Tuesday, August 21, 2012

The Lawlessness of Stamford Drivers....

OK,
I've had it!  I don't claim to be the greatest driver on the planet, but I am far better than a vast majority of the drivers of Stamford, CT.  I live there, so I know what I am talking about!!!  Specifically, my favorite intersection.... Washington Blvd at Broad Street.

Today I am walking with my family, little dude in his stroller, husband pushing, and we get to our favorite intersection... it's my favorite because it seems all of the bad drivers of the state converge there.  We are patiently waiting for the walk signal, and sure enough, it comes.  We look both ways then step into the crosswalk and begin our trek.   Apparently we weren't moving fast enough for the driver trying to make a right, as they inched closer and closer to us.  Well, we've dealt with this enough, so finally we rebelled, slowed our roll and took our time.  Once the women and her passenger were able to go  through the light, she politely called me an Asshole, because I kept her from turning.

Well here's the rub, there is a sign posted as big as day: State Law, Must yield to pedestrians in crosswalk.  Hmmm, seems pretty straight forward to me, especially considering I had the little walking man telling us, we are clear to walk!  I don't like to make scenes.  I don't like to be that person yelling in the street, but calling me an asshole for crossing the street?!  I screamed back at her, read the street sign, yield to pedestrians!!!

So, if I am calling out Stamford drivers, obviously this isn't the first incident.  One day, I am trying to cross the street at yes, my favorite intersection, and wouldn't you know it... another driver versus pedestrian moment.  This time the driver again is mad, because I am not allowing her to make her right, but she's screaming at me because, I am not directly in the crosswalk, so I am holding her up.  Now here's the problem with this one... this particular crosswalk, on the south side of the intersection is an angled crosswalk.  So... I'm not sure why, but by the time you get to the other side, you are standing somewhat in oncoming traffic, so I usually keep a straight line which takes me about 2 feet out of the crosswalk once I reach the corner, and keeps me out of the oncoming traffic line.  But here's the rub.... she's turing on a red light.... which would be fine except for the other big bold sign just below the "Yield to pedestrian" sign that reads: NO RIGHT ON RED.  So why exactly are you cussing at me when you are making an illegal right on a red light?  I didn't say anything that day... said plenty in my head, but left it there.

Come to think of it, while I was driving through my favorite intersection once, I had someone honking at me at a ridiculous rate, because I wouldn't make the "ILLEGAL" right on red.  I wanted to stick my finger out the window, but that's not an example I need to be making for my kid.  Yelling at the driver today, I immediately felt foolish.  Here I am crossing the street and yelling at some driver half way down the road.  I've got people staring and I look at the drivers and realize how dumb I look, no matter how justified my outburst.  I apologized while crossing.

Alex says he figures he could write tickets all day long if he just stood at that intersection, the city would make a killing.  The thing is, it's not just the, yielding to pedestrians, or illegal rights on red.... there's also the, flat out driving through the red lights all together.  We figure, on average at least 2 to 3 cars usually go through that particular signal after it's turned red.  I'm stunned there aren't more accidents.   I'm stunned there's not more road rage.... It seems the lawlessness that IS Stamford driving is the norm.  Not a whole lot of honking except for those trying to actually follow the law.  Not much anger except for drivers not actually yielding to pedestrians.  Guess I should just partake in the lawlessness... but you know what happens then, I will be the one that gets the ticket.  Guess I will simply continue to hold in my frustration and secretly want to beat down the majority of the Stamford drivers I come across.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

The Ingenuity of an 18 month old....

So it's 4:30 in the morning.
To say we are half a sleep, isn't even slightly accurate.... try deep, deep sleep.
But like any mom... I hear my son, crying.  I jump with cat like reflexes, then bumble and stumble down the dark hall trying to get to my toddler's room.

It feels like the never-ending hallway from Poltergeist, but I realize, #1- I'm not afraid, cuz I know nothing is really wrong, and #2- it feels like the never-ending hallway because I am just not at all awake.

I get to my son's room and there cuteness is, standing in his crib, crying and rubbing his eyes.  I know the routine, pick him up, hug him a little, give kisses, tell him, "it's ok, mommy is here, but you little man, should be asleep."  As I figured, nothing is wrong, he's just up.  No temperature, just up.  So I set him on the bed across from his crib and proceed to change his diaper.  I pick him back up, kiss him again, tell him I love him, but it's time to go back to sleep.  I put him in the crib and I haven't even let him go before he's up and whaling again.  The truly traumatized whale...  I pick him back up, and just hold him in my arms for about 30 seconds.... I think,... I really still am asleep.  I can't see the clock cuz it's just a blur.  He is calm now, so I proceed to go to the cd player and play his music (World Baby Zen, great stuff) set him down in the crib, pull the tail on the musical elephant and rub his back a bit.  He's up again and starts crying.  I know this game.  So I tell him, go back to sleep and walk out of the room.

