My Pet Peeve

The New York City Public Transportation System, for all of it’s problems, is wonderful.  There are very few cities in the world, where for one fare,  a passenger can travel from one end of the city the other.

But I have a pet peeve about my fellow riders.

We are paying for 1, count them, one seat. That means that for one fare each rider is entitled to one seat.

My pet peeve is when my fellow riders do one or more of the following:

• Put their bag on the seat next to them or casually let their bags hang over the next seat.
• Straddle two seats.
• Spread their legs wide in a man or woman spreading position as if they were home, relaxing on their recliner.

I saw all of this yesterday on my way home. They were lucky that it was a Sunday night and the train was mostly empty. Had it been Monday morning, they would have been forced to make room for their fellow passengers (shocking, I know).

I know I am not the perfect passenger, I have transgressed a few rules. But it still my pet peeve when two (or three) seats are taken over for no good reason.

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Remaining Positive While Job Hunting

Ask anyone who is looking for a job and they will tell you that the technical aspects of the process are easy.

Log in to whatever job search sites you use, input the keywords of your preferred profession, and hit the apply button for the job you feel you are right for.

It’s easy.

What is not so easy is remaining positive. For every 10 or 15 jobs that a job seeker may apply for, he or she may only receive two or three calls or emails to set up interviews. After a while, this process can feel demeaning and degrading. What is the point of continually applying if the only response is crickets?

Passover is coming up this weekend. Passover is the story of Moses, a man born into the household of the Egyptian Pharaoh. What he does not know is that he is not the son of the Pharaoh, but of a Jewish slave. His mother sent her son down the river in a basket to prevent Pharaoh’s soldiers from killing him.  As an adult, Moses learns of his true origins and will lead the slaves to freedom. But that journey will not be easy.

Sometimes, we need to travel through the desert a little to get to the promised land. We also have to have a little faith in whatever higher power we believe in (if we do believe in any specific higher power).

I have faith that I will find another job, I believe that my G-d somehow has a hand in this process. I just need to travel through the desert for a little while.

 

Mr. Selfridge Series 3 Episode 1 Review

*-This review contains spoilers from last night’s episode. Read at your own risk if you have not seen it.

After what seems like forever, the doors of Selfridges have opened once more.

The season starts with the interesting juxtaposition of life and death. The opening scene is the funeral of Rose Selfridge (Frances O’Connor).  The story then jumps ahead to the wedding of Rosalie Selfridge (Kara Tointon) to Serge de Bolotoff (Leon Ockenden). What seems like young love will turn into a bumpy road, not just for Rosalie, but for the entire family. There are rumors that Harry (Jeremy Piven) is considering buying a piece of empty land in West London and using that land to build an airline hanger. Nancy Webb (Kelly Adams) convinces Harry to use that land build homes for veterans who are begging on the street.

Among the staff, things have changed. Agnes Towler (Aisling Loftus) and Henri LeClair (Gregory Fitoussi) are as happy as they were at the close of the last series, but the residual effects from the war are still with Henri. Miss Mardle (Amanda Abbington) is not sure if she wanted to return to the store after a prolonged absence, but the store needs her. Kitty (Amy Beth Hayes) and Frank (Samuel West) are also newlyweds while Mr. Grove (Tom Goodman Hill) and Mr. Crabb (Ron Cook) worry about the store’s bottom line and the emotional roller coaster that their boss is going through.

I like this show. Harry is a dynamic, multifaceted character with many layers.  As the seasons have progressed and the store has brought success to Harry, it has not changed him. But life has. The death of his wife, his children growing up,  the war, the changes in staff and the changes in their lives has made the show more watchable as it has progressed.

I recommended this show from the first episode and I will continue to recommend it.

Mr. Selfridge airs Sunday at 9pm on PBS.