Only In A New York, Minute

Last Friday was one of those Only in New York moments; I was the recipient of two stranger's kindness. Let me tell you how it all came about:

That Friday I awoke at my usual time – 5am. Usually, I would do some personal and scholastic reading and writing to get my day started. However, I really had nothing planned for that day and I really wanted to go back to bed after checking and responding to emails. So, I went back to bed and re-set the alarm for 8:30am.

Eight thirty, I got up, showered, and thought about what I wanted for breakfast, lunch and dinner; I wasn't too hungry so I passed on breakfast. I checked the freezer for food I prepared several days ago and decided that for lunch I will have half of the grilled stuffed pork chop and I will eat the other half for dinner.

While I was wondering what sides I was going to have with the chops and separating clothes for the laundry, I got a phone call from a friend who wanted to see me and treat me to dinner. Of course I readily agreed and threw the chops back into the freezer. We decided on a nice seafood restaurant in White Plains and I was to be ready for pick-up at 1:30pm.

At 2:15pm we are seated and awaiting for our meals. The conversation was light, stimulating, and effortless; I was thoroughly enjoying the attention - since I don’t get asked out as much as I like these days. However, I had to keep reminding myself that I had to make up a final exam in Anatomy & Physiology. I had to miss the final exam in December because of a previously scheduled event; and Friday, January 6, 2012 was the only time to make up the exam or I would get an F.

4:00pm we are still conversing when it hits me again that I have to be at the Berkeley College campus on 41^St in Manhattan at 5:30pm. Our plan was for me to be driven back to Yonkers or the Bronx so that I could catch the IRT 4 into Manhattan. We had to derail that plan because time wasn’t on neither of our side; he needed to go further north and be at his destination by 6:00pm. We re-grouped with me on the 4:34pm Metro North.

We leave restaurant, jump in car and we are at the White Plains Metro North train station at - according to his dashboard - 4:27pm. I’m out of car, running up stairs; I stood in line to purchase ticket when train entered station. I decided to purchase ticket on train. I get on train; look in my wallet, NO MONEY! I had a bunch of change in my handbag, so I thought; I know I have at least five dollars in change. When the conductor comes around I am holding exactly seven dollars worth of change in my hand, thinking $3.50 for the trip and still a little left over to get a drink from the school’s vending machine. Conductor is standing over me, I’m re-counting my change, and I ask, “How much to Grand Central?” To my horror he says: “$14.00 Miss.” Already knowing the answer, I ask: “Do you take a debit or credit card?” He says: “Only cash Miss” I asked him to please come back after he collects from the other passengers.

I frantically dug through my bag, knowing my hand held all the change I had on my person. I called my friend, rattling about how I’m going to be arrested, I’m going to jail, and I’m going to fail this class! My friends said he’s going to meet the train in Yonkers, I had, had the same idea, however, the train was an express and the next stop was 125^th Street.  In my sweat and desperation I heard a manly voice say: “Hey, lady, don’t worry, if you don’t have it, I’ll give it to you.” He reached into his wallet and took out seven dollars, another gentleman, whose face I did not see because of the high seats, offered to pay the other seven dollars. I profusely thanked them both. Pedro, the first guy who offered to pay the fare said he had been in my position once, and knew what it felt like to be on the train and not have the fare, and asked that I pay it forward. “You got it!”

When the conductor returned he was surprised to see the dollar bills in my hand and when I told him the fare was paid for me by the two gentlemen seated in front of me, his face registered that Only in New York moment I was feeling.

A Clean Break

Wow! I can’t believe that the two week break from school is just about over. I did absolutely nothing; didn’t go anywhere, and didn’t see anybody. I really wanted to start my spring cleaning. I know it’s too early, however, if I don’t start now, spring will come and go and I will not have re-arranged anything. Re-arranging, that’s really what spring cleaning is all about; hiding things from past seasons, and taking things out and putting things back. How the re-arranging is done:

 

•  Take down winter drapes and put up spring curtains.
• Swap heavy dark sheets and quilts for lighter and brighter sheets and quilts.
• Take coats and sweaters to cleaners, to be picked up in September (more like late October).
• Take all spring and summer clothes out of space bags and put in fall and winter clothing.
• Remove sandals and shoes from boxes and bins and replace with boots.
• Empty sock draw of tights and thermal underwear, put them in a plastic baggie and throw in closet-somewhere. 
• Change bedside lamp shade from a darker color to a brighter color (yeah, I do that) and throw in closet-somewhere.

