I’m a big proponent of writing letters to city agencies, elected officials, etc. to voice your concerns and bring their attention to important issues. Like mouse droppings or men who say yowza.

The first time I e-mailed the city was when we had a massive mouse problem in our apartment. When I saw two mice cross the living room at the same time and nearly hi-five eachother, I thought, enough is enough. I emailed the department of health. Then I received a phone call about a couple of weeks later and then, ta-daaaa, no more mouse problem.

The second time, I emailed the mta to complain about this bus dispatcher who kept saying “yowza” everytime I boarded the bus. I kid you not, as soon as I stepped onto the bus, I’d hear him mutter, “yowza” and then he’d give me the elevator eyes. You know, when a man looks at you from the bottom up.

So I sent a letter of complaint.

I know that YOWZA isn’t the most deragatory term, in fact, it’s actually kinda hilarious in that nostalgic throwback to the 1950s kinda way, and I guess every man has the right to look at you the way he wants, but the fact of the matter is, he wouldn’t be doing those things to me if I were a man.

And then I get a phonecall from the MTA. The man wants to talk about my concerns and asks what exactly the bus dispatcher is saying to me.

“Umm,” I say, “I wrote it down on the email.”
“I”m sorry but I don’t have the email in front of me. Can you tell me what exactly it is that he says to you?”
I look around the office to make sure no one is around to hear me.
“Umm…(cough) yowza.”
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t hear that.”
“Uhhh,” whispering, “yowza.”
“What was that?”
“YOWZA! OKAY? FOR THE LOVE OF GOD HE SAYS YOWZA.”

After that conversation, I boarded the bus and the man no longer said yowza.

And most recently, I emailed a commissioner in Miami to talk about the transit system. I grew up in Miami and took the metrorail everyday to get to school. My parents take the rail and bus now because gas has been so expensive and now more and more residents are taking public transit for this very same reason. So the Miami government imposed a transit tax in 2002 and added fare hikes. Now its 2008 and they’ve spent nearly 800 million dollars without really improving the current system or adding more transit lines as they promised and they added another fare hike in October.

So I sent a letter addressing these concerns and then three days letter a representative from the transit system called me and said she was going to forward my letter to other directors in the agency.

Although I’m not sure that any swift changes will be made, at least it’s nice to know that your letter is not floating around in a government black hole somewhere.

So write your representatives! There’s a power in letter writing!

Just try not to sound crazy.

Iceskating

The other day during lunch, I decided to walk to Bryant Park and go iceskating. I don’t know why, but iceskating just makes me so happy. (And we all know that my last experience, did not start off on a pleasant note.) At fist I was self conscious because I was all alone and I was nervous about falling on my ass in public, but after a few minutes I forgot I was even around other people or that I was even in New York City. Bing Crosby was playing on the speakers. And everything was white and peaceful.

Until some rambunctious teens nearly ran me over.

Seriously, why aren’t these kids in school? Do I need to write a letter to the Mayor???

Forearm Cancer

I have this weird bump. It’s the size and firmness of a small gum ball. My roommate thinks it’s a cyst. I think EEETS A TUMAAAAAH.

So if you don’t see any updated blog posts it’s because I’m dealing with my forearm cancer.