MTA=Manhattan Transportation Authority

Once again, the F and G trains will be out of service this weekend.  The trains were down for the weekend before the week of Thanksgiving and now they will be out of service again a week later and replaced with shuttle buses.  When I called the MTA to find out why the trains will be down for yet another weekend, I was given the standard answer about "track work" being needed.  As much as I love Brooklyn, it's times like this that I wished I lived in Manhattan where the subways are always running.  Sure, track work is done in Manhattan also, but at least you have other options if your particular line isn't running.  You can walk a few avenues and catch another line that is up and running if your particular line isn't.  Out here in Brooklyn, you're pretty much forced to take the dreaded shuttle buses if the trains aren't running. 

I will never be convinced that the service disruptions are equal between boroughs.  Manhattan gets better treatment than other boroughs because it's the moneymaker.  That's where the tourists are.  That's where the money is.  The MTA honchos must think, To hell with the people who live and work in Brooklyn.  They can suffer.  It's not right.  I understand track work is necessary and usually that track work is at least staggered a few weeks between service disruptions, but this every other weekend thing is not right. 

Subway Solicitation

When I was on the F train coming home from work tonight, a young black woman got on the train with two young children and asked for money.  Through the music on my headphones, I could hear her saying something about needing money because of Hurricane Sandy, but I didn't catch the entire story.  As a rule, I don't give money to people who pander on the subway and I didn't pony up any cash for the woman I saw today either.  I am strongly against panhandling and it's also against the law to solicit for money on the subway in New York (although I doubt the cops crack down on it).  But I get really annoyed when I see people (women mainly) panhandling with their kids.  They know they're likely to get money if they're with a child, particularly a young child or a baby. (The woman I saw today snagged a few dollars from someone on the train likely because of the two small children she had with her.)  Dragging your child around while you beg for money just isn't right.  If you want to panhandle on your own, more power to you, but don't pull your kid into it.   

As for the woman I saw today, I don't know what her situation was.  Perhaps she and her kids were truly in need, but there are a lot of social programs available to women with children in New York that help with housing and food.  There's no reason to exploit your kids while you beg for bucks on the F train.

Back to Work Countdown

Well, the long holiday weekend is almost over and it's back to work tomorrow.  I woke up this morning to find out my apartment:
1. Had no heat
2. Had no hot water.

Lovely.  Thankfully, both issues were resolved by the afternoon.  At least I didn't have to go to work.  Taking a cold shower when it's 30-40 degrees outside (and when you don't have heat inside) is no fun. 

I planned to see more than one movie during this Thanksgiving weekend, but I only saw one: Flight.  It was quite good.  Denzel Washington was great, as he usually is.  I give it two thumbs up.  Maybe I'll make it to see Skyfall and/or Lincoln later this week. 

Book Club Blues

I went to my bi-monthly book club meeting in Philly on Sunday and was surprised (and annoyed) to discover that I was the only one at the meeting who had read the 400+ page book The Shoemaker's Wife.  The woman who had suggested the book didn't even come for the meeting.  Frustrating!  I never would have read the book if I had known no one else would read it either!  Granted, we had three books to read and I read two of the three, but The Shoemaker's Wife was clearly the longest and the most time-consuming.  At least we only have two books for the next meeting and I suggested one of them.  (And the one I suggested is NOT 400+ pages either!) 

Open on Wednesday...Closed on Sunday

Today, around 1:00 pm, I bought a ticket for next Tuesday night's performance of the Broadway play The Performers, starring the terribly underrated and hugely talented Cheyenne Jackson and the Fonz himself, Henry Winkler.  Around 4:00 pm, I was on Google news and happened to see a headline that The Performers was closing on Sunday!!!  The play just opened this Wednesday (although previews had been ongoing since October 23).  Granted, the reviews were not good for the play (although the reviews I read did praise Cheyenne for his performance) and I figured the show would probably close early, but I didn't think it would close in less than a week!  So, at 4:30, after work, I went back to the box office for a refund.  Bummer!  I guess I should have gone to see it in previews.

Public Water Fountains

I don't drink from public water fountains anymore.  After seeing one too many people putting their mouths over the part of the fountain where the water comes out, I had to give them up for good.  I've also seen people letting their dogs drink from public water fountains in the park.  Nasty!  Now I'm no germophobe.  Just living in New York forces you to deal with unsanitory conditions pretty much on a daily basis when you leave your home.  Between subway poles, stairway rails, and ATM's, the world is not a clean place and that's just the way it is.  But putting your hands on something that may have been touched by many, many other people is a far cry from putting your mouth on something that may have been touched by many, many other thirsty people (or thirsty animals).  Ugh!