Okay, so I really can’t do any of the above until at least spring is in the air, however, I can do the following taking things out and putting things away, how it’s done:

•   Remove all food items from the pantry, wipe shelves clean, check date on food items, and replace, with soon-to-be expired items towards the front of shelf.
• Empty cabinets of dishes, pots & pans, and silverware; stuff as much as can be tolerated into dishwasher. Wipe cabinets clean, replace cleansed dishes and trash what now doesn’t fit neatly in cabinets (trust me, this always happens).
• Remove every item from cabinet under kitchen sink (even the brandy), throw EVERYTHING away (not the brandy), because you haven't seen or used any of those items at all this year.
• Empty linen closet, match towels with wash cloths/rags and hand towels and roll into a ball. Roll fitted sheets into pillowcases with the draw sheets. Trash any towel, wash rag, hand towel, pillow case, draw sheet or fitted sheet that does not match (trust me, this happens all the time too; and I wonder where in the world is Carmen San Diego with the rest of my stuff). Wipe shelves clean and replace rolled towels and bedding.
• Empty medicine cabinet; clean shelf and place sticky note on mirror to remind yourself to take the rest of your prescribed medications (antibiotics, sleep aids, laxatives, etc.) Wipe shelves clean and trash all cold remedies (children are grown and gone, besides there's brandy under kitchen sink).
• Trash all pens, pencils, and envelopes on desk (trust me, on your next visit to Staples to buy ink for the printer, you won’t be able to pass up those cute pens) Wipe desk clean and trash all loose paper!
• VERY IMPORTANT! Trash all unpaid bills, if still sealed in envelope, don’t bother to open. Opening means reading, reading causes anxiety and depression. Put bills in heavy plastic bag, fill bag with used kitty litter and pass off to sanitation man. (Don’t kid yourself; you weren’t going to pay them anyway, this year or next).
• Lastly, spray oven with oven cleaner, leave on for 48 hours (I know instructions state to leave on over night, but it’s always easier the second day) and wipe clean.

Whew! I’m exhausted just from writing these instructions out. Come our next break in March, I should have at least the latter instructions done. (Yeah, I’m snickering too).

Winter Fling

Winter, is my favorite season. Most people hate the cold and the extra layer of clothing. I love it. Coat, hat, scarf, mitts and all the other cold weather accessories that is cumbersome if you thrive at 60 degrees and higher. As for me, I love the comfort that these bring, particularly the warmth of a pure down quilt on blustery nights; along with a hot toddy, and the sounds of smooth jazz on the radio.

The foliage is plentiful, especially in Yonkers, a city that sits on a hill and is devoid of clustered tall buildings and crowded streets that is common in big cities. You can smell the air here; especially when it is brisk outside; the air smells of freshly washed crisp cotton sheets drying on an outside clothes line. As if it had jagged teeth the cold air gnaws your skin, even under the thickest of coats.  When you exhale, your breath hangs in the air like helium filled cotton before it quickly dissipates and another has come and gone in its place.

I love walking down Riverdale Avenue; this time of year the sidewalks are lined with barren trees that seem to be talking to one another about summers past, when they were all dressed up and had nowhere to go, content with the simplicity of their existence; to look pretty and provide protection from the sun; they’d bask in the glory of lending to God’s creatures a place to stay and play and if some were more fortunate, they gave of its fruit too.

Riverdale Avenue is not marred by people or shops; if you go for a walk early in the morning or late in the evening on any given winter day, you can walk without coming into contact with another soul for several blocks. When you do pass someone, you eye each other, first, suspiciously then inquisitively; each thinking “What’s on your mind buddy?”

Walking along Broadway is just the opposite; the streets are full of people, shops, and restaurants galore. During the winter you encounter people snuggled under layers of clothing; walking with hands jammed in pockets, their heads down, and tucked under as if looking up and ahead is a direct challenge to the wind to swipe at their faces, and nip at their ears.

Still, walking along Broadway has its own appeal, if you look east you can see some of the houses that sit atop a hill and if you look west you can see the backdrop of the Hudson River.

So, during our two week hiatus from school, come visit Yonkers. Bundle up, because, ole’ man winter is getting ornery.

The Cell Phone Dilemma

Sometimes I just want a peaceful ride on the bus. I want to entertain my own thoughts, or just clear my head during the duration of getting from point A to point B. I never leave home without my iPod; sometimes I just don’t feel like listening to music. Cell phone users disrupt this process. They are rude, boisterous, and selfish.

If you are going to disturb me by having me listen to your conversation, I should be entitled to hear the complete conversation; not just the blips. Blips leave out the what, when, who and dang of the conversation.

For instance, a couple of days ago on my way to class at Berkeley College I caught the 6:40am number 3 bus from Highland Avenue in Yonkers. Although, I was feeling good that morning, I had some things on my mind, I needed to sort through and I was welcoming the one hour and ten minutes it took to get to the campus. Lo and Behold though, a woman of my age (tender) enters the bus with cell phone in hand, sits across from me (as if there weren’t any other available seats), dials a number and has the following one-side conversation:

“I’m on the bus now”

“yeah”

“Oh heck no, I have finals!”

