty personal crap and attitudes and people with chips on their shoulders.  I am into people who can find happiness and get things done without being a butthole about it.  I love all the haters.  I pray for them every day, and then I do what I have to do.  Now that I am back in good health, I sleep well every single night., except for dialysis overnight sessions, and I am working on that.  I am far from content right now, but I am very, very happy with things.  I pray for the continued good health and good fortune of all my family and friends.  Oh yeah, and for me too!  :-0

Kindle Scrabble has taken it up a notch.  I swear that it uses algorithms that learn as I learn.  That said, I have to admit that I still win a lot, which is more than I can say about my computer chess episodes.  I've had Shredder for over a year and haven't beaten it yet!

So far this rainy Thursday is going gangbusters!

It is now Saturday morning.  It is cold and rainy.  No sun today.  It was still dark at 7:30AM.  Weird.  I am looking forward to moving the clock back next weekend.

More and more I am unable to understand what fast-food sales associates are saying.  There is one Subway in downtown DC that I will no longer frequent because ordering a sandwich is a freaking comedy sketch.  McDonald’s isn’t much better.  Fortunately, the only thing I usually order at McD’s is the McChicken; that is hard to screw up.  Tonight I got a McRib that I will have when I get home.  I miss the McRib!

I am pleasantly surprised by the nocturnal dialysis center staff’s attention to detail and thorough explanations of what is going on.  Last session I got to go through the emergency disconnect procedure because Lakshmi specifically asked me if I was comfortable with the procedure and I told her that I’d feel much better about it if I could actually do it a couple of times, so she stepped me through it and now I practice it in my head every session.  And all the staffers introduced themselves by name.  I haven’t finished my second week yet and I know Lakshmi, Andrew, Mauricio, Maria, Jonathan, and Vicki’s names.  There are a couple of staffers on the day shifts whose names I still don’t know.

Things to do to pass the time during the day:  study for MCSE exams; practice typing; exercise.

I have a VERY good feeling about the future!

Social Networking Profiles: To Friend or Not To Friend?

Recently a friend and former co-worker’s profile appeared on my Facebook wall for the first time. One look at the face and the name and I did not hesitate to send a friend request. I was 100% confident that the minute they saw my name and profile that they would accept because it was that kind of a relationship. This is not always the case, however; sometimes I have to think about sending the request, and that is not a good sign. As another Facebook friend put it, if you have to think about sending a friend request, it’s probably not a good idea!

When one former friend’s profile appeared on my wall, I sent the person a friend request because I felt obligated to. I created a Facebook group that said person should belong to, and I felt that my personal feelings should not influence my decision. It remains to be seen whether they respond; if they don’t, I won’t follow up, and my feelings won’t be hurt one bit.

When a former lover or spouse’s profile appears, my guess is that many people just stare at it for a while. From there the next move can vary as wildly as relationships do. At best, a great connection can be rekindled or revisited; at worst, a horrible mistake can be repeated. (When a former lover’s profile appeared on my wall, I blocked it immediately.)

Social networking profiles can be misused or abused. Spoofing a person’s profile really isn’t that difficult, especially if you have some personal information of theirs. If you haven’t seen or heard from them in a while, how do you know that they are really the person they claim to be? Be careful out there.

Co-workers (former and current) can be a gold mine, a disappointment, or a minefield.  To date I have experienced all three. Facebook is now sending these profiles to my wall’s sidebar in such droves that I am currently in the midst of a new friend moratorium; I don’t want to have fair-weather friends on Facebook or in real life. When a keeper comes along, I will know it, and the moratorium will end.

How important is ANY of the above? Not very, in my humble opinion. It’s nice to get back in touch with old friends and such, but if you were that close in the first place you would probably never have lost touch with said person. Facebook and to a lesser extent Twitter are a part of my life that I can lose without skipping a beat. Don’t let social networking be anything more than it is: a resource, a diversion, an application, a tool.

End

Autumn Haiku

red orange yellow

autumnal leaves are fickle

ambivalent leaves

Serendipity at the MVA

I just left the MVA (Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration) where my driver’s license was converted to MD.  I took a MetroAccess van there because I couldn’t get there using mass transit on three separate occasions; each time I ran out of time, energy or patience.  I figured that once I was there I could figure out how to get back home using mass transit, as I have never had a problem finding my way home.

The MVA’s Largo office is, if you are from the big city like I am, in the middle of nowhere.  It’s just off a main highway in the middle of a car-centric area where everything looks the same.  I knew that we came from the highway, so I headed in the opposite direction to try and find a bus stop.  I walked past a couple (she was watching him smoke a cigarette) and toward a man who was standing at a stop sign.  As I approached I noticed a sign for “The Bus” (Prince George’s County Commuter Bus).  Right at that moment “The Bus” to the Metro pulled up.

How cool was that?