V I E W P O I N T P L U S

So You Think You Have Commuting Headaches

2008-11-26T22:00:00.000-08:00

Ask anyone in N.Y. about their morning or afternoon commute and you will get a long list of complaints. We New Yorkers complain just about everything. It’s too cold. It’s too hot. It’s too expensive. It’s too cheap. It’s too freaking crowded. It’s too wet. It’s too dry. It’s too this or it’s too that. Well, I can only tell you that there are many people with far less means than ours and enjoying their lives. It’s not how much you have it’s what you do with what you have. Take a look at this picture and tell me if these people are not having fun. Just imagine yourself fully dressed and jumping on one of these wagons to get to work. No room to read your newspaper, drink your coffee or talk on the phone. Better hold on to something or your ass could land flat on the street after a sharp turn. I think it’s time to slow down on the complaining, and appreciate that which we so carelessly take for granted.

© Daniell Fedron November 26, 2008

Wasted Parking Space

2008-08-05T23:16:00.000-07:00

Wasted Parking Space

Would you pay money to drive something like this around? I know I wouldn’t. Then again like the saying goes, “Only in America.” Imagine coming home late at night and finding this clunker occupying one of the difficult to find parking spaces available on the block. There is no need to tell me what is going through your mind. I understand and feel that your wish of casting this piece of junk into the burning flames of a volcano should have been granted by your Fairy God Mother the second the thought entered your mind. On the other hand, let’s give a round of applause to the owner for displaying the highest state of frugality in New York City, for his individualism, and for showing us that love can go beyond all boundaries.

© Daniell Fedron, August 5, 2008.

Photo by Daniell Fedron

2008-07-17T01:00:00.000-07:00

Long Island (N.Y.) Fishing
After weeks of extensive planning and research we decided to head to Long Island on a fishing trip. The trip itself was very tiring mostly because we hit bumper to bumper traffic on every major highway we drove on. It was hot like hell. That much I can say about the 90 plus degrees temperature that day. Normally, it would have taken us a bit over an hour to reach our destination, but the traffic was so horrible that we ended driving for about two hours and forty-five minutes. Nonetheless, it was worth our while. It was fun and relaxing to be on the boat attempting to reel in the big catch. Fishing is not that bad after all and is an activity to be enjoyed by everyone young and old. Good luck to you all…

Some simple things to remember if you are going fishing:

1) Do all your Google mapping in advance. Find out the address of the place you are going to and the Boat you intend to board.
2) Call the Boat Company to verify the hour of departure, price, and address.
3) Always leave your house with ample time. Driving fast is too risky. You will be stopped by New York Finest and ticketed if you are lucky.
4)Pack some food. Sometimes, is hard to find food. Well, let’s say that it will cost you more than you anticipated, if you don’t buy your food in advance.
5) Good luck and I hope you catch something big. A final note, always join the pool for the biggest catch. Hey! You never know. You could get lucky.

That Undesirable but Still Legendary Public Phone

2008-07-04T09:19:00.000-07:00

I must admit, when it comes to the public phone kiosk most of us pass by it clueless about its use. Truth is we should be paying reverence to this majestic box and its imbedded invention. Contrary to the beliefs of those who insist that these kiosks are mainly used for advertising and are a sustainable cash cow for the City of New York, public phone booths have served their purpose and much more. For instance, if you were anywhere in Manhattan during 911, you would agree with what I am telling you now. Remember how most of the cell-phone networks were down? I was in Midtown, and I saw throngs of people lining up to use those public-phones. I mean long, long, long lines of people staring at their watches and nervously scrambling for loose change. The same thing happened during the NYC black-out of 2003 which I also happened to witness.
Bottom line is you should be aware of the ulterior uses of the public phones, even when you have observed unscrupulous individuals disrespectfully using them to drain their gall bladders or store mountains of debris. So what if companies pay the city millions to advertise on them. The city has to generate revenues from somewhere. Wouldn’t you agree? You should neither embarrass yourself by telling your friends that these phones belong in the Smithsonian Museum because they are antiquated nor should you believe that these booths ought to be taken down because they are breeding grounds for germs and diseases.

