Down the Hatch

One of my biggest fears in NYC is falling down a hatch. See Exhibit A below. Silly as it must seem, this is a real and potentially costly danger of living in this pedestrian dependent way of life. I pass similar hatches daily, on my way to work, to brunch, to the grocery store, to drop off my dry cleaning or cautiously to dinner in a pair of high heels. One absent minded text or stumble on an uneven sidewalk later and I could be looking at hundreds of dollars in taxi cab rides while trying to make my way hobbling around on crutches in a sea of people. Oh the nightmare!

Actually, I should clarify, the real fear is not just falling down a hatch but falling in general. Genetically, I am predisposed to trip on anything and everything. Now image, without much of a choice you have to walk up to 5 miles a day. Suddenly the fear of falling climbs to the top of your scary list.

One evening in particular, on the way home from Whole Foods, stands out vividly of a tripping crisis adverted. I was marching across Avenue A, pushing a very full cart of groceries next to a very pregnant Anna. Greg was out of town for a week interviewing for residency programs so I had a house guest and therefore enough groceries to feed an army. Half way across the avenue I suddenly found myself sprawled out on top of my push cart with food spilling everywhere onto the crosswalk. I looked up to my left and saw a man stopped at the red light on his motorcycle clapping at my lovely show of clumsiness. As I peeled myself off the cart, I heard Anna howling in front of me which of course made me laugh (that's what we do in the Yost family, laugh when gravity gets the upper hand). So, giggling like crazy we quickly picked everything up, I turned to my audience, took a bow and kept charging straight home.

If I ever do go down that hatch may it be a fun and funny ride! Anna would be so sad she missed it.

Exhibit A

Find the Laughter in Slaughter

Morbid opening, I know. After many months of not writing, this title popping up may lead you to believe I'm needing a little psychological help. On the contrary, all is well, especially since I started a new job last summer as an executive assistant at a small investment bank. This opportunity has exponentially increased my quality of life in which I get to go home every few months to visit the family, as well as travel to see friends and explore new places (future trip to Ireland!) and enjoy some financial breathing room after putting in my dues as a rookie New Yorker.

As I begin my long over due update, this memory popped into my head:

Some time last summer I was on the F train headed home, from my brand new job, happy, content, enjoying the warm weather, maybe with a little smile on my face, when a twenty something hipster walked onto the train and sat down opposite of me. We made eye contact (rare in this city), then smiled (even more rare) and a brief genuine human connection transpired with a stranger that can be so refreshing at times. Then I looked at his t-shirt. It read "Find the Laughter in Slaughter". At first I was shocked and appalled. How disturbing. He looked nice and normal but why would he feel so drawn to that message as to wear it physically on him. I got off at the next stop and as we're all pushing and shoving our way up the stairs, people were cutting off other people to exit first because clearly their time was more important than others (this is one of my biggest pet peeves here that gets my blood boiling), I paused and thought, "Right, find the laughter in slaughter". (I will stop here to clarify I know I'm using the word slaughter very liberally compared to how other parts of the world unfortunately have to use it).

I have no idea what his personal message was in wearing that shirt but I have a feeling it's not because he's a crazy psycho killer (if I'm wrong then I've really got to work on having better instincts). Perhaps it was more of a way of expressing a part of our human nature that has the propensity to be in conflict with each other and one coping method is to just laugh... Reflecting on any given day in NYC, I spend a lot of time trying not to be slaughtered by traffic, bullied by straphangers for a spot to stand on the train or just in general, pushed around by more dominating personalities that run rampant here. Maybe we all need to stop and find the laughter more often.

This past spring (hence the stopping point of the last blog entry) I felt pretty defeated by this city. My twin, best friend, a genetic part of me, had just moved 2,000 miles away with another little piece of my heart and reunited with all my family in Texas. (Yes, that would be when Anna left me crying alligator tears at JKF, insert guilt trip here). To top it off I felt stuck in a low paying, high stress job in which my work load had just doubled, of course with no compensation, and for good measure the weather played fun games of snowing well into spring. I've never felt so conflicted about my life choices. The love of my family versus the love of a city that strangely, even in a time of such sadness, held me captive. It left me in an unrecognizable, irreconcilable space with little laughter.

