A random list of aggravations that spoil the ticking of time in pandemic New York.
1. Noisy, incessant helicopters carrying rich tourists to look at Central Park, spoiling the peace of a quiet weekend.
2. Runners and cyclists in the park blaring music instead of wearing headphones.
3. Dogs off leash on the bridle path, where signs are posted indicating that dogs are to be leashed at all times there (not just after 9 am). I love dogs, and they seem to sense it, so as I run by, I’m a target. I’ve been tripped and tackled by playful dogs. The dogs get a pass. They’re dogs. Their owners, not so much. They’re mostly privileged assholes.
4. Electric bikes going way too fast in the park, cyclists going the wrong way or riding in the pedestrian lanes or on the paths. When nine million people share a park, it helps if people respect the rules.
5. Runners jutting out into the bike lanes – which is every bit as dangerous as cyclists on the paths. Don’t do it.
6. People who reject science – refusing to get the SARS-COV2 vaccine because “it’s my body” – especially while reserving the right to tell women what they can and cannot do with their uteri. You allow yourself to become a biohazard, you should be treated as such.
7. Knowing that I’ve become an old curmudgeon, stressed and angry and stewing in my gorgeous oasis of a garden.
Lapse in the Mainstream 