Crazy People

 

I could not love this picture any more. I crossed the street to take a shot of this canvas hanging on the back of a truck on West Broadway, and this guy stopped in front of it just as I was taking the picture.

Art is so often created by happenstance.

Walking down the street with me is not a bargain. Those who know me well know my famous, “Go ahead, I’ll catch up.” Those who love me unconditionally (AKA, offspring and BFFs) smile and know this is just the price to pay for hanging out with me. I make up for it in other ways. Those who are married to me (the subset of one) are incredibly tolerant and will even stand in a situation for my amusement (and theirs later on).

So, this image begs the question, “Why are crazy people such good lovers?” Here is a little exercise. Jump out of lurking mode (I know you are all there, I check the stats) and feel bad enough for my sorry ass to leave some comments answering to one or more of the following topics:

1. Define crazy.
2. Decide if this makes you more likely to admit that you are.
3. In your experience, is there a direct correlation between being crazy and being a good lover?

Amuse me kiddies, I have had a tough few months!

 

Just pee on it and walk away

We came across this piece on the street and I am still wondering why I did not buy it. I am thinking I need to go back next Sunday in the hopes the vendor will be there.

I have read a lot of dog philosophy over the years, but none is quite as perfect as this.

Flat Cat on The High Line

I would like to start this post by assuring you that no animals were harmed just for a laugh.

We spent the afternoon on The High Line today. It was a glorious afternoon and there was a claustrophobic mass of humanity nice crowd out there enjoying the day with us. The thing about The High Line is that it was built after many of the apartments that are adjacent to it. I would imagine those who previously had lovely private terraces and windows facing what was an abandoned raised train track are now less than thrilled to have throngs of people strolling past their windows every day. I would also imagine that the window treatment biz picked up in this neighborhood after the completion of this extraordinary public gem.

I digress. One of these very not-so-private apartments facing the walkway had this cat wedged in between the couch and the window. At first a crowd started to gather and point in horror that this poor animal had been neglected and was now in its final resting place for all to see.

Until the little sucker moved. It sort of stretched and repositioned itself and settled back into its big snooze under glass.

This confirms my theory that cats are more than a little messed up in the head.

My favorite conversation:

Man: It’s not real.

Woman: Sure it is, didn’t you just see it move?!

Man: That doesn’t prove it’s real.

Me: (to myself of course) IDIOT!

Mannequin Love

I will never be bored. I will surely never be bored as a passenger in city traffic. On a ride with friends the other day we got stuck in some traffic and our driver was bordering on a full blown anxiety attack getting a little cranky about our gridlocked situation. I took the opportunity to start taking pictures that would amuse her.

Our other passenger was fairly convinced that we must have been stopped near a methadone clinic by the looks of the parade of people that passed by our windshield. Quite disturbing.

I loved this window. It was up on the second or third floor so it was hard to get a clear shot. But you can almost see the romance and heat between these two.

I know, now you all want to take me on a road trip.

Miss Friday

I wonder why I don’t go to the flea markets every weekend.

This pic was taken at a pretty seedy outdoor market in Chelsea where most of the stuff looked like it came out of the back of my parents garage. Again, this is an item I wish I had purchased. This would look great in the new office and who doesn’t want a headless secretary. Oh wait, people want a secretary that gives good head… never mind. (cheap, I know)

I particularly like the way she has her hand on her hip with an air of WTH do you want attitude. Take a look at the red and blue buttons in front of the hand. Do you think those are panic buttons? And the name plaque on her desk is the best. Oh how I covet this little tinny item.

I need to go back to this place and see if they still have her. She really is perfect. And honestly, who else would want this besides me?

 

Land Shark on Mott

Just another sunny afternoon walking through Soho. Hey, even a land shark needs to shop once in awhile. And this one was trendy at that… a Calypso bag! Gotta love a shark with a big budget. I am sorry I did not catch the full twitter handle on his shirt.

I love NY indeed!

