For my own record：完美的一天
Disclaimer：一篇随想随打的潦草流水账，保证除了德鲁伊没人看得下去，不浪费大家的时间和流量。
今天太棒了于是我下午六点就call it a day以免破坏完美的一天。
上午去了最期待的博物馆之一tenement museum，听了从一段爱尔兰移民家庭出发的微观史帮助我connect some dots，曾经短暂做过一段精神爱尔兰人的我非常appreciate这个educator的讲解。而且馆内gift shop的书选品超好，书单增加了一截。
然后回酒店换衣服再出门，发现酒店外有很多人排队，但跟前几天进博物馆的队反方向。我问这是什么队，被人邀请插队跟他一起领免费食物。这位大伯还告诉我了附近其他领免费食物衣服和给女人免费洗澡的地方，说不管有钱没有都一样可以领食物，买得起食物的人也会领，为了省钱用来做别的事情。曾经领事物的队伍不长，最近immigrants很多导致排队的人多了一倍，不过队伍其实走得很快，不用太久就能到我们。
我其实已经吃过饭，但出于好奇又想keep the conversation going，就跟大伯一起排队。他跟我说了他如何从有公寓的生活沦落至此，又说逆境没有改变他，他还是那个他。他脸上有很善良诚恳的微笑。后来食堂人太多，我没能跟大伯坐在一起，又做到了一个大哥旁边，大哥看出来我跟纽约不熟，跟我说you’ll be fine in New York，然后为我念了一段祈祷词，临走时手写了一份给我，说只要每天早晚念一遍，上帝就会实现我心中所想。
我尽量让工作人员只盛一点点食物给我，但有些食物分量固定。于是我只勉强吃完了沙拉，整份taco和水果都没动。环顾四周，好像没有人真的能吃完他们的份额，多多少少都有食物的浪费。没动过的食物我不知道能给谁，也不想扔掉，只好放回酒店冰箱。
再次出门时已经快到bluestockings的Narcan training时间，但我还是打算绕路去看看CBGB原址，现在变成了一家设计师品牌的男装店。听说里面有店员会把不买衣服专程来朝拜的客人轰走，我怕轰所以表现得很乖，进门跟店员打完招呼后直奔唱片区，征求他们同意之后才拍照，拍完又去”采访“跟我打招呼的女店员（我出门在外真是社交悍匪啊），女店员除了是店里的stylist正好还是一个post grunge乐队的bass，有一个跟她同名的乐队，平时在这附近演出，工作忙起来也会忘记她身处朋克麦加。她跟我说今天在Washington sq又有protest，她还遇到很多进店之后被惊艳到的客人，也为我接下来要去bluestockings而开心。
然后我就直奔bluestockings了，一顿小跑准时到，但instructor迟到了。被店员greet又闲聊之后（他们竟然会问我的名字以及跟我chit chat before they know what i was here for，所以我又得以在书店里四处逛了逛，这个书店书不多，选品也很好（那还用说），有一个all gender厕所贴的残疾人标志也是最先进最enabling的标志，前天刚好在Cooper Hewitt看了一个关于sign和symbol的展谈论这个残疾人标志。我原本有点想去洗手间，但据说training 20分钟就结束了，而且随时开始，而且之前度过书店的洗手间很紧缺，于是我决定先不用了，training完再说。
跟我一起上课的是一个叫Justin的medical school sudent，看起来或许35岁以上了，开朗友好，sharp and bright。我们随便闲聊了一下就等来了Al，她是bluestockings的owner之一也是这个课程的主讲人。Just in case我以后忘记了，bluestockings是一个向所有群体尤其是弱势群体敞开怀抱的地方，给homeless提供物资，接受大家的捐赠和交换，让homeless进去睡觉和使用厕所，是一个非常积极的harm reduction site。她一边给我们说如何使用Narcan拯救opiod OD，一边分享abolitionism ideas and more。比如如果别人还有意识，救助时需要获得别人的consent，我们的职责是去救助需要我们救助的人，应该尊重当事人的意愿，我们只能为自己和我们的孩子做决定，要相信其他人的autonomy（自主性），相信社会在人们自主的境况下运转，我们需要做的是harm reduction，而不是police people。（非常有启发性，我觉得在日常生活中可能真正要做的是运用在网络和微观上人与人的关系中，i don’t think at this stage i could start any conflicts with the police, most of the time i still see them as human beings or bereaucrats at most and I usually be friendly with them as i would with other people）。她还教我们怎么deal with police，我们有权不回答popo问题，有权不被popo审问，他们会问，但我们可以不回答。They’d do anything they can to harras people and frame people into crimes.还有在打911的时候不要说a homeless is unconsious，这样会严重降低出警速度，只要说发现有人unconscious and unresponsive，给出地址，也给出idientify我们自己的信息，其他的一律不说，you could say i know my rights and i don’t have to answer your question, or you could play dumb or predent you’re having a panic attack, we as human would know how to descalate things while apparently the police don’t know, so we need to do our part. 总之不要给更多信息，只要等急救人员就好。Another fun fact from Al, 美国东海岸没人拥有私人农场，农场全是辉瑞的。就是那个医药巨头辉瑞。
Al was phenomenal, so passionate and so imformative. She has ADHD so she speaks super fast. The training she gave us was like 2 times faster than a regualr conversation. A lot of info has been dumbing on up, yet原本20分钟的training拉长到了一个半小时。BTW我问在不能完全确定的情况下要用narcan吗，Al说可以用，因为经过近十年每个月更新的extensive test，研究发现Narcan最差只是cause dehydration和增加人对Narcan的tolerance，负面影响非常小，所以在这种误判的代价之下用Narcan救人非常值得。Al also said that Narcan is not regularted more than Advil or Tylenol, she said that probably because she sensed that I’m not from NYC. if TSA tryng to make a fuss at our Narcan kit, we can explian what’s that for and try to educate TSA about this is not a regulated medicine and this is as safe as it get. TSA tend to associate Narcan kit with substance use so the presense of Narcan with raise the alarm, don’t fight with them to get ourselves into trouble, let go of this Narcan Kit and get more in the future. Educating TSA might not garantee saving our kit, but maybe it will make next person carrying a Narcan kit easier. All these little things we can do. I’ve never thought about them. I always tend to go with the regulations and stay out of trouble. Now Bluestockings not only educated me on how to save a life from overdose by administer Narcan, but also educated me on how to practice micro-activism in daily life. I would add more to this as I recalled. She did dump quite a lot. oh and as Al giving us the training, someone passing out in the store. I saw that guy on my way in but i thought that person was asleep. Al went to check on him, but she let us stay in the cabin, saying she doesn’t want to use other people as a teaching material. She wanted to make sure people has humane experience. Justin and I totally respcted that.