“For real?”

“What Dukie say?”

“No he didn’t?”

“I told you”

“Now I’m at South Broadway & Nepperhan”

“Um hm”

“Um hm”

“For real?”

“But I thought”

(Hysterical laughing)

 “Um hmm, I got a prescription for that too”

“He said….”

(Hysterical laughing)

“Girl! This my stop, I talk with you later”

I was perturbed pretty much because my thoughts were interrupted, and I was being held captive by her conversation. However, I got into the conversation, staring at her, which made her unconfortable - but not enough to hang up. I really wanted to know was what the other person was saying. I thought I’d be getting the 411 on Dukie, but, I got nothing; and a prescription for what? All those um hms, and hysterical laughing what was that all about? So, I was left to plug in the blips myself and this is how I processed the conversation:

Girl on other end of phone: “Hello. What up, Keisha? I can’t believe you up this early. Oh I forgot you have a class at eight o’clock.

Keisha: “I’m on the bus now”

Girl on other end of phone: “Did you finish your paper on psychology last night?

Keisha: “Yeah”

Girl on other end of phone: Girl! I went out last night to the Salt & Pepper Bar and got my groove on. I got in here late because their last set is at 1:30am. Wanna come with me next Sunday?

Keisha: “Oh heck no, I have finals!”

Girl on other end of phone: “Oh, and this guy, not so good looking. He walks up to me and asks if he can buy me drink and some chow. I was like, chow who even say that word anymore?

Keisha: “For Real?”

Girl on other end of phone: “Word yo and I told him no!” “Anyway girl, I roll in the house at 3:00 in the morning, dead tired.

Keisha: “What Dukie say?”

Girl on other end of phone: “He asked, if I cooked breakfast yet”

Keisha: “No he didn’t?”

Girl on other end of phone: “All he thinks about is food”

Keisha: “I told you”

Girl on other end of phone: “Where are you?”

Keisha: “Now I’m at South Broadway & Nepperhan”

Girl on other end of phone: “So I tell Dukie, that it’s after 3:00 in the morning. He finally looks at the clock and asks where I been all night, so I tell him. He gets mad, tells me that no wife of his should be out this time of the morning; yet, I should be making him breakfast!”

Keisha: “Um hm”

Girl on other end of phone: Breakfast! The smell of bacon would wake up the whole building, what would people think? That my husband is eating breakfast morning, noon, and night and that’s all I know how to cook?

Keisha: “Umhm”

Girl on other end of phone: “He likes big breakfast and not the McDonald’s size big breakfast, he likes 6 pancakes, 8 slices of bacon, 4 eggs and 3 biscuits”

Keisha: “For real”

Girl on other end of phone: “Yeah girl, and a pitcher of super sweet grape Kool Aid”

Keisha: “But I thought”

Girl on other end of phone: “He was on a diet? That is his diet. He used to eat 8 pancakes! He got upset the other day when the doctor told him his pressure was up and he needed to lose weight. He then turn to me, and ask if I thought he needed to lose weight. I say: “lose it, misplace it, something…”

Keisha is laughs hysterically.

Girl on other end of phone: “Anyway girl, enough about Dukie. Oh, Oh not yet. We leave the doctor’s office fill his prescription for his pressure medicine at the pharmacy down the block”

Keisha: “Um hm, I got a prescription for that too”

Girl on other end of phone: “There is a Dunkin Donuts directly across the street from the pharmacy and…”

Keisha: “He said…”

Girl on other end of phone: “Baby, can I get their 12 donuts for six dollars?”

Keisha laughs hysterically, says that last bit about this being her stop, hangs up phone, and exits the bus.

I’m sure the conversation went nothing like this; But, if you don't want me to make it up, then put your phone on speaker; since you are already disturbing me. It's the only decent thing to do other than shutting up!

Breathing a sigh of............

I wasn't sure how I would fit in as a student at Berkeley College at my age. I had a lot of anxieties. During the initial phase of registering I was made to feel comfortable and welcomed by the Admissions staff. I started in July, because, One, I can graduate sooner and two, it gave me a chance to warm up to my younger classmates. Because I had been to college before, I knew what to expect of a college atmosphere. But, what a difference a few decades older make! This generation learn so much more, faster. I did  not and do not feel out-of-place. I didn't and don't get the goggle-eyes, rolled-eyes, crossed-eyes or sighs when my hint of gray head walks into a classroom. I feel at ease. Maybe even special for being elite, I mean older.

Berkeley College has so many activities in which individuals can participate in, but I have not gotten up the courage to join in on any of them so far. The Open Mic, sounds more my speed; but, I'm not sure if I can get up the nerve. What would I say? At the end of my monologue, if I say "goodnight John- Boy" will they get it? Yeah right!

Good night all.