conversions

So it's been a while and lots has happened. Lots of fun, cute things I'd like to share complete with vids but I can't upload any from my new camera. If anyone knows how to convert mpeg to avi, please tell me so I can update this blog. And hopefully soon you will all get to hear from Iz about his own little rant. Heaven knows I rant enough for the both of us but you're gonna love this one.

Cute kids=free stuff

Before Iz and I had kids I used to wonder what they would look like. Let's face it, there are some potential combinations there that would repulse Quasimoto. Israel's eyebrows with my eyes. . .My cheeks with his nose. But then we had Keahi and realized that there are beautiful combinations as well. As far back as I can remember people have gone, "Oh what a cute boy," and handed him things. There was the old Chinese woman on the bus who gave him a bag of coconut wafer cookies. She pulled them out of a large black garbage bag full of these homemade treats she was likely going to sell somewhere. Then there was the time at the swap meet when as we were leaving a van rolled past us, stopped, and a woman got out to give Keahi the cutest orange reversible hat that matched his outfit. Did I mention that I was already holding a grocery bag full of odds and ends toys that a vendor ran after us to give Keahi after we had passed her stall? And I think my favorite experience was when while waiting at the bus stop near the Social Services offices a homeless guy pulled out a tennis ball from his pack for Keahi to play with. When I tried to give it back once the bus arrived, he said it was a gift for my sweet son. Seriously? This man lives out of a backpack and he's giving my son a toy?

These acts of kindness and generosity are too numerous to recount and they have followed us wherever we go. Grenada. And even Brooklyn, NY. The other day I was talking to a friend on the phone outside of a tiny deli that had a produce stand outside. Then the produce guy walks over to us with a big double handful of cherries and hands them to Keahi. I think Natalie was probably confused by the random, "Thank you" that interrupted our conversation. And today while buying a map from a newstand in Manhattan, our boys got free lolipops.

I'm always grateful and a bit humbled whenever strangers reach out to us with random acts of kindness. Even in this big, scary city, people are full of spontaneous generosity. And it's not limited to Keahi. I feel so grateful to everyone who's helped make this transition so quickly. People have opened their homes to us and shared their knowledge and expertise with us unstintingly. Natlie, Amy and Pammy you have all been godsends. Thank you.

Driving in New York

I never imagined that within a few days of moving here I'd be driving on my own in the city, but that's what happens when your husband is a third year medical student in surgery rotations. It's been a mixed experience and I've learned several things.

-Crosswalk signals are merely suggestions.
I actually first learned this walking with NYer friends and then had to explain to my sign-conscious son that in NY people go early as long as cars aren't coming. He's so sweet about remembering to wave at any stopped cars as we pass. But I really learned this as a driver when I was almost hit by a street biker. I guess he was so used to running those red lights he didn't even see this large SUV plowing through the intersection. Hence the next lesson:

-Green traffic lights don't mean you go without watching out for the invincible pedestrians, bikers and other intrepid drivers.

-Double parking along the street is fine.
Helpful when I'm the one doing it to pick up something from freecycle.org. Less helpful when you're trying to squeeze between a parked car on the right and two parked on the left.

-Seeing the many cop cars and officers walking the streets is simultaneously comforting and disturbing.
I mean, there's gotta be a good reason the department feels this neighborhood needs to have all that extra show of force. I read somewhere that Bedstuy was labeled a "high impact" neighborhood a few years ago so the police force flooded the streets with cops to reduce crime. I think it's been working. No complaints so far.

-Smart cars are smart not only environmentally but parking-wise as well.
It took me a few times to be comfortable parallel parking an SUV. It's not even all that much bigger but it still made me nervous. Of course, part of that may be because it's not my car and I'm not on the insurance.

-GPS is a must. THANK YOU MOM.
There's no way I'd be driving around NY the first week I'm here without our Tomtom. I use it all the time--sometimes when I'm walking as well. I love that it recalculates your route based on whatever bonehead maneuver you pull without tacking on "you idiot" each time you mess up. And there are way too many one-way streets to remember yourself.

-Updated safety stickers are not optional. And the cops are very quick about noticing expired ones.
Back home, mom drove around for a month with both expired safety and registration stickers and we didn't get a ticket. Here I got a ticket parked outside our apartment (stupid street parking) the day after it expired. And, of course, it's not my car. I didn't know it was close to expiring. And it's a '94 which means it has to pass a safety emissions test as well. So, I leave the ticket on overnight--don't want an overzealous cop to put another one on the next morning--and I head out this morning to take care of it. The first place is the one that informed me that older cars need an emissions test and that they didn't do that. Luckily, the one across the street did. Yes. And it was just one block from a park (great equipment but kinda sketchy people-wise) so I could take the kids there till it was done. Thank goodness I brought the stroller. But when I got back, I'm told that the front brakes are about 2 weeks away from failing so he can't even get to the emissions test till it's fixed. Now I'm worried that it might fail that part, too. But he says not to worry about that part because he'll "take care of it," whatever that means. Fudging data? But an hour and many snacks later, it's finished. Now I can pay the ticket online and that should be the end of my ticket drama. I better not forget which side of the street it's legal to park on each day or we'll add that to the list of lessons learned.

So driving in Brooklyn has been an adventure with its share of bumps. But going to Costco and picking up free furniture any time I want more than makes up for it. I'm so grateful we've got this car for the next 2 months. Pray for us that nothing else goes wrong.