OB

was having a sandwich which was wrapped in foil paper and looked a little healthier than a value meal. He is not adverse to fast food like mcd's but he had intended to have a quick meal on the go since OB, his girlfriend and his girlfriend's aunt were headed to a matinée show of the West Side Story. He is from NJ and likes to visit the Big Apple from time to time to enjoy the shows and the city's diversity.

OB met his girlfriend while attending college and has been dating her for over three years. One of the things that keeps the sparkles and fun afire in this relationship is their mutual affection for the game of ping pong. According to OB, his girlfriend is really good at it. OB's athletic girlfriend also inherited her charming looks from her Singaporean mother and Pakistani father. I think OB knew that he is a very fortunate guy.

OB does not plan to tune in to tonight's State of the Union address. He is not interested in politics. He will, however, tune in to or DVR the season premiere of Lost next Tuesday. OB's girlfriend hates the show and I can understand that sentiment because I have often told my husband that I would stop watching the show but I am addicted. By now, I just want to see how it all ends.

Wouldn't it be nice if an island like Lost's or its inhabitants could disappear at the crank of a lever and at the sight of imminent danger? Something like that would have saved so many lives in another island like Haiti. But since Lost is all fiction and Haiti is actuality, we continue to witness the perils of a city in ruins and admire the courage of those who are struggling to stay alive and those who jumped to the rescue. Like OB said, we must pray for the people in Haiti. And now, back to President Obama's speech.

Isa and Lisa

are from Denmark and they met while attending a fellowship/exchange program on human rights at Humanity In Action in Washington, DC. Per Isa, DC can be an aesthetically predictable/homogeneous city in terms of the historical buildings and suburban homes. But when it comes to its residents, the city can become overwhelming to many like her, as a result of its competitive, serious and power driven residents. In contrast to DC, they welcomed the diversity of the Big Apple and were pleasantly surprised by the friendly New Yorkers, at least the ones they've encountered so far. Even if they have seen one side of NYC's many facets it is always nice to hear that outsiders find or change their opinion about New Yorkers after coming here. Whether nice or uptight, generous or cut throat, the city is so diverse that every one can probably find a connection or corner to fit in. Oh, one thing that Isa would promote in NYC if she were to live here is biking. Apparently, biking is one of the most popular modes of transportation in Denmark. Check out: http://www.copenhagencyclechic.com/

While in NY, they've been enjoying the many landmarks, museums and restaurants. The Spotted Pig on Greenwich Street was their favorite eatery by far. They think it is a good place to hang out with friends while savoring a good variety of dishes from the fancier to the very casual burger, the latter one which they devoured with gusto. I can't wait to check out this Pig.

Lisa is currently pursuing her Master's degree and Isa is taking a break from her studies after obtaining her Bachelor's degree in Arabic Language. Among the many places visited by these well traveled ladies, the North of Spain and Kaikoura, New Zealand are Lisa's favorite. Isa's most memorable destination was Damascus, where she stayed at a local monastery where she volunteered and helped out in exchange for lodging . In addition, Isa cherishes memories of the less touristy Black Sea coast in Turkey.

On Friday, Isa and Lisa will head back to DC, where they will wrap up their stay in the US and return to Denmark. While they had a fun and productive time in the US, they are looking forward to returning home. Like Isa said, Americans have an inherent fear of big government but Isa is proud that such Danish government provides "free" education, health care and welfare to its citizens, who in turn are required to pay high taxes. Lisa pointed out that there are only 5 million people in Denmark. That is about one fourth of the NY state population. Denmark may be a small country but it is one of the strongest world economies. I am not a supporter of big government but I am all for free or at best, affordable higher education. It may, however, be something as unattainable as affordable healthcare ... If Lisa and Isa are anything like most Danes, then I can see how their smarts, attitude and height will lead them to success. At 172 and 173 cm (~5.6'), these ladies considered themselves to be of average height by Danish standards. But to me, they appeared very tall, even while sitting.

Ron

was one of the first to see the West Side Story when it made its debut in Philadelphia in the early 60's. Even though many members of the audience walked out of the show as a result of its violent content that didn't bother the then 13 year-old Ron. Ron inherited an interest in the performing arts from his parents who exposed him to the theater and Broadway shows early on and his interest only flourished over the years. Ron and his wife routinely make the trip to NY city to attend the Broadway shows and plays. They ride the bus from Philadelphia and get bargain rates offered by companies like Boat Bus and MegaBus.

