Snapshot NYC 2009
October 11, 10:00 pm
Night Job on Warwick Avenue
Two local boys rearranging a construction-site on their local street to execute a late-night game of basketball.
Anything for a good game of basketball...
E-ART PROJECT
Welcome to a new society: College, with its own set of rules
Ever notice how you can be walking down the block, merrily humming a tune and then as soon as you turn into the college entrance, your stomach drops? You feel your heart-rate triple and you begin running. Maybe it’s because no matter how early you leave your house, you always feel like you’re late to class…Or maybe you’re subconsciously running from those Public Safety people. It’s like colleges have their own law enforcement crew enforcing rules invented hourly or for convenience-sake (theirs of course).
When it comes to regular rules you think are standard from HS, you know, like no smoking, no hats in class, you may not have your feet up in class, you must come to class, etc. It seems the answer is,”Oh those don’t apply to adults in college”, only regular societal laws apply, except you happen to be in a school setting. If it’s illegal, it’s illegal, but that’s about it, you’re on your own.
So here’s just a nice little example of the unique college-society: Instead of driving to school, sitting in endless traffic, having nowhere to park, or taking 20 minutes of my hectic mornings to walk, I ride my bike to class every day. Some buildings are nice enough to have bike racks for me to neatly lock up my bike and rush to class. Most other buildings however, don’t. At these buildings I lock my bike to the most convenient thing, which is usually a bench. I never really put thought into this, except when trying to reclaim my bike after class while avoiding the sketchy crowds congregating around the bench. Then this afternoon…
I finally end class today, Monday, October 5, 2009, at around 6 pm and go to pick up my bike from in front of building 3S. Low and behold, I notice a nicely folded piece of paper clearly ripped out of a loose-leaf, snugly tucked in my helmet. I originally think someone missed the garbage, but dismiss that thought when I realize how neatly it’s folded. Still assuming the note is not for me, I open it out of curiosity. Upon seeing the note addressed to “R….”, I think it’s one of my friends who left me a friendly message. Upon closer inspection, I realize what it actually says. Here is the full message of the letter (in a hastily scribbled blue ink):
“Dear Rider,
It is very RUDE to park your bike here. This is a bench for seating purposes. Please respect your fellow students.
Thank You!”
At this point I just stopped and laughed to myself. How many people would see something annoying, and think to stop, rip out a piece of loose-leaf paper, and leave an assertive note to an absolute stranger? I wasn’t offended by the note. I actually agreed with the request (or demand) completely. Had it occurred to me that I was blocking people’s seats, I would have thought twice about parking my bike there. What I found funny is imagining this author calling upon my duty to respect my fellow students’ “seating purposes” in a setting where adults (some old enough to be my grandparents) come, take classes, and leave. Since I was so amused with the letter, I tucked it in my pocket and rode off.
One thing I I couldn’t help but wonder was, who wrote it? Is he the sketchy guy glaring at me as I whiz by and he puts down his cigarette? Is she the girl at the parking lot who stops and stares as she notices my blue bike and attributes it to the “inconsiderate Rider” who rides past? Or is she my psychology professor who hands me back my test with pursed lips, not knowing I’m the criminal who just caused her the bother of writing a complaint? Who knows? One thing’s for sure, I don’t. I probably never will, unless I make the same mistake and lock my bike to the same bench in front of 3S at 2:28 pm on a monday afternoon….
…Rider beware, fellow students (for some unknown reason) care.
Family trip to Great Kills park: Riding BIKES along the beach of course
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- Being a quintescential tourist in a Harley Store in Niagra Falls on Senior Trip
My roommate and I, who bought bikes as a means of transportation during our year abroad in Israel, pose beside a painted wall we happened upon at a rest-stop in Northern Israel.
Fresh new faces and overwhelming helplessness
Streaks of piercing light force their way through the blinds of your bedroom window and pull you out of bed. “It’s gonna be a good day!” or is it? You stumble through the unfamiliar campus turf and barely make it through your first class. The sky starts spinning, the ground starts rotating under your feet…”Wait!!” you scream. Who’s life is this? The Campus center is ahead, the library to the right, thousands of bright-eyed freshmen buzzing by. You open your eyes, recompose yourself, stand up, and brush the grass off your shirt from your unexpected tumble. Lastly, you straighten your glasses, this is your day and you walk into that experience with charisma and control, the book-bag starts to get lighter as you stroll off to your next class.
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