Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 250

“I never expected to be an exterminator. But my sister found a...

“I never expected to be an exterminator. But my sister found a job posting for an exterminator position and they said they’d train me, so I gave it a shot. I was scared at first. But they teach you in training that rats and bugs are just as scared of you as you are of them. They really want nothing to do with you. Well, except for bed bugs. They want to suck your blood.”

“I changed three times before I left the house.”

“I changed three times before I left the house.”

“I’ve been trying to come to terms with my biological father....

“I’ve been trying to come to terms with my biological father. I didn’t meet him until I was 34, and I was a bit let down. I was hoping that he’d admit to more than he did. He admitted that he’d made a mistake, but he acted like everything was out of his control. He couldn’t admit that he had made a conscious decision to remove himself from the household. But I’ve been reflecting on it lately. I just don’t think my father is able to admit something that he hasn’t come to terms with himself. I’ve been making that a condition of having a relationship, but I’m 40 years old now. I have a family of my own and I’m getting a Masters degree in conflict resolution. I always tell people to love me the way I am or move on. Maybe I should apply the same standard to him.”

“I told my daughter to wash the dishes, and she called me an...

“I told my daughter to wash the dishes, and she called me an alcoholic. It really hurt. I’ve known I was an alcoholic since I was a teenager, but that was the first time that someone else had called me one.”

“I graduated from Columbia a couple weeks ago. I think I took...

“I graduated from Columbia a couple weeks ago. I think I took college too much for granted. I’d do anything to avoid studying. Now I can’t find a job and I’m working as a counselor at a summer camp. It makes me want to go to the library and read a book.”

“In 1968, I discovered a very eccentric pronunciation of...

“In 1968, I discovered a very eccentric pronunciation of Hebrew blended with the dialect of Provencal. There was only one man remaining who spoke it, so I met him in Monaco and recorded his voice. And I did it all without Google.”

“I’m not very good at comforting people....

“I’m not very good at comforting people. They’re like: ‘I’m having a horrible day.’ And I’m like: 'Oh.’”

“I don’t have any big dreams. Back in Croatia, my...

“I don’t have any big dreams. Back in Croatia, my mother worked in a bread factory and my father was unemployed. So I started working in restaurants as soon as I left high school. I don’t know… maybe one day I’ll open a hostel by the sea.”

“We met three years ago in Grand Central Station. I got stuck...

“We met three years ago in Grand Central Station. I got stuck working late so I missed my train and was in a terrible mood. I went to get some food at the bar, and the only stool open was next to him. I asked if anyone was sitting there, and he told me ‘no,’ and helped me take off my coat. A few minutes later, his son came back from a cigarette break, and I was in his seat. All of us spent the next two hours talking. When I left, his son chased me down, handed me his business card, and said: ‘I think my dad really likes you. If you think you might like him too, please send me an email.’”

“I want to be a policeman.”“What’s the...

“I want to be a policeman.”
“What’s the best part about being a policeman?”
“Fixing the cars and the streets and the trees.”