2003-07-01 - 10:19 a.m.

i was sitting on my balcony this morning, enjoying a cup of iced coffee. its a gorgeous day outside, not yet hot, and i was watering my plants and taking in the morning. the factory is not that loud today, and i was watching cars cruise up south third street at a leisurely pace.

i saw a big black SUV turn the corner and toss a handful of parking tickets out the window onto the street. its probably my suburban upbringing, but littering makes me cringe. the SUV coasted to a stop in front of my building, and i could see its two well-heeled male passengers were excited about something. the driver began to take notes, and i realised he was copying down the phone number from the front of the building. a loft on the second floor was available until recently, and our landlord hasn't taken down the sign yet. still stopped in the middle of the street, the driver then called my landlord's number on his cellphone, left a message, and then continued to idle in the middle of the street.

i can get unreasonably upset about discourtesy. i think this behavior is heightened in me in new york, since a delicate balance of common courtesy and self-interest is required to cope with living here. the driver of the black SUV really, really pissed me off.

special to the driver of the SUV: the loft is no longer available. additionally, i wouldn't want anyone as rude as you are moving in below me. i don't want your environment-destroying vehicle parked on my block, and i don't want your litter in front of my building. also, that moustache looks really stupid on you. i hope you get more parking tickets.

then again, it could be the coffee. but its also a part of the community tangent i've been on lately. even if i live in an old burlap sack warehouse next to a vacant lot and across from a filthy ancient factory; its my street, my environment. don't shit on it. especially, don't shit on it and then want to join.

goddamn fourth-wavers.