More Sidewalk Thoughts

I'm sorry to do this, but when I'm walking around outside on the sidewalks of New York, I find the most interesting things to ramble about in my mind. I have no other explanation but that I think New York just inspires me. I don't know what it is about this city, but I really need it to get cold here. The constant temperature change is something that I'm having a very hard time dealing with.
The instant I go outside, I start sweating. I don't know what it is. I'm comfortable all day, but as soon as I start walking around outside, I just start sweating profusely. I've been going to job interviews, handing out resumes, and the whole time I'm in a suit, and I've just been walking around sweating. I feel like once I get to the interview, there is no point any more. They are just going to say to themselves, "Who's this guy? He's so sweaty. Why would we hire this sweaty guy?"
My suit at this point, after a few of these interviews, is starting to stink. It's the only suit I own, and I'm worried that if I get it dry cleaned, something's going to happen to it. It will get shrunk or ruined some how and then I will have 0 suits. When I have that to think about, I end up going home. I find solace in taking the subway and watching the tracks for rats while I'm waiting for the train to show up.
The rats that are all over New York are just so interesting to watch. I don't know how women or people are scared of rats and still like cuddly animals. Rats are cuddly creatures, too. Rats are one of the more pleasant vermin to have infest your living space, I believe. In New York, you really have two choices: rats or cockroaches. I don't care who you talk to, but rats are way more cuddly than cockroaches. They're just so cute, with their tails and their whiskers. Sure, they're carriers of vast amounts of infectious diseases, but who isn't these days?

