WordsWorth

Party at the casa and more, per my flat mate:
http://community.webshots.com/album/235423934MsbYnI


Today's Song: The Great Love Sound, the Ravonettes

one flake / snowstorm

"Pop, pop, pop, Bang. Pop, pop, pop, Bang. That's what you do, that's what you do when they slap you. Pop, pop, pop, bang. Hit 'em in the ribs. Learn how to do that and your make your mama a lot of money. lot of money. a boxer, a boxer. pop. pop. pop."

He laid along three seats with a small shopping cart in front of him. Gestured as he spoke to the 7 year old boy across the subway car avoiding eye contact. I avoided eye contact, too, concentrating on the "Best Smile in Town" add for orthodontics lining the wall of the train car. I was glad I wasn't alone. In our hands we held bags from Toys R Us with gifts for kids living in the shelters of the agency for which I work. I decided I much preferred the cuteness of homeless children to homeless men. But I wondered who needed more help, while also realizing who was most likely to accept it.

Toys R Us had not been in vain. Following a whirlwind weekend: working, again with kids gifts, late all week long, then prepping for the party ala emails ... and yes finally partying, (thoroughly enjoyed hosting all those who came out to our place!) a few of us found ourselves in the late night toy-store crowd. Immediately upon entering the store, one of us got in line while the rest shopped. Unfortunately, we were all so tired from the week and weekend's events, we weren't much for shopping. We were disturbed by the hokey pokey elmo and stuck with the toy staples of legos and play dough. Checking out, we walked out to snow on Union Square -- first time I'd seen snow live in New York City. It was freezing cold out, too - funny how that works. I had inadvertently left my umbrella at the restaurant, and as we headed back, Emily broke out in song. We all joined her, and were greeted with some odd looks as we waited for the light to change. We didn't seem to care much about our newly bought toys, or the cold weather, or the lack of umbrellas. What seemed to matter most was that we weren't alone. In taking part in giving out the gifts to the families, I've seen what seems to matter most to them - and the parents don't seem to be as moved by a box of legos for their kid or a doll here or there, but by the fact that someone else cares. That they're not alone, that they're heard, that they're human.

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow ...


Today's Song: One Great City, The Weakerthans

Where my thought's escaping

I come up for air on the weekends. After swimming through rush hour on the downtown train, crowds around 34th street and piles of memos, applications and spreadsheets, I breathe.

Sometimes breathing involves lots of sleep, lots of doing nothing, or lots. This weekend it was the perfect combination. Excessive amounts of sleep. Excessive amounts of fun. Adequate amounts of productivity. and thought. I wasn't ready to dive in again to the torrid sea of my job, and Monday mornings always feel much more like a belly flop, but here I am. Perhaps the best part of being at work today is realizing that it's become normal. Normalcy is also what I've realized has set into my daily routine. My apartment is now my home. It's all normal, I'm living it. Yet, it's anything but mundane. Concurrently I devote most of my thoughts to realizing how extra-ordinary it all is.

As I walked home late Thursday night I remembered to look down the streets I was crossing instead of strait ahead. I reminded myself to see what was in view all around me at the moment and keep from focusing just on the path ahead. Down the street, the buildings come to an abrupt end, as does the street. In the gap between the buildings the blackness of the East (?) River borders the horizon. Without fail, there is always a ferry breaking up the blackness, dotted with lights. And filling the view are the lights of New Jersey in the distance and Downtown Manhattan in the foreground. The vibrant lights breaking up the nothingness, signaling life are my everyday scenery. Like thousands of visible electrons, the dots of light are contained energy full of potential. Parallel to life. and I'm home.