This morning on the way to the subway, a garbage truck passed in front of me, and I admired the 'sanitation' font (vaguely 'futura' perhaps? I'm not an expert) as well as the 'don't litter' commandment, which is kind of laughable in Washington Heights.
A street sweeper went zooming past, and -- as I always do -- I wondered if it really did anything but swirl the garbage around on the street a little bit, because there never seems to be any difference before and after it goes by. In general I think the city's 'litter policy' in Washington Heights is to wait until the wind blows it away into the river, where it will flow out to the ocean and maybe sink to the bottom.
After crossing the street, I observed a flag and wondered what it would be like to be 'proud of ur country,' or at least proud enough to hang a flag up across your window. Next to religion, I think there's probably a good case to be made that nationalism has done more to set back the human race over the last 2000 years or so, at least until ____ is elected President in 2012.
I felt better observing the serene light that filled the block between Broadway and Amsterdam.
The fire station is a grand building, but I'm not sure the flag adds anything to the picture. Maybe if it were a flag promoting alpine gardening, or kindness to stray cats, then I would feel more moved.
In the subway I admired the 'subtalk' font but felt that the ad campaign had made a mistake using this particular photo: was there anyone who could look at this and not imagine the two ppl in question pointing out a horrifically monstrous rat lumbering down the tracks?
I arrived at work, where I noticed that someone had erected scaffolding around the mysterious green tower outside of my office window.
Time passed. I went outside at lunch and enjoyed the dreamlike atmosphere created by the sun reflecting off of Madison Avenue.
It was a gorgeous sunset. Someone posed a question on tumblr asking 'what is it with you people and sunsets?' as if to say: 'why are u all such a bunch of fggts?'
Upholding my resolution not to be snide or 'snarky' on tumblr, I answered earnestly: 'sunsets 4 me,' I wrote, 'represent a btful transition out of the ennui that makes up
so mch of life, a time when u can hope even as u see what has passd' (I had to fit my answer into 140 characters or less.)
I sighed and watched the sun disappear, anxious to get home to the cats, who as they always do, were waiting at the door, looking up expectantly, knowing they will always be loved.
I feel similarly about sunsets. (But then, maybe that's because I'm a "fggt," as you understandably typed it, given search engines and whatnot.) My one difference would be to say that sunsets represent an experience of the universe (in an astrophysics sense, but therefore in an any-otherwise sense, as well) that I can have personally AND share with anyone else having it personally. I realize it's the same rationale as for circle jerks, but no one assigns disapprobation to sunsets. (Boilerplate: "I'm just sayin'...")
Posted by: DAB | 01/22/2010 at 09:20 PM
Hey DAB, completely agree with that analology! 3 MG
Posted by: Matthew Gallaway | 01/22/2010 at 09:55 PM
I feel exactly the same way about flags/religion/nationalism.
Your sunset posts always make me think of The Little Prince.
Posted by: Caitlin | 01/23/2010 at 02:35 PM
Thanks, C -- I need to revisit The Little Prince, I havent read since high school!
Posted by: Matthew Gallaway | 01/23/2010 at 04:30 PM