Thoughts Compiled While Walking Around New York City

First of all, walking around New York in the rain is much more dangerous than walking around in any other weather. When walking around in the rain, you have to keep looking straight forward at all times, because if you turn your head, you're likely to get stabbed in the eye with somebody else's umbrella. Everybody knows how many people are walking around New York, now picture all those people with their very own hand-held octagonal rain guard held at eye-level that has points all around the edges. Now everyone has their own personal space to guard that's about three feet more than they need. It's very dangerous and quite frightening actually.
Secondly, I went for a walk tonight. It had been raining all day, and I had spent just about the whole day in the apartment not doing anything, because I don't have a job and I don't have a place to go. I sat. I watched TV. I played around on the internet. I couldn't really do anything but that. When your roommate is a seventy-year-old Franciscan nun, there is an unspoken limit to how much fun you can have as a 21-year-old male. So I took every opportunity I could to go outside and walk around, even though it was very damp and humid outside whenever it wasn't raining. I ended up going to Dunkin Donuts twice, in order to avoid cabin fever, even though I think the first cup of coffee may have contributed to my cabin fever.
When at last night had fallen, and my roommate had retired to bed, and the nightlife in New York City had officially begun on a Friday night, I decided to hit the streets. The problem, however, as I mentioned before, was that I do not have a job. That tends to put a limit to how much a person can spend on the streets of New York, and as I also said earlier, I had already been to Dunkin Donuts twice today. So I hit the streets with my already-paid-for iPod, without anybody else in tow, and without intention to spend any money. I did, however, bring my wallet and my subway map in case something should come up. I needed something to listen to to get me started on my walk. I had Fleetwood Mac in my mind as I started, but I decided I had heard that enough on the radio back in the midwest, I needed something fresh and new to accompany my exploration of a new environment.
I selected the Raconteurs, which is an album that I've had for weeks now but still hadn't listened to yet. As the music started, I knew I had made the right choice. As I walked along, I realized that Fleetwood Mac would not have suited my journey. While I walked, I crossed boundaries that I had not yet crossed in my local neighborhood since I'd been a resident. I started up 3rd Ave. I thought it would be nice if I could have a keyboard right in front of me as I walked so I could write down my thoughts as they come to me on my walk. But alas, technology has not advanced to the point of my being able to do that for recreation. So, I would have to rely on my memory in order to produce the random thoughts you now see before you on this electronic parchment. My memory. That's one thing that's not going to get any better.
I'm probably the only person my age who is out here just walking around on a Friday night, no destination in mind, and without the desire to hook up with somebody tonight. Nevertheless, I do kind of wish I had worked out more than three times this summer. One of the things that plagues you when you have short, fat little legs like mine, is that your thighs have a tendency to rub together more, creating friction, which, in turn, causes a great deal of chafing, no matter what fabric rests between them. I knew I didn't have much time before this sensation would dawn on me, and the farther away I walked, the more at risk I would be, so I had to set a limit for myself. Well, I know I'm not going to walk completely uptown, so I'll just walk until it's a suitable point to turn around. I hope my memory keeps up with me. What I'd really like to do is find some underground rock and roll club or venue or something. I haven't seen any live music since I've been in New York, at least not any live music that wasn't performed in the subway or a subway-related area. I could go to Harlem. I do have my MetroCard. But I wouldn't know where to go. And I wouldn't exactly feel safe just wandering aimlessly around Harlem.
I'll just keep walking. I wonder what people think of this T-shirt. There goes a beautiful woman. I wonder if she thinks it's weird that I'm just walking on a Friday night, listening to my iPod, and not trying to hit on her or one of her fellow women. Truth be told, I went out on Wednesday night, so even if I did have the money to go out again, I didn't really want to face that crowd again. But it was mostly the money. It's a lot more fun to go out to the bars in New York than in, say, Quincy. It's not because of the cities either, it's because of the smoking.
In New York, it's illegal to smoke in bars and restaurants and most public places, whereas in Quincy, going to a bar is like going to a cigarette sauna. Is that guy stealing beer from the open cellar of that liquor store? That's not a bad idea. Oh, but he's not, he must work there. There's a guy walking with luggage. I wonder if he just got kicked out of his girlfriend's apartment.
That is a huge ice cream cone on wheels sitting outside that convenience store. The wheels are certainly convenient. I would love to steal that. I'll bet the owners have thought of that, though. I'll bet it's got dynamite or something in it that's set to go off if somebody were to steal it. It's probably not worth it. How cool would it be to have a giant ice cream cone statue in your apartment though? Honestly. Wow, from this corner, I can see both the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building lit up in the sky. I should probably take a picture, but all these other people are gonna think I'm a tourist because I'm taking a picture. Oh well, they already think I'm a tourist because I've got a subway map in my back pocket. Crap, that cab is turning. I guess I didn't have to run across that intersection like I did. Now, I really look like a tourist.
I'm walking up 3rd Avenue with my iPod buds in my ears just crossing streets. This music is really good. I wish I was performing this music somewhere in New York instead of listening to it on headphones. That would be way better. I think the Chrysler Building is one of the most beautiful works of architecture of this era. It really is pretty. I think it's its simplicity that makes it so appealing.
Though I was advised against it, it really is hard to not step in puddles when walking on the sidewalk. Those puddles of unidentified liquid (assumed urine) are most always wider than one giant step, so you have to step in them if not a little in order to get through them, because by the time you see them, it's often too late to go around. There's a guy sitting on a stoop by himself just watching the people go by. Is he going to mug me? He didn't yet, maybe he's waiting for me to pass. Maybe he's waiting for later tonight when some drunk girls will walk by and he'll get more than just a purse. God, I wish he'd try it on me. Just once I'd like to really get into it and defend the hell out of myself when somebody's trying to mug me. I'd just like to throw a couple of punches. Of course, the downside is that if I'm throwing punches, the other guy is probably throwing punches as well, or worse.
There goes another beautiful woman. Amazing! And, to boot, she's walking out of Dunkin Donuts, which as I've already mentioned, is one of my most-frequented establishments. Sheesh, there are hundreds of Dunkin Donuts stores in this city. There's probably one every three blocks. But there are even more beautiful women. I wonder how many gorgeous women I've seen on this walk alone. Probably as many as blocks I've walked.
Wow, this song is good. You can really hear the Beatles influence. Little dogs are annoyingly cute. They are cute because they are so small, which also makes them really annoying. That one looks like it's wearing pajamas.
Is that a toupee blowing around on the ground? No, what is it? Oh, it's a yarmulke. That has got to be one of the hardest words to spell when you write it for the first time. I'm most certainly going to have to look that up when I write it tonight (it was and I did).
A lot of these bars just have really interesting names. I'll bet you could have a successful bar just based on the name, as long as you still served drinks inside. If I opened my own bar, I could play there whenever I wanted. Nobody could argue with that. It's my bar, I can play a show whenever I want. Not only that, but I get to pick the people who get to play when I'm not playing. Not only that, but I get to pick the music that is in the jukebox. Not only that, but I make money when people buy drinks, and when they pay to see the music. It's an all-around great gig. I'll just add it to my goal list.
I really have enjoyed this walk. I walked all the way from 19th street up to 42nd and back. It didn't cost me a dime, I didn't let one drug pass through my body, I burned some time, some calories, and I even thought of some creative fodder to feed my head when I don't have anything to think about sometime. That's what I love about this city. It inspires me. I love this city, and I love me.

