Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 256

“I tried to prank him one time by putting a tuna fish sandwich...

“I tried to prank him one time by putting a tuna fish sandwich in his bedside drawer. But the prank ended up being on both of us because I forgot about it for weeks.”

“I’ve got a one-month old baby at home. You don’t realize how...

“I’ve got a one-month old baby at home. You don’t realize how much your life can change from something so tiny. I knew it would be tough, but I imagined a lot of cooing, and smiles, and lullabies, and quiet evenings staring into her eyes. There’s a lot more projectile vomit and projectile poo than I imagined. I wouldn’t be in the same room with her in this dress.”

“I’m trying to look at my phone less.”

“I’m trying to look at my phone less.”

“We’d never put her in a home, so we alternate...

“We’d never put her in a home, so we alternate days taking care of her. I watch her two days a week. She’s not good at forming new memories, but she can still remember the first twenty years of her life pretty well. So she’s living in the world of her youth. She gets scandalized every time a girl walks by us in shorts.”

“She’s a pit bull. When she wants you to do something, she’s...

“She’s a pit bull. When she wants you to do something, she’s not going to