My Two Cents

Google Reader.

Do you use it? I do and I am having mixed feelings about it. While it makes blog surfing extraordinarily easy, it makes me feel lazy. I used to leave comments most of the time I visited friends blogs, now...it's rare. All thanks to Google Reader. Is it really that hard to click and be taken to the actual blog so that I can leave a comment? No. Do I? Not usually. While it surely makes it handy for checking blogs, I no longer have to devote more than a minute or so to see what's new as opposed to clicking through every public blog I read. I know the sole purpose of blogging is not to have comments left, but as a blogger, don't you like getting comments? I know I do. It's not the only reason I blog, but I think there is a part of everyone who posts that wants to see comments, no matter what their blog topic is for that day.

So tell me, does Google Reader make it easier or harder for you to comment? Do you only comment when it's a really important blog, earth shattering news or whenever it strikes your fancy? What is the proper blog comment etiquette, do we have to leave a comment at every post we read to let that person know we were there?

I should definitely comment more... so to those whose blogs I read, I do read them I promise, and I will try and be better about leaving comments, even if you don't want me to!!

To Say or Not To Say

If you have an opinion on something, do you always share it? Is it sometimes better to keep your mouth shut, even if you feel really strongly about something? Should you always stand up for what you think, or is letting sleeping dogs lie sometimes the better road to take?

If your opinion is different than the majority should you always voice it to try to show the other side of the story, or is there a time when being silent is the best decision?

Here's a Tip For Ya!

Tipping.
Can anyone explain this to me?
I tip my server, I tip my hairdresser, I tip the driver/shuttle guy... but when did it become that we have to tip everyone?? People at fast food places have tip jars. I get a letter to tip my newspaper person. Why? Why do we have to tip? Aren't people doing the jobs they were hired for? Some say it's a courtesy, a thank you. Well isn't me making use of you (keeping you/your company in business) a courtesy? I could have gone with someone else!!
I'm In all of my working years I never got a tip. If I went above and beyond I still didn't get a tip. Isn't a doorman's job to get the door? He gets paid to do that, right? So why is it expected that I give him a tip?
Living in NYC can crush you at Christmas time. You've got your front door people, the maintenance people, the mail person....it's a lot of people. Even if you gave everyone $20, where we lived it would have been close to $200 or more! And our front door people didn't do any door openings, they were just desk people.
We're supposed to tip our cab driver, yet we don't tip the bus driver. Aren't they essentially doing the same job, one just has more riders (and a bigger vehicle!)?
I don't get it. I will continue to tip my hairdresser because she has scissors and I don't want to be bald...my newspaper delivery person...probably not.
Call me cheap, that's okay. I've been called worse.

An Open Letter

Dear Abby,

I am writing this to express my disbelief, anger, frustration, and utter loss of words.
I have tried for many hours and days to figure out just why you do this, but have come up empty handed. Is it a brain dysfunction? A lack of consideration? A night filled with boozing it up? Or perhaps you're just a pure and simple idiot. I am willing to wager on the latter.
There is NO good reason, no circumstance so dire, that a telephone call must be placed at 3:00AM or 4:00 AM, or at any hour after 10:30PM. None. You will never convince me. I have even told my Mother repeatedly, "Do not call me if someone is hurt, dies or has a child between the hours of 11:00PM and 6:00AM." Yes, that might sound cruel, but what am I going to do? I don't live in any form of close proximity to my family (immediate or extended), so at 2:00AM, all I can do is lose sleep, cry or be angry. I am of no good. Call me at 6:00AM when my brain will be functioning properly and if I have to leave I can either get a flight relatively soon ,or I can hop in my car and drive.
Even worse than an early morning phone call informing you of the birth of your new twin nieces, is the wrong number/drunk/stoned person calling. Those people called us twice in the last 4 days. Actually there were 3 calls; The first call I couldn't get to fast enough, so they called right back, sending a text to land line (you can do that?). My biggest problem with this call was that the person was calling back because they didn't recognize our number when we had called earlier and left this person a VOICEMAIL. Here's a thought - instead of calling someone back at 3:00AM to ask "this number called my cell, who is this?", why not check the voicemail that was left?!! Novel idea, I know. The third call was last night on the cell phone. Nothing better than the T-mobile jingle in your ear at 4:00AM. Idiot with a wrong number. Just who are you calling at 4:00AM anyway?
I realize I am probably over reacting, but it bugs me to no end!! One time we had a guy call, obviously drunker than a skunk who insisted on a conversation - even inviting us to come hang out with him (um, no thanks!)...he would not get off the phone. We hung up, and he called back! Idiot. In the hours of daylight and a few hours or so to ponder, I know in the scheme of things there are many worse things to experience...but at this time in my life, I love sleep and I love every minute that I can get. So when that is disrupted, I wind up going out to the couch because I am so angry that I can't sleep (and nothing is on TV at that time), only to have the wee one wake up an hour later. Not a good day in this household!!
On top of the annoyance, these situations can be more serious. Okay, so no one will be killed or maimed, but injuries could be sustained. A sleep deprived, glasses-less woman running from the bedroom to the kitchen in the pitch dark is the perfect set-up for an accident!
So if you're ever thinking of calling us, or anyone, beyond the hour of 10:30...think twice before you press send. Maybe I'm just old, but usually I'm not up for chit chat at 3:00AM.
Would you give your good readers a little refresher in consideration and good manners for me?

