A Word To The Wise

No matter how far technology has come...

You STILL look, to the rest of the world, as if you're talking loudly to yourself while walking down the street using your tiny little hands-free cellphone device.

Idiot alert!

Just a little something you might want to keep in mind.

AWWWWWW, What a Cute Puppy!!!

Dear Readers, Followers and the Just Plain Curious,

Well, it finally happened a couple months ago.
I'm no sure whether I shared this with you all or not, but three years ago I had  bilateral hip replacement surgery - that's right - bilateral (meaning both at the same time...YIKES) and two years ago another sort of more drastic surgery having to do with the titanium prostheses both getting life-threateningly infected. This second event had me in hospital and rehabilitation for a total of six weeks and the recovery time, well, let's just say it was massive.

YES, I'm getting to the puppy, trust me!

Well, my husband, the ever thoughtful Jae, said to me during my mending period, "You know how you've always wanted a dog? Well, I was thinking, as soon as you're able to bend over to pick up poop off the street, we can start looking for a rescue!"

Our Little Hudson

He even took me to the Javits Convention Center for my birthday in October to an even called Meet The Breeds where there were a lot of different booths with a LOT of different breeds for all of us to meet and get to know. I was in Doggie Heaven!

Well, it took quite a while to find the wonderful puppy we adopted and have come to love. His name is Hudson and he completes this family of five. Daddy (me), Poppa (Jae), Jack and Sam (our seven year old cats).

Now, you might be wondering, where's the rant? Where's the righteous indignation? Okay, here it is:

I ask you, would you...

• Pick up a stranger's toddler on the street? 

• Make 'kissy' noises so that the child in question will come to you and away from their parent or guardian? 
• Poke repeatedly at a child's face while exclaiming "What a cute baby!"? 

• Give a parent unsolicited advice about how to raise their progeny?

This happens to us ALL the time! You wouldn't think people would be so thoughtless but, guess what! They are!

Now, onward to other annoyances that have pertinent crossover to manners, safety and public health issues:

• I'm a little bit surprised that parents will allow their small children to just go up to strange dogs and pet them - or hit them or pull on their ears or scream at them, etc! I know my dog is friendly and well socialized but not every dog is. This is REALLY dangerous!

• Those expandable leashes are one of the stupidest things ever invented. Most dog owners don't know how to use them correctly and their dogs tend to run amok and tangle up old ladies and other pedestrians. Get a regular lead! You're not cool. 

• Most dogs have their nose to the ground for a goodly amount of the time they are being walked in city neighborhoods. Think again when you decide to just throw litter, cigarette butts, food, etc in the GENERAL direction of a trash receptacle or merely ANYwhere you are. These things can really hurt the constitution of a dog. Think twice.

•  DO NOT FEED dogs or puppies you don't know. An easy and logical premise. Just DON'T.

How intelligent do you have to be to consider the health and welfare and welfare of a pet - even (and probably most importantly) when it's not your own pet??

Please, dear readers, pass on this information to anyone you think of who can benefit from these reminders.

-SSG

Ground Zero Is Not A Theme Park

My dear readers,

I understand that the terrifying events of 9/11 had a huge impact on Americans and even the world, but I have a problem that I just don't understand.
I overheard this conversation the yesterday and it upset me more than I can say:

"What? There are roadblocks and street closings down at Ground Zero?!

I wanted to get a t-shirt!"

My friends, We, New Yorkers, lived through that horrible day and the resulting aftermath of fear, insecurity and stress. Yes, the whole nation was attacked, the whole world frozen, but - and I say this with as much thoughtful consciousness and humility - Ground Zero Is NOT a theme park nor is it a tourist destination for fun and frolic.

 I cannot say this without sounding like an ass and, trust me, I know how I come off. But, folks, you will never know how horrifying it is to see the hawkers and vendors trying to sell tschotchkas and hats and t-shirts where an abomination occurred forcing major changes in so many New Yorkers' lives.

What has this to do with etiquette, you may ask?

Manners and etiquette, as I've mentioned before, are designed, not to handcuff people or make them feel badly about themselves, but to make everyone feel comfortable and good.

Just my opinions, of course, and I welcome any rebuttal or comment at any time.

Meanwhile, my friends, please stay healthy and safe.

- SSG