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conuly
1. First, if you're ever by Battery Park City, go visit the Irish Hunger Memorial. You can ponder or ignore the quotes in the small, yet cavernous hall - what's really good is the part on top, which seems relatively unbothered by people, and which is a good place to eat your lunch (of course, I say that about Trinity Church Cemetary, and they send the preschoolers out to play there every day, so what do *I* know?). You honestly can't miss it if you're walking along the river. It looks like an outgrowth of cliff from the sidewalk.
And yes, I know the "cottage" is twice the size and much nicer than any real Irish cottage at the time. This is all unimportant.
2. Sheesh, people *do* feel everything is their business, don't they?
Today, I wandered away from my stuff on the boat in order to see if I could get a fork (I couldn't, but wait). And when I came back, the woman sitting distant from me told me I shouldn't do that. I kinda snapped at her, and then asked for a fork (and got a spoon, yay!).
Later, I apologised for snapping at her, and explained that not only didn't I have anything valuable in my bags, but that in truth I've always noticed that people will jump in to protect others from their own stupidity. Indeed, if anybody had tried to walk off with my bags (and walk where, I wonder, right off the boat and into the water?), the same woman who told me I shouldn't do that would've told them that *they* shouldn't do that. I wouldn't try this with anything valuable, but I can afford to give up some diapers as payment for my own hubris.
Then later, as we're getting off the boat...
We hold Ana's hand when walking near traffic, or across any street, or in a crowd. That's just basic. But the other day, Ana had been pushing her toy stroller, and, when told to grab my hand, had just turned and shrugged a shoulder at me. As I got more and more exasperated, she finally clarified by saying "NO! Take-a shoulder! I pondered for a second, then accepted the compromise, and we continued on our way.
Today, when she didn't want to take my hand, I took her shoulder again (actually, I hooked my hand through the sleeve of her shirt, but it's all the same) and we continued happily to the front of the boat.
Now, Ana doesn't like standing and waiting for us to get off the boat, so she was entertaining herself by walking around me. Except she couldn't do that, so she just made half-circles and then turned. A lot of the time, this is irritating, but today I really didn't mind, she wasn't bothering anybody (well, it didn't appear that she could be bothering anybody, anyway....), and anyway, she'd been a doll all day, wonderful to be around. Given that it was nap time and she really hadn't eaten any of her lunch (she had a few bites, but waited to have the rest after she woke up), her behaviour really was marvelous. So I'm happy, she's happy, various people on the boat are looking at her and smiling, it seems everybody is happy.
Except for the person who had a problem with Ana moving back and forth, and decided to tell me in that ridiculous fashion where you say something to your friend about someone else, but loudly enough that you *know* the person you're talking about will hear you. God, I've done that, once, and it made me feel so dirty afterwards.
"Why doesn't she just pick her up?"
Well, I had a very good reason for not picking Ana up, one that I wasn't too inclined to share with anybody at the time, because it was long and would've sounded defensive. Ana is heavy. Ana also didn't want to be picked up - had I done that, she would've whined, kicked, probably hit me, possibly bit me (she seems to be leaving that behind, but it still lurks), and generally *not* have been wonderful to be around.
But since that sounds defensive, all I said is "Because I don't want to", which was certainly the truth. I *didn't* want to pick her up.
Of course, now that this woman's been called out on her rudeness, she has to pretend she had a good reason for it (and if she had, she should've brought the matter to me directly): "Well, she'll get trampled".
She'll get trampled? Are you on the same boat I'm on? Are you on the same *world* I'm on? Trampled? At the speeds these crowds go? A guy on crutches could outrun the vast horde of humanity moving forth once the boat docks, if only he didn't have to wade through the crowd. Trampled? Ana can (and occasionally does) stop dead in her tracks in the middle of the crowd at rush hour and they just walk around her until she gets picked up. Trampled? Man, I *wish* the crowds would move at speeds like that. You want to catch your train, your bus, and they're just ambling on, slower than a picturesque phrase. It's truly maddening.
I mean, really, trampled? All I can say is, lady, you are altogether too optimistic about your ability to leave public transportation in a speedy and expiditious fashion. Trampled, for god's sake!
Which I didn't say. I am quite proud of my self-control. All *I* said is "No. She won't". I didn't even call this person an idiot. Not once!
Trampled. *snorts*
And I'm truly proud of Ana. She was really a big girl today. She ran (ran!) almost all the way from the playground up by Stuy to the boat. It only took us about half an hour - counting our side trip to the Irish Hunger Memorial. It was her choice, since I said she either had to hold my hand (so I could stop her dawdling, not because of traffic) or walk faster, and she chose "walk faster", keeping a nice steady pace up. And she didn't throw any real tantrums, and she was very brave on the playground equipment, even the stuff she wasn't sure she liked (I didn't put her there, she did it herself). So, like I said - I'm proud of her. My big niece.
If only she'd taken a longer nap.
Oh, and she uses plural nouns correctly, both when counting and just observing.
Oh, and she has most of her library mostly memorized. (She knows most of the text of most of her books?)
AND! I only recited Jim (who ran away from nurse and got eaten by a lion) to her twice or three times (though Mommy might've a few times) and she already can chime in with me on a few parts.