© Daniell Fedron April 27, 2008

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T07:01:00.000-07:00

How many minutes or hours did your mother have to push before you came out busting through the birth canal? Loud screams and curses were pronounced to dissipate the ongoing pain. You were there wrapped in a towel in the end still humid from the blood bath you unwillingly had to take. Perhaps you weren’t even born in a hospital with all the modern tools and technology. Your head could still be shaped like an egg partly because you had to be forcefully evicted from her uterus by a midwife. Your mother or should I say our mothers are truly incredible beings. Just imagine carrying us for nine months and still carrying some of us through the ages always listening, advising, and other times understanding us like no other person on this planet.
We were born that day bringing with us a pile of concerns, but there were to be no reasons to worry for our mothers would be there to care and provide for us all that was necessary to keep us well and healthy. No matter what time of the day or night your nipple had to be ready or your bottle had to be warm. Maybe your diaper had to be changed or you had to be rushed to the hospital with an abnormal temperature. Heck! The black bags under your mother’s eye can today testify for all the pain and suffering many of us have put them through.
The pain a mother bares for her offspring can be everlasting or it can be easily appeased by hugs and kisses, words of encouragement, perhaps a two minute phone call or a fast visit. Mothers are all good, but we must remember that great mothers will always be rare. Angels from above that once fell to procreate the earth still move like robot and with love pollinate the air. We all know mothers are just beings made of a substance that won’t ever be worn down, and the gift they have given us is dignified of our awareness and our gratitude. Then why not give them the respect they deserve, drape them with kisses and show them we care? It’s far better to start now for there is nothing to do for them once they are gone. Remember, twenty thousand roses might not bring her as much happiness as seeing your face on her very special day…

©Daniell Fedron May 10, 2008

MEMORIES TRAPPED

2007-10-19T22:35:00.000-07:00

Your eyes are shut, and you are caught in a web of thoughts as you attempt to remember the games you played as you were growing up. All the fun you had and those forbidden places you defiantly visited. The endless hours and perhaps the days of punishment you had to endure as a result of your grave disobedience. Time is held in suspension as you travel back – not to change or rearrange your experiences – but to revisit your childhood years. You sort through and browse quickly wanting to savor just how much you enjoyed those innocent moments. Perhaps reliving and playing again those exhausting games predestined to carefully and modestly mold your life. MEMORIES TRAPPED is a book that highlights different periods in our lives. It is the portrayal of how a group of youngsters deal with nature, friends, their parents, guardians, and a system of rules handed down to them in the raw. Their lost battles with over-intimidating enforcers, their convoluted emotions, and their victories.

Coming soon @ http://www.xlibris.com/

ISBN: 978-1-4257-7806-4

God Sends...The Angels Deliver

2007-09-13T23:20:00.000-07:00

By Daniell Fedrón

While reading this book you will slowly but surely realize that Daniell Fedron is a writer whose sincere desire is to be honest and share The Truths he has discovered. Ideas flow and images are portrayed with an artist's palette of colors and skills of a poet. Words are lovingly chosen. Languange is challenged to yield spiritual treasures. Give this book a chance and it will reward you, perhaps more than you could dream or imagine.

Excerps From The Book

The negotiations for our passage into heaven could very much, one day, be dependent upon our individual ability to become better people---filled with compassion and respect for all living things, and the immaculate sense of responsibility to ensure the survival of all beings.

After all, God sent His only son (Jesus Christ) to bear the heaviest of all crosses for all of us. The important thing to remember is that we won’t suffer forever. There is peace up ahead. God will help us carry our crosses, and He will help us overcome our ailments.

That day you woke up with a big smile, for you knew that you were going to be fine. You sat back and let a sigh of relief. You looked up once more and said: “Thank you, God!” Then you sat back, fully relaxed. Peace came to your mind, and a great relief just penetrated your heart. It was not hard for you to realize that your prayers had, finally, been answered.

We must call for His help and keep Him in mind throughout the entire day and throughout the entire night, and soon we will see the results because there is no end to the wonders God can make and there is no limit to the miracles that He alone can perform.

Available @ http://www.amazon.com/

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

http://www.authorhouse.com/

MOVING FORWARD

2007-09-10T22:20:00.000-07:00

by Daniell Fedrón

Moving Forward is a compilation of poems inspired and based on everyday occurrences and experiences. It is a depiction of advancing from a negative frame of mind into a more positive outlook of life over a prolonged period of time. Learning to breathe the air with ease, watching a bird take flight, contemplating the beauty of a rose and From Time to Time admiring the blue of the sky. Having to fight with the ghosts of the past and living like a chameleon in the streets to survive. These are but a few of the Mental Pictures that could be stored permanently in your mind. Nonetheless, numerous people bypass these highlights day by day, choosing to remain oblivious, forgetful and not even taking the time to thank The Lord for sending those angels from above. Far from conventional poetry or perhaps even farther from love poems, in Moving Forward you will find an assortment of real life situations unfolding, for this book was born out of pain, solitude and the burning desire to walk out of the darkness and into the light.

