100!

I've reached my 100th post! What a feat!

To honor it, I created another blog. It's a totally different concept but (ideally) even more entertaining.

Enjoy, and share with friends!

Things That Exist But Shouldn't - Part 20

20) Sideways Rain

It's raining, it's pouring
I'm soaking wet and really, really cold. 

Anyone in the tri-state area yesterday experienced the horrid downpour of nonstop rain. It didn't just fall straight down. It fell sideways, forwards, backwards. At one point I was convinced it was coming up from the ground.

Nathan W. Pyle drew it perfectly.

In just two short blocks of walking, my brother and I were drenched from every angle.  

I love a rainy day from inside my warm (dry) bed. I can usually handle walking in the rain, provided I can predict what angle the rain is coming from. When it falls sideways, though, it's just too much to handle.

Sideways snow, however, is beautiful. It's kind of like walking inside of a snow globe.

Cabbie Say What?

My younger brother – a non-native New Yorker – visited me in the city this past week. He remarked on how ridiculously easy it is to take a cab that will drive you anywhere in the city at your request. In light of his appreciation for cabs, I am dedicating this post to him.

Recently, I took a cab home from the movies (it was freezing cold & I was lazy) and my cab driver was blabbering on his phone in a language I couldn't understand. (See my past post about taxi drivers and their phone habits.)

I decided to do what everyone else does to pass the time and take out my phone. (Anything that requires waiting for more than 10 seconds means the phone must come out.) I had tuned my driver out and was scrolling through Christmas Eve pictures on Instagram when the background noise suddenly changed – he had stopped talking. 

I looked up from my phone in confusion, wondering what had caused this period of silence, when the driver repeated, "Merry Christmas!"

Apparently, his phone conversation had ended and he had begun a conversation with me in the same breath.

I felt bad. I really did. But his intonations and inflections in wishing me this seasonal greeting in English were exactly the same as when he was speaking in his native language, and I did not notice the differentiation until there was a period of silence.

I appreciated the interaction, but I just didn't see (or rather, hear) it coming. 

As soon as I wished him a Merry Christmas back, however, he picked up his phone and called another friend, leaving me to get back to Instagram.

The Gift of Time

I decided to go shopping the day before Christmas. Crazy, I know. But I had a doctor's appointment two blocks from Bloomingdale's, and I couldn't resist popping in.

The wonderful thing was that since I don't celebrate Christmas, I was in no rush to shop. There was no urgency to buy last-minute presents to get them wrapped before evening. Rather, I had nothing to do for the afternoon, so I took my time browsing display cases and touching soft things (my favorite thing to do).

This was the first time in a long time that I had been out shopping without an agenda or a place to be. I ended up in the pocketbook section and a lovely saleslady named Jihan promised she would help me after the next customer. I waited, because I could. When she finished, she came over to me, and gave me 30 minutes of her time, including allowing me to take the stuffing out of all the bags. 

When I finally decided on a beautiful bag to splurge on (oops, I guess I did want to do some shopping after all), she went down to the storeroom to find me a brand new one, even though there were 5 out on display. 

It was really, really fun. I have rarely enjoyed a shopping experience as much as I did that day. I recommend it. Just don't go shopping today...the day after Christmas is a far crazier day than the day before.

Matters of the Mind

It's rare that a week goes by without hearing about a new study that claims [something] prevents against aging and/or dementia.

At this point, I think we all can agree that certain habits have undeniably positive correlations with longevity and mental health.

Sleep is one of them.
It looks like coffee* is close to earning universal approval.   
Next on the list are brain exercises, which are encouraged to keep your mind young.

My grandmother was big on Sudoku, and – bless her – once called Will Shortz, Puzzle Creator, to ask him personally for advice on how to solve the toughest puzzles.

The other day, however, I saw a middle-aged woman sitting in Grand Central Station doing a word search titled "Keep Your Brain from Going Soft!" While I appreciated the fact that she was doing something on a piece of paper (unlike the 250 people around me all on their cell phones), it got me thinking that a word search might not be the most stimulating activity. It requires no mental math or critical analysis. There is no memory recall needed (there's a word bank at the bottom!), so I really don't think it gives the brain any sort of a workout. Her time would probably be better spent reading a book or doing a crossword puzzle that would require her to think more than her current activity.

But, hey, you never know. Research is always changing, and maybe a study will come out soon declaring that word searches are the best way to keep your wits about you, thus proving me wrong. Who am I to say? I'm not a neurologist...yet ;)

*I print out all of the ones related to coffee to use in my arsenal in case I am accused of being far too addicted to it.