Good Deeds Do Go Unpaid

Your Photo of the day: "Inspirational Garbage"

I was walking home through Central Park, and this little dog came running by dragging a leash. I didn't see anyone running after it, so I grab it and walked back in the direction it came from. It kept jumping on me and biting my pants or my backpack. It would try to bite other dogs it got near. It was one misbehaving dog. I had little doggy-paw print patterns all over my jeans for the rest of the day.

The face of a fugitive

I walked around with that annoying little dog for a good hour, but didn't see anyone that looked like they lost something. I suddenly began receiving attention from girls with the little dog. I had some Chinese guy come and take pictures of me like I was some special scene (by then we probably looked like two lost fugitives on the run). I took the dog to the Central Park Zoo because they probably knew what to do with animals, and left it there with the Park employees.

Of course I'd take a lose dog back to its owner, but by the time I dumped it at CPZ, I was tired, cold and hungry, and was not happy with that dog at all. I entertained the idea of setting the dog lose again and letting natural selection take its course...

A Busy Night in the Photo District

The oldest of New York City's original skyscrapers-the Flatiron Building.
That is the Empire State Building in the back with the lit roof, New York City's tallest building. It actually is far away, but it looks like a short building just behind the ones in the foreground.

I finally got down to the "Photo District", but I didn't see much because I was passing through on errands. And it was night. And it was snowing. And I was tired and hungry. The so called Photo District is where most of the photography studios are located, with the Flatiron Building being the unofficial center. Broadway runs through it, and it includes Greenwich Village and Chelsea (here's looking at you, Judd!). The above photos were taken from Madison Square Park, another monumental site.

I was about to cross Broadway (a six lane road) when the light was about to turn red, so I stopped. During that two or three seconds when the traffic stops in all directions because all the lights are red, a blind man with a seeing-eye-dog walked out into the intersection to cross. I guess the dog got confused or figured there was no traffic so it was safe to cross. The traffic then sort of enveloped him and the dog, but the drivers saw the dog and knew what was going down, so the cars just passed behind him. And no one honked! Can you believe it?! At least New Yorkers are soft for the handicapped. So, the dog realized something wasn't right, and sort of stood in the middle of the road waiting a break in the traffic. I was about to run out and lead the guy across but the dog moved and got the guy to the other side. Anyway, that got my adrenaline running.

Time Warner Building—First Encounter

Some New Yorkers enjoying the snow in Central Park.
Obviously a New Yorker who stayed out past midnight...
This is an impromptu snow sculpture to show off advanced snowman-making skills. That is the Metropolitan Museum in the background.
That is the Time Warner Tower in the middle there.
Yours Truly.

Yesterday I walked across Central Park to Columbus Circle to go visit the Whole Foods store in the Time Warner Building. By the time I got to the Columbus Circle I was too tired and hungry to take any more pictures, so I have to go back again to show my readers something. If you have seen The Devil Wears Prada, Home Alone 2, Die Hard With a Vengeance, or I Am Legend, then you have seen the Columbus Circle. Turns out there is a train line all the way from Columbus Circle straight to the station down the block from my apartment in Brooklyn. I think next time I am heading to work around lunch time, I'll just take the train to Columbus Circle, eat at Whole Foods, then hike the 30 or so blocks to work (takes me about 40 minutes not including distractions). I guess writing about Whole Foods isn't very interesting, but it sure was interesting seeing the people who shopped and ate there. Columbus Circle is an intersection for the major arteries of Broadway, Eight Street, and 59th street, which is a very wealthy area. So at least the people there were very well dressed. The Time Warner Building is one of those places where all you have to do is sit across the entrance with a camera and you'll probably catch a celebrity walking by. I saw the paparazzi hanging out on the balconies across from the entrance taking pictures of everyone passing through. The only celebrity I saw was Zorro, and that was when he walked by in the subway station (a guy dressed like Zorro, anyway).

Snow! Yay!

That is the Boathouse on the left.
Me and my new buddy. Someone stuck this snowman center stage of the outdoor theatre. I think it is a mime performance.
Nobody, and I mean nobody, is going anywhere today.
This looks like a photo of some European landscape. But no, its Central Park.

NYC got buried under a serious amount of snow. It does not usually snow like this in winter in this area. I love it. It looks like everything is now decorated. It is never too cold either, so it is a winter wonderland. There are lots of people out taking pictures and making snow...sculptures. Some sculptures are nice, some are crude, and some a rude.

A Wonderful Day

Even the squirrels are part of the show...
I couldn't get into do my work today, so I took the day off and hung out in Central Park. It finally was sunny and warm enough to just sit and watch the people. I had a real chance to slow down and be in the moment, and not worry about my next destination. I could probably make an entire career just out of pictures of people in Central Park. I need better equipment, though, so I can stand a little further off. I finally got into the Boathouse for a sandwich--I've walked past about a million times already--and they have a classy restaurant in there. Now I have a fun place to take people to eat when I am showing them Central Park.

I Live Like a Bat

I have had trouble sleeping lately. I think it is a form a "jet-lag" brought on because I spend most of my time underground. I travel to and from work on the subway, and I work indoors all day. Everything I need is down there, so I just stay there until time to leave. By the time I head home it is dark. So I only see a little sunlight every morning on my walk to the subway.

I had to get out and see some sun, so I left early and took some photos in Central Park while the sun was setting. I walked all the way down to 59th street from 93rd, and I got an opportunity to make some nice shots at dusk. Dusk is a special time to shoot in a city because the sky is still light enough to illuminate the scenery, but now there are lots of lights adding their own glow.
For all the Apple fans reading this, here is the Apple store on 59th street.That is one of the horse and buggies of Central Park in the foreground.Here is one of the cabbies in a top hat.I love the arches.I stood right in the middle of the street to take this.
I was crossing the street and thought it would be kind of cool to take a picture from the middle of the road. How many people have pictures like that? Anyway, I almost got his by a car. I almost became a casualty of art.

Hooray, Finished School! And Turtles..

So, if the turtle is in the bathtub, does that mean he is taking a bath?
This turtle REALLY looked like he was having fun.

Put yourself in the turtle's shoes: that bath tub looks a lot more exciting after being in a tank all week. This turtle belongs to my landlord. He was zipping from one end to the other, diving and turning like a kid released into a playground. I imagine he was playing "airplane" or something like that. Among other things, this turtle has managed to escape its tank on a couple occasions. The old "jumped the wall" excuse just doesn't seem to hold the same weight in this case. I am taking the position that, logically speaking, without any other explanation we really can't discount that one so quickly. I will stand my ground until someone has something better to offer.

I finished the stock trading program. I can't wait to get myself set up to start mock trading, and once I have established a consistent record of wins, I'll be trading live. That would be in three or four weeks, I think. Trading will end up being my main source of income. So, I am really excited about it. I was able in class to anticipate price changes and take advantage of them. On my last day I made a net gain of $0.74 per share, which means if I had 1000 shares, I would have made $740. All before 11am. A single morning's work. That is the kind of income I can expect doing this.

Monday I have to see if my laptop is fixed, and if I was approved for the platform. So I still have setting up to do before I can mock trade. Meanwhile I am supporting myself with clerical work. I hope to have my rent all paid off this week.