Remember i mentioned i didn’t go to the washroom? Now after 1.5 hours i really need it but unforunately it was occupied. I had to go somewhere else as I don’t know how long it takes. It could be someone taking a pee, but it could be a unhomed doing their business which might take forever. I read that Bluestocking’s washroom shortage is kind of a issue because that’s the only washroom unhomed people could used in the neighourhood. So i stepped out looking for other washrooms, with decent cloth I was confident i could find something. But damn! all those fastfood places nearby don’t have a visible washroom.
Eventually, I went into a clinic, asking the receptionist if i could use their washroom. She said:“Yes.”affirmly, then followed with a much discete tone “if you are our patient” as if she tried to indicate i should ignore this part. I went in the washroom and saw a noticable stupid sign saying the washroom if not open for public. but haha, I’m use it anyway. After i finished i slipped out, trying not to raise any attention in case the receptionist got any trouble(that’s how fearful i am when not obeying rules, even stupid rules), but her addressed to me and waved goodbye. Another example cool black woman fights stupid rules in a micro scope.
I got back to Bluetockings, picking up books and souveniers. Upon my return, i see Al at the storefront waving unhomed people in and let them take turns to use the washroom.
Amaong the books, i noticed a sign about free plan-B. i was wondering if Plan-B’s alway free to give away in this city or it’s just Bluetockigns being amazing on another thing. Yes, it’s a Bluetocking thing. Plan-B cost $60 if people buy it from pharmacy. Not everyone can afford it. Bluetockings got City to dispense free Plan-B to them, but the city is only giveing 60 pill a month, Al herself funds the rest 140 pills for the community. Before i paid for my books and little souverniers, i observed a woman before me. She’s a unhomed woman geting food and supplied from the store. As i mentioned earlier, this store takes on a lot of community responsibilitied. I see Al gave her couple of toothpastes, toothbrushes, engerby bars etc. Then as I paid my bill, another man came in to pick up a long sleeve shirt. When i see things like this I always think why don’t we have something like that in Canada. I see American dreams in another realm, it not about how to be succesful financially, it’s about how to fullfill your dream/the meaning of your life and raise other people up. we all can find a way to it.
i didn’t bother to fix any erros or typos i made. i guess that’s called free writing. I’m not intererted in writing a polished article, i only need a draft to document my authentic feelings before today ends. if you are reading this line, let me know. I wonder if Druid can make this far lol.
some more to add, Justin the med student came here to learn how to save people, also to add some value to his CV. Before the training, A volunteer told him this training only gives him a certificate to administer Narcan, what’s really adds value to his CV would be a certificate to teach people how to use Narcan. That’s excatly what Al is doing right now. Al overhard this and said Justin can shoot her an email and she will hook him up with the resource he needs. Al is ready to help people the first minute she sees them. Also, current NYC regulation require people to report to police when they use a Narcan kit. Al thinks its stupid and she log the kit used once she hand them out. She would trust us to use them properly instead of policing us. Anyway, i got my certificate today and from now on if i run into people with opoid overdose, maybe i can save a life. I know i can get naloxone training back home as well. I saw ads in metro stations. I might as well do another training when i’m back. it must be very different. Very Canadian.
To wrap today up, I went to a gallery on my way back and met a curator, Isabel. She’s super cute. She gave me a donut and explained what messages the painter’s convey through his painting. I passed by this gallery multiple times and always liked those paintings. Now i got the chance to use the art gallery as my comtemplating space. it was so lovely.
So that’s pretty much includes my day. I spend about an hour writing as soon as possible and as much as i remembered. Tomorrow i have another exciting plan awaits. Glad i’m not going anywhere tonight.
