Taking things one day at a time, I suppose is a better title than doing time.
I am still waiting for the Board of Education to call or contact me. Today was another day with nothing much to do. I just realized that I had my camera in my backpack today while I went out for a walk. I thought that I’d left it on my desk. So, needless to say, I did not take any photos today. I was just planning to walk around my neighborhood, but I ended up walking further than planned.
I started my walk walking to the internet shop. I checked my e-mail and sent out the URL to the photo page for those Pen pals who might have forgotten my old web site. Opps! I just realized that some did not receive the URL. Sorry! Since I returned to New York, I am missing some e-mail addresses. I gave away my old computer (with the e-mail addresses) still inside.
After briefly surfing the internet, I’d planned to walk around the nearby park (which is what I did yesterday). Not a very exciting plan is it? My starting point was 125th street and 5th avenue (I’d already walked 10 city blocks to reach the internet shop). From the internet shop, I walked down 5th avenue to 110th street (the Northern entrance to Central Park).
Since I hadn’t eaten lunch, I went to a local store. Another thing I missed about Japan, the convenient stores. In Japan, I could just walk into a convenient store and buy an onigiri (a rice ball packed with meat and wrapped in seaweed) and tea. A healthy meal when you don’t have time to fix a meal. I was hungry, but I wanted to try to eat something healthy. My first choice was a hamburger with fries and a soda meal set at a place called “Mama’s Chicken”. However, there was no “Mama”, just a short Spanish guy in a greasy apron who had difficulty understanding the customer on line saying “meal order #9”. There was a bit of a crowd, and all of the choices were one greasy sandwich combo with fries and a soda. Next door, there was a Bodega (the poor man’s convenient store). A Bodega is a small store usually owned and operated by a Hispanic person (or persons). In the Bodega, I was surprised to find fruit salads. However, 1. I wanted something solid that would fill my stomach, and 2. the salad containers looked old and dirty. I passed on the fruit salads. As I looked up and down the racks and racks of junk food (cheap cakes, cookies, chips etc…), I got a little annoyed that I could not find anything healthier than the dirty looking fruit salad. So being in a pouting mood, I bought a granola bar and orange juice, and kept thinking how much I wanted a rice ball.
At the entrance to the Northern part of Central Park, I was planned to walk around the duck pond (Harlem Meer) located at the North of Central Park, but since I did that yesterday, I decided to walk a little further. I ended up walking around the Central Park Reservoir, and then I walked back home to cook dinner. In total, I walked about 2 hours.
My plan was to walk; cook dinner then relaxes in the bath. However, things just don’t seem to go according to plan. After I’d finish cooking (spaghetti), my father told me to not wash the dishes. It seems his lady friend suggested that his grandson should help around the house. I’m thinking to myself….Oh, great!
Sorry, I just deleted about a page of explaining. I forgot that this blog is about my situations. I really shouldn’t be writing about other people, especially without their permission. However, if it directly relates to me, then I think writing about someone else is okay, as long as I don’t use that person’s name, or picture without their permission. But I really should think carefully about what constitutes “directly relates to me”. Sorry for the confusion.
To make a long story short, I am not living alone, so I have to share the facilities. This also means that the facilities may not be to my “different” standards.
Well, I think that is about it. Tomorrow, I plan to return to the mall in Jersey City. However this time, I will be taking a different route. Until next time…
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Missing the full picture…Or, not all there.
For some reason, the photos that I attached to the previous blog entry are not showing. Oh well, I am not the brightest person. In a few days, I will put the photos up on my other web site; yes the one that is in need of a major over-haul. Maybe I’ll attach just one photo (when I have photos to attach) to each blog entry.
It has been a few days since my last entry. There was not much for me to write about. However, I’ll try to do a recap. Mainly, I am still waiting for the Board of Education to call to let me start substitute teaching (at least until I can reapply for my State Teaching License). Unfortunately, I let my license expire. On to the time killing activities.
On Monday, I went food shopping. Strange, for someone without a job, I seemed to be spending money like I am the richest man in the world. I don’t know why, but I was in a little bit of a good mood, and spent more money than I should have spent. In total, I spent about $83.00 on food. A lot of what I bought was what I thought the other people in the household would like to eat.
Okay, you know what? It has been about 3 days, I have forgotten what I was planning to write, so I am not going to even try to pretend. I’ll just mention the points that I wanted to mention and move on from there.
Yesterday, or the day before…actually, it was Monday. My father decided to teach his grandson a lesson about showering, so he has been setting time limits. First it was 30 minutes, then 20, and today it was 15 minutes. I got angry with my father on Monday when he started shouting at his grandson to hurry up and finish in the shower. That shouting has been my wake up call (literally) for the last few days. Monday was the worst. Every 15 minutes or so, my father would shout at his grandson. I would wake up, then drift back to sleep only to have my father shout again. On Monday, I had had enough so I shouted to my father, “would you please stop shouting”. Wow, even when I’m angry, I can still be incredibly polite.
I was about to go into a tangent about the situation here, but I think I should stick to the situations that apply mainly to me. So, I’ll just briefly summarize…………….never mind. I just deleted the last part of this paragraph. How about I write about my day today.
Today, I treated myself to lunch at the soul food restaurant in my neighborhood. Strange (to say the least), I was told that this restaurant is owned by a Chinese company. Also, I was told that Silvia’s (a famous restaurant here in Harlem), is now also owned by a Chinese company. Back to my day.
After lunch, I rode the train downtown to the Brooklyn Bridge. I decided a couple of days ago (one of the things that I forgot to write about) that I would get out and try seeing some of the city that I’ve lived in for most of my life, but I haven’t seen too much of. And, since I have this blog, visiting places in and around the city would give me something to write about. Although I’ve been over the Brooklyn Bridge a few times, I decided to go again.(this time with a camera). My main reason for going downtown was to buy an external floppy drive. When I bought the second-hand computer I am now using, I did not think I would need a floppy. I have a couple of flash memory drives. Unfortunately, the library I go to has to kept up with the rest of the computing world. A the library, the computers will only let the user use a floppy disk to save, everything else is not accessible for the average library customer. And now that I have an external floppy drive, well, it doesn’t matter at the moment. Out of the 6 computers, 4 of them are out of order. And, the computer I was on today was moving so slow, I think it is only a matter of time before that one breaks.
Well, it is getting late. So, just a quick summary. I walked along the Brooklyn Bridge. Then later, I walked to Canal Street, I thought I could find a cheap second-hand floppy drive, but when I started wandering around Chinatown, I decided to walk back to the Brooklyn Bridge area (City Hall) and bought a new floppy drive. And since I could not buy one or two floppy disks, I bought a box of 10 floppy disks. Now, knowing my luck, the library will probably replace the old computers with computers that use flash drives.
After I returned home from the Brooklyn Bridge area, I cooked dinner (beans & rice, mustard greens, and broiled chicken).
Until next time….
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Sunday, September 25, 2005
A continuation of "Red, White, and Blue...."
Well, this morning seems colder and cloudier here in New York. Well, onto the continuation of my previous blog entry, “Red, White, & Blue. And yes, stress too.”
After arriving at the Mall station in Jersey City, I planned to buy my return ticket first (and get any problems over with), it is here where the station attendant explained the ticket machine to me. Since I wanted a single ride, I could only pay at the time I am about to get on to train. There is a few second time limit. No ticket. No receipt. No proof of purchase. With no attendant around, this is (in my opinion) an incredibly stupid system.
From the station to the mall, it is about a 7 minute walk. For some reason, the builders built an office complex between the station and the mall. Therefore, to go to the station, you have to walk through the office complex. So…..I walked through! Once in the office building and up the escalator there is a pedestrian bridge connecting the office building with the mall. There is a double door separating the office building from the bridge. Only one way to go! No other way around!
You are probably saying, “why is he writing about the passage to the mall?!?!?
As I am riding up the escalator, I can see a group of 5 or 6 people standing and conversing in front of the double doors! Stupid *****!!! The only way for me to go pass is to say excuses me. How stupid and inconsiderate does a person (or persons) have to be to not realize that standing in front of the only doors around is not a good idea. Second place has to go to the security guard – who waits until after I walk pass, to tell the group that they should not stand there. Yes, he was already standing on the floor, so he knew they were there before I got off of the escalator. Sorry, old age is making me increasingly cranky.
My nephew just arrived. He knocks instead of using his key, so my father has started yelling. And the phone just rang. And now he is yelling about keeping clothes…never mind!
Once in the Mall, it looks pretty much the same as I remembered it. The first place I planned to go is my favorite place….the food court! But before I get on line to order at my favorite restaurant, I decide to go to the bathroom. As I walk past the woman’s bathroom, I silent laugh to myself, and think about how glad I am to not have been born female. There is a line of 8 to 10 women waiting outside to use the bathroom. While I am looking at the women’s line, I am trying not to smile. I was telling myself that I’ll be in and out of the men’s bathroom before the next woman on line. I open the men’s bathroom, and…There is a line! There are four men before me, and two toilets. Am I bothered, no not really. The line is still shorter than the women’s line. So I decide to wait. I am a little slow, and I am not very bright. It is only after a couple of minutes does it occur to me that the doors (and the dividers) around the toilets have been removed! I have a shy bladder, and I realize that I really didn’t have to go to the bathroom.
I ate lunch at “Panda Express”. I love their Chinese food. I had the 2-item combo. With the main dish of fried rice (or lo mein), you have a choice of any two combinations. I ordered the fried rice with Kon Pou chicken and sweet and sour chicken, and a melon juice. Good Lunch!
After lunch, I walked around the mall. Bought three white shirts, and a catalog. And I returned to New York. I guess you can tell that I am now tired of typing. But I have one more anecdote.
I took the PATH train back to New York; I got off at 14th street. For those of you who don’t know, 14th street is downtown. I planned to go to the nearby McDonald’s. I’d wanted to go back to the “Panda Express” but I did not want to look like a pig, and the lines for Burger King in the food court were too long. So, to McDonald’s I went.
