Wednesday, June 28, 2006

What's the deal with me and this city?

It could just be that I'm recovering from a weekend of black-out drunkenness or perhaps that during that blacked out period I lost my phone, but I'm just not getting what's going on with my relationship these days. No, not the one people have with other humans... I'm talking about my relationship with New York.

Lately, it seems this city is saying to me "Yeah, right... Go home kid". From the cab driver who so politely enforced that I pay for the vomit I left in his backseat to the guy who flat-out walked HEAD-ON into me this morning, this city and I don't seem to be getting along. Now, in all fairness, I'm not speaking of the city in its physical form, or even its "spiritual" form. Clearly, I'm speaking of the individuals who reside here. It's important to also note that I'm speaking of a very small percentage of these individuals as most folks I encounter on a daily basis are neither polite nor impolite, they just exist.

My fascination with Manhattan, as I'm sure I've pointed out in the past, is consuming at times. From my first job downtown on 6th to my current job, in midtown, also on 6th, I've just been amazed at the fact that I work here. I used to get off the train from the suburbs and marvel at the fact that, not 8 years ago, I was coming to "the city" as one of those kids who likes to get drunk on St. Patrick's Day and skip high school (which was ok in junior year; I was hardly there). Now, I'm a full-fledged resident (well, of Brooklyn, but soon to be Battery Park City) of this great place and I just can't seem to figure some parts of it out. I've yet to find a part of the city that makes me say "I wish I was back home" (home being 60 miles north in Orange County, NY).

The one part that I do wish I could leave everyday are the shitty fucking people who stand out in this city. If you just go about your business, showing some level of courtesy throughout the month, you'll largely go unnoticed, which is fine, save for the few people who realize you're being courteous and not "weird". But if you act like a total fucking asshole, man, you're right there for everyone to see. The guy screaming at the top of his lungs at his wife on the subway platform about his stupid fucking shirt she didn't pick up or the asshole on the bike who thinks lights don't apply to him and LITERALLY ran over my shoe clearly are not required for this city to function. Granted, I'm far from perfect (those of you who actually have met me can attest to this) but I really just want to have one day, shit, maybe even 2, where none of these people exist, at least in my path to and from work. Maybe I'm not "New York" enough to just tune this out. Regardless, it gets old. So any of you out there who may be totally inconsiderate and a real piece of shit, feel free to not cross my path, sooner rather than later. In no way am I angry or upset about this; just worn out. I'm sure we could all use a little more courtesy and consideration (I sound like a public service announcement on the subway.)

Clearly not everyone here sucks. But just to make sure I'm driving this point home, I CAN'T stand the woman who stands on 6th ave, between 42nd and 43rd, handing out AMNY newspapers in the morning. She whines, fucking WHINES "AM.... AM.... AAAAAAAAAAM" all morning. I spend maybe about 7 seconds in this location each morning as I climb out of the whole in the ground for the F, but those 7 seconds are sheer fucking torture. Can't she mix it up with "AMNY" or "Free newspaper" like the METRO guy does? Why all morning must it be "AM... AM.... AM.... AM...."?

Enough complaining, back to work.

3 comments:

Audrey. said...

Yell at the people from inside your head. Then congratulate yourself on not yelling at them in real life. You'll feel good about yourself, at their expense.

It really works.

Anonymous said...

or you could shoot them.

that guy said...

As a follow up, this morning, with massive suitcase full of laundry in hand as I'm going home for the weekend, AAAMMMM lady literally was in my way... I then looked her directly in the eye and said "move". I feel much better. If that doesn't work in the future, I'm going to follow Adam's advice.