Thursday, November 20, 2008

Joke Job and Pedestrian Bastards. And Oh My God the Cars...

People, my job is a joke. Would you like to know what I've been doing here for the past two days? I've been reading a book. At work. Just sitting here, reading a book. That's my job right now. I'm getting paid to do this. Because it's a publishing house. Holy shit I've been in the wrong profession this whole time!

Granted the book is tedious at times, but still. I like reading. And I get to use all them skills I learned in college while studying English Lit. Finally! Still, I just can't believe that they're going to give me money in a week. For this.
Also, I've been helping the corrector with some of the idiotic translation mistakes that she's been finding in some of the texts that she's correcting. That's kind of fun actually. I'm the only person here that's a "natural language carrier." That's one of my titles here at work. Tee-hee-hee.

But generally, since I'm being paid under the table (a salary that I'm pretty sure is higher than my position warrants), and straight out of uber-boss's pocket, I think that what I've actually got here is a mafia no-show job. Like when mafia captains show up to the docks and sit on their ass all day for tax purposes. It's like that, except instead of being in the mafia, I happen to be uber-boss's childhood friend's daughter, and he has to justify giving me fifteen hundred bucks a month.

There's not much else to report, other than the fact that everyone here is still taking one-hour long tea brakes several times a day and that yesterday was super pretty. It was just like being inside of a snow globe.

Also, this morning I was listening to "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns & Roses on my way to work, and found it fully appropriate as a soundtrack. Because like Indian people in Jackson Heights, Russian pedestrians think that each one of them is the only one the street, and conduct themselves accordingly. However, unlike peaceful Indian people, who just sort of ramble along, stop short, and generally move slower than fuck, Russian pedestrians take an entirely aggressive stance. They seem to be fully of the opinion that two things CAN exist in the same space at the same time, and try to prove this constantly by attempting to walk straight through each other (and poor little me). Seriously, if you think that NYC is bad as far as pedestrian speed and traffic go, try walking through a sea of angry, frozen Russian people when it's 15 degrees out. They don't fuck around. They're moving in one direction and you're going with them whether you want to or not.

Don't even get me started on the drivers. These assholes like to play chicken with pedestrians while they are crossing the street. And they always win, one way or the other. And by that, I mean, either the pedestrian manages to scurry the fuck out of the way in time, or the pedestrian gets a brand new car driven up his ass. They never, ever slow down. Instead, when they see a "walker", they speed up. I swear, it's as if they've got that point game going in their head, only serious. Like "4 points for the slow-moving babushka with the cart, 6 points for the pimply punk in the leather jacket, 10 points for the yuppie with the designer coat." This place is super fun!

5 comments:

anna said...

Very pretty comment, the one about seeming like you're inside a paperweight...

As far as the "traffic goes", wrong Polina, NY is one of the best places in the world for walking (Jackson Heights doesn't count), people are infinitely better at it, and nicer than in lots of other places, European capitals included, not to speak of the third world (a very large place these days). As for bumping into pedestrians in winter - it is infinitely better than at other times, at least one is wearing clothes, a protective barrier against elbows and such. And "poor little you"??!! Think of what it's like for people my size!!

Plusha said...

oh, "paperweight", Ha ha, I totally didn't get that at first. Yeah, it's pretty here when it snows.

I don't know what you're talking about as far as the traffic in NYC. It's pretty bid in midtown during rush hours, like the times when you're going to or coming from work. It's also like this wave of angry stressed out people that don't seem to notice anyone around them. It's just that in NYC,everyone has learned to dodge one another very well.Here, it doesn't seem to work because they're not moving quickly enough. Just with determination.
But you're right about the "poor little me" comment. I'm definitely on the taller side of life, even here.

Plusha said...

And here is filled with tall amazon bitches. I've never met so many women so much taller than me in my life.

anna said...

As for people learning how to dodge, it's a bit like going to a samba school in Rio - there can be thousands of Brazilians, and noone will do you any harm, but a single little gringo is bound to stick his/her elbow into your tit as he/She is stepping on your foot, and he/she is not even even dreaming of dancing!

New yorkers are the brazilians in the pedestrian case.

Think you'll hate Madrid if you feel that way about human traffic...

Plusha said...

I love the dancing metaphor. Well, here's to this gringo getting around easier.