Thanks for listening,
Don't Call Me Past 10:30 CST.

Welcome Back Kotter

We hope everyone enjoyed the change of pace here on the Smith blog. It's always nice to know what random thoughts go through other people's heads...and it seems Jeff has a lot of time to let those thoughts swirl around!! We appreciate the time he took to enlighten folks with such a myriad of topics...although perhaps bevy would be a better word?

I am sure in the days to come the blog will get back to housing my random and nonsensical thoughts and Mark's offensive and inappropriate words to ponder. Perhaps this year he will again share with us all of the many things he hates about Christmas. I am sure he has a few new things to add to his list.

There are many things going on right now in my head that might make good blog fodder, but I am not sure if I want to go there with them as I never seem to get my thoughts out on paper (virtual or real) in quite the right way. I was leafing through some papers I wrote back in the days of University and there seemed to be one common thread no matter what the topic , grade or subject...awkwardness. My thoughts make sense in my head, but apparently they don't make the journey to paper without a few casualties. However, if you ever want to read my thoughts on topics such as Eva Peron, Chernobyl, the Role of the Secretary General, the Death Penalty and a host of other random subjects, let me know! I can't promise mind altering arguments, but I can promise awkward wording and irrelevant subject matter. Thanks University Professors!

So until then, enjoy the musings of Dolphinsbarn and the calmness until Mark returns.

Rainy Days

What do these three images have to do with each other? Well, if you live in NYC you can probably easily put them all together. Yesterday we had a lovely afternoon and evening of rain. I don't mind the rain, it doesn't make me sad or grumpy I actually like when it rains. However, living in NYC, when it rains, the streets become dangerous. Granted, a typical street on a given day/time does not necessarily look the street in the picture, but it sure feels like it! Now add an umbrella for every person walking down the street and it is like an obstacle course, with the losers risking body parts being lost, eyes being poked out, and downpours of umbrella rain. NYC isn't known for it's etiquette (in my opinion) and that is never more evident than when it rains. The first thing you notice when umbrellas come out, is the sheer massiveness of said umbrellas. Everyone here owns the jumbo size golf umbrella and feels they must use it even when they are by themselves. I see nothing wrong with these umbrellas, but use it like an HOV lane... when there is more than one of you!!! These things take up half the sidewalk, making it quite difficult for another person, let alone another person with an umbrella to pass by (imagine if two of these massive umbrellas tried to pass at the same time? Yo'd have chaos!) Perhaps it might not be so bad if people would learn to share the sidewalk (with or without an umbrella). If you are passing another person, and you each have an umbrella, it is very easy for one person to lift their umbrella up a little higher and the other to lower their's, thus making passage easier for everyone... no umbrellas htiting, no being poked by an umbrella spoke, easy, simple, and injury free. Also, please don't decide to de-raindrop your umbrella when there is someone in close vicinity to you! Noboday wants to be sprayed by the rain that has collected on your umbrella. It is quite easy to politely shake off the rain from your umbrella without claiming casualties. And please... when you are entering the subways, could you close your umbrella BEFORE you enter the stairwell so that you don't poke my eye out when I am coming up the stairs and you are coming down the stairs? It would make my life easier to continue one with two semi-functioning eyes.

This is just one of my NYC petpeeves when it comes to Etiquette and the City.
Here are some of my others:

• people who walk like the dead in the middle of the sidewalk
• people who walk like the road runner and then stop dead in their tracks in the middle of the sidwalk
• spitting in public
• littering
• subway door crowders (you know who you are!) both trying to enter the train and standing in the train, not making room for anyone else to get on
• the people who get out of their seats on the train 3 stops before they need to get off, just so they can position themselves in prime train exiting locations
• bags and purses that remain on people's shoulders on a crowded (armpits in your nose crowded) train - take them off your shoulder!!!
• people who cut in front of you trying to get on the train, like they don't even see you standing there, just so they can try and find a seat before you!
• when you are waiting for the train and there is tons of room on the platform but someone has to come and stand directly beside you like it was the only place in the world that allowed standing
• people who push their way to the front of the crowd to get on the elevator first and then stand right in the doorway so that they can be the first off, but don't make it easy for anyone else to get on the elevator!! (same goes for the ladies on the Roosevelt Island red bus - you know who you are)

Well... I am sure I have many more petpeeves, but I don't want to make this the world's longest blog entry, so I will quit now while I still possess the slightest amount of optimism! If I have left off any of your favourite NYC pet peeves let me know!