I once had a girlfriend who would call me up first thing in the morning, every morning, to hear my scratchy, first-thing in the morning voice.

She said I give good voice in the morning. (Was a gemini, naturally... :-)

Right now, I just woke up from a nap, and my voice is scratchy.

Odd thing I do when Im like that: I sing/hum songs by singers with hoarse, scratchy voices... y'know, Rod Stewart (Do Ya Think Im Sexy), Kim Carnes (Bette Davis Eyes), Crash Test Dummies (Mmm Mmm Mmmm) etc etc

Usually though, its 'Boogie Oogie Oogie' by Taste of Honey.

I am easily amused. :-)
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(Although tired, with HappyCat chirping at me to come back to bed, I gotta write before I forget the drafts in my head..)
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Sometimes I wonder about my judgement:

I coulda headed out in days previous, when it was merely cold. But no, I had to head out in a bona-fiddy STORM.

If the needle-sharp ice-particles blowing sideways and stinging my face didnt clue me in, the frigid wind and slippery streets surely did.

Im the stubborn sort tho.. Once I start a journey, I rarely stop.

So, I slogged onto Brooklyn, where my inner voice again chimed "Where is your sense, boyo?"

(Yes, my inner voice may be Irish.)

Why? Well, I was talking to Tito, and it seemed wrong somehow to stand around while Tito is bustin his ass to clear snow off the sidewalks.

So I grabbed a shovel too.

Dave Price, the the weatherman of Fox5 kept repeating this morning, that the snow was wet and SUPER heavy, so to watch out for heart problems in those conditions.

No, I felt fine when I shoveled.

However, it was AFTERWARD, my ticker wasnt a happy camper - doing the rapido lambada in my chest.

Yeeks.

I hadda use the old pressure on the artery (that I learned from Dr Scott) to get it to calm the fuck down..

And as I prepared to head home that night, the storm intensified.

Oy.

As I slip, trudged and splashed... I kept wondering about my judgement.

I would do the same over again, knowing me. :-)
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There was a recent piece in the NY Times about a rat riding the subway.

Here is an "Only in New York" story in the same vein.

In the Staten Island Ferry Buildings you will see pigeons walking around and swooping among the lofty rafters.

Even on the ferries themselves.

In fact, and this is the god honest truth - the pigeons take the ferry rather than fly across New York Bay.

Anyway, I got on the train at the South Ferry station, and a pigeon foraging on the subway platform, wandered into the subway.. and the door immediately closed behind him.

At this point, Im thinking the bird is gonna start freaking out and fly around trying to get out.. but no, it calmly walks back and forth in the aisle between the doors.

After awhile, the other passengers start watching him trundle back and forth as the train blasted up the tunnels into manhattan..

By the time the train pulls and slows into the Rector Street station, everyone in the car is watching this bird, unperturbed, walking back and forth.

Then as the doors open, the pigeon, still calmly, hops onto the platform and waddles over to the exit to raucous cheers of "I KNEW he was gonna do that!!!"

Only in New York.
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