Great

After a day that started fine and ended poorly with me frustrated and annoyed after being bounced from one Verizon representative to another, I got off the subway and saw a woman barfing into a garbage can on the platform.  Great.  Just what I wanted to see after dealing with Verizon.  At least the barfer made it to the garbage can.  When you're sick, you're sick.  I've been there.  During my undergraduate college years in Detroit, I barfed into a garbage bag on the Dexter bus coming home from classes at Wayne State.  People moved (rightly) away from me on the bus, making me feel like more of a leper than I already felt.  Public illness is rarely pretty, but it happens.  I hope that lady on the platform is doing better.  Her day was clearly a lot worse than mine!

What the What?

What is going on with people?  First we find out about General Petraeus and his extra-marital affair and then we find out the Elmo guy, Kevin Clash, had an inappropriate relationship with a 16-year-old.  Ugh.  Some folks just have trouble keeping it in their pants and, as a result, lives are ruined.  Sad. 

Country Strong

Lately, I've been having a country revolution of sorts. I am thoroughly enjoying A&E's Duck Dynasty. I find the show funny and entertaining and I'm glad to have another program to watch since White Collar, Royal Pains, and Burn Notice aren't on right now. Duck Dynasty might seem like a strange choice for a Detroiter in Brooklyn, but my tastes in television books, music, etc. frequently run against the norm.

Speaking of music, how great are Alison Krauss and Union Station? I love them! I am not a fan of country music, but I do enjoy Alison Krauss. Her voice is so beautiful to me.

I think we all should step out of our comfort zones from time to time and not be ashamed to admit the things we like just because they go against the expected demographics.

Over and Out

The election is over (thank God) and Obama won (thank God again). I'm sure many Americans, regardless of how they voted, are glad the whole shebang is over. The election process just dragged on too long. Too many commercials, too many debates, too much ridiculousness.

No Meat Below 42nd Street

Following the huge post-hurricane power outages in midtown and lower Manhattan, I've been warning my coworkers not to eat from establishments below 42nd Street.  Call me paranoid, but I just don't believe every resturant or grocery store that was out of power last week got rid of every single perishable food or beverage.  One of my coworkers laughed at me, but he won't be laughing when he has botulism!  (OK, maybe he won't have botulism, but you get my point.)  I have to give these businesses another week to get back up to speed before I buy food from them. 

In other news, I read people complaining on Gothamist about not getting little stickers that say "I Voted" after they voted today and I realized I also did not get a sticker.  I used to get them when I lived in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan (I believe), but nothing from New York.  Where's my sticker????  I hate to sound like a child, but a sticker would have been nice.  Thanks for nothing, New York Board of Elections!

Getting Back to Normal?

Things are slowly getting back to normal in New York.  At least many of the subways are running to and from Brooklyn again.  (Hooray!)  The gas situation still seems to be a problem.  I saw the super of my building leaving on a bike with a gas can in the basket on the front when I got home from work tonight.  That's not a good sign. 

I'm looking forward to election day tomorrow.  I do hope everyone who can vote does vote.  To quote the Occupy folks: This is what democracy looks like!  My sister recommended picking up a bottle of wine or champagne to enjoy while watching the results to either cry into or cheer in celebration of the results.  I'm hoping any tears shed tomorrow night will be tears of joy.

Priorities

The New York Marathon has been canceled.  Better late than never, I guess.  Why Bloomberg et al didn't make this decision earlier in the week is a mystery to me, but it's done and, hopefully, resources slated for the runners can be put in place to help people in need.  I suspect Bloomberg didn't anticipate the tremendous backlast he'd receive over his decision to keep the marathon scheduled.  A news report I saw said that huge generators that could power hundreds of homes were brought into the city to power marathon clocks.  What sense would it have made to use generators in this capacity when people in the surrounding area have no power?  Ridiculous!  At least with the cancellation, local government has shown that its priorities are more in line with the serving the public it was elected to serve rather than special interest groups like the New York Road Runners.

Commuter Chaos!

The commute from Brooklyn to and from Manhattan has been a challenge, to say the least, this week.  Yesterday, I was able to get on an express bus and travel with relatively little problem.  But not today!  Today was a clusterfuck.  I left home at 6:30 am and got to work before 9:00.  After waiting for about half an hour to catch the same express bus I'd taken yesterday, I walked to the F train station to try and catch a train to Jay Street.  After 15 minutes of waiting and no train, I caught a bus to the Barclay's Center.  That was a mistake.  With the lines for the shuttles wrapped long and deep, I ended up hopping into a cab with three other folks to get to Manhattan and it was well worth the money.  The ride home was relatively drama free because I was able to get in a bus near the start of the route and leave a little early to beat the rush.  I don't know what tomorrow will hold, but I'm glad it's Friday so I only have one more day of this commuter hell for awhile. 

Stupidity on Parade

I really think the decision to continue with the New York Marathon on Sunday is a mistake.  People are suffering in New York.  Why should valuable city resources be used for a bunch of runners rather than for the people who need them?  Sunday's race will be the epitome of stupidity on parade.  Shame on the marathon and city honchos who are pushing this event.  Ridiculous!