I consider it a gift of the universe when I walk out of a parking garage, rushing between meetings and I come across something like this. This happens to other people, right?

I am pretty sure I heard him muttering under his breath ‘Plumber, ma’am’, but I could be mistaken.

Set Yourself Free

Spotted on West 14th Street. Hey, for the price of an iPad you can rid yourself of that pesky spouse.

What is this world coming to?

Everybody Loves a Girl Fight Vol. 3

For those who have not been reading all along, I became educated on the sociological fascination that men have with girl fights when my son was the tender age of 15. You can read the full story hear on the Vol 1 post, but the gist of the story is that although I thought my husband was being both a bad father and a neanderthal when he agreed with my son that everyone did, in fact love a girl fight, the notion was actually confirmed by almost every man we asked.

The Vol 2 post was yet another dinner chat where my brother in law chimed in that the best part was when their boobs popped out (which by the way has become one of the top search terms for this blog… G-d help me!)

Fast forward to yesterday when Jana and I were riding the subway downtown. Two young women got on the train at the same time. One sat down in front of me and the other stood by the doors behind me. The car was unusually quiet when this exchange began:

Seated girl: What are you looking at?

Standing girl: No what are YOU looking at?

Seated girl: Yeh, I know I am good looking you don’t have to stare.

Standing girl: No, YOU don’t have to stare (standing girl was not very creative)

This sort of hostile banter continued for a few minutes culminating in a ‘you/no you’ exchange until the entire car began to share in an anticipatory sense of awkwardness that left us all simultaneously uneasy and yet a little titilated. I am not going to lie, there was a part of me that was starting to think, “Damn, everyone loves a girl fight.” That is when I realized I have been living with Gary too long.

And I also realized that if there was going to be a girl fight I was directly in the line of fire and there was a good chance I could have had my picture on the cover of the NY Post the next day. “50-something mom gets knocked unconscious in subway girl fight” Subtitle: Everyone loves a girl fight except this mom.

But honestly, I sort of got the vibe that the whole train was thinking the same thing.

Of course Jana saw right through it and suggested that they were friends who were just trying to get a rise out of the crowd. As we got off at Broadway/Lafayette, so did they… together. And laughing all the way down the platform.

Sometimes the king…

… is a woman.

I thought the saying was, ” If the Queen had balls she would be King”.

But this sign was found somewhere in the Village and many a queen has balls there, so I suppose this clarified it all.

My daughter sent me this picture on my phone late last night. I thought this was some performance art or protest that she was passing on the street and found it quite amusing.

Until this morning when it became infinitely more comical when she told me this was a sign that she and her friends found in the garbage and it was actually them who were holding it up for her to take the picture.

Yup, this one is my kid for sure. There is no denying that!

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at 50-Something Moms Blog. For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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Subway Etiquette Posters

Now this is something I wish I had thought of. Kind of like your mother telling you how to behave before you ride the subway. Thanks to The Daily What and a tweet from my idol, @guykawasaki, I found these and just had to share. For all of us who have ridden the NYC subway system for years, this is a breath of fresh air.

From the Daily What:

Jason Shelowitz is presently in the process of posting 400 “Service Changes”-themed Subway Etiquette posters on behalf of the “Metropolitan Etiquette Authority” on trains throughout the city. He encourages subway patrons to keep an eye out for them and take them “before the MTA does.”

Too lazy to click the links? Basic story is that this guy surveyed 100 people about their pet peeves in the subway and created these posters to try to build some awareness and get people to behave better.

Kinda wishing that the guy on the F train in 1982 when I commuted from Forest Hills had read the physical contact one. I am still skeeved out by him. And the religious ranters? Seriously, must I listen to that AND be stuck next to the smelly guy and the not so noise cancelling ipod boy at the same time?

Looking forward to hearing more about these. If any of you spot one please snap a shot and send me the location. Would like to track how this works.

Haven’t had enough of me yet? You can also read me at 50-Something Moms Blog. For photo enthusiasts, visit Leaving the zip code, photos from outside the comfort zone.

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