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The Hazards of Sidewalks
Shel Silverstein wrote a poem called at Sidewalks End...I bet the sidewalk he was referring to didn't have uneven tiles, placed ill-fittingly next to one another.
Strictly speaking - sidewalks tend to be safe, protecting pedesterians from street traffic such as cars, skateboards and bicycles (well on most occassions). Yes, you run into the occassional dog poop or icy patch, but technically speaking? They should be safe, non-hazardous places to walk.
Except in NYC or on my block, where the tiles are ill-fittingly placed, so one may actually be above another - like a centimeter step. How is this hazardous?
Well...
Yesterday morning I got it into my head to take my laundry in prior to work.
(I dumped it off at the laundramat and let them do it this round. The reason?
I'd found a silver fish crushed in my sheets and my bed cover looked dirty - this made me feel crawly enough to take the whole kit and kaboodle to the mat.)
The laundramat is two blocks away, not far from the subway. So dropping it off on the way to work makes sense. Plus - this was a good day to do it. Nice outside. No rain. I had a "new employee orientation" at the Brooklyn division of the new company - two subway stops away, and didn't have to be there until close to 9. So had a little time. I took off at 8:15 and felt a little pressed.
(Planned on getting out earlier). Lugged my cart, laundry bag, and work bag down the steps with me, and to the sidewalk - then proceeded to push cart with bag as quickly as possible. Cart hit an upraised side of a tile, tipped forward, tossing me over it and to the side, I managed to roll, breaking my fall somewhat, but landed hard on my palms, left side and knee. (Basically
imagine someone getting thrown by a laundry cart and you have a good picture of what happened.) I look up, bruised, skinned hand, but more or less intact.
Laundry cart is tipped over, bag still in it, thank god. Clothes still in bag.
In front of me about ten-fifteen feet away stand two formally dressed people getting ready to go somewhere in their car. They are standing there staring at me with their jaws half open. After a moment, the woman asks, not moving, "are you okay?" Yes. I mutter. Nodding. I think so. Studying my abraised hand which is bleeding and burns and the bruise forming. "Do you need any help?" No. I mutter. Fine. I pick myself up, realizing as I do so that my palm isn't the only thing bruised, left knee hurts like hell. Limp over to cart. Push it to mat. Ask for band-aids which they kindly provide. Leave cart and bag at mat.
Go to subway, make it to orientation - where they provide new bandaids and ointment. Hand is barely functional all morning. So thankfully just had to listen. At 1pm, orientation is over, race to office in Manhattan. Bandaids come off. Use hand-sanitizer to clean wound again. Take Motrin. Do work. Go home. Get bandaids. Pick up laundry. Lug it back. Once home, dress wounds, and make bed. Whew. Today - needless to say, I ache. Whole right side feels like someone hit it with a bat. Note to self - Sidewalks? Hazardous!
As an aside - was thinking on the way home today about livejournal. How people interact with it? Do people just update their own and treat it as a sort of live journal they write in daily, caring not who reads or doesn't read? Do they treat it as their personal letter writing group - ie. an exchange amongst ten-twenty people of emails while at work? Do they treat it as an information resource on all sorts of topics? A way of connecting with people they'd never know otherwise? A way of meeting new people? Is it like exchanging letters with people who may or may not respond?
Not sure. For me, I guess it's all of the above. Or I've been known to use it in all of the above ways. As a means of connecting, as a way of keeping my writing alive, as an information resource...
Now...it seems to be more of a journal that I update with my spontaneous and myriad thoughts from time to time or when the urge overwhelms me. Since I regrettably don't have time to read others entries in as much depth as I once did. I miss that.
Strictly speaking - sidewalks tend to be safe, protecting pedesterians from street traffic such as cars, skateboards and bicycles (well on most occassions). Yes, you run into the occassional dog poop or icy patch, but technically speaking? They should be safe, non-hazardous places to walk.
Except in NYC or on my block, where the tiles are ill-fittingly placed, so one may actually be above another - like a centimeter step. How is this hazardous?
Well...
Yesterday morning I got it into my head to take my laundry in prior to work.
(I dumped it off at the laundramat and let them do it this round. The reason?
I'd found a silver fish crushed in my sheets and my bed cover looked dirty - this made me feel crawly enough to take the whole kit and kaboodle to the mat.)
The laundramat is two blocks away, not far from the subway. So dropping it off on the way to work makes sense. Plus - this was a good day to do it. Nice outside. No rain. I had a "new employee orientation" at the Brooklyn division of the new company - two subway stops away, and didn't have to be there until close to 9. So had a little time. I took off at 8:15 and felt a little pressed.
(Planned on getting out earlier). Lugged my cart, laundry bag, and work bag down the steps with me, and to the sidewalk - then proceeded to push cart with bag as quickly as possible. Cart hit an upraised side of a tile, tipped forward, tossing me over it and to the side, I managed to roll, breaking my fall somewhat, but landed hard on my palms, left side and knee. (Basically
imagine someone getting thrown by a laundry cart and you have a good picture of what happened.) I look up, bruised, skinned hand, but more or less intact.
Laundry cart is tipped over, bag still in it, thank god. Clothes still in bag.
In front of me about ten-fifteen feet away stand two formally dressed people getting ready to go somewhere in their car. They are standing there staring at me with their jaws half open. After a moment, the woman asks, not moving, "are you okay?" Yes. I mutter. Nodding. I think so. Studying my abraised hand which is bleeding and burns and the bruise forming. "Do you need any help?" No. I mutter. Fine. I pick myself up, realizing as I do so that my palm isn't the only thing bruised, left knee hurts like hell. Limp over to cart. Push it to mat. Ask for band-aids which they kindly provide. Leave cart and bag at mat.