Another good reason to visit the Big Apple is that their daughter works for a major financial company in the neighborhood. Ron spoke proudly of his daughter who graduated with an MBA degree from Columbia Univ. She had just started to work for Goldman Sachs in 2001 when NY City was attacked by the terrorists. Soon after 9/11 an opportunity allowed Ron's daughter to relocate and spend two years in GS's Tokyo office. Visiting their daughter in Japan made for a memorable trip but the one at the top of his list is his recent visit to South Africa's Table Mountain. Like Winston from a previous mcbreak, Ron also thinks it is simply one of the most astonishing and beautiful places in the world.

Ron used to be a high school AP psychology teacher. He may have retired a few years ago but keeps himself busy by traveling, attending seminars and workshops and indulging other hobbies.

The current topic of most interest to Ron is the health care debacle. He will be disappointed if the reform efforts are defeated following the election of MA's senator-elect. Ron supports a public option because he believes that it would make H'care affordable to more people. In turn, more people would be able to seek care and not wait until they were struck with a major illness or condition which would end up costing more dollars to the government. If more people are covered and seek preventative care then it would ultimately save more money to the country. The debate continues and it looks like things may go back to square one unless the house is agreeable to the senate's version of the bill and there's no need for further action from the senate. For Ron, this health care reform hit home very recently when his wife, who is 60 years old and healthy, was told that her monthly premium will be $850.

Like Ron said, nowdays it is all about politics and the meaning of "compromise" is lost because in politics "compromise" is viewed as weakness. Does bipartisanship even exist in today's politics or do politicians only care about the next election as soon as they take office?

We shall find out in the next couple of weeks, at least on the H'care issue. Like David Leonhardt states in his article in the NY Times, Centrist, and Yet Not Unified, "The decision is whether to expand insurance and try to control costs, despite the political risks, or whether that project will once again be put off until another day."

My question is, if homeowners and auto owners are required to and can manage to get coverage through the private sector, why are those options not available at a relatively reasonable cost for health coverage? Wouldn't it be striking if some day we could tell our friends "hey, I just saved a ton of money by switching to Geico" about our health policy? I look forward to that day. It was only recently that I was able to proudly say the same thing about my auto policy.

Philadelphia may be home of the famous cheese steaks but Ron is not crazy about them. If around town, however, he recommends stopping by the Reading Terminal Market which boasts some of the best restaurants in the city and freshest local products.

As we were closing our conversation, I had the pleasure to meet Ron's friendly wife, who was coming to meet Ron. It sounded like they were planning to grab lunch and head to a matinee show.

Men of a certain age

seem more reluctant to participate in my mcbreaks than their female counterparts or people in the other age categories. By these men I mean the middle aged like the characters in the TNT new series by that name. Today, my usual spot was taken so I sat in a different area which I try to avoid because of the high rate of rejections I've gotten. Predictably, the first men of a certain age made a sign that he was in a rush, stuffed a burger in his mouth, gulped it down in a matter of minutes and took off. The second man of a certain age made a reference to having problems with his voice. That was a lame excuse. Oh yeah, yesterday's man in a hooded sweatshirt was one of them too.

Friendly locals like Pee Wee or John don't stop by very often so I miss those tourists!! The Big Apple finally made the top tourist destination in the US after trailing behind Orlando and Las Vegas for the past two decades but where are thou friendly

tourist?! It was matinee Wednesday so I could see many of them gathered around the Ticketmaster office.

I was having my coffee while catching up on the day's news. As I read the devastating details of the earthquake in Haiti, I felt guilty about waiting around for a mcbreak when a whole nation was shook up by one of the most catastrophic quakes, thousands of lives perished and people are desperately searching for survivors. There are plenty of problems in our immediate vicinity but surely the Haitians are in dire need of aid and support - just think of all the goodwill that overwhelmed our city after 9/11: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/haiti/2010/01/12/2010-01-12_haiti_earthquake_how_you_can_help.html Today I didn't feel like sticking around for a third or fourth rejection.

Pee Wee

Like Pee Wee says, "everything happens for a reason."

First, I tried to strike up a conversation with a guy in a hooded sweatshirt who asked me how much I was willing to pay him for the talk. I told him that all he would get were a few minutes of chatter with me. He wasn't interested in doing it for free. Forget about it, I thought. But as the minutes ticked by, I second guessed myself and wondered if I should have offered, at least, a cup of coffee. The guy in the hooded sweatshirt was not interested in talking to me but he did not mind yelling out to a few fellows who stopped by McD's soon thereafter. They caught up for a few minutes and they all left except for one of them.

