general

hurricane sandy

after watching ALL the news reports and predictions, sandy has arrived and it’s no longer a waiting or guessing game. it’s a watch and see and hide in your bedroom sort of thing.

so far, i’ve discovered:

(1) my bathroom window leaks.

(2) so does my living room window.

(3) my upstairs neighbors drop a lot of things. each time they do, my entire apartment shakes.

(4) there will always be people who confuse bravery with stupidity. in this case, it’s the college kids who live next door and who went whooping down the street just as the storm was picking up.

(5) ONCE UPON A TIME is a great show to take my mind off the storm raging outside. thank you, netflix instant.

(6) regular text messages from family and friends also do the dirty work of calming down my overactive imagination.

(7) the threat of the loss of power showed me just how much we all rely on technology and electricity. it’s scary.

mother nature is not someone to underestimate. i hope sandy didn’t mess with you all too much!

convos with strangers

conversations with strangers #44

strangers? why i’m talking to them.

i scanned the ground make sure the sidewalk in front of me was clear because i could hear footsteps behind me and i needed to know if i had clearance to shift my path should it become necessary (there’s always dog poop where you least expect it). up ahead, there was a man heading towards me. as i got closer, he smiled and waved.

i did not know this man, but he looked very happy.

our paths got closer still and as i prepared a hello, the footsteps behind me gained a voice.

oh! the man in front knew the person behind me. not me.

and with his “good morning, beth,” there went my opportunity for a conversation with a stranger and introduced my ability to look ridiculous* early in the morning.

*ridiculous = smiling and waving to a complete stranger.

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writing

guest post: david rakoff

david rakoff was an essayist, a journalist and a frequent contributer to NPR’s “this american life.” he passed away on august 9th.

as is wont to happen when someone passes away, their best moments are quickly strewn across the internet. like this post (yes, about writing. sorry to bore you all non-writers out there). i was blown away by the honesty. and the truth of it.

it’s pretty much how i feel, but thought i wasn’t allowed to feel that way.

*hopes*

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convos with strangers

conversations with strangers #37

i’m talking with some strangers … here’s why,

as i was filling my cup with coke, i looked to the side to plot out my next course of action: grab a top, a straw, and some napkins when all of a sudden, the coke decided to act like champagne and bubble out everywhere. i put the cup on the drain while it continued its fizzy thing so i could clean up the spillage on the counter and on my hand/arm. a woman was sort of hovering nearby.

me: oh, sorry. am i in your way?

her: don’t worry about it. i’m in no hurry.

me: *continues cleaning* *refills cup without spilling* *moves off to the side to organize self + put top and straw on the cup*

a girl, the daughter of the woman i previously apologized to,  siddled up to the fountain beverage machine and filled her cup with coke and wouldn’t you know it? her drink did the same thing as mine.

me: i’m glad to know i’m not the only one that happened to.

girl: *laughs* *cleans*

her: that coke is foamy!  i should have warned you. i saw it happen to her. *looks over at me*

i can’t help it if people learn from my mistakes, but refuse to pass along that knowledge, so i just nodded goodbye.

that coke was worth all the stickiness on my arm because once i stepped out into the simmering heat, it tasted even more glorious than usual.

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