Kevin Bacon

Once in a while a revolutionary moment comes along, where one can say to him or her self, "At last! After all these years of suffering, I can finally do what I've been wanting to." You say to yourself, "that sure makes things easier." I could be the iPod, the Post-It note, automatic doors, but in this case, something even more revolutionary is taking place.
The new Hanes commercial featuring Michael Jordan and Kevin Bacon bridges the gap between professional athletes and actors in the Six Degrees to Kevin Bacon game. And really, Michael Jordan is the ultimate link to celebrity pro athletes from Kevin Bacon. The possibilities are endless.
Just think about it. Larry Bird played with Danny Ainge on the Boston Celtics from 1982-1989. Danny Ainge then played on the Phoenix Suns from 1993-1995, where he played with Charles Barkley. Charles Barkley was in Space Jam with Michael Jordan, who was in the Hanes commercial with Kevin Bacon. Looking back, though, I could have also said that Larry Bird played on the 1992 U.S. Olympic basketball team, or I could have used his appearance or Danny Ainge's appearance in Space Jam as well. According to IMDB, there were a lot of notable people in Space Jam. Ok, so that example was too easy, but you get what I'm saying.
With Michael Jordan as the pro athlete/celebrity link to Kevin Bacon, you could use any part of his career: his short two-year stint in baseball, or his wide range of endorsements, or even his annual presence at the Celebrity Golf outings. Let's start with one that's a little harder. I'm using my limited sports knowledge and the internet, but a real sports junkie could go crazy with this.
Kirby Puckett played on the Minnesota Twins in 1991 with pitcher Denny Neagle, who later pitched for the Atlanta Braves, when in 1997, Fred McGriff joined the team, who played in the 2nd Annual Derek Jeter Celebrity Golf classic in 2005 with Michael Jordan, who was in the Hanes commercial with Kevin Bacon.
So what I'm saying here is that Hanes created the ultimate sports figure/celebrity link to bridge the gap to Kevin Bacon in the game. It's really amazing and wonderful what Hanes did, and adds a whole other dimension to an already fun game. It's like we just got the expansion pack for the Kevin Bacon game. It's going to be a lot more fun to challenge your friends at parties and amaze your coworkers now with just that much more useless knowledge. Have fun!