Bill (Peewee) Scheidt was the man who stayed behind and he was willing to spare a few minutes. In fact, Pee Wee was so generous sharing his stories and anecdotes that the minutes turned into an hour and regrettably we had to cut our conversation short and save some stories for the next time we meet. Pee Wee introduced himself as the NY Yankees Number One Fan. And this was a first for my mcbreak. I finally met and spoke to a celebrity! Ok, he may not have been the paparazzo sought after type of celebrity but a local personality who's been on the David Letterman show and Regis and Kelly ... and who was greeted by at least 4-5 passersby during our brief encounter. Pee Wee is known for his undying 68-year loyalty to the Yankees. He has seen some of the greatest players in the history of baseball like Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio. His favorite players today are Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada. Pee Wee has witnessed history being made at the old and new stadium and naturally, it may be a while until he grows fond of the new stadium because "there's nothing like the old one." I wonder what he thinks of all the steroid related drama. I doubt it would affect his passion for the team. There's more about his Yankees ways in a recent CBS news article: http://wcbstv.com/local/yankees.world.series.2.1292334.html

Pee Wee may be a popular, if not the most popular Yankees fan, but since I am not a huge sports or Yankees fanatic I focused more on Pee Wee's stories about the people he's met and ability to crack practical jokes like: (1) what are the two words that have the most letters? no, it's not pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis and some other obscure term, the answer is: post office, (2) how many seconds in a year? don't bother about doing the math because the answer is simple. There are 12 seconds in a year, January 2nd, February 2nd and so on and so forth. Pretty funny I thought and these were only two of the many jokes he told.

Per Pee Wee, people need to pay attention, use common sense and listen more. Pee Wee is 85 years old but you would never guess it because of his spontaneity recalling and telling stories and the detailed and inspirational ways in which he tells them. Pee Wee attributes his well being to several things like: (1) learning something new everyday; (2) paying attention and listening more; (3) being grateful and appreciating the most basic things in life, like being able to see, (4) helping others (4) enjoying his five grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild, (5) walking at least 10 miles per day and (6) keeping himself busy. This last one became a priority after his wife of 60 years passed away seven years ago. No-matter how busy he stays, things are not the same without his wife. He still remains grateful for all the blessings and definitely tries to make the most out of the simple and greater joys of life like following his favorite sports, doing a thing or two for strangers who often end up becoming friends, and giving his grand kids the "tips" he makes at the young age of 85, because he has not just one, but four different jobs. I did offer Pee Wee a cup of coffee during the course of our conversation but he politely declined.

Day

drove a rental truck from Iowa for four days and made her way out of the blizzard and below 17 degrees temperatures to battle the chilly winds of New York City. Day was helping her son relocate to NY following his recent promotion. What a nice way to start the New Year and congratulations to Day's son!

This is Day's first time in the Big Apple, which she described to be "interesting" and surprisingly with "wonderful people."

Day made the same three new year's resolutions as in past years. She likes to make the same resolutions year after year so she can improve upon them because, per Day, it is the "journey that matters."

As we welcome the new decade, I asked Day if she could rate a few topics in order of relevance or importance, number one having the most priority. She rated them as follows: 1. healthcare, 2. national security, 3. economy, 4. global warming, 5. immigration.

According to Day, healthcare is the biggest threat. She supports a national healthcare program and thinks that it is the only way through which healthcare will become affordable to most Americans. Because "healthcare can not be driven by profits" which is what drives the private sector and the insurance companies. Day has worked in the healthcare and insurance industries and has seen the perils and struggles of families who are not able to afford medical care and believes that healthcare is a pressing problem in the city as much as it is in the rural areas. When it comes to the greater good of this cause, she supports a potential overhaul in the system in spite of the likely tax and premium hikes that will be triggered by the same. But regardless of what the final healthcare bill will offer us, Day thinks that every one needs to take care of their own health. I say Salud to that! Salud means "health" in Spanish and it is used for toasting/cheers and for blessing someone after a sneeze.

Over the past couple of years I noticed that my parents started to focus more on their health by choosing healthier foods, cutting down on their meats and sodium and taking longer walks. Nothing drastic but irksome enough when they would try to foster those new habits upon me. Now, as I see them grow older and frailer, I am rather grateful that they did and continue to make the effort to take better care of their health.
Day will be flying back to Iowa.