- WALKING AROUND THE CITY

Is best done with a comfortable pair of walking shoes. And clothed, always clothed.

You would be surprised about how many people approach you with the question, "Is that yours?" when walking around the streets of NYC with a human brain in a jar of formaldehyde. I mean obviously it's mine, whose else would it be?

If I find an extra lone tissue in my pocket while walking around outside, I will usually blow my nose into it even if I don't have to. Then I throw it away feeling that I've accomplished something and didn't just make unnecessary waste.

I'm going to tell you about a little minor city confrontation that I'm proud of.

I was standing outside a pizza joint in the Hell's Kitchen area of the city. I was with 2 coworkers. We had just finished our lunch, and walking outside noticed a group of teenagers hanging out by some scaffolding.

They weren't loud or obnoxious in anyway, just normal kids. But I saw one of them spit his bubble gum onto the ground right in the middle of the sidewalk.

I was thinking to myself, ok its not like he just grabbed some old man's cane and balanced it on his nose while the old man strained to jump and get it back. I know it wasn't the end of the world. BUT it was still wrong in my mind. SOMEONE will definitely step on that freaking piece of bubblegum eventually. They will stop walking, look down at their shoe, and curse the world, their life, Jesus, and Uncle Rico.

I didn't want that to happen. Even though my cowokers shrugged it off and began walking away, I ran back, looked at the kid and said, "Hey man was that really necessary? I mean did you have to do that, spit your gum right there in the middle of the sidewalk?" "Do you like stepping in a big piece of wet-warm-pink Bubblicious when you're on your way to a Superman or India Jones movie? Or A skeeball game at the fair?" (ok so I'm out of touch with the times leave me alone).

He just looked at me and then the gum, realizing what he did was wrong. There was literally no trash cans close by, so he did his best to eventually kick the gum out of harms way into a septic grate. I felt better. My friends felt better. The kid realized it was a dumb thing and that he knew next time he wouldn't just spit the gum out on the ground, he would look for a trash can. I'm not so sure how the people living in the sewer systems feel being bombarded with kicked gum, but I can only win one war at a time.