Inside I could see, there were about 2 customers eating, two customers on line, and one cashier. Not bad I told myself. I’ll be in and out in no time. I go inside the place is one of the big ones maybe 50 or 60 seats on the first floor, with more seats upstairs. There are 5 cash registers, but only one cashier on duty. As I approach the line I quickly realized that I will probably be writing a longer blog. First the staff. About 5 employees all in their late teens (or early 20s). I think two are by the fry machine to clean it or change the oil. One is strolling and stacking trays. Two or three more are in the back. Lots of laughing and joking. Oh, and there was the manager who seemed reluctant to get angry, or take charge. He was the one who brought my fries and burger to the cashier. I felt like I was in a high school cafeteria with part-time students in charge.
But wait! There’s more. There was a woman customer with her daughter (?), her teenage son – he looked like a future basketball player. He was tall. The son was carrying his little brother (!?) The little boy was about 1 or 2 years old.
Now my father is arguing with his lady friend as I am typing this.
Well, the little boy wants to do something, so he is getting fidgety. The teenager puts down the little boy. The little boy takes two steps and falls on his face, he screams. The mother is shouting across the room to the daughter (who is now sitting at a table with another girl), “what do you want to eat? What do you want to drink? So while the baby is crying, the mother is shouting, a couple of employees are goofing-off by the French fry machine, only one thought comes to mind. But I just deleted it from this entry. Sorry!
I was surprised. This…… “spectacle” is something I would only see in my neighborhood. But here I am downtown. What has happened while I’ve been out of the country?
Oh, you are probably asking why I stayed. I knew that once I got on the train, it is not really a good idea to be outside in my neighborhood after dark. See the previous blog. Also, my father decided to cook. What did he make? Red kidney beans, white rice…it would have added nicely to the title and the theme of this blog if the final ingredient was something blue, but no. The final item on the menu was…cow feet! No, that is not a typo. According to my father, cow feet (although they look like pigs feet), they are healthier.
After eating, I go to the train station and wait for the uptown express. I watch as two local trains arrive, and I see many people getting on the local. I am also standing next to a sign that says that all trains will be running on the local track. So the next train that comes…a local, I get on. 2 or 3 minutes later while the train I was riding is at a local station, the express zooms past. ****!!!
Well, that it for now. I am not sure how the photos will save on this blog, so I will just briefly describe them in the order they were taken:
The golden globe was moved to the park in Bowling Green Park. It used to be located at the World Trade Center site.
Korean War Memorial
A couple of photos of the Statute of Liberty seen from Manhattan island.
Glass atrium that is all that remains (I think) of the Twin Towers.
Various photos taken around the perimeter of the former WTC site.
Various photos of the posters of the WTC site.
One way sign strange composite. Charred building (draped in a flag), and charred street signs almost to nowhere.
My Panda Express lunch
A photo of 14th street station.
My refund ticket for the PATH train.
Well, this morning seems colder and cloudier here in New York. Well, onto the continuation of my previous blog entry, “Red, White, & Blue. And yes, stress too.”
After arriving at the Mall station in Jersey City, I planned to buy my return ticket first (and get any problems over with), it is here where the station attendant explained the ticket machine to me. Since I wanted a single ride, I could only pay at the time I am about to get on to train. There is a few second time limit. No ticket. No receipt. No proof of purchase. With no attendant around, this is (in my opinion) an incredibly stupid system.
From the station to the mall, it is about a 7 minute walk. For some reason, the builders built an office complex between the station and the mall. Therefore, to go to the station, you have to walk through the office complex. So…..I walked through! Once in the office building and up the escalator there is a pedestrian bridge connecting the office building with the mall. There is a double door separating the office building from the bridge. Only one way to go! No other way around!
You are probably saying, “why is he writing about the passage to the mall?!?!?
As I am riding up the escalator, I can see a group of 5 or 6 people standing and conversing in front of the double doors! Stupid *****!!! The only way for me to go pass is to say excuses me. How stupid and inconsiderate does a person (or persons) have to be to not realize that standing in front of the only doors around is not a good idea. Second place has to go to the security guard – who waits until after I walk pass, to tell the group that they should not stand there. Yes, he was already standing on the floor, so he knew they were there before I got off of the escalator. Sorry, old age is making me increasingly cranky.
My nephew just arrived. He knocks instead of using his key, so my father has started yelling. And the phone just rang. And now he is yelling about keeping clothes…never mind!
Once in the Mall, it looks pretty much the same as I remembered it. The first place I planned to go is my favorite place….the food court! But before I get on line to order at my favorite restaurant, I decide to go to the bathroom. As I walk past the woman’s bathroom, I silent laugh to myself, and think about how glad I am to not have been born female. There is a line of 8 to 10 women waiting outside to use the bathroom. While I am looking at the women’s line, I am trying not to smile. I was telling myself that I’ll be in and out of the men’s bathroom before the next woman on line. I open the men’s bathroom, and…There is a line! There are four men before me, and two toilets. Am I bothered, no not really. The line is still shorter than the women’s line. So I decide to wait. I am a little slow, and I am not very bright. It is only after a couple of minutes does it occur to me that the doors (and the dividers) around the toilets have been removed! I have a shy bladder, and I realize that I really didn’t have to go to the bathroom.
I ate lunch at “Panda Express”. I love their Chinese food. I had the 2-item combo. With the main dish of fried rice (or lo mein), you have a choice of any two combinations. I ordered the fried rice with Kon Pou chicken and sweet and sour chicken, and a melon juice. Good Lunch!
After lunch, I walked around the mall. Bought three white shirts, and a catalog. And I returned to New York. I guess you can tell that I am now tired of typing. But I have one more anecdote.
I took the PATH train back to New York; I got off at 14th street. For those of you who don’t know, 14th street is downtown. I planned to go to the nearby McDonald’s. I’d wanted to go back to the “Panda Express” but I did not want to look like a pig, and the lines for Burger King in the food court were too long. So, to McDonald’s I went.
Inside I could see, there were about 2 customers eating, two customers on line, and one cashier. Not bad I told myself. I’ll be in and out in no time. I go inside the place is one of the big ones maybe 50 or 60 seats on the first floor, with more seats upstairs. There are 5 cash registers, but only one cashier on duty. As I approach the line I quickly realized that I will probably be writing a longer blog. First the staff. About 5 employees all in their late teens (or early 20s). I think two are by the fry machine to clean it or change the oil. One is strolling and stacking trays. Two or three more are in the back. Lots of laughing and joking. Oh, and there was the manager who seemed reluctant to get angry, or take charge. He was the one who brought my fries and burger to the cashier. I felt like I was in a high school cafeteria with part-time students in charge.
But wait! There’s more. There was a woman customer with her daughter (?), her teenage son – he looked like a future basketball player. He was tall. The son was carrying his little brother (!?) The little boy was about 1 or 2 years old.
Now my father is arguing with his lady friend as I am typing this.
Well, the little boy wants to do something, so he is getting fidgety. The teenager puts down the little boy. The little boy takes two steps and falls on his face, he screams. The mother is shouting across the room to the daughter (who is now sitting at a table with another girl), “what do you want to eat? What do you want to drink? So while the baby is crying, the mother is shouting, a couple of employees are goofing-off by the French fry machine, only one thought comes to mind. But I just deleted it from this entry. Sorry!
I was surprised. This…… “spectacle” is something I would only see in my neighborhood. But here I am downtown. What has happened while I’ve been out of the country?
Oh, you are probably asking why I stayed. I knew that once I got on the train, it is not really a good idea to be outside in my neighborhood after dark. See the previous blog. Also, my father decided to cook. What did he make? Red kidney beans, white rice…it would have added nicely to the title and the theme of this blog if the final ingredient was something blue, but no. The final item on the menu was…cow feet! No, that is not a typo. According to my father, cow feet (although they look like pigs feet), they are healthier.
After eating, I go to the train station and wait for the uptown express. I watch as two local trains arrive, and I see many people getting on the local. I am also standing next to a sign that says that all trains will be running on the local track. So the next train that comes…a local, I get on. 2 or 3 minutes later while the train I was riding is at a local station, the express zooms past. ****!!!
Well, that it for now. I am not sure how the photos will save on this blog, so I will just briefly describe them in the order they were taken:
The golden globe was moved to the park in Bowling Green Park. It used to be located at the World Trade Center site.
Korean War Memorial
A couple of photos of the Statute of Liberty seen from Manhattan island.
Glass atrium that is all that remains (I think) of the Twin Towers.
Various photos taken around the perimeter of the former WTC site.
Various photos of the posters of the WTC site.
One way sign strange composite. Charred building (draped in a flag), and charred street signs almost to nowhere.
My Panda Express lunch
A photo of 14th street station.
My refund ticket for the PATH train.
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Red, White, & Blue. And yes, stress too.
Sorry the title sounds a little bit corny. I have a splitting headache, so I am not sure how much I will be able to write at this time. I just returned from a day of walking. I wanted to relax in the bathtub, but if I didn’t start writing my blog, I would start forgetting some of the things that I wanted to write about.
My outside adventure began around 11am. I walked from my home to the bank (to withdraw some money); that is about a 10 city block walk. From the bank I went to the internet shop, to send the prewritten e-mails that I’ve been holding for the last few days. From the shop I was ready to take a train ride down to the World Trade Center site. However, before I went, I decided to make use of the bathroom in the Pathmark store. Here in the US, there are not many public bathrooms available, so you have to go when you can.
The train ride was uneventful going downtown. I got off the train at bowling green which is near the very tip of Manhattan Island. I wandered around Castle Clinton (the Statue of Liberty ticket office), I also walked around the park area. One of the photos I took was of the Korean War Memorial (located in the park). The line to ride the ferry to the statue of Liberty was at least a couple of hours waiting time. There was some kind of festival, but I did not stay to find out more. Here in New York, the weather was very nice, very good day to go walking. I walked from the tip of Manhattan along the Battery Park Promenade to the World Trade Center site.