Excerpts from Moving Forward

Chameleon

Like a chameleon in the forest
Making its way among the leaves
You move today
Like a chameleon in the streets
Turning colors and finding cover
Surviving attacks of all sizes and shapes

Machinations of an enemy
That at times remains unseen
And in time becomes unsafe
You know that it’s there
But don’t know where it’s been
For limitless are the boundaries
And the odds just immense

When you are searching for the truth
or hoping to find the answer
Like a chameleon you will come
And like a chameleon you will go

In the shadows and in the dark
And you know you’ll find it
For it’s there right in your sight
But you must go under the cover
If you are ever going to do it right

Like a chameleon living
And like a chameleon you’re going
Always covering yourself
And always changing your disguise
Taking many for fools
But at the same time, making others wise--

Look For

Like a fish living under water
You have been sunken down
With problems all-around
And you are unable to come up

Surviving is only the first stop
And you got a long way to go
You know it, and still know
That life as we know it is not easy

Trying, trying and trying again
Hardly seems that worthy process
That will help you stay afloat
Try harder they say then you’ll be on top

But then you sit back and relax
You’ve been long sitting on your back
And time is running out
You are sinking fast and your breathing stops

Do it for yourself and don’t be afraid
He’ll come to you if you call his name
To assist you with your problems
Untangle those ropes and help you understand
God Be With You Brother, Halleluyah And Amen

It's for the Birds!

2007-08-24T20:18:00.000-07:00

After depositing a check in my account, I walked out of the bank thinking about all the money I didn’t have. A couple of steps farther into the walk, still thinking how much it sucked, I captured the image of an eagle nosed lady with twisted legs and a hunched Quasimodo back. My eyes were weary and puffy, perhaps caused by the heat of the summer afternoon. I stopped to catch my breath. Leaning on the walls of the nearest building, I turned my head slightly to the left. I had to confirm what I had just seen because part of me could not believe that in the middle of Madison Avenue something of that nature could be unfolding. That lady was rummaging through a gigantic pile of garbage. She was frantically breaking all the plastic bags and collecting the foods the restaurant had just thrown out. Just thrown out? Really? For all I know the decayed and disgusting cuisine had been in the garbage for a few days already. Who knows!
I stayed on that wall fighting off the tears which rushed into my eyes. I was just thinking and silently trying to sort things out. I was contemplating life’s uncertainties and unfairness. Finally, I screamed out. “Shit, there is something wrong with this picture!” I looked again and the lady was still frenetically going through her precious cargo loading bread, ziti and other pasta dishes into her hand container and a long plastic shoulder bag.
One of the restaurant’s employees came out to reprimand her actions. I was still too far to hear the actual conversation but the body language was enough for me to know he did not approve of her breaking all those plastic bags. At this point, I pulled off the wall and immediately reached into my pocket. I found a $20 bill. In fact, it was the only $20 dollars I had. I headed to confront the insensitive employee and to offer all the money I had to this “needed lady”.
I had just walked a few steps and the employee took off in the opposite direction.
The lady started to walk my way. I stopped discreetly and waited for her. When she was close enough, I pulled out the $20 bill and held it in my hands. She passed by my side still carrying on her left shoulder that clear plastic shoulder-bag filled with bread. On her right hand she carried that greasy and saucy pasta container.
As we locked eyes, I could see her pain but failed to see her deeply rooted pride.
“It’s for the birds!” She said.
I looked at her and replied, “Excuse me?”
We walked side by side for a few seconds. That’s when I extended the $20 bill to her. She looked at me like I had three eyes. There was no hesitation in her response and definitely no flinching in her actions. Her face remained expressionless for a few seconds and out of her mouth only a few words came out to calm what she thought was a condescending act on my part. “I don’t need it! I am fine!”
I insisted that she take the $20 bill; but she walked away from me. A few minutes later, I was sitting at my desk baffled and thinking about the moral to this story.

