Subtle and offensive

Sitting at my favorite French bistro in the lower east side contemplating about racism. Although the area is considered LES, the majority of the population is Chinese. Sadly very few Chinese would eat here due to the cultural and culinary differences.
I’ve been eating here regularly for many years and for most of the staff here, I’ve been here longer than the furniture.
Today a young waitress whom I have never met was sitting at the bar eating her breakfast. I sat myself down on my regular bar stool and opened my iPad to enjoy my morning. She looked up and impatiently asked, “Do you want something?”
A strange question to ask a patron. She didn’t bother to bring me a menu. In her eyes, what would I possibly want with a menu?
This young woman who seemed to be in her early twenties would not have escaped the massive diversity education indoctrinated into every child since the eighties. As a minority, I have experienced outright racism and the more subtle variety. I prefer the outright racist. They are on the fringe and relatively few in number. The subtle ones don’t realize their own attitude and would probably regurgitate their anti racism curriculum when asked. They live amongst us like a Manchurian Candidate ready to strike with their character assassination.
I looked up at her and replied, “coffee and food”. I hope that she would catch herself in her own prejudice. Sadly it doesn’t seem to be the case. Just then the manager walked over to greet me, he shook my hand, politely exchanged some familiarities and handed me a menu. “Coffee as usual?”, he asked. Yes, let’s start the day over beginning at this moment.

Screw you google bulk email algorithm

It makes no sense at all.

If I sign up for a google alert, DONT PUT IT IN BULK. That’s really really fucking stupid.

 

SMILE

4630 photos in my photo library and I cannot find the picture that best represent my good friend Laura. She came up to visit with her boyfriend Read last year and unfortunately I lost the memory card from the camera before I could import the photos.

Laura is a beautiful girl with a tremendous smile. Whenever I think of her, I see the smile in my mind’s eye. Laura is a fellow adventure traveler. She just got back from a trip to Costa Rica. I love hearing her travel stories. She reminds me that I need to travel more.

I met Laura a couple of years ago while staying at the JR Ranch in New Mexico. Laura introduced me to her wonderful friends in Arroyo Seco and took me on  a tour to see her art studio. She also has a wood kiln and one day I will go back and make some pottery with her.

I was trying my best to help a friend Mike with taking care of some horses but my inexperience with physical labor resulted in pulling my back on the second day. It was winter and the snow and ice combined with my injured back made walking very difficult. Laura came to the rescue and took me to a woman who could fix my back.

There was a huge snowstorm the previous day and the roads were deep with snow. But undaunted, Laura put me in her car and drove me to her friend’s house.

I was upstairs on a massage table with Laura’s friend who worked to relieve my swollen back, all the while looking out the window. I watched for an hour of the scene that took place at Laura’s car. After we pulled into the driveway, Laura’s car was stuck in the snow.

I watched Laura try to dig the car out through what seemed to be insurmountable odds. I was sure that we’d would be stuck there until spring thaw. I felt terrible, not about my back, but for what that situation must be doing to her back. But Laura is tougher than I am. With some ingenuity, a chain and another car, she was able to get the car unstuck.

I emerged from the house, my back felt 1000 times better and Laura came to help me into the car. As we pulled away, Laura said in the most understated manner, “We had a little car trouble”.

I know. I saw.

Today I thank: Laura, Danielle, Karsten, Sam, Corey and Yvie.