my first trip to staten island

....was to attend my friend's baby shower. It's amazing what you'll do when you want to be someplace. When else would I have a reason to go to Staten Island. I'd tease I never went over those bridges...Goethals...Rt 278...why go there? "I don't go east of Manhatten." I'd say. Now I had a reason, so Peanut and I trekked out together and I'm feeling quite adventursome. Tuesday I go to Brooklyn for the first time and now I'm not even worried. :) do i sound like a country hick? or a NJ-ite? I'm excited, though, b/c now I'll know how to get to Brooklyn to visit the new baby once it's born...all very exciting. And all very good reasons to adventure past the East River!

Customer service is dead.

I should probably edit that to "is hit or miss", which I guess can be said for just about anything. However, when you're in a retail setting, the one thing you'd think you could count on is employees helping you - with a smile would be even better. I have to say, my initial disgust has been somewhat metered by a second experience at the same store which was much more pleasant. I can only accredit this to the fact that my first experience was at 5pm on a Sunday, and the second was at 6pm on a Tuesday. It is a well known fact around here (being the metro-NY area) that weekend shopping is hell. And if you dare, or must, you risk being the recipeient of poor manners and rude behavior and this is from both other shoppers, as well as employees. Now on Tuesday (or almost any weeknight) you can be in the same place with the same people working and experience smiles, offers of assistance, and fewer shoving by shoppers b/c there are just fewer shoppers.

The NY Metro area on weekends is like the rest of the country during Christmas shopping month....so imagine what Christmas is like here.

As for people and rude behavior, I'm just sick of drivers as well. Now that I've been commuting 45 minutes on highways that are blocked up in the morning, I experience more inconsiderate behavior. I've concluded these people have not been taught the difference between right and wrong; they were never told to treat others as you'd have them treat you....rather, it's bite or be bitten these days. The world can be a sad, sad place some days.