And yes, I know the "cottage" is twice the size and much nicer than any real Irish cottage at the time. This is all unimportant.
2. Sheesh, people *do* feel everything is their business, don't they?
Today, I wandered away from my stuff on the boat in order to see if I could get a fork (I couldn't, but wait). And when I came back, the woman sitting distant from me told me I shouldn't do that. I kinda snapped at her, and then asked for a fork (and got a spoon, yay!).
Later, I apologised for snapping at her, and explained that not only didn't I have anything valuable in my bags, but that in truth I've always noticed that people will jump in to protect others from their own stupidity. Indeed, if anybody had tried to walk off with my bags (and walk where, I wonder, right off the boat and into the water?), the same woman who told me I shouldn't do that would've told them that *they* shouldn't do that. I wouldn't try this with anything valuable, but I can afford to give up some diapers as payment for my own hubris.
Then later, as we're getting off the boat...
We hold Ana's hand when walking near traffic, or across any street, or in a crowd. That's just basic. But the other day, Ana had been pushing her toy stroller, and, when told to grab my hand, had just turned and shrugged a shoulder at me. As I got more and more exasperated, she finally clarified by saying "NO! Take-a shoulder! I pondered for a second, then accepted the compromise, and we continued on our way.
Today, when she didn't want to take my hand, I took her shoulder again (actually, I hooked my hand through the sleeve of her shirt, but it's all the same) and we continued happily to the front of the boat.
Now, Ana doesn't like standing and waiting for us to get off the boat, so she was entertaining herself by walking around me. Except she couldn't do that, so she just made half-circles and then turned. A lot of the time, this is irritating, but today I really didn't mind, she wasn't bothering anybody (well, it didn't appear that she could be bothering anybody, anyway....), and anyway, she'd been a doll all day, wonderful to be around. Given that it was nap time and she really hadn't eaten any of her lunch (she had a few bites, but waited to have the rest after she woke up), her behaviour really was marvelous. So I'm happy, she's happy, various people on the boat are looking at her and smiling, it seems everybody is happy.
Except for the person who had a problem with Ana moving back and forth, and decided to tell me in that ridiculous fashion where you say something to your friend about someone else, but loudly enough that you *know* the person you're talking about will hear you. God, I've done that, once, and it made me feel so dirty afterwards.
"Why doesn't she just pick her up?"
Well, I had a very good reason for not picking Ana up, one that I wasn't too inclined to share with anybody at the time, because it was long and would've sounded defensive. Ana is heavy. Ana also didn't want to be picked up - had I done that, she would've whined, kicked, probably hit me, possibly bit me (she seems to be leaving that behind, but it still lurks), and generally *not* have been wonderful to be around.
But since that sounds defensive, all I said is "Because I don't want to", which was certainly the truth. I *didn't* want to pick her up.
Of course, now that this woman's been called out on her rudeness, she has to pretend she had a good reason for it (and if she had, she should've brought the matter to me directly): "Well, she'll get trampled".
She'll get trampled? Are you on the same boat I'm on? Are you on the same *world* I'm on? Trampled? At the speeds these crowds go? A guy on crutches could outrun the vast horde of humanity moving forth once the boat docks, if only he didn't have to wade through the crowd. Trampled? Ana can (and occasionally does) stop dead in her tracks in the middle of the crowd at rush hour and they just walk around her until she gets picked up. Trampled? Man, I *wish* the crowds would move at speeds like that. You want to catch your train, your bus, and they're just ambling on, slower than a picturesque phrase. It's truly maddening.
I mean, really, trampled? All I can say is, lady, you are altogether too optimistic about your ability to leave public transportation in a speedy and expiditious fashion. Trampled, for god's sake!
Which I didn't say. I am quite proud of my self-control. All *I* said is "No. She won't". I didn't even call this person an idiot. Not once!
Trampled. *snorts*
And I'm truly proud of Ana. She was really a big girl today. She ran (ran!) almost all the way from the playground up by Stuy to the boat. It only took us about half an hour - counting our side trip to the Irish Hunger Memorial. It was her choice, since I said she either had to hold my hand (so I could stop her dawdling, not because of traffic) or walk faster, and she chose "walk faster", keeping a nice steady pace up. And she didn't throw any real tantrums, and she was very brave on the playground equipment, even the stuff she wasn't sure she liked (I didn't put her there, she did it herself). So, like I said - I'm proud of her. My big niece.
If only she'd taken a longer nap.
Oh, and she uses plural nouns correctly, both when counting and just observing.
Oh, and she has most of her library mostly memorized. (She knows most of the text of most of her books?)
AND! I only recited Jim (who ran away from nurse and got eaten by a lion) to her twice or three times (though Mommy might've a few times) and she already can chime in with me on a few parts.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-09-16 02:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-16 07:00 pm (UTC)Besides, even now, nobody's that efficient that they show up a minute after you've wandered away from your bag.
no subject
Date: 2005-09-16 02:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-16 07:00 pm (UTC)Besides, even now, nobody's that efficient that they show up a minute after you've wandered away from your bag.