Since it was such a beautiful day in terms of the weather, I ended up walking passed the WTC site. Also, it has been so long since I’ve been there that I’d forgotten its location. As I walked around the perimeter of the WTC site, I couldn’t help get the feeling that people were more interested in the collapsing of the Twin Towers than the people who died. I could be wrong. Most of the information was about the marvelous engineering of the buildings, and the history of the buildings, and a list of the dead people. Unfortunately, being at “ground zero” didn’t move me the way it should have. Sorry! It just seemed very “touristy”. There were a couple of guys (whispering [not shouting]) trying to sell photo-postcards of the planes hitting the buildings, but the people around just seemed to ignore them. Anyway, I took a few photos. Since I was alone, I am not in most of the photos. I asked a couple of people along the way to take my photo. I will either attach the photos to this blog, or I’ll attach them to my other web site (which is long, long, long overdue for an update).
After walking around the “ground zero” perimeter, I went to the PATH (the Port Authority of NY & NJ) station. My plan was to go to a shopping mall in Jersey City. In the station, the first thing I notice was how the station was very spacious (on the upper level) with not a lot of people in the station. I also noticed that there were no station attendants around; everything was automated. First, I went to the row of ticket gates on the North (!?!?) side. There was a little bit of confusion at the ticket machine, it wasn’t taking the money. Also at this moment, I couldn’t find the single ticket machine. Again, there were no station attendants around, only people complaining. Therefore, I decided to go to the opposite end of the station – South (?!?!) where there were almost no people. Without the people around, I was able to concentrate a little more. Apparently, the PATH system doesn’t have single tickets, so I purchased a two day pass – It cost the same as a round trip ticket. Please don’t ask me to explain.
*I later found out there were two single trip machines (one on the North!? and one on the South side of the station).All the rest of the turnstiles were for passes. About 10 turnstiles at each side of the station.
With my round trip ticket in hand, I walked over to the turnstile and inserted my ticket. And….the turnstile did not let me through. In Japan, you insert your ticket, walk through the turnstile, and pick up the ticket at the other end. I thought the system would be basically the same. I was wrong. When I couldn’t walk through, I stepped back and reinserted my ticket. This time the turnstile flashed green, so I walked through. But…..it did not return my roundtrip ticket! I looked around and again, there was no station attendant. Finally, after about 5 minutes, a guy in a blue shirt walked through the service turnstile which told me he was some kind of station employee. I waved to him (motioning him to come), but he ignored me. So, I started to shout, “help, help, could I have some help please”. He shouted to me, “no, no look for the red shirt.” At this time, I am afraid to leave the turnstile, because I wanted the machine to be untouched when the station attendant looks at it. In Japan, if there is a problem. The station attendant pops open the turnstile pulls out the ticket, refunds the money, and apologizes profusely. For some strange reason, I was expecting the same. I waited about 5 or 10 minutes more, when more blue shirts (one man and one woman) walked….or should I say strolled past me. I explain my situation. The man said nothing, however, the woman points to the phone which is about 3 or 4 turnstiles away. She shouts (she also does not want to come near me) for me the use the phone. I shout back explaining about not wanting anyone to use the machine. She shrugs and keeps on walking. After a few more minutes of waiting, I decide to risk a phone call. While I am on the phone, I have to shout a couple of times to people to not use the turnstile (the one with my roundtrip ticket inside).
I am trying to put you (the reader) into the experience, but with my poor writing skills, it is not working(this blog is turning out to be very long). I forgot to mention that while I am standing at the turnstile, several, I do mean several people are also having various kinds of problems with the machines or the turnstiles, most just seemed to accept the problem or forget about their difficult and walking through. One guy is shouting and cursing about how the machines are worthless junk. All of this is telling me that the machine problems are not rare. Today was my first time there in about 10 years, I felt like a foreigner in a strange country.
Anyway, after more time passes, finally I see a young woman in a red shirt kind of looking at me, but she also doesn’t want to approach me. Unfortunately, at this time, another guy next to me just loses his ticket in the machine (identical situation). While I am beckoning for her to come over shouting, “Yes, I am the one that call. I am the one who called”; I am trying to out shout the guy who is now complaining about losing his ticket. The young attendant explains that when the turnstile flashes green and says enter, you can go through the turnstile. Also there is a time limit, so if you delay walking through the turnstile will not let you in.
You might be asking, what color is the turnstile when it is not flashing green? The answer…………green. Is that stupid or what?
After the attendant waved the other guy through, I explained that I paid $3.00 (US). If I went through the gate, I would still have to pay again for the return trip. The young lady tells me:
The machine can’t be opened up
I can’t receive a refund.
Nothing can be done about the ticket
I am getting angrier and angrier. She is acting like this has never happened before. While she is talking to me, two other people are having problems, and one lady who can’t get change for a $20 dollar bill because she said that the machine won’t take her $20. The young station attendant tells me that I should step away from the turnstile and stand near the wall or she motions to another area by the ticket machines. She says that there is nothing she can do unless she sees the problem happen with her own eyes. But, how many people are going to go through the machine and stupidly put the same ticket in twice. I refused to moved, so…………….
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She calls the PATH police. At the time, I thought she was talking to her superiors. However, moments later, about 4 or 5 police officers come to the ticket gate. About 3 officers approach me; the others kind of linger in the background. The tall one seems to be the one in charge. I explain…again…my situation. And he asks me what I wanted.
To be honest, I really did not know what I wanted. I felt like I was in a strange situation where everyone around me seemed to be unfamiliar with this kind of situation, and they were looking to me to have a solution. I really did not know what to do. If someone had come to me (soon) and said something like “sorry, the boss is not here, you’ll have to wait about 30 minutes”, I probably would have said, forget it and just accepted losing the $1.50. But the longer they kept me waiting, the more I kept expecting (or hoping?!?!) someone would come and address the problem. But they treated me like I was being unreasonable.
After the officer explained that the machine could not be opened to check for the ticket, and that it was only $1.50. I took this to mean that I was supposed to do what the other people were doing, cursing the machines, or losing the fare. The officer also said that a refund was also impossible because “information would have to be filled out”. So again, he asked what I wanted. I just said anything. Anything! I just did not want my (now) 30 minutes to have been in vain. Then the officer suggested….
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A refund!!! But he said that I would have to fill out a refund card. I said I didn’t care. I yanked out a pen from my pocket waving it saying, “here I have a pen, just give me something to write on”. With that, the young lady attendant opens the pouch on her waist and pulls out…… a handful of yellow index cards, and asks me to fill one out. The actual title of the index card was “PATH Replacement Ticket”. She signs the ticket receipt and tears off my copy and hands it to me. I hand something back to her. She said, “What’s that”. I said, “It is an extra receipt. You gave me two”. She laughs and said, “oh”.
I just realize that I have to take a picture of the ticket as my proof of having visited the Twilight Zone.
It’s getting late….”Red, White & Blue” to be continued….
Sorry the title sounds a little bit corny. I have a splitting headache, so I am not sure how much I will be able to write at this time. I just returned from a day of walking. I wanted to relax in the bathtub, but if I didn’t start writing my blog, I would start forgetting some of the things that I wanted to write about.
My outside adventure began around 11am. I walked from my home to the bank (to withdraw some money); that is about a 10 city block walk. From the bank I went to the internet shop, to send the prewritten e-mails that I’ve been holding for the last few days. From the shop I was ready to take a train ride down to the World Trade Center site. However, before I went, I decided to make use of the bathroom in the Pathmark store. Here in the US, there are not many public bathrooms available, so you have to go when you can.
The train ride was uneventful going downtown. I got off the train at bowling green which is near the very tip of Manhattan Island. I wandered around Castle Clinton (the Statue of Liberty ticket office), I also walked around the park area. One of the photos I took was of the Korean War Memorial (located in the park). The line to ride the ferry to the statue of Liberty was at least a couple of hours waiting time. There was some kind of festival, but I did not stay to find out more. Here in New York, the weather was very nice, very good day to go walking. I walked from the tip of Manhattan along the Battery Park Promenade to the World Trade Center site.
Since it was such a beautiful day in terms of the weather, I ended up walking passed the WTC site. Also, it has been so long since I’ve been there that I’d forgotten its location. As I walked around the perimeter of the WTC site, I couldn’t help get the feeling that people were more interested in the collapsing of the Twin Towers than the people who died. I could be wrong. Most of the information was about the marvelous engineering of the buildings, and the history of the buildings, and a list of the dead people. Unfortunately, being at “ground zero” didn’t move me the way it should have. Sorry! It just seemed very “touristy”. There were a couple of guys (whispering [not shouting]) trying to sell photo-postcards of the planes hitting the buildings, but the people around just seemed to ignore them. Anyway, I took a few photos. Since I was alone, I am not in most of the photos. I asked a couple of people along the way to take my photo. I will either attach the photos to this blog, or I’ll attach them to my other web site (which is long, long, long overdue for an update).
After walking around the “ground zero” perimeter, I went to the PATH (the Port Authority of NY & NJ) station. My plan was to go to a shopping mall in Jersey City. In the station, the first thing I notice was how the station was very spacious (on the upper level) with not a lot of people in the station. I also noticed that there were no station attendants around; everything was automated. First, I went to the row of ticket gates on the North (!?!?) side. There was a little bit of confusion at the ticket machine, it wasn’t taking the money. Also at this moment, I couldn’t find the single ticket machine. Again, there were no station attendants around, only people complaining. Therefore, I decided to go to the opposite end of the station – South (?!?!) where there were almost no people. Without the people around, I was able to concentrate a little more. Apparently, the PATH system doesn’t have single tickets, so I purchased a two day pass – It cost the same as a round trip ticket. Please don’t ask me to explain.
*I later found out there were two single trip machines (one on the North!? and one on the South side of the station).All the rest of the turnstiles were for passes. About 10 turnstiles at each side of the station.
