Old Man

A little vacation never hurt anyone.

Because of the vacation time I had left for the year, I was able to take a few days in a row off. Given this opportunity, I took a short trip to New York City with Mandie, Paul, and Mike. I've never been to NYC before (aside from the bus depot on the way to Montreal) so it was a lot to take in. The city is friggin' huge! Times Square and the surrounding streets were packed full of people. In one instance I had to push Paul through the crowd like he was a Tetris piece. Macy's is an 8-story department store (not including cellar) with a restaurant or two on each floor.

While in Macy's I saw an older man working behind the jewelry counter. He was short and slightly hunched over, maybe in his seventies, and had those sagging cheeks with a slight stubble. He was dressed in a suit and was handling a piece of jewelry for a customer. I don't know why, but I felt he was...adorable. He looked like the kind of old man that you imagine walking home alone at night in the rain, going to his one bedroom apartment where only he and his dog live. I really don't know what came over me, but I heard myself saying, I hope he had a good life. I just wanted to give him a hug.

I'm sorry if that sounds cheesy, creepy, or inappropriate, but it's how I felt. And dammit, it's my blog. I'll say what I feel needs to be said, and I feel better telling you this.

Overall New York was fun, cold and totally worth it. If only we didn't have to encounter New Jersey in order to get there. Apparently they have a ten second rule when it comes to red lights. It's okay to cross the intersection up to ten seconds AFTER the light turns red. And they don't have legible signs.