Lee Lee's Big Adventure

It has been three days now since I left the midwest to come to the Big Apple of New York City to find my life. An adventure is one way of calling it. It most certainly is that. The questions I got so frequently when I told people I was going ranged from, "Why?" to "You know it's expensive out there, don't you?"
I felt like these kinds of questions were mostly rhetorical and did not necessarily need or deserve an answer. But no matter what my answer was, I always got a resounding "Good Luck" out of them, which was very reassuring. It's nice to know when you embark on a journey like this that so many people have got your back. I am certainly a special case, with the amount of family and friends that I have. It is still an adventure, nonetheless.
And now that I'm here, I feel as though I never left. I fit right in. I do my walking, I do my subway riding. I do my food-getting, I do my show-watching. Nothing's really changed except for the amount of people I have to support me. Even if I did not have the support, though, I still feel like I could make it. I feel like New York, or any big city for that matter, is only as scary as you make it. A big city is the same as any city. It's just bigger. There are still neighborhoods and landmarks. There are still movie theaters and stoplights. When you increase the size of the population, you're going to have more stuff.
I think that's a concept small-town people cannot grasp sometimes.
"How can you want to be where there are so many people?" they'd say.
I just fit in with the masses, just like anyone else. There are already eight million people living here. How's one more going to make a difference? I don't actually feel like I live here yet. Maybe it's because I don't have my own place yet. Or a job. But my familiarity with the city makes it a whole lot easier. When I go to New York anymore, I never feel like a tourist. I never feel like I'm seeing something for the first time. I've not seen the whole city, by any means, but when I walk around, though, when I swipe my MetroCard, I feel like I have the living-in-New York attitude.
A few of the things I have noticed on my travels throughout the city are as follows. One does not have to push a button and wait for the crossing signal if one wants to cross the street. Why? Because every street corner is equipped with the cross signals automatically. It is rare to find a street corner without them, and would probably be a pretty unfamiliar sight to a New Yorker. I've noticed that when riding on the subways, people seem to have developed "subway legs" as could be similarly identified to "sea legs". It will probably take a while, but I sometime hope to develop the skill of being able to stand up on a moving subway, not holding on to anything, and remain standing as the train comes to a screeching halt without toppling over.
One of the hardest parts about walking around New York is that there are no easily accessible bathrooms to stop off at whenever you feel the urge. If you are not in an area where you know somebody, or that has a public restroom, you're probably going to be holding it for a while. And when you're walking, it just makes it worse. So, when you've got a place to go and you've got the urge, even if it's just a little, you're going to find out sooner or later that you had better take the time to relieve yourself before it turns into a medical situation.
One of the things most likely to deter a person from coming to New York is all the horror stories they hear. Crimes that happen in the big city means crimes happen to people in the big city, and if you're one of the people in the big city, crimes are going to happen to you. Like I said before, New York is only as scary as you make it. You've got to know the situation you're going into.
Crime and horror stories happen everywhere. And, just like an economics problem, when you increase the number of people who can commit crime and who can be victims of it, you're going to have more crime. If you paint a picture in your mind of New York as a dark city where crack whores and rapists lurk around every corner, it's not going to be a very appealing place. But if you remember that New York is just full of people, more and more people, people who don't necessarily give a damn about you, but are just living and trying to get out of life what they want.
Some of them get what they want in a negative or illegal fashion, but that's not for me to decide. Some of them are really nice people, just looking out for one another. Today a guy came around the corner facing me and informed me that my zipper was down. He didn't stop to talk or reach for my wallet, even though he could have. Do you think I didn't appreciate him telling me my zipper was down? I did tremendously. I had no idea my zipper was down, sometimes it just goes down. But I certainly didn't want to keep walking around with my zipper down. The point is, I have no idea who that guy was. He has no idea who I am. I'm never gonna see him again. He's never gonna see me again. And we are both fine with that.
I am going to estimate that about ninety percent of people don't care about you. That doesn't mean they're not going to be nice to you, but it probably means that they are not out to get you. I've been affected by crime in every city I've lived in. I don't see the risk in going to another city. There's probably going to be a time when I'll have to face crime again. Hopefully it won't be anything too terrible.
I am about to enter into my first weekend as a New Yorker. It is probably going to be fun. I hope it is. It also means that my first week as a New Yorker will be coming to a close soon, which means I'll have one more week to become an official New Yorker before I get kicked out of my faux New Yorker residence. So I guess I'll keep on walking along, and I hope I can keep my zipper up.