© Daniell Fedrón August 24, 2007
All Rights Reserved

Split Me Not

2007-07-27T22:00:00.000-07:00

SPLIT ME NOT

Let’s face it, when it comes to shelling out your allocated part of that bill all sense of fairness is either forgotten or thrown out to hell. Seriously, if you think hard, you will more than likely agree with this concept. Search deep in your mind and you will be able to cite more than one occasion when you had to pay a large portion of someone else’s bill. You my friend, as well as many other people, have been victimized by the system of misappropriation of funds.
I remember at least a few instances when I was invited to go out with a select group of friends for drinks. Of course, innocently I ordered a beer. While across the table fifteen individuals of both sexes indulged themselves by ordering exotic drinks and huge portions of appetizing dishes. A perfect case whereby being a social drinker and an aspiring anorexic will place you in a disadvantageous position.
Looking around, I noticed that an hour had elapsed yet I had not completely imbibed my beer. Others were ahead of the game, by far. They had already voraciously devoured their food and even though the drinks were two for the price of one until
7:00 PM, guess what? It was already 8:00 PM and those Bacchants were still ordering drinks nonstop.
The moment of truth arrived for me by nine o’clock. Some of the others were wrapping things up and some smart alley cat decided to call for the bill. The printed numbers on that strip of paper couldn’t lie. Those gremlins had consumed over five hundred dollars. My eyes popped as I closely scanned the figure. “Damn!” Come to think of it, I thought nothing of it until someone from the other end of the table recalled the check and split it into equal shares. “Come on! You have to be f**** kidding me!”
Sorry, I reserve the right to express myself in these shocking terms, but that was all I could say at the time simply because, at most, my portion of the bill couldn’t have been more than ten bucks with the tips included. Instead I was hit and was expected to pay for a huge piece of a pie that I had neither tasted nor consumed. I thought I had every right to be pissed.
But, there was a lesson to be learned, and I my friend learned it quickly. There were steps to be taken the next time I accepted to hang out with this so-called elite group of people. That night, I noticed how a rebel woman blatantly refused to fall into that trap. She simply paid for her drink and quickly vanished into the night.
“Is there no fairness?” She uttered as she pushed me out of her way. In my mind I recanted her bitter statement, but quickly granted her words asylum. Perhaps she was right. Fairness shouldn’t be a word in the dictionary. Blind fools often pretend they don’t know the rules, and take advantage of kind-hearted people who have failed to erect an unbreakable barrier to protect themselves.
As for me, I realized there was a hefty price to pay for being inducted into This Elite Hall of Shame whose members had undoubtedly mastered the art of deceit by graduating from the school of hard knots while building an extensive knowledge base camouflaged in the streets.

© Daniell Fedron July, 2007
All Rights Reserved

Just Talk

2007-06-08T22:32:00.000-07:00

JUST TALK Daniell Fedrón
June 6, 2007

If there is anything we should have learned from life is that no relationship is perfect. We have to learn to deal with imperfections and idiosyncrasies coming from both sides and rising to more than one level. For those of us who have the patience, tolerance and resistance to withstand these tests of nature the rewards are waiting to be harvested. On the other hand, those who don’t even try or are trying withholding in the back of their minds their true desire to make their relations work the end of the rainbow will not reveal the golden treasure but will without a doubt spell disaster. Let’s face it building a relationship takes lots of hard work. Opps! There goes that dream of one hundred percent comparability.
“Time heals all.” This is an old maxim heard by most people by now, but does it really heal all? If it did we would not be relying so much on our past experiences to build our present and new ones. Rather than waiting for time to heal us, may be we should be sorting out or dismantling the building whose foundation was erected under false and erroneous pretenses. Who would be better than you to know what is sincere and what constitute a fully concocted potion of treachery and malicious premeditation.
Eventually, love will conquer all for it radiates that aura of sincerity needed to combat and destroy most if not all the negative variables permeating daily through our minds. The bare essentials of our lives as a team rest on establishing a strong, healthy and trustworthy relationship. That is, something that will not be shaken up or withered by time. At the top of the ranks should be respect. If we don’t have it for one another then close the chapter on the book and move on. Understanding and care for each other are but two crucial pieces in an incomplete puzzle. Ultimately, there should be no room for jealousy, control, blame, disbelief, sarcasm, criticism, threats and insults. These few components will always be present in unhealthy and seriously deteriorated relationship, those that have passed the “point of no return.”
In essence, the roads we have traveled should hold the key and unveiled the answers. It doesn’t matter how well educated we are. It matters even less that we visit our therapist a zillion times and flood the rivers with our tears. Good old common sense, gardens full of roses, love notes, lots of kisses and many more hugs, a healthy sex life, breaking the communication barrier, simply adjusting our own rules and our sole desire and commitment to make it will determine if our relationships will stick it and cross the finish line. “Together until the end of time.”
All will require a collective effort that could spin our heads in an emotional rollercoaster but will pay its dividends in the end. Now let’s not forget that somewhere along the line, divine intervention is always a plus. It’ll help us cope with the dissolution and the disgust that will embalm our soul if the love we struggled to build suddenly, takes a plunge.

Copyright © 2007 by Daniell Fedron