From New Beginnings...to Re-Occuring Happenings

I intended to write my next blog (this one actually) about New Beginnings...my new apartment...my new neighborhood...the awesome people I've been meeting and hanging out with recently...how 2008 has simultaneously presented me with the most difficult challenges and also opened my eyes and heart to the possibility of falling head over heels again...how I've embraced change in various facets of my life and welcomed many new experiences...but I had such an eventful morning that I decided it would be much more fun to write about this morning's events instead...we can talk about New Beginnings when you see me out and aboot (<-- My Canadian accent :-) or at the local watering hole, where I am quickly becoming a fixture... I wake up this morning in pretty bad shape. I vaguely remember being advised last night that Friday's are trash day in my new hood. I gather up the recyclables and get them outside just in time to meet one of the locals making the rounds collecting the valuables out of the bins. I start to reach out my hand to introduce myself and offer exclusive rights to my future recyclables but I immediately wise up, realizing this guy has been handling various bottles, cans and jugs (not the silicone kind either!) which most likely have not all been washed...we chat it up for a bit but leaves names out of the conversation... Fast forward to 45 minutes later as I'm stumbling (literally) out of my new place (shoutout to CBP!!!). I grab a gatorade thinking it will help the re-hydration efforts. Before I'm too far away from my spot, I pass an eating establishment of sorts. Though I have been warned to avoid this particular establishment, the next eatery on my route to work is at least 15 stumbling minutes away. As I approach the door I immediately become concerned with the gatorade in my hand and that they may want to charge me for it. So I crack it open and am drinking it as I enter so as to avoid any confusion. I order a breakfast sammie and ask for a take-out menu. Despite the warnings I've received, I figure it may be a necessary evil for mornings such as this one. Having the phone number handy, would allow me to call ahead and save a few minutes of waiting and you know what I always say...A minute saved is a minute earned!!! Anyways, a lady appears behind the counter and we're small talking while sammie's getting prepped...I tell her I'm new to the area and she suggests I frequent their establishment because they have "lots of good food"!! I think to myself, I'll be the judge of that! But Thanks Anyway! She rings up my order. I almost pass out when she tells me my total is $6 and change...For a breakfast Sammie!?! WTF?!? I look to the guy that took my order with what can only be described as bewilderment...he advises the lady that I brought the gatorade in and should not be charged for it...I'm not crazy about the $4 Sammie but desperate times call for desperate measures...I pay up and think no more of it...until I look to my right in the coolers and realize they don't even sell gatorade!!! Not Cool!! All I can say is...C'Mon!! You're Better Than That!

A few more mildly amusing notables occur on my commute but the one I will mention specifically still has me scratching my head:

I get off the Silver Line (which is a bus for those not familiar with Boston Public Transit) and pass the line of people waiting to get on. Suddenly, a cab screeches in front of the bus cutting it off like I've seen cops do on those high-speed-chase reality shows. A guy jumps out of the cab and then motions for the bus to remain there so he can board. The cabbie does a U-turn going back from whence he came, and the bus pulls off continuing it's normal route. Having a vivid imagination, which was only heightened by the state I was in at the time, I tried to figure out what just occurred...

My best guess was that the guy missed the bus and hopped a cab to catch up with the bus. Though this seems to be the most logical scenario, it would also require that the guy NOT know that the Silver Line runs like every 5 minutes at that time of day. So unless you're in a life-or-death crisis, you can and should probably wait the 4 minutes until the next bus comes instead of paying a cab to drive you howmanyever blocks it took to catch up with the bus. Speaking of, did he even pay the cabbie? Was the cabbie one of his boys perhaps? Why not just have the cab take you to your destination if you're in such a rush? Surely the cab would get you there faster than the bus (though slightly more costly depending on how far he was going)...

At the other end of the realistic spectrum, I wondered if the cabbie and the passenger were both undercover agents and he was hopping on the board to make a bust or to investigate a possible terrorist threat. Hey, if you see something, say something!!! Though the mantra of the hood these days is "Stop Snitchin" so that's what makes me think that scenario is unlikely.

I continue on to work, very amused and slightly hungover...

Holla if ya Hear Me!!

Feeling trashy like a garbage bag...but far from Glad

So this morning as I'm getting ready for work, I get inspired to pen a new blog entry. By the time I've grabbed my keys, wallet, and jacket, I more or less have it written in my head. As I open my front door, I hear a few birds chirping. Spring is definitely here!!

However, as I get to the end of my driveway and bang a right down the sidewalk, I notice that almost every neighbor in my hood has mistakenly put their trash out a day early.

To back up for a moment, I've lived in this neighborhood for about a year and a half. Admittedly, it took me a while to figure out what day was trash day. Sometimes I'd see trash being put out Wednesday night, other times it was put out Thursday night. Eventually, I figured out that Thursday is the actual trash day, and whenever there is a holiday, it gets pushed back a day. Of course, this puzzle would've been solved much more quickly if I said more than 4 words at a time to any given neighbor (but that's a blog for another time).

Anyways, having been a resident of Taxachusetts for the last 13 years or so, I am fully aware that Patriot's Day is a legal state holiday. Knowing this, I planned on putting my trash out later tonight when I stumble home, most likely in a drunken stupor. If I wasn't already running late this morning, I would've more seriously considered knocking on doors, introducing myself as the guy that's lived here for 19 months without introducing myself, asking if there was some method to their madness. I would've then assured their awareness of Patriot's Day as a legal state holiday, with a reminder that next year it will take place on Monday, April 20th (two holidays for the price of one!! Yayyyy!!!)

Instead, I make my way to the bus stop managing to enjoy the beautiful rays of the sun while I envision what the heat will do to all of that trash baking on the street all day. I think Campbell's said it best: Mmm.. mm Good!!

If I'm lucky, when I get home tonight all of the trash will be gone, and I'll be able to apologize to my neighborhood for being the idiot who not only didn't put his trash out, but chastized everyone else for being on top of their game. We shall see...

So what lesson(s) do I takeaway from this experience? Do I try to be less taciturn in the neighborhood? That's easy enough, small talk can be appended to the general pleasantries. Should I take more of a leadership role despite being one of the younger owners on the block? I could start by printing and distributing copies of the Massachusetts Legal Holidays PDF. Or do I just let it go and focus on the larger issues in life that really matter? This seems like the best route to travel. in fact, once i hit "PUBLISH POST", this will all officially be behind me.

In closing, I'll leave you with a favorite clip from childhood: I Love Trash (1970)

nb: The original blog slated for today will most likely be posted by tomorrow, assuming I don't accidentally delete that file in my head.