Dirty Dirty

The other night I was talking to my mother on the phone, "Blah-dee blah, new york, germs, gossip, blah blah..." then I said, "Ahhhh!!!" really loud. See, a rat was running right at my sneakers. After about ten seconds, I found myself acclimated to the situation. When the rat came back for a second pass, I barely flinched, realizing that we can share the same ecosystem (like a crocodile and a bird!) Soon he was scuttling around my feet like a little cocker spaniel. "He followed me home A, can I keep him?"

Bigger picture- New York is dirty and gross, but it's okay. When I used to visit Nicole on the Fung Wah, I would step off the bus and the smell of refuse would smack me right in the kisser. Initially disgusted, I would quickly grow accustomed to the filth and eventually stop noticing at all.

It's amazing what you can adjust to. On the way to the subway each morning, I walk down the same empty little side street because it probably saves me 15 to 20 seconds. Most of the street is fine, except for this one small, otherwise non-descript patch of sidewalk. This special area had a little trash a week ago, maybe five bottles and some papers. Then there was a tire, then two tires. One day a mattress was placed there. (see above photograph) And every day, with each new Indiana Jones Trash Challenge, I sucked it up and kept on walking.

Then today, when my feet led me to the small corridor between mattress and wall, I noticed someone had dumped a tray of fried rice in the way. I was perturbed enough to stop and take photos, making me late for my train.

And you know what? Tomorrow, I will just start slogging through rice.