Feeling Love In The City

Living in New York can be trying at times. The crowds, the noise, the stink on the subways and the insane amount of cars on the streets, among other things, can really wear you down sometimes. But just when you think you've about had it up to here with this city, and you are having one of those days where you've just dodged being hit by a cab for the fifth time that day, something comes along to remind you why it is such a great place.

I was out yesterday running errands before I went to meet up with my buddy Noam for a drink. I was wearing one of my anti-religion t-shirts that I was so afraid to wear in Waterloo, Iowa at my family gathering a few weeks ago, for fear of getting the shit kicked out of me by some dumb, bible-thumping hick.

It is a black shirt with white lettering and red strike marks. This is what it says:

Zeus
Mars
Thor
Jesus
Reason

Anyway, I dropped off some movies at the video store and then went to the bank. I walked up to the teller window and handed the guy my deposit slip and check. He looked at me for a second and then said, "Love your shirt."
I laughed and said, "Yea, people either love it or hate it."
He smiled and said, "I suppose that's true."

Walking along the street I had another guy say "great shirt" as we walked past each other. Later, in the subway with Noam, I noticed a middle-aged couple with nice clothes on (in a suit and a dress) looking at me. As we squeezed past them to get out of the thoroughly crowded car, the guy says to me, "Where did you get that awesome shirt?"

I told him I got it on-line from Cafe Press and he said something along the lines of, "I've got to get me one of those, I just love it!"
His wife was laughing and said, "Me too, that's just great."

Over the course of the few hours I was out running errands, having a few beers and heading down to the Jill Sobule show, I counted no fewer than five random people who complimented my atheist message t-shirt.

Man I love this town.

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