With my round trip ticket in hand, I walked over to the turnstile and inserted my ticket. And….the turnstile did not let me through. In Japan, you insert your ticket, walk through the turnstile, and pick up the ticket at the other end. I thought the system would be basically the same. I was wrong. When I couldn’t walk through, I stepped back and reinserted my ticket. This time the turnstile flashed green, so I walked through. But…..it did not return my roundtrip ticket! I looked around and again, there was no station attendant. Finally, after about 5 minutes, a guy in a blue shirt walked through the service turnstile which told me he was some kind of station employee. I waved to him (motioning him to come), but he ignored me. So, I started to shout, “help, help, could I have some help please”. He shouted to me, “no, no look for the red shirt.” At this time, I am afraid to leave the turnstile, because I wanted the machine to be untouched when the station attendant looks at it. In Japan, if there is a problem. The station attendant pops open the turnstile pulls out the ticket, refunds the money, and apologizes profusely. For some strange reason, I was expecting the same. I waited about 5 or 10 minutes more, when more blue shirts (one man and one woman) walked….or should I say strolled past me. I explain my situation. The man said nothing, however, the woman points to the phone which is about 3 or 4 turnstiles away. She shouts (she also does not want to come near me) for me the use the phone. I shout back explaining about not wanting anyone to use the machine. She shrugs and keeps on walking. After a few more minutes of waiting, I decide to risk a phone call. While I am on the phone, I have to shout a couple of times to people to not use the turnstile (the one with my roundtrip ticket inside).
I am trying to put you (the reader) into the experience, but with my poor writing skills, it is not working(this blog is turning out to be very long). I forgot to mention that while I am standing at the turnstile, several, I do mean several people are also having various kinds of problems with the machines or the turnstiles, most just seemed to accept the problem or forget about their difficult and walking through. One guy is shouting and cursing about how the machines are worthless junk. All of this is telling me that the machine problems are not rare. Today was my first time there in about 10 years, I felt like a foreigner in a strange country.
Anyway, after more time passes, finally I see a young woman in a red shirt kind of looking at me, but she also doesn’t want to approach me. Unfortunately, at this time, another guy next to me just loses his ticket in the machine (identical situation). While I am beckoning for her to come over shouting, “Yes, I am the one that call. I am the one who called”; I am trying to out shout the guy who is now complaining about losing his ticket. The young attendant explains that when the turnstile flashes green and says enter, you can go through the turnstile. Also there is a time limit, so if you delay walking through the turnstile will not let you in.
You might be asking, what color is the turnstile when it is not flashing green? The answer…………green. Is that stupid or what?
After the attendant waved the other guy through, I explained that I paid $3.00 (US). If I went through the gate, I would still have to pay again for the return trip. The young lady tells me:
The machine can’t be opened up
I can’t receive a refund.
Nothing can be done about the ticket
I am getting angrier and angrier. She is acting like this has never happened before. While she is talking to me, two other people are having problems, and one lady who can’t get change for a $20 dollar bill because she said that the machine won’t take her $20. The young station attendant tells me that I should step away from the turnstile and stand near the wall or she motions to another area by the ticket machines. She says that there is nothing she can do unless she sees the problem happen with her own eyes. But, how many people are going to go through the machine and stupidly put the same ticket in twice. I refused to moved, so…………….
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She calls the PATH police. At the time, I thought she was talking to her superiors. However, moments later, about 4 or 5 police officers come to the ticket gate. About 3 officers approach me; the others kind of linger in the background. The tall one seems to be the one in charge. I explain…again…my situation. And he asks me what I wanted.
To be honest, I really did not know what I wanted. I felt like I was in a strange situation where everyone around me seemed to be unfamiliar with this kind of situation, and they were looking to me to have a solution. I really did not know what to do. If someone had come to me (soon) and said something like “sorry, the boss is not here, you’ll have to wait about 30 minutes”, I probably would have said, forget it and just accepted losing the $1.50. But the longer they kept me waiting, the more I kept expecting (or hoping?!?!) someone would come and address the problem. But they treated me like I was being unreasonable.
After the officer explained that the machine could not be opened to check for the ticket, and that it was only $1.50. I took this to mean that I was supposed to do what the other people were doing, cursing the machines, or losing the fare. The officer also said that a refund was also impossible because “information would have to be filled out”. So again, he asked what I wanted. I just said anything. Anything! I just did not want my (now) 30 minutes to have been in vain. Then the officer suggested….
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A refund!!! But he said that I would have to fill out a refund card. I said I didn’t care. I yanked out a pen from my pocket waving it saying, “here I have a pen, just give me something to write on”. With that, the young lady attendant opens the pouch on her waist and pulls out…… a handful of yellow index cards, and asks me to fill one out. The actual title of the index card was “PATH Replacement Ticket”. She signs the ticket receipt and tears off my copy and hands it to me. I hand something back to her. She said, “What’s that”. I said, “It is an extra receipt. You gave me two”. She laughs and said, “oh”.
I just realize that I have to take a picture of the ticket as my proof of having visited the Twilight Zone.
It’s getting late….”Red, White & Blue” to be continued….
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Inside and Outside. Yesterday evening (at home) turned out better than I thought it would. Again, my father’s lady friend did not cook, so I went to the store to buy some steak. Here in the US, steak is much cheaper than in Japan. For dinner, I cooked steak, and I prepared a box of macaroni & cheese. The evening was again fairly calm, no arguing or shouting. The evening went nice, so there is not much to write about.
Oh, I almost forgot. There was a shooting across the street last night. About 10 bullets were fired. After the shooting, the area was full on police cars. One person was killed, one person was arrested, and one person escaped.
And people wondered why I went to Japan!?!?
Today, I did not do much. For some reason I was tired (in a bored kind of way). I mostly just stayed in bed. Around 4pm, I went to the library. Since I don’t have internet connection at home, I have to make appointments to use the computers at the library. Unfortunately, the computers at the library are not in the best condition. At the moment, there are 4 (out of 6) “out of order” computers. Also, the computers don’t let me use my flash drive.
After a fairly wasted session on the computer at the library, I went shopping. My nephew and I are drinking a little too much juice. We’ve been drinking almost a gallon of juice a day. Therefore, I’ve decided to ration the juice. I am going to try to make a gallon last two or three days each.
Since I suspected that my father’s lady friend would probably not cook, I bought some spaghetti sauce and hamburger meat. I planned to mix up some sauce to go with the leftover spaghetti pasta still in the refrigerator. When I arrived, I was correct. There was nothing cooked. So I cooked the sauce.
I watched a little bit of TV on a portable handheld television I bought years ago. Today, I really had to resist the urge to go out and buy a new TV. I’ve been telling myself that I should not be buying anything that is unnecessary until I start working. Even though I have not been working, I seem to be spending money like there is no tomorrow. Mostly, it seems to be food that I am buying. But, I have also been buying things that really could wait (like curtains, small carpet, small AM/FM radio, floor wax etc….).
Tomorrow, I plan to go to ground zero (the former location of the World Trade Center). I’ve been planning to go there for the last couple of weeks. I also plan to go to the Jersey City Mall. Today, I was planning to buy a JCPenny Fall Big Book catalog via the internet. But, since I have nothing to do, why not get out and do something instead of the same neighborhood walk I’ve been doing for the last couple of weeks. Walk to the internet shop, go shopping then return home and cook.
So….let’s see how successful I am. Hmm…writing my plan (as boring as it is) seems to be motivating me to follow through.
Walk to the internet shop to send the (very old e-mails) that have been sitting in my flash drive.
Take a train to ground zero.
Visit the Jersey City Mall to pick up a copy of the JCPenny catalog. I hope I still remember how to get there.
Return home and probably cook dinner.
Now, let’s see how this blog entry compares with tomorrow’s entry.
Oh, I almost forgot. There was a shooting across the street last night. About 10 bullets were fired. After the shooting, the area was full on police cars. One person was killed, one person was arrested, and one person escaped.
And people wondered why I went to Japan!?!?
Today, I did not do much. For some reason I was tired (in a bored kind of way). I mostly just stayed in bed. Around 4pm, I went to the library. Since I don’t have internet connection at home, I have to make appointments to use the computers at the library. Unfortunately, the computers at the library are not in the best condition. At the moment, there are 4 (out of 6) “out of order” computers. Also, the computers don’t let me use my flash drive.
After a fairly wasted session on the computer at the library, I went shopping. My nephew and I are drinking a little too much juice. We’ve been drinking almost a gallon of juice a day. Therefore, I’ve decided to ration the juice. I am going to try to make a gallon last two or three days each.
Since I suspected that my father’s lady friend would probably not cook, I bought some spaghetti sauce and hamburger meat. I planned to mix up some sauce to go with the leftover spaghetti pasta still in the refrigerator. When I arrived, I was correct. There was nothing cooked. So I cooked the sauce.
I watched a little bit of TV on a portable handheld television I bought years ago. Today, I really had to resist the urge to go out and buy a new TV. I’ve been telling myself that I should not be buying anything that is unnecessary until I start working. Even though I have not been working, I seem to be spending money like there is no tomorrow. Mostly, it seems to be food that I am buying. But, I have also been buying things that really could wait (like curtains, small carpet, small AM/FM radio, floor wax etc….).
Tomorrow, I plan to go to ground zero (the former location of the World Trade Center). I’ve been planning to go there for the last couple of weeks. I also plan to go to the Jersey City Mall. Today, I was planning to buy a JCPenny Fall Big Book catalog via the internet. But, since I have nothing to do, why not get out and do something instead of the same neighborhood walk I’ve been doing for the last couple of weeks. Walk to the internet shop, go shopping then return home and cook.
So….let’s see how successful I am. Hmm…writing my plan (as boring as it is) seems to be motivating me to follow through.
Walk to the internet shop to send the (very old e-mails) that have been sitting in my flash drive.
Take a train to ground zero.
Visit the Jersey City Mall to pick up a copy of the JCPenny catalog. I hope I still remember how to get there.
Return home and probably cook dinner.
Now, let’s see how this blog entry compares with tomorrow’s entry.
Stress, Stress and more stress. It’s coming and going. Yesterday, I went to the library to use the internet. The lady’s computer next to mine froze, so she started complaining how the service downtown was better than the service uptown….Duh!!! Then, she continued on with how she has had this problem before….And she continued talking about how it is important to not let these kinds of problems get a person distressed. And….then….she continued talking about how the library system were pretty sophisticated, but the machines were not.