Go to subway, make it to orientation - where they provide new bandaids and ointment. Hand is barely functional all morning. So thankfully just had to listen. At 1pm, orientation is over, race to office in Manhattan. Bandaids come off. Use hand-sanitizer to clean wound again. Take Motrin. Do work. Go home. Get bandaids. Pick up laundry. Lug it back. Once home, dress wounds, and make bed. Whew. Today - needless to say, I ache. Whole right side feels like someone hit it with a bat. Note to self - Sidewalks? Hazardous!
As an aside - was thinking on the way home today about livejournal. How people interact with it? Do people just update their own and treat it as a sort of live journal they write in daily, caring not who reads or doesn't read? Do they treat it as their personal letter writing group - ie. an exchange amongst ten-twenty people of emails while at work? Do they treat it as an information resource on all sorts of topics? A way of connecting with people they'd never know otherwise? A way of meeting new people? Is it like exchanging letters with people who may or may not respond?
Not sure. For me, I guess it's all of the above. Or I've been known to use it in all of the above ways. As a means of connecting, as a way of keeping my writing alive, as an information resource...
Now...it seems to be more of a journal that I update with my spontaneous and myriad thoughts from time to time or when the urge overwhelms me. Since I regrettably don't have time to read others entries in as much depth as I once did. I miss that.
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Communication is a weird thing, with all the stuff that's happened on
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But about the anniegate scandal, it really touches on what turns me off the most about LJ: the obsessive herd instinct, the batshit insane anonymous readership and the highly questionable content that is posted.
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Some people who tell us they are 16-22, in their posts sound like 35-45 year olds. While others who claim to be above the age of 30, act like teenagers. People are odd.
And I think, the sense of anynomity can bring out the worst in some folks. A friend of mine told me a story once about a gal who never cursed, hated conflict in real life, but online cursed like a fiend, and started posting board wars. The two people were one and the same.
Her monster got unleashed whenever she entered the internet.
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I'd agree. Bugs me as well. I've considered leaving livejournal numerous times because of it. But to be honest? I don't think it's limited to livejournal necessarily, so much as just human nature. I see it at work. I see it in daily life. I remember my kidbro embarrasing me greatly once, getting off a plane in London, he was making baaing noises and acting like a sheep herder for the folks on the plane. But he had a point, we do act like sheep. Following the latest trend - whether we like it or not. Why? Because so and so likes it. Not sure why this is...maybe the desire to be part of a group, the comfort zone of feeling safe, having someone else take responsiblity?
(Yes, you can tell I'm bored at work and everyone is gone - meetings, or taking their lunch, so I'm sneaking emails on lj. Hee.)
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Bearing in mind that any comment made that suggests even the possibility of a threat to the president, even if made as a joke, is a federal offense. She had to have said something that warranted even a cursory investigation. However, what should be regarded as the main issue is that someone on LJ decided to retaliate (in time-honoured fangirlish fashion) and reported the comment.
A while back, you posted something on yes-men. My frustration with LJ really comes from this. Those who have acquired superstar status, in my eyes, are belting out views that may be critically unsound and questionable, but are coasting on the choruses of "Dude!" But you're absolutely right, this is not something which is particular to LJ. Yet what I find most disturbing is the life-draining quality of the LJ herd. It's fundamentally escapist and arguably unconstructive.
But enough of the dour moralizing. It's Thursday night. It's almost the weekend.
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Ah yes. Thank god. This week nearly killed me. ;-)
A while back, you posted something on yes-men. My frustration with LJ really comes from this. Those who have acquired superstar status, in my eyes, are belting out views that may be critically unsound and questionable, but are coasting on the choruses of "Dude!" But you're absolutely right, this is not something which is particular to LJ. Yet what I find most disturbing is the life-draining quality of the LJ herd. It's fundamentally escapist and arguably unconstructive
I agree. (I got in trouble for that post by the way, someone took it personally, and confronted me in her journal, which she did friends lock, but was available to her friends - so hardly private. That said, I gave her kudos for being direct and confronting me about her concerns. And re-read the post and alterred it slightly.)
I have lots of problems with "yes-men" - we see it on posting boards all the time, and on lj. Most trollish behavior is encouraged by others. And people can be hippocrates - in which if it is one person (ie. not a friend of theirs) - they'll be all over them. But if their "friend" does it, they either stay silent or leap to their defense. We all do it. But being aware of it, does help us think twice in the future.
Sigh there I go moralizing again...but it is an issue that I've been pondering.
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Communication is a weird thing, with all the stuff that's happened on anniesj's journal yesterday I'm reminded that we really have no idea who is reading these journals and how they will respond.
Haven't been privey to the shenagians on anniesj's journal, was it bad?
But as to your last point? I am curious about who, if anyone is reading these entries, sometimes. When you friends lock - you still aren't entirely sure - but you know at least who has access. Not, however what they do with that access. ie. You can't stop them from taking something in a friends locked post and reposting it in their journal or sending it to someone else in a personal email (not that anyone on my friends list would do such a thing...). If you don't?
You have no clue. It could literally be anyone who has access to the internet, the wherewithal to search sites, and the ability to find
livejournal.
Makes the whole thing dangerous in a way. Which is why we don't use our real names, or most of us don't. Those who do, may be even more careful.