I head back to our room, where I can finally see a clock and begin the countdown.  He's got five minutes before I go back in if he hasn't stopped on his own.  The monitor is sitting faithfully on my chest.  The whaling gets even louder, and I can tell, he's not gonna go back down.  But now I need to go to the restroom.  So I decide, bathroom first then back to munchkin.  But something really strange happens as I am finishing up in the bathroom... all of a sudden his whaling seems to be getting closer to our bedroom.  Now, I know I am tired, but I'm not that tired and I know, I'm like 99% certain, no one is in the condo to pick him up and carry him to my room.  But sure enough, as I am washing and drying my hands, the whaling is at our bedroom door and tugging on the knob.  I didn't even realize I had shut shut the door. I open the door and there he is standing there, crying.  For the first time EVER, the little man, somehow maneuvered his way out of the crib and made his way down to his dad and mom's room.

My husband finally even woke up himself, cuz he heard the crying literally at the door.  By the time he got to the door, little man was standing in the room waiting for one of us to pick him up... me still in awe.  Alex looked down and in only the way a proud father could, he said, IN GREEK, did you walk all the way here yourself?  Oh my boy, good job my boy (Now, I paraphrased, because, I still don't know greek, I am working on it, but it was more than a word or two). He swooped him up and took him to our bed.  Needless to say, little man giggled a bit.

I was proud, scared and still tired all at the same time.  I didn't hear any kind of thud or thump, so he didn't fall, but he could have.  And here is something that makes it all even more impressive....  he still sleeps with a pacifier, in fact he keeps two with him.  He had the one in his mouth and one in his hand as he got out of the crib and made his way down.  I know my kid, there was no put this down for a second while I do this, he kept the one in his hand and had the one in his mouth the whole time.  Again, there was pride, and the fear subsided for a second.... but then, I just realized.... he can now get out of his crib!  We have to figure out a new strategy for when little man randomly wakes up and doesn't want to be by himself!

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Golden Gabby

America has a new sweetheart and she isn't of the typical fare!  Gabby Douglas won gold for the Individual All-Around at these 2012 London Olympic games.  In fact, she became the first African-American Gymnast to accomplish the feat PERIOD.

Now I know, there are many of you, utterly frustrated that I am pointing this out, but here's the deal, this is one of those things, that NEEDS to be pointed out.  Certain fields have far fewer variety than others, for various reasons.  Gymnastics is one of those sports where not so many african-americans are drawn too or encouraged.  I was basically told, gymnastics was not for me when I was a little girl,... by the gym.  I was sad, but after my growth spurt, it certainly made more sense.  Now I doubt they saw a growth spurt coming, but a public gymnastics facility in my opinion should never turn away a young person that wants to participate.  I may not have been any good, but this wasn't a team tryout.  This was a public gymnastics facility, where you pay to participate and anyone should be allowed to do so.

It's interesting, I can name only two African American female gymnasts.... Dominique Dawes and Gabby Douglas.  I am positive that there are more, but they haven't reached this level which is why these two stand out.  It's what makes Gabby's Individual All-Around Gold that much more important.  Specifically for little black girls, there is something to be said about seeing yourself in a hero.

Gabby, like the Williams sisters represents a dream that can be attainable, no matter what that dream is.  I am looking beyond athletic talents here, I am talking about any and all dreams.  They represent that if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.  Sound familiar?  It should, it's an age old saying... but sometimes the words seem to be simply that, empty letters with sound attached.  But there are individuals, accomplished individuals who somehow make you feel as if there is more behind those words.  Individuals who didn't come from great backgrounds, individuals who had the tables not necessarily turned in their favor.  Individuals who decided, no matter what the sacrifice, I'm going to make this happen.

Who would of thought Compton could produce the greatest sister tandem the sports world has ever seen.  And now there's Gabby..

Gabby Douglas... dubbed the "Flying Squirrel" because she gets RIDICULOUS height from her bar releases, her beautiful lines in her routines and a smile to match, is a thrill to watch.
She is a beautiful young lady and hopefully her Golden future is just as celebrated as those who went before her.  She's already got her Wheaties box, now I want to see her on the commercial/sponsorship circuit like her predecessors.
I want Gabby to be a household name, I want her to be fawned on.  I want her to get the love she deserves because she is an Olympic Champion to the highest degree.  I want her poster plastered on gymnastics walls and little girls bedrooms...   I want little girls to say.... "I want to be like Gabby".... I want all of this for her because, she's our Gabby, ALL of ours, and she is an especially bright golden star to young black girls all over the United States!