While the woman continued talking I tried to get a free credit report. Here in New York, everyone is entitled to receive one free credit report per year. A couple of newspapers mentioned a web site that a person could visit to make a request for a copy on-line. I assumed that since a couple (two) newspapers mentioned this web site, then this web site should be okay. Unfortunately, I typed in my personal information then received a message saying “sorry, a credit report can’t be sent”. The message said that I would have to mail a request by post office. Now I am stressed about having typed in my personal information (Name, Address, Social Security Number, phone number etc…). Was it one of those fake identity theft web sites? While I tried to exit the web site…….the computer I was using froze. Now I am stressed about the identity information. And, while the librarian is dealing with me…the lady is still talking. The librarian, trying to solve the problem, shuts down the computer. When I tried to make a reservation for the next day on the registration computer, the program would not let me register; it kept saying that I was still active in the system. The librarian said that the program won’t let me register while I am “still active in the system”. Stress!
When I returned home, there was no food out, which meant that my father’s lady friend was not in the mood to cook. So, I went out to buy some chicken and Spanish rice. My father has a thing about freezing all of the meat until it is time to cook it. Personally, I don’t like that system. I don’t know what I have a taste for until I start cooking. With the meats all frozen, he has to take out the meat that he wants to cook hours before so that it can defrost. When I cook, I don’t bother with the defrosting/waiting game. I just go shopping.
After returning from the store, and cleaning the chicken, I discover that there is no butter, so I have to return to the store to buy butter. Stress! While the food is cooking, I wash the dishes that were left (by somebody). As soon as I finish cooking (but still washing dishes), my nephew is ready to eat.
Once again, cooking dinner seems to put everyone in a relatively good mood. The evening goes by fairly well, no arguing or shouting – not between my father and his lady friend, nor between my father and his grandson. I was expecting this to be one evening where I was not a referee or a spectator. Usually, the evening routine is for my father to find something to yell about to his grandson. I think it is very unfair for someone his age (71)to be taking care of a 17 year old. Anyway, everything seemed to be going nice…that is…until the phone rang.
It turns out that the nephew has been cutting (not attending) his PE classes since school started. This set the yell-a-thon into full swing. Oh, who was on the phone? The child’s father. I assumed that he called with the hope (and expectation) that his child’s grandfather would go to the school. Remember, the child is here only because there was no space for him at his mother’s apartment, and no space at his father’s apartment. How is it that kids can have kids, but can’t raise the kids they create. Rhetorical question.
This morning, my father and his lady friend had an argument about something so incredible trivial “a you said……., no I didn’t” argument, you would not believe it. About an hour after the argument, my brother (the one who arrived at 4 in the morning knocking on the door like a maniac, the one who put a hot pot on a plastic dish rack – Oh, I think you get the picture). He called to ask his father to pick him up from his sister’s house. He wants to stay here….here for a (he’s not sure how many) few days! Stress!!!
And the day isn’t half over!!!!
While the woman continued talking I tried to get a free credit report. Here in New York, everyone is entitled to receive one free credit report per year. A couple of newspapers mentioned a web site that a person could visit to make a request for a copy on-line. I assumed that since a couple (two) newspapers mentioned this web site, then this web site should be okay. Unfortunately, I typed in my personal information then received a message saying “sorry, a credit report can’t be sent”. The message said that I would have to mail a request by post office. Now I am stressed about having typed in my personal information (Name, Address, Social Security Number, phone number etc…). Was it one of those fake identity theft web sites? While I tried to exit the web site…….the computer I was using froze. Now I am stressed about the identity information. And, while the librarian is dealing with me…the lady is still talking. The librarian, trying to solve the problem, shuts down the computer. When I tried to make a reservation for the next day on the registration computer, the program would not let me register; it kept saying that I was still active in the system. The librarian said that the program won’t let me register while I am “still active in the system”. Stress!
When I returned home, there was no food out, which meant that my father’s lady friend was not in the mood to cook. So, I went out to buy some chicken and Spanish rice. My father has a thing about freezing all of the meat until it is time to cook it. Personally, I don’t like that system. I don’t know what I have a taste for until I start cooking. With the meats all frozen, he has to take out the meat that he wants to cook hours before so that it can defrost. When I cook, I don’t bother with the defrosting/waiting game. I just go shopping.
After returning from the store, and cleaning the chicken, I discover that there is no butter, so I have to return to the store to buy butter. Stress! While the food is cooking, I wash the dishes that were left (by somebody). As soon as I finish cooking (but still washing dishes), my nephew is ready to eat.
Once again, cooking dinner seems to put everyone in a relatively good mood. The evening goes by fairly well, no arguing or shouting – not between my father and his lady friend, nor between my father and his grandson. I was expecting this to be one evening where I was not a referee or a spectator. Usually, the evening routine is for my father to find something to yell about to his grandson. I think it is very unfair for someone his age (71)to be taking care of a 17 year old. Anyway, everything seemed to be going nice…that is…until the phone rang.
It turns out that the nephew has been cutting (not attending) his PE classes since school started. This set the yell-a-thon into full swing. Oh, who was on the phone? The child’s father. I assumed that he called with the hope (and expectation) that his child’s grandfather would go to the school. Remember, the child is here only because there was no space for him at his mother’s apartment, and no space at his father’s apartment. How is it that kids can have kids, but can’t raise the kids they create. Rhetorical question.
This morning, my father and his lady friend had an argument about something so incredible trivial “a you said……., no I didn’t” argument, you would not believe it. About an hour after the argument, my brother (the one who arrived at 4 in the morning knocking on the door like a maniac, the one who put a hot pot on a plastic dish rack – Oh, I think you get the picture). He called to ask his father to pick him up from his sister’s house. He wants to stay here….here for a (he’s not sure how many) few days! Stress!!!
And the day isn’t half over!!!!
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Not much to write about. I’m just going to write a few lines before my internet appointment at the library.
Room update. Sometime last week, I finally got around to waxing my floor. I was a little upset about the poor quality of the floor wax I bought. The minute I squirted it onto the floor, I knew it was a waste of money, it was some kind of water/wax mix. I put 3 coats of wax down, but the floor still did not have the glow my Mitaka apartment had. As for furniture, I’ve added a few pieces. The kitchen table that I bought when I was living alone (before I moved to Japan), I am now using as my desk. My old halogen lamp (also from my previous apartment), and a couple of cheap drapes round out the additions I’ve made to my room. Yes (you are probably thinking), the kitchen table and the halogen lamps (there were two -- one white and one green) were part of the junk collection that my father has stored here. Although I am now glad that he did save these things, I still think that he is holding onto too much junk. If he had gotten rid of the table and lamps, it would not have bothered me to buy new ones.
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I’m back! Well, I did not finish my blog entry before I went to the library, so I’ll finish up now, although there is not much to write about now. I like the system the library has for using the internet; you have to register in advance to use the computers. Unfortunately for me, the computers don’t have a USB port for my flash memory drive. I am really kicking myself for not getting the external floppy drive when I had the chance. I really didn’t think that I would need the floppy drive. Oh well, moving on….
My room is still in a just moved in (disorganized) state, so I have not included a photo yet. I have a general idea of the layout I want in the room. Maybe I’ll neaten up my room and take a picture to attach to this blog entry.
Yesterday, my father’s lady friend’s son’s girlfriend called to ask if she could use our stove because hers is not working. She was supposed to come today, but she called to say that she had a dentist appointment and she would be late. Later she called to change the time to tomorrow. Also yesterday, my father’s lady friend’s son (the one about my age) stopped by to pick up some of his things that were also being stored here. While he was here, he retold the story of how he injured his knee last year play wrestling with his sons. The injury was so bad that he required hospitalization and surgery. To briefly summarize, he said that when he came home, his sons were trying to impress their girlfriends by showing that they were stronger than their father. He showed them that they were not stronger, but he injured his knee in the process.
Back to me. This afternoon, after I went to the library, I decided to splurge a little and treat myself to lunch at a neighborhood restaurant. The restaurant is a buffet-style with soul food menu. After customers make their selections, they take their order to the cashier to be weighed. Today I ordered Caribbean chicken, Spanish rice, green vegetables, sweet potatoes, and a juice. My order came to $10.21(US). At this restaurant, they charge by the pound.
When I returned home, I took a nap (more from boredom than fatigue). When I woke up, my father’s lady friend had not cooked dinner. At first, I was not going to cook anything, but I realized that if my father was in a bad mood, there would probably be a lot of shouting and arguing – with me in the middle. I decided to make a quick run to the store to buy the ingredients for a spaghetti dinner. When I returned home, I could see that I’d made the correct choice. My father was glad when I said that I would cook spaghetti. Since everyone has a hearty appetite, I cooked about a pack and a half of pasta and a jar and a half of spaghetti sauce, which should have been enough for a couple of days…at least. I keep the pasta and the sauce separate until it is put on the plate, because if mixed, then usually the spaghetti dries out. Anyway, everyone seemed to have liked my spaghetti dinner. Unfortunately, my father and my nephew liked the meat sauce more than the pasta; they ate the sauce like it was a meat soup. Even before I’d finished washing the pots and dishes, they had eaten a couple of servings of the meat sauce, leaving less than a cup of sauce left. Now there is about 3 or 4 lbs. of plain pasta and about a cup of sauce. I think this evening was a success, it was relatively quiet. No shouting and no arguing. I am happy – relatively speaking and it only cost me about 2 hours worth of cooking and cleaning.
Now, what do I do with the pounds of plain pasta?
Friday, September 16, 2005
Final results of a day of cleaning.
Another blog entry for today. Actually, since I no longer have direct internet connection, the blogs are starting to bleed together. I have to first pre-type the blogs at home then go to an internet café or library to post the blogs. Oh, by the way, that also applies to e-mails. First I have to download the e-mails onto a thumb drive, then read and reply at home, then come back another time to post the e-mails. A pain in the backside. Yes, it is.
Yesterday, I washed the back room. I started with the ceiling, then I washed the walls. I took a break to eat a late lunch and go to the store – I needed more wash clothes to finish washing the walls. I was amazed by how much grease, dirt and dust I was able to wash away. I was expecting to only get the dust and some of the dirt off, but I was very surprised how clean the ceiling and the walls became. I also scrubbed the radiator. You would not believe how much dog hair was inside the grills. My father said that it looked like I painted the room. I will attach a photo. Now, I am going to the library to get a library card, so that I can use the internet. After I post these blogs, and send the e-mails. I will walk to the Pathmark store in my neighborhood (about 10 city blocks away), I need to buy some floor wax for my floor. I need to wax my floor. Then later I will wash the closet walls and floor. Then I will finally be finish cleaning. Hopefully, it won’t rain while I am at the store. Until next time…..
