South Of Someplace

Friday, July 12, 2013

Choices

If I had my life to live all over again, I would do most of the same things and make most of the same choices. And that's about the best feeling that there is.

I got a chuckle from each of these three T-shirts. I saw them all yesterday while running errands.

"Sorry if I'm slow - I get paid by the hour."

"Don't do drugs - smoke weed!"

"Billionaire In Training"

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

An Eventful Day

It's been an eventful day in the city. After my lesson with esteemed tango master Diego Di Falco, I saw six beautiful young women sitting on a bench in the hallway. They were queueing to audition for a role in the next Superman movie.

I walked toward Times Square as a light rain abated. I saw The Naked Cowboy and his new sidekick whom I'll call The Underwear Indian. Use your imagination.

I walked several blocks and crossed a few avenues. A group of people had gathered on a street corner. As I drew closer I saw a young man - probably from Mexico, Honduras, or Guatemala - lying on the pavement beside a toppled bicycle. The man was moaning and convulsing, possibly due to a traumatic head injury.

A security guard from one of the neighboring buildings was standing over the man reaching downward with his right hand. The shaking man was holding onto the guard's index finger. The kindness of the gesture moved me to the edge of tears. Eventually an ambulance arrived.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

The City

I walked out of Penn Station at 11:30 pm and marveled at how hot New York can become in July. I walked a couple of blocks to the subway station where the temperature must have been close to 120F. The exterior temperature seemed mild by comparison.

I waited about eight minutes for the train to arrive. By then, sweat was pouring down my face to the point where it became difficult even to see. My shirt was drenched, as was the handkerchief that I used to wipe my brow.

I entered a subway car occupied by a homeless man who smelled of concentrated urine. It was a strong smell but not nearly the worst that I've encountered.

I switched cars at the next station and rode for a while enjoying the air conditioning. I kept my suitcase close to my legs to it would tip over as the train shifted over the tracks.

At my stop I noticed a shapely young woman in black tights and a sleeveless leopard-print top walking elegantly up the stairs, and I realized for the twenty-thousandth time that although the city has its challenges, it has it's rewards as well.

Getting Back Into Shape

I have enjoyed getting back into shape this summer, running mile after mile through the city, feeling more energetic and watching my spare tire fade away. Now I just have to figure out how to avoid turning back into a marshmallow this winter.

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Fireflies

I stood outside this evening for nearly an hour watching the stars and the fireflies, enjoying the scent of wildflowers in the thick summer air, listening to the repeated calls of an owl from a hillside across the valley. It was so amazingly beautiful!

Five Mile Jog

Earlier today I jogged five miles on the same route where I took my very first five-mile jog decades ago. The experience was humbling and exhilarating, just as I recalled.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

The Egyptian Revolution

Egypt is going through its second revolution in as many years. As many as fifteen million (!) citizens took to the streets to protest the actions and policies of President Morsy. And the Army responded by removing the president from office.

The constitution was suspended, and a civilian justice from the Supreme Constitutional Court was put in charge to distinguish the change of power from a military coup. It's always tricky when the military intervenes, but when it's driven by an enormous popular uprising, it's difficult to question the legitimacy of the turnover of power.

This is history in the making, and we saw it unfold on TV. European TV. CNN was very late to the party. They were too concerned with covering the George Zimmerman trial, i.e. 'Television News For Idiots'.

The Truth About Food

Pepperoni - proof that the worse a food is for your body, the better it tastes!

Art on the Fourth of July

Fourth of July

I spent part of the afternoon wandering the streets of Manhattan and appreciating one of my favorite art forms - the female form.