NY <3s Neelofer: Taxi Edition
Though Brooklyn’s changed quite drastically in the last few years, getting a cab can still be a hassle. That is, if you tell the cabbies where you’re going. My trick? Get in then talk. They can’t kick you out.
But my cynicism was laid to rest Friday night, when an off-duty cabbie picked me up on Fifth Avenue and Park Place at 2 a.m.
Jamal Mohammad rolls down his window, “Where are you going?”
Me, wincing, “Washington Avenue. Just a few blocks east of here.”
Jamal: “Oh, near St. Marks?”
Me: “Um, no, St. Johns but that’s just a few blocks from there” as I open the door to the cab.
Jamal: “Yeah, go ahead get in. I think I’ve driven you before.”
For that Jamal, I give you a 40 percent tip and a great thanks for preventing me from being entirely cynical.
Hello, New England!
I’ll be starting an English MA/Ph.D. program at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in Fall 2009. Good things lie ahead. They include photographs.
Being a grad student is like becoming all of the Seven Dwarves. In the beginning you’re Dopey and Bashful. In the middle, you’re usually sick (Sneezy), tired (Sleepy), and irritable (Grumpy). But at the end, they call you Doc, and then you’re Happy.
A Two-Wheeled Summer
Cycling New York has played an instrumental role in maintaining my mental and physical health for the last two years. Thus, I’m making it a fundamental part of my last summer in NYC.
I’m kicking off the season with the Montauk Century on Sunday, 17 May. To prepare for such a long ride, I’ll be indulging in many training rides in the next two months. I would love some company so I encourage you to tune up your bike for this season.
Here’s where I’ll be:
- Brooklyn Sojourn (Sunday, Mar. 22):
40 miles, moderate, mostly flat. Starts at City Hall in downtown Manhattan at 9 AM. - Metric Training Ride #1 – Hicksville (Sunday, Mar. 29):
35 miles. Starts at Cunningham Park in Queens at 9:30 AM. - Metric Training Ride #2 – Englewood (Saturday, April 11):
30 miles. Starts at Columbus Circle in Manhattan at 9:00 AM. - Metric Training Ride #3 – City Island (Saturday, April 18):
40 miles. Starts at Columbus Circle in Manhattan at 9:00 AM. - Ride, Fix Flats, Eat, Bike Course Ride (Saturday, April 25):
25 – 30 miles. Starts at Columbus Circle in Manhattan at 10:00 AM. - Meet at the Gunks (Sunday, May 3):
55 miles at 15 mph with rolling hills. Starts at Grand Central Terminal at 8:30 AM. - Metric Training Ride #4 – Piermont (Sunday, May 10):
50 miles. Starts at Columbus Circle at 9:00 AM.
Adam, Porch
We’re running out of porch-sitting weather, old friend, so you’d best be back to knitting that sweater. And if you’re gonna get me something to drink, I think I’ll take a glass of red wine and not a cold beer. That great and baffling thing about our lil’ species is the ongoing ability to be surprised by the same thing over and over again. So look out, Virgo, here comes the cold weather! AHHHH!
A Civilised People? I Think Not.
This year’s much-hyped Black Friday led to the death of a temporary, part-time Wal-Mart employee. Since Wal-Mart doesn’t have unions, no one will be fighting in the name of Jdimytai Damour, 34, Jamaica, Queens.
By 4:55, with no police officers in sight, the crowd of more than 2,000 had become a rabble, and could be held back no longer. Fists banged and shoulders pressed on the sliding-glass double doors, which bowed in with the weight of the assault. Six to 10 workers inside tried to push back, but it was hopeless.
Doesn’t Jdimytai deserve our respect? Doesn’t he deserve the same treatment we would want for anyone of our loved one’s? After all, he wasn’t working at Wal-Mart on the year’s biggest shopping day for fun.
Some workers who saw what was happening fought their way through the surge to get to Mr. Damour, but he had been fatally injured, the police said. Emergency workers tried to revive Mr. Damour, a temporary worker hired for the holiday season, at the scene, but he was pronounced dead an hour later at Franklin Hospital Medical Center in Valley Stream.
Four other people, including a 28-year-old woman who was described as eight months pregnant, were treated at the hospital for minor injuries.
It’s in these moments that I grow indescribably bored/tired/frustrated by America’s promises of a civilisation more advanced than anywhere else in the world.
Some shoppers who had seen the stampede said they were shocked. One of them, Kimberly Cribbs of Queens, said the crowd had acted like “savages.” Shoppers behaved badly even as the store was being cleared, she recalled.
“When they were saying they had to leave, that an employee got killed, people were yelling, ‘I’ve been on line since yesterday morning,’ ” Ms. Cribbs told The Associated Press. “They kept shopping.”
If the Nassau County police department has a sliver of a conscience, they will charge every shopper (find by receipt, surveillance cameras, etc) in the death of Jdimytai and lest we forget, the architects of “spending is patriotic” George W. Bush and his administration. Of course, it won’t happen but the ones who have told us we need 50″ plasma televisions and the latest video games rather than healthy, nutritious foods and proper healthcare are complicit in this death, both of a person and of a society.
On Being Blue
America, 2008, after America, 2004
I’ve been quite a bit optimistic lately. It’s a strange feeling after being cynical and pessimistic and cautious and hopeless for so long. Thanks, Barack Obama and America (for finally waking up).
Sunday Sun
A Thrilling Review: CLIF Bar
Cool Mint Chocolate
CLIF bar
The high energy products currently saturating our markets have never interested me much. Caffeine means nothing to me whether coffee or soda. Red Bull smells and tastes like something I’d rather not consume. In fact, the CLIF bar is so good, I didn’t even realise its purpose to serve as an energy food until I decided to review it.
My favourite flavours include the Cool Mint Chocolate (pictured) and the seasonal Iced Gingerbread. The Cool Mint Chocolate is a great day-to-day flavour though some might disagree while the Iced Gingerbread better serves as a dessert-type snack. I’m currently searching for the Banana Nut Bread.
With 18 flavours in the CLIF bar line, there’s something suitable for everyone’s taste whether it’s to satisfy a sweet tooth or a more modest fruit flavour.
I got a 12-pack for $11.98 at my local Trader Joe’s.