It’s all relative…more or less. There is a little bit of math involved.
Last night, my father’s lady friend’s son came by to visit (his mother). Her son is one year older than I am. Her son also brought his son to visit his grandmother. Why? He wanted his son to see grandma – or is it correct to say “to see his great grandma. First, let me say that the family is a very nice family. Each and every one of them has been a pleasure to know. Each one is generous, and would (I believe) go out of his (or her) way to help someone in need. Unfortunately, I was just a little troubled by the situation. Basically, a kid showing off another kid. Only the grandmother (or great grandmother) has shown real skill in raising children. Yes, I know so of you will see an irony in the previous statement.
I asked the son (the one about my age) how it feels to be a grandfather. I was surprised by the look on his face. Anger? No. Hatred? No. Embarrassment? No.
Confusion. In my opinion, the idea just didn’t seem to register. Looking at father and son, I couldn’t help getting the feeling that I was looking at a couple of guys (pals) hanging out at a friend’s mom’s house. The concepts of family, or responsibility just seem to vaguely hang in the background. I should have just let things go, but I was in one of my moods. During the course of the visit, I referred to the son as grandpa. “Grandpa, you must have a lot more responsibilities now. Grandpa, you must be feeling a lot older now. Grandpa, you must be feeling a little bit different now.” I think by the 4th or 5th “Grandpa” comment, the concept was starting to sink in…a little. The topic of the conversation changed. The son began to talk about the job tests that he had taken, and the skills that he had. What about the fatherly responsibilities? He did mentioned, “now that this one is 19, he is on his own. I just have 4 more to go.” When mom (or grandma, or ….I’m confused). When mom made a comment about his kids, the son quickly reminded her of another neighbor (or friend?) who had 7 kids (same age [I think]).
There was also a little bit of conflict. The 9 month old seemed to be hungry. The father said that he had already given the baby some milk. The great grandmother said that the baby needed more than just milk. I felt a little sad watching this 19 yr. old kid chew up fried chicken and then feed it to the baby. While this was going on, I think the father (the one my age) was playing with….uh…using his cell phone camera to take pictures of everyone.
While this was going on my nephew (my sister’s son) came into the kitchen area. His mother is the same age as I am. I think I am 4 months older than my sister. She recently gave birth to another child (her 3rd child). Wait! I think I am a few months older than she is. We might have the same birthdates. You are probably thinking how come he doesn’t know his sister’s age.
Actually, I am living with my former foster family. I’ve been a part of this family since I was 12. What about my original (or birth) family? There isn’t much information given when a child is put into foster care. However, I was lucky!?!? The agency gave me enough information to find my original (or birth) family if I wanted to find them. What information did I receive?
My mother was 16 when she gave birth to me, and my father was 32. I was born in Bellevue Hospital. I was placed in foster care immediately after birth. My first foster mother was Hispanic. Hey! I could have been bilingual.
Well, anyway. From my glowing birth information, you can see that there is not much worth searching for. It’s all relative….more or less.
Last night, my father’s lady friend’s son came by to visit (his mother). Her son is one year older than I am. Her son also brought his son to visit his grandmother. Why? He wanted his son to see grandma – or is it correct to say “to see his great grandma. First, let me say that the family is a very nice family. Each and every one of them has been a pleasure to know. Each one is generous, and would (I believe) go out of his (or her) way to help someone in need. Unfortunately, I was just a little troubled by the situation. Basically, a kid showing off another kid. Only the grandmother (or great grandmother) has shown real skill in raising children. Yes, I know so of you will see an irony in the previous statement.
I asked the son (the one about my age) how it feels to be a grandfather. I was surprised by the look on his face. Anger? No. Hatred? No. Embarrassment? No.
Confusion. In my opinion, the idea just didn’t seem to register. Looking at father and son, I couldn’t help getting the feeling that I was looking at a couple of guys (pals) hanging out at a friend’s mom’s house. The concepts of family, or responsibility just seem to vaguely hang in the background. I should have just let things go, but I was in one of my moods. During the course of the visit, I referred to the son as grandpa. “Grandpa, you must have a lot more responsibilities now. Grandpa, you must be feeling a lot older now. Grandpa, you must be feeling a little bit different now.” I think by the 4th or 5th “Grandpa” comment, the concept was starting to sink in…a little. The topic of the conversation changed. The son began to talk about the job tests that he had taken, and the skills that he had. What about the fatherly responsibilities? He did mentioned, “now that this one is 19, he is on his own. I just have 4 more to go.” When mom (or grandma, or ….I’m confused). When mom made a comment about his kids, the son quickly reminded her of another neighbor (or friend?) who had 7 kids (same age [I think]).
There was also a little bit of conflict. The 9 month old seemed to be hungry. The father said that he had already given the baby some milk. The great grandmother said that the baby needed more than just milk. I felt a little sad watching this 19 yr. old kid chew up fried chicken and then feed it to the baby. While this was going on, I think the father (the one my age) was playing with….uh…using his cell phone camera to take pictures of everyone.
While this was going on my nephew (my sister’s son) came into the kitchen area. His mother is the same age as I am. I think I am 4 months older than my sister. She recently gave birth to another child (her 3rd child). Wait! I think I am a few months older than she is. We might have the same birthdates. You are probably thinking how come he doesn’t know his sister’s age.
Actually, I am living with my former foster family. I’ve been a part of this family since I was 12. What about my original (or birth) family? There isn’t much information given when a child is put into foster care. However, I was lucky!?!? The agency gave me enough information to find my original (or birth) family if I wanted to find them. What information did I receive?
My mother was 16 when she gave birth to me, and my father was 32. I was born in Bellevue Hospital. I was placed in foster care immediately after birth. My first foster mother was Hispanic. Hey! I could have been bilingual.
Well, anyway. From my glowing birth information, you can see that there is not much worth searching for. It’s all relative….more or less.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Slow moving queues to nowhere.
Today I was planning to write about some of the service experiences I had today. It just so happens to be the exact same topic as the comment left by anonymous.
Today I went to the post office to cancel a couple of international postal money orders that I purchased when I first arrived back in New York (when I thought that I would be returning to teaching very quickly). Something told me to wait on line even though I only had a question. People look at you funny when you jump in front of them on line. Anyway, I waited until my turn arrived. The postal clerk said, “next”, and I stepped up to her window:
PC: May I help you?
J: Yes, I would like to cancel a couple of international money orders. Can I deposit those international money orders into my bank account, or do I have to ask for a refund here at the post office?
PC: If you want a refund, you will need to show two forms of ID.
*While I am searching for my wallet (it was in my backpack)….
PC: I don’t have any money.
J: Excuse me?
PC: I don’t have any money.
J: You don’t have any money!?!?
* It is about 2 in the afternoon…
PC: I just got here.
After waiting on line for about 10 or 12 minutes, I expected the PC to direct me somewhere, but she said nothing. She just looks at me. I could have returned to the line to wait for another available clerk, or I could have meandered over to another clerk. However, I thought that the PC should have directed me to someone who could have helped me. Yes, I know some who are reading this will say, “you should have opened your mouth. Well, each is entitled to his or her opinion.
I was going to give another similar example (same day minutes later) of service in my neighborhood, but I think that you get the general point.
Today I was planning to write about some of the service experiences I had today. It just so happens to be the exact same topic as the comment left by anonymous.
Today I went to the post office to cancel a couple of international postal money orders that I purchased when I first arrived back in New York (when I thought that I would be returning to teaching very quickly). Something told me to wait on line even though I only had a question. People look at you funny when you jump in front of them on line. Anyway, I waited until my turn arrived. The postal clerk said, “next”, and I stepped up to her window:
PC: May I help you?
J: Yes, I would like to cancel a couple of international money orders. Can I deposit those international money orders into my bank account, or do I have to ask for a refund here at the post office?
PC: If you want a refund, you will need to show two forms of ID.
*While I am searching for my wallet (it was in my backpack)….
PC: I don’t have any money.
J: Excuse me?
PC: I don’t have any money.
J: You don’t have any money!?!?
* It is about 2 in the afternoon…
PC: I just got here.
After waiting on line for about 10 or 12 minutes, I expected the PC to direct me somewhere, but she said nothing. She just looks at me. I could have returned to the line to wait for another available clerk, or I could have meandered over to another clerk. However, I thought that the PC should have directed me to someone who could have helped me. Yes, I know some who are reading this will say, “you should have opened your mouth. Well, each is entitled to his or her opinion.
I was going to give another similar example (same day minutes later) of service in my neighborhood, but I think that you get the general point.
Inconsideration.....More of the same.
This morning at 4am my brother (from South Carolina) came knocking on the door like it was the middle of the day. He said that he had to knock hard so that he could be heard. He seemed to have no idea that what he did was inconsiderate. When I suggested that he should have called first -- a phone call would not have awakened everyone because the phone is in my father’s room. He said that when he is on the move, he doesn’t like to stop for any reason. I was hoping that I would at least get an apologize, but no, nothing. Later, he made some fish. First, he started to use a frying pan, but changed his mind – putting the hot pan on the plastic dish rack, causing the hot pan to melt the plastic dish rack. He decided to deep-fry the single fish is a soup pot. And, he left the greasy pot for someone else to clean.
Why is he in New York? A grandmother who has custody of a child is suing him for child support. The woman believes that he is the father. He has to be at the court at 9am on Friday. He wants our father to drive him there. And…reminds our father that he should be at the court by 7am. Everything else seems to have no affect on our father, but the idea of paying for the gas just to go downtown, cause my father to hesitate at first, but the more he thought about paying for gas, the more resistant he became about driving my brother downtown.
