Grateful, But Angry

I'm grateful to have health insurance and to be able to go and see a doctor when I need to.   However, I'm angry when my doctor (A) makes me wait 30 minutes in the waiting room and then another 10-15 minutes a private room before showing up and (B) sees me for 5 minutes and then tells me to come back in three weeks because the test results I thought I was coming in today to hear weren't available yet.  This is what happened to me today.  I was livid that I had to wait, bascially, for nothing and then pay $45 for the pleasure.  (Yes, $45!!!)  I really hate to bring the Detroit out on folks and I didn't go full D on my doctor for wasting my time and money, but I did give her a piece of my mind this afternoon.  All I ask if that if you make me come in for an appointment, see me in a reasonable time frame and give me some information I can use before you send me on my way.  I don't think that's an unreasonable request. 

Pigeons: Friendly Fowl or Urban Menace?

Is there even any question what the answer is here?  Urban menace, for the win.  Pigeons are gross.  I have no love for them or any other bird.  The sound of wings flapping is enough to send me running in the opposite direction.

 Every time I walk to my local Ft. Hamilton Parkway subway station, I have to walk (or run) beneath a viaduct where a horde of pigeons have taken over.  Last year, someone (the city or the MTA) came out and cleaned the viaduct, removing the pigeons and their crap from the overhead area where they congregate.  But once the cleaners were done, the pigeons just came back and continued breeding and shitting over everyone and everything.  Between the crapping and the flapping, these birds are a nuisance!  And, even worse, some guy who hangs out with the newspaper salesman at the station keeps feeding them.  I see him out there in the morning, giving the birds bread.  Dude, this isn't helping! 

Newsflash: It's Cold!

Last week, the media was in a frenzy over the flu epidemic, and now the frigid temperatures have them all in a tizzy.  It's January.  It's winter.  It's cold.  Why is this news?  I have Channel 2 on now and the opening story at 6:00 was about the weather.  It's not even snowing!!!  It's just cold!!!  Why is this breaking news???  Maybe I'm de-sensitized about cold weather because I'm from Michigan, but it seems ridiculous to have reporters on the street interviewing folks just because it's cold outside.  And it's January.  And it's winter.  I suppose next week there will be something else to whip people into a frenzy about. 

Silver Linings Playbook

I finally got around to seeing "Silver Linings Playbook" over the weekend and, for the most part, I enjoyed it.  But, as a friend commented after she'd seen it, "Mental illness isn't funny."  No, it isn't.

The first part of the movie is very good and Bradley Cooper certainly steps up to the plate.  I actually think his performance was better than Jennifer Lawrence's, yet she's the one getting all of the praise.  Whatever.  Bradley brings the dysfunction and he's a better actor than people give him credit for.  If you've ever dealt with anyone who's mentally ill, you know that when they get off the meds, chaos often follows.  But while the first half of the movie dealt, realistically I believe, with mental illness, the movie quickly descended into Hollywood tripe with feel-good racially diverse friendships and a dance competition that, in real life, Bradley and Jennifer would never have been allowed to compete in. 

Still, it was nice to see Philly and its surrounding suburbs shine, particuarly the Llanerch Diner.  I used to drive past that place a lot when I lived off of City Avenue and in Delaware County. 

A Blanket and a Box

Yesterday morning, I noticed a homeless man had a made a home for himself near the entrance of the F train station at Ft. Hamilton Parkway.  As someone who has taken the F train at this station since I moved to Brooklyn a little more than three years ago, I'd never seen any homeless folks sleeping there...until yesterday.  When I came home from work last night, the man was gone, but his dingy blanket and cardboard box were still there, awaiting his return.  This morning, the man was back, sleeping in the corner covered by his blanket and his box. 

I have a serious problem with the homeless taking up space in my local subway station.  Once one guy comes in to seek shelter from the elements, soon there will be others and eventually you'll have a tent city on your hands.  I'm ready to take action and call 311 to have someone come out and provide some assistance to this guy.  There are services available for the homeless and maybe Ft. Hamilton Parkway's latest resident can take advantage of these services instead of sleeping in the subway station. 

I stepped off the train tonight fully prepared to see the blanket and the box in its corner of the station and my plan was to come home and call 311.  However, I was wrong.  Tonight both the blanket and box were gone.  I don't know if someone beat me to the punch and called the law on the homeless guy, if he took off, or if someone just hauled his stuff away. 

