Can't play with the colors all day. Made some minor adjustments. Added some more links. Realized that despite best efforts, nobody ever links to my sites. grrrrrr. Changes to come: Color scheme shift to black (or maybe brown) on white. Graphics (a nifty logo in my head that hopefully will come out to play). More links and better organization pictures like you've never seen before blatent ripping off of other people's website design Happy Cinco De Mayo! Now, where's the tequila! So on Saterday, after leaving work at 11pm, I'm steps away from the train station when I hear a friendly voice yell out to me. "Working late, eh?" "Sadly so!" I yell back, figuring this to be one of those throwaway encounters. Next thing I know I'm listenning to his upbeat story slowly turn sad, in classic soft touch begging style. How long has it been? Don't I recognize him? He used to be a security guard. They had a big party for him. He got laid off. Big reorg with 3 other buildings. Mother died. Had a breakdown. Corner turned, getting all set up next month. But he needs a few ($24) buck to get a room for the night. No? Well, how 'bout a little to eat then. And of course, he's lying. he knows it, and I know it too. -I guestimate that I've been there only 6 months, he guesses 5 1/2. (It's really now coming up on 8.) -He never worked there, unless Mohammed (I think that's his name) suddenly turned into a skinny black guy. -White haired older guy John never got laid off, unless Mohammed is an old white guy too. (Obviously Mohammed is the only guard that's disappearred during my tenure) -Us folks at the Bank of New York never threw him a going away party, because the Bank of New York doesn't have offices in the Bank of New York building. -The Bowery is a hip trendy place now. You can't get a burger there for $24, much less a room. For a week. -That's not rubbing alcohol I smell. And yet, I still give the guy $5. Not because I'm a kindhearted guy who's a sucker for a sob story (I am). Not because it's the Christian thing to do (rewarding liars is hardly Christian). But because he (barely) passed the shoe test. Open toe sandels on a cold blustry day. My policy is never to give money to people who have better shoes then I. The subway panhandlers have some of the best shoes around. And this dude's sandles were in pretty new condition too. Now I have to go a week without breakfast, so he can go get high for a minute or two.