This morning at 4am my brother (from South Carolina) came knocking on the door like it was the middle of the day. He said that he had to knock hard so that he could be heard. He seemed to have no idea that what he did was inconsiderate. When I suggested that he should have called first -- a phone call would not have awakened everyone because the phone is in my father’s room. He said that when he is on the move, he doesn’t like to stop for any reason. I was hoping that I would at least get an apologize, but no, nothing. Later, he made some fish. First, he started to use a frying pan, but changed his mind – putting the hot pan on the plastic dish rack, causing the hot pan to melt the plastic dish rack. He decided to deep-fry the single fish is a soup pot. And, he left the greasy pot for someone else to clean.
Why is he in New York? A grandmother who has custody of a child is suing him for child support. The woman believes that he is the father. He has to be at the court at 9am on Friday. He wants our father to drive him there. And…reminds our father that he should be at the court by 7am. Everything else seems to have no affect on our father, but the idea of paying for the gas just to go downtown, cause my father to hesitate at first, but the more he thought about paying for gas, the more resistant he became about driving my brother downtown.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
September 13, 2005
Moving slow….but at least I’m moving. I hope.
It has been a couple of weeks, but I finally have my own space…..sort of. Looking at my previous blog, I forgot that I was planning to rent a cheap room. I chickened out. The local Y was asking $55 (US) per night for a maxim of 28 days. Beyond the Y, I got cold feet about rent a room where I would have to s hare a bathroom and kitchen. Therefore, I decided to stay at my father’s place until I was working full-time.
Problem -- I’ll skip the list that is forming in my mind. The main problem is that my father has difficulty throwing things away. He often wants to hold on to things because the things might become valuable (or useful) in the future. I am happy to say that my father has started throwing things away. Finally! Once my father was willing to part with the junk pile, my brother and I carried the junk to the curb for trash pick up. Here in New York, trash is just left on the curb, and it is picked up by the sanitation workers. In Japan, an appointment has to be made, and an extra fee has to be paid.
The room is finally empty. Now, I have to clean the room. Today, I started cleaning the windows. There was so much dirt, dust, and smoke stains, that it took me about an hour for each window to be cleaned. I needed a steel wool pad, a brush, and a rag to clean the window frames. I was so tired, that I did not clean the window glass. I will have to clean the windows at another time. Tomorrow, I will wash the walls and the floor. I brought a short bristle broom earlier today. I will use that broom to scrub away the wax buildup, and other stains on the floor. I can also use the short bristle broom to scrub the smoke stains (and dirt) from the walls.
While I was cleaning, I noticed that my father’s lady friend had not started cooking. I assumed she was still mad at my father because of the argument that they’d had yesterday. But I don’t think it was the silly argument that they’d had – they are always arguing about something silly. I think the anger had more to do with the current living arrangement. I just moved back, and my sister’s son (not the sister with the house) has also moved in – My father said my nephew had to move in because there was not enough space in his mother’s apartment, and not enough space in his father’s apartment. Hmm…I won’t make any comments. Anyway, to make a long story short, for some reason, my father will put my nephew and me on the apartment lease, but he won’t put his lady friend on the apartment lease. Sorry, I am off the topic…..
After cleaning the windows in my room, I cooked dinner. I broiled pork chops, made yellow rice, and spinach. Usually, my father’s lady friend does the cooking. I usual wash the dishes. Since I’ve returned home, I’ve seemed to have fallen into the dish washer/bathtub washer and table cleaner. I think that maybe my father’s lady friend had gotten tired of being to house keeper, so when I arrived, I think she was happy that I volunteered (!?!?) to keep the kitchen and bathroom tidied. I should be honest, no one asked me to help out. It just seems to me that if I don’t do the above things, then they just wouldn’t get done.
Until next time….
Moving slow….but at least I’m moving. I hope.
It has been a couple of weeks, but I finally have my own space…..sort of. Looking at my previous blog, I forgot that I was planning to rent a cheap room. I chickened out. The local Y was asking $55 (US) per night for a maxim of 28 days. Beyond the Y, I got cold feet about rent a room where I would have to s hare a bathroom and kitchen. Therefore, I decided to stay at my father’s place until I was working full-time.
Problem -- I’ll skip the list that is forming in my mind. The main problem is that my father has difficulty throwing things away. He often wants to hold on to things because the things might become valuable (or useful) in the future. I am happy to say that my father has started throwing things away. Finally! Once my father was willing to part with the junk pile, my brother and I carried the junk to the curb for trash pick up. Here in New York, trash is just left on the curb, and it is picked up by the sanitation workers. In Japan, an appointment has to be made, and an extra fee has to be paid.
The room is finally empty. Now, I have to clean the room. Today, I started cleaning the windows. There was so much dirt, dust, and smoke stains, that it took me about an hour for each window to be cleaned. I needed a steel wool pad, a brush, and a rag to clean the window frames. I was so tired, that I did not clean the window glass. I will have to clean the windows at another time. Tomorrow, I will wash the walls and the floor. I brought a short bristle broom earlier today. I will use that broom to scrub away the wax buildup, and other stains on the floor. I can also use the short bristle broom to scrub the smoke stains (and dirt) from the walls.
While I was cleaning, I noticed that my father’s lady friend had not started cooking. I assumed she was still mad at my father because of the argument that they’d had yesterday. But I don’t think it was the silly argument that they’d had – they are always arguing about something silly. I think the anger had more to do with the current living arrangement. I just moved back, and my sister’s son (not the sister with the house) has also moved in – My father said my nephew had to move in because there was not enough space in his mother’s apartment, and not enough space in his father’s apartment. Hmm…I won’t make any comments. Anyway, to make a long story short, for some reason, my father will put my nephew and me on the apartment lease, but he won’t put his lady friend on the apartment lease. Sorry, I am off the topic…..
After cleaning the windows in my room, I cooked dinner. I broiled pork chops, made yellow rice, and spinach. Usually, my father’s lady friend does the cooking. I usual wash the dishes. Since I’ve returned home, I’ve seemed to have fallen into the dish washer/bathtub washer and table cleaner. I think that maybe my father’s lady friend had gotten tired of being to house keeper, so when I arrived, I think she was happy that I volunteered (!?!?) to keep the kitchen and bathroom tidied. I should be honest, no one asked me to help out. It just seems to me that if I don’t do the above things, then they just wouldn’t get done.
Until next time….
Thursday, September 08, 2005
September 8, 2005
Hello pen pal. Today I was feeling a little better. The stress is still here, but was much less. First, I went to a small internet shop. It is a little bit expense, but it is okay. I can visit the internet shop Monday thru Saturday (closed on Sundays and Holidays). Today I checked my e-mail. Then, I search information on the New York City Dept. of Education. Now that I have returned to New York, I plan to return to teaching in New York Public elementary schools. Today I went to the NYC Education department to find out what I would need to do to start working/teaching in New York again.
Unfortunately for me, the teaching licensing system has been changed. Basically, I have to reapply from the beginning (application, fees, references, TB test, fingerprinting etc….). The application processing fee is $50. The fingerprinting processing fee is $85 (but luckily, I did not have to pay the fee [my prints are already in the system]). I am not sure how much the TB test will cost, but I know it won’t be free.
After going to the board of education, I went to a book store in Midtown Manhattan. I wanted to buy another book, since I finished reading “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”. I enjoyed the Potter book very much.
At the bookstore, being there just reminded me how much I missed Japan. People can be so rude. On the train ride downtown, so guy purposely sat in between two seats so that no one would be able to sit next to him. Even when a man looked at the guy (and motioned to one of the seats) the “seat-hog” guy just stared at the man with a “Make me move” expression on his face. In the bookstore, people were sitting on the floor leaning on the bookcases as if it were their personal bedroom. Seeing me standing over them, looking at the books over, next to and besides them, did not give them the slightest inclination to move. While I’m on the subject, I am getting sick of going to the local supermarket where the cashiers often serve-up a side order of attitude with their service.
Sorry, I got side track….
At the bookstore (Barnes & Nobles) I bought:
Dr. Slump #3 (English Manga)
Sidney Sheldon’s “The Doomsday Conspiracy”
I was planning to buy Dan Brown’s Deception Point, but the store did not have it. I bought a Sidney Sheldon book, because one of my pen pals said that Sidney Sheldon was a good writer. I was a little annoyed at his (Sidney Sheldon’s ) book covers. On all (but 3) of his book covers, there is a woman being used like a prop.
After the bookstore, I went to Burger King. I hadn’t been to Burger King in many years. In Japan, there is no Burger King (that I know of). And at Burger King, yes, the cashier also served up a side order of attitude.
From the bookstore, I remember that I wanted to go to Citibank HQ to see if I could change my Japanese Citibank account into an American one. At the Citibank in my neighborhood, the bank representative -- another one with attitude [while I am waiting at her cubical for her to say something, she gestures to the chair and says, “sit”.] She had told me that I could go to Citibank HQ and apply for an international account. However, I was told today, that international accounts are only for non-American residents. I walked from 86th street and Madison Avenue to about 57th street and Park Avenue. I walked about 30 city blocks. On my way back home, I found another book store, and I was able to buy Dan Brown’s “Deception Point”. Dan Brown is the author who wrote “the Da Vinci Code”. I want to read another book written by Dan Brown to see if his other books are as interesting as “the Da Vinci Code”.
You are probably saying, “ wow, this is a long blog”. Well, 1. I am now typing this on my PC at home. Tomorrow, I will cut and paste it onto my blog site when I go to the internet shop. 2. I am writing this blog at the kitchen table because (earlier) my father informed me that he was letting my other sister’s son -- not the sister with the house. He is letting my nephew stay with us. What a surprise! He told me as my nephew was dragging his bag of clothes into the backroom. Luckily, after I threatened to leave if the backroom was not cleaned, my father has been cleaning out that backroom. As my nephew was unpacking his bag of clothes, my father came into the living room where I was watching TV (the only other TV in the apartment) and said; “you can stay here, until I clean up that backroom. Then, you can have the backroom and “ ” (nephew) can sleep in the living room until I can clean up the second room. At first I was a little annoyed that I was not told (until after the fact), a little annoyed that my nephew was encouraged to eat the food that I’d brought.
