I’m Amanda. I’ve got wide eyes, a smart mouth, and a MetroCard. And I’m not afraid to use them.
Today is one of the last Sundays before spring officially begins, but the weather was beautiful. Unlike most Sundays, I actually got out of my pajamas before noon. I also dared to do something I haven’t done since I was in junior high - I went bowling.
It’s Saturday night and the regulars are already there. They move to the beat, stand in lines to purchase drinks, and eye everyone who comes through the door.
I frequently exasperate people when I refer to anything from the 1970s as “vintage.”
I’m sorry, but I was born in 1983 and reached consciousness in the 1990s. Until my dying day, the America I romanticize will remain an America led by Bill Clinton, fed on Pizza Hut and Betty Crocker while wearing bootcut jeans and listening to Third Eye Blind. Oh yeah, and with “amber waves of grain” or something.
Tonight, at 8 pm on February 14th, I don’t have a Valentine.
Well, isn’t this special?:
With 26.9″ of snow in Central Park, New York City has set a record for greatest snowfall from a single storm. Heavy snow this morning helped the Big Apple eclipse the previous record of 26.4″ set in 1947. Although the snow in New York is winding down, blizzard warnings remain posted for southeastern New England as a powerful Nor’easter slams the Northeast with heavy snow and high winds. Blizzard warnings have also been issued for far eastern Maine. In Boston, 16 to 24 inches are forecast. Drifting and blowing snow will make travel difficult if not impossible in many areas from New York City to eastern Maine over the next several hours.
When you live in most parts of the country, most major events are accessed only through the Internet, a newspaper, or TV news. It’s easy to forget about these events, and why not? They make us think, question, and feel. It hurts. In the sixties, Timothy Leary encouraged people to “turn on, tune in, drop out,” but nowadays most of society would agree that it’s better to turn off, tune out, and throw away.
There’s this pesky camera crew that’s been hanging out on my stoop since this morning. Earlier an ABC van was parked on the street and some overly coiffed lady was running her hands over and over her undisturbed do. Now guys with heavy bags of equipment and boom mikes are hanging out, no van in sight. They keep looking at me as I leave, return, leave, return on my Sunday errands.
I may as well introduce myself to the man at the next table in the crowded sandwich shop. He is facing my profile and sits two feet away. His sandwich crumbs mingle with my sandwich crumbs and make a mess of the wobbly table where I sit. The man could brush the hair out of my face without having to lean forward. I keep expecting a kiss on the cheek.
Friday started out a forgettable day for me, but I mean that in the best way. Nothing was so bad that it will forever stand out as That Horrible Friday When…, but nothing was so exceptional, either. Bobby, on the other hand, came out of the closet at work…after a student locked him in one. Had it happened to me, I think I would have either 1) gone completely insane and violent or 2) just given up and pretended to be dead when the students finally opened the closet door. (Guilt is great)! My uncloseted teacher companion was in a bad mood, but we headed downtown anyway.
My dad believes that moving to New York is a big step down from living in Texas. I understand that people in Texas have a lot more discretionary income, the housing is more affordable, the cities are cleaner, the public schools are better, but as far as I’m concerned, those factors don’t outweigh that New York City is really happening. I enjoy my public transportation, landmarks, constant flurry of activity, and liberal politics. I can’t imagine ever raising a family in this city, because of how hard it is to live comfortably here, but I’m really excited that I moved. When I go to Times Square - which I generally detest for its commercialism and overcrowding - I’m still awe-struck. I look up at the buildings miles above me and think, “I live here?”