And just like that, life turned a corner with the words "You got the job!". Whew, the current "what am I doing with my life" crisis was averted. With more vacation time and the financial means to fly home more often then I realized I can have my cake and eat it too (live in New York but be home enough to not be that estranged Aunt Teresa that only visits once a year). It's amazing how a little shove in a different direction opened up a new and very happy chapter in this New York saga. To be continued...

I hope this little face spreads the laughter that it brings me daily from my mandatory text of Creighton by Anna Ramsey

DAY 8: Near

Taken at Bryant Park on a rainy cool spring afternoon on my way to check out the New York Library. I was able to stand at street level and snap this angle since the park area is raised up. Thought it made for a charming pic. Reminded me a little of a scene you'd see in Paris.

ISO 1/1600, 1/13, f/11

Day Six: LOUD

Well, as you can see I've missed a few days... This may turn out to be more of a photo of the week class for me but it's still at least getting me out and playing with the manual mode.

This piece of machinery as well as 2 others are parked outside my building. It doesn't look like they are going anywhere anytime soon as Houston Street is getting some type of make over. It makes for unwanted LOUD Saturday mornings to an avid late sleeper.

ISO 200, 1/640, f/5.6

Day Two & Day Three

Day 2: NEW

(I'm not sure if I explained that this class is called Opposites so the assignments will be opposites of each other.)

I'm a little late on posting Day 2 and thought I'd do a double post to get back up to speed! (Hope that's not against the class rules!).

These are my NEW Spring sandals. Too bad it's still too chilly to be wearing open toe shoes in New York. Looks like they'll be new for a few more weeks.

I have 2 questions after taking this picture.

1. I was meaning for the center of the photo to be in focus and for the remaining area of the picture to be out of focus. How did the rug in the back area of the picture turn out more in focus?

2. Why are my pictures so small when I post them on here and everyone else's seem normal/large in size? Is it a setting on my camera or a setting on my computer?

Settings - ISO 400, f/3.8, 1/20

Day 3: IN(side)

The goal is to take a picture inside and something that "in" at the moment.

I put my Klean Kanteen (go green!) in my wine rack to get a different angle. It was a cloudy day but I had 2 windows on either side of my wine rack. I noticed when I used ISO 800 the steel seemed more true to it's original color but when I used ISO 400 (which I felt would have been the expected ISO) then the kanteen looked dull... any advice/feedback?

Settings: ISO 800, f/5.6, 1/25

Day One: OLD

For the month of April, I've joined a free online photography class by Beth V Photography. Ever since I bought my first DSLR camera a few months ago, I've left it in the automatic setting... there I admitted it.

Now, thanks to Bethany's wonderful idea, I am taking the plunge and switching over to manual mode. To be honest, I have no idea what I'm doing yet. I've skimmed some articles and am learning where buttons and dials are but at the moment my method is a little frantic as I keep changing some dial until I get a some what normal looking picture. It is my goal to study this confusing device until I make it capture what I intend it to but for now here's the big debut of my first photo taken on M mode.

The theme today is OLD which was left open to our interpretation. This is a paperweight my grandpa gave to me as a stocking stuffer probably about 25 years ago. Every time I move I've tried to keep this with me and just recently brought it up to New York after a visit home. It reminds me of my wonderful childhood in a sleepy little town called Edna.

Motivational Words found in Subway

During the last days of winter (yes, it's still wintry here, in the 30/40s with a chance of freezing rain/snow tomorrow) I thought many of us could relate to the following statements over these past few months as we've tried to find the motivation to leave our warm beds each morning. I wonder who put these up at the Times Square subway station and if any commuter has ever read them, turned around and crawled back into bed.

With that said there is a touch of Spring in the air which has dramatically lifted the spirits of New Yorkers. We're venturing out of our apartments, sitting on patios and at parks, albeit still in our jackets and scarfs willing it to be spring.

My trip home in a few weeks also helps with turning that corner into Spring. I have visions of 80 degree weather, a margarita and a plate full of enchiladas in front of me. Of course I can't wait to see my entire family! I think many of you know Anna, Greg and Creighton moved back to Texas last week. I miss them dearly.

In addition to this blog, I'd be remiss in not mentioning that it was a month ago today that I helped welcome Creighton into this world. Up to this point in my life, I have never been apart of something so intense as being in a delivery room. Birthing a baby is no joke. Anna had a tough labor and I am so impressed at the strength and energy she mustered to push that little guy out!

Happy One Month to my Godson Creighton!