The Flu Hysteria

I understand there is a flu epidemic in certain parts of the country (including New York City), but the media is totally hyping this.  People aren't falling out in the streets because they're overcome by flu symptoms.  But if you watch the news, you'd think this was happening.  I'm so sick of these Chicken Littles in the media making an epidemic out of everything.  And, on a similar note, people, if you're sick, stay home!  Don't come to work hacking and miserable and pass your germs on to the rest of us.  If you're sick and you have sick time, use it!  That's what it's there for!

Matt Bomer

I can't believe I'm doing two posts today, but I just had to say a few words about Matt Bomer.  Since White Collar has been on hiatis (although it's returning later this month), I've been Bomer-less, but he showed up on The New Normal last night, so I was temporarily able to enjoy him again.  I have never watched The New Normal and, after watching last night's show, I see why.  The show wasn't terrible, but it wasn't that great either.  The acting (or whatever Nene called herself doing) wasn't great and the episode didn't make me laugh.  Still, I'm glad to see openly gay characters on TV.  It's a move in the right direction.  But back to Matt.  He was adorable as he usually is and he (thankfully) got a lot of screen time in various outfits during last night's show.  I met him a few years ago when White Collar was being filmed outside of the building where I work in Midtown.  I came downstairs in search of morning coffee, and there he was in his little suit standing by the escalators.  I was able to walk right up to him and talk to him and he shook my hand and asked my name.  I could barely look at him because he's so attractive, but I managed not to make a fool of myself.  I'm so glad he didn't turn out to be a dick.  He was sweet and I was happy.

Heir to the Throne

I read an article in the NY Times this week about Mayor Bloomberg courting different folks, like Chuck Schumer and Mort Zuckerman, to try and encourage them to run for mayor.  Since this is Bloomy's last year in office (unless he decides to buy himself another term), he's apparently concerned about his successor.  The popular belief was that Bloomberg would throw his support behind councilwoman Christine Quinn, but now there's speculation that this might not be the case.  Quinn, to me, is just a Bloomberg puppet.  We need someone new as the next Mayor of New York, not another Bloomberg wannabe.  Personally, I think Anthony Weiner should throw his hat in the ring.  Yes, he left Congress in disgrace over his Twitter crotch shots, but he can rebound from that.  He just needs to get out there and show he's changed and wants to move New York forward.  People are willing to forgive.  They might not always forget, but they will forgive.  Weiner could be a strong advocate for the city.

Excuse Me

"Excuse me.  Can you tell me how to get to..."  Since I moved to Brooklyn three years ago, I find myself constantly asked for directions by strangers on the street.  Rarely a week goes by that someone doesn't ask me how to get to a certain street or questions about how to get somewhere on the subway.  I have been asked for directions from all kinds of people:  black, white, Asian, hipster, Latino, whatever.  I've been asked questions in Spanish that I could not answer because my one semester of college Spanish happened a long time ago and I failed to excel in the language.  ("Ola! Me llamo Kim" is about the best I can do.) 

Because I'm frequently asked for directions, I've started to wonder what it is about me that makes me seem approachable.  Is it because I'm a woman in her early 40s who looks generally non-threatening?  I had this discussion with a friend's boyfriend who used to live in Brooklyn and he told me my glasses make me look smart, so that's why I'm deemed more approachable to strangers.  There are a lot of people who wear glasses in the city, so I don't know how much weight that theory holds, but I could see the glasses, my age, and the fact that I'm usually alone when approached all go into the way people size me up and decide to go for broke and ask me how to get to Carroll Street (or something).  We all go through internal dialogues when deciding how we deal with strangers.  Should I sit next to that person on the subway?  Should I tell that lady I like the boots she's wearing?  Should I ask that man if I'm heading in the right direction?  A few years ago, I was riding the elevator with a guy and I complimented him on his shoes.  (They were nice shoes--black Oxfords with a white border--very different from the usual boring business man's shoes.)  Anyway, this guy thought I was coming on to him.  (I wasn't!  I just liked his shoes!)  Now I'm wary of complimenting any man I don't know on his appearance.  I hate to be that way because I like to give praise where praise is due.

Talking to strangers, particularly in New York, is always a gamble. You never know what you'll get. You might get no response, a response you can't understand, curses hurled at you, hit on, or, lo and behold, an actual answer.

An Open Letter to Mo Rocca

Mo, what's going on?  You used to look so clean-cut and geeky (in a good way), but now something has gone terribly wrong.  It started with the hair that was a little too long and now it's progressed to some weird beard that just makes you look like a hipster hobo in khakis.  So why the change?  Mid-life crisis?  Boredom?  Caving to the whims of a significant other?  Or maybe you just prefer your new shaggy self.  As a fan and a viewer of CBS Sunday Morning, I am having a hard time coming to terms with your new look, but I hope it makes you happy (even while it makes me sad).