So why am I at the kitchen table and not watching TV – other than the fact (my opinion) that TV is earning the slang name “idiot box”. It amazes me (a little) what junk is on the TV airwaves now. Sorry, I am getting sidetracked again….
I felt bad for my nephew (being in that backroom with nothing to do). So, I told him he could come in and watch the TV if he wanted to. Since I am almost a 40 year old man, and my nephew is about 18, I was sure that we probably would not want to watch the same thing on TV. So, I am here typing. Besides, I am a bit of a nerd. I wouldn’t know cool, if I open a refrigerator.
Am I still…..annoyed. No. I am almost 40 years old (in about 3 years), so now it is time for me to act like it. Besides, I am sick of the cigarette smoke (among other things). Although, I don’t have much money (see the previous hospital bill), tomorrow, I am going to look for a cheap weekly room to stay in until I make enough money to get a better apartment. Well, I think that is about it. Until next time…..
Hello pen pal. Today I was feeling a little better. The stress is still here, but was much less. First, I went to a small internet shop. It is a little bit expense, but it is okay. I can visit the internet shop Monday thru Saturday (closed on Sundays and Holidays). Today I checked my e-mail. Then, I search information on the New York City Dept. of Education. Now that I have returned to New York, I plan to return to teaching in New York Public elementary schools. Today I went to the NYC Education department to find out what I would need to do to start working/teaching in New York again.
Unfortunately for me, the teaching licensing system has been changed. Basically, I have to reapply from the beginning (application, fees, references, TB test, fingerprinting etc….). The application processing fee is $50. The fingerprinting processing fee is $85 (but luckily, I did not have to pay the fee [my prints are already in the system]). I am not sure how much the TB test will cost, but I know it won’t be free.
After going to the board of education, I went to a book store in Midtown Manhattan. I wanted to buy another book, since I finished reading “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”. I enjoyed the Potter book very much.
At the bookstore, being there just reminded me how much I missed Japan. People can be so rude. On the train ride downtown, so guy purposely sat in between two seats so that no one would be able to sit next to him. Even when a man looked at the guy (and motioned to one of the seats) the “seat-hog” guy just stared at the man with a “Make me move” expression on his face. In the bookstore, people were sitting on the floor leaning on the bookcases as if it were their personal bedroom. Seeing me standing over them, looking at the books over, next to and besides them, did not give them the slightest inclination to move. While I’m on the subject, I am getting sick of going to the local supermarket where the cashiers often serve-up a side order of attitude with their service.
Sorry, I got side track….
At the bookstore (Barnes & Nobles) I bought:
Dr. Slump #3 (English Manga)
Sidney Sheldon’s “The Doomsday Conspiracy”
I was planning to buy Dan Brown’s Deception Point, but the store did not have it. I bought a Sidney Sheldon book, because one of my pen pals said that Sidney Sheldon was a good writer. I was a little annoyed at his (Sidney Sheldon’s ) book covers. On all (but 3) of his book covers, there is a woman being used like a prop.
After the bookstore, I went to Burger King. I hadn’t been to Burger King in many years. In Japan, there is no Burger King (that I know of). And at Burger King, yes, the cashier also served up a side order of attitude.
From the bookstore, I remember that I wanted to go to Citibank HQ to see if I could change my Japanese Citibank account into an American one. At the Citibank in my neighborhood, the bank representative -- another one with attitude [while I am waiting at her cubical for her to say something, she gestures to the chair and says, “sit”.] She had told me that I could go to Citibank HQ and apply for an international account. However, I was told today, that international accounts are only for non-American residents. I walked from 86th street and Madison Avenue to about 57th street and Park Avenue. I walked about 30 city blocks. On my way back home, I found another book store, and I was able to buy Dan Brown’s “Deception Point”. Dan Brown is the author who wrote “the Da Vinci Code”. I want to read another book written by Dan Brown to see if his other books are as interesting as “the Da Vinci Code”.
You are probably saying, “ wow, this is a long blog”. Well, 1. I am now typing this on my PC at home. Tomorrow, I will cut and paste it onto my blog site when I go to the internet shop. 2. I am writing this blog at the kitchen table because (earlier) my father informed me that he was letting my other sister’s son -- not the sister with the house. He is letting my nephew stay with us. What a surprise! He told me as my nephew was dragging his bag of clothes into the backroom. Luckily, after I threatened to leave if the backroom was not cleaned, my father has been cleaning out that backroom. As my nephew was unpacking his bag of clothes, my father came into the living room where I was watching TV (the only other TV in the apartment) and said; “you can stay here, until I clean up that backroom. Then, you can have the backroom and “ ” (nephew) can sleep in the living room until I can clean up the second room. At first I was a little annoyed that I was not told (until after the fact), a little annoyed that my nephew was encouraged to eat the food that I’d brought.
So why am I at the kitchen table and not watching TV – other than the fact (my opinion) that TV is earning the slang name “idiot box”. It amazes me (a little) what junk is on the TV airwaves now. Sorry, I am getting sidetracked again….
I felt bad for my nephew (being in that backroom with nothing to do). So, I told him he could come in and watch the TV if he wanted to. Since I am almost a 40 year old man, and my nephew is about 18, I was sure that we probably would not want to watch the same thing on TV. So, I am here typing. Besides, I am a bit of a nerd. I wouldn’t know cool, if I open a refrigerator.
Am I still…..annoyed. No. I am almost 40 years old (in about 3 years), so now it is time for me to act like it. Besides, I am sick of the cigarette smoke (among other things). Although, I don’t have much money (see the previous hospital bill), tomorrow, I am going to look for a cheap weekly room to stay in until I make enough money to get a better apartment. Well, I think that is about it. Until next time…..
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
At the hospital....again.
Hello pen pal. This morning, I was not feeling well, so I went to the hospital (in the neighborhood). The chest pain had returned. After several hours, and several tests, the doctors could not find anything wrong. The medical staff were very nice, they all had very good bedside manners. Although, the EKG technician was a little strange. While she was attaching the cords to me, she was talking to the doctor. She was describing how she killed a goat and spread the goat blood on the four corners of the property that her family were planning to build a house to scare away evil spirits. Other than that strange moment, the experience was very relaxing. That is…until the bill arrived. The hospital bill was $375.00 (USD). What was wrong? I can only assume that stress has followed me from Japan. I also think that sleeping in the “dog’s room” did not help. Did I mention that the room I am currently sleeping in was where the dog used to sleep. The dog is long gone, but its hair and food lingers on. Also the old furniture, old papers, broken bike, old clothes, etc…. When I returned home, I told my father that I would not (could not) sleep in the room. When I returned from the hospital, my father realized that the room may not have been a good place to sleep. Although I was a little stressed that my father was planning to move everything this night, but I was able to persuade him to save it until tomorrow. I slept in the living room.
Hello pen pal. This morning, I was not feeling well, so I went to the hospital (in the neighborhood). The chest pain had returned. After several hours, and several tests, the doctors could not find anything wrong. The medical staff were very nice, they all had very good bedside manners. Although, the EKG technician was a little strange. While she was attaching the cords to me, she was talking to the doctor. She was describing how she killed a goat and spread the goat blood on the four corners of the property that her family were planning to build a house to scare away evil spirits. Other than that strange moment, the experience was very relaxing. That is…until the bill arrived. The hospital bill was $375.00 (USD). What was wrong? I can only assume that stress has followed me from Japan. I also think that sleeping in the “dog’s room” did not help. Did I mention that the room I am currently sleeping in was where the dog used to sleep. The dog is long gone, but its hair and food lingers on. Also the old furniture, old papers, broken bike, old clothes, etc…. When I returned home, I told my father that I would not (could not) sleep in the room. When I returned from the hospital, my father realized that the room may not have been a good place to sleep. Although I was a little stressed that my father was planning to move everything this night, but I was able to persuade him to save it until tomorrow. I slept in the living room.
Sunday, September 04, 2005
Visiting my sisters house
Hello Pen pal. Yesterday my father took his lady friend and me to visit my sister. She was having a barbecue in the backyard of her house. Since I have been living in Japan for the past 5 years, I had not seen the house. Since I am writing about family, I will skip the parts about drinking, discussions, driving, betting, falling etc…. Oh, I don’t have anything to write about.
The photos are 1. my sister's dog, 2. front of the house, 3. back of the house
Saturday, September 03, 2005
My, How the Not So Mighty have Fallen further.
Hello Pen pal. Well, I am back in New York City. I am staying at my father's place for the time being. I have attached a photo of the room I'll be staying in for a while. As you can see, my father doesn't really like to throw anything away. He will save anything and everything.
On Wednesday, I left Japan. I was able to get a direct flight from Japan to New York City. Unfortunately, I did not get an aisle seat. When I have an inside seat, I usually wait for the aisle sitter to get up. Unfortunately, the woman only got up twice during the 12 hour ride. The second time she got up, the seatbelt light went on after she got up, so I waited a while longer. By the time the seatbeat light went off, the woman was back in her seat, bag out, under her blanket and asleep. Towards the end of the flight, I stopped waiting and politely asked the woman to ket me pass. Since there was a recent storm, the flight was a little turbulent. But all in all the flight was okay. However, it was extremely cold in the plane. I bought a copy of the latest Harry Potter book. I'd wanted to wait for the paperback edition (cheaper), but I wanted a good read that would help the time to pass.
Back home, the everyone seemed glad to see me. I was suprised by the changes. Not my family (everyone was basically the same), but the neighborhood has begun a major gentrification change. Uptown is starting to look like downtown.
My plan was originally to stay with my father (to save money). Now, however, I am starting to have second thoughts. Rather than go into details (I try to never say anything behind someone's back that I would not say to there face), just compare the photo of my room above with the photo of my room in Japan. I was told that you can can tell a lot about a person from there room.
Well, that is it for the moment. Sorry about the last blog, I was not in a very good mood. Ja mata.....
Oh, what about Kuwait you asked? Short story. I got sick, and I did not want to risk being in a strange country, where I did not know the language, and I had few (if any) friends. Therefore, I decided to stay in Japan!??! Unfortunately, it was too late to change the wheel that was already in motion. What was my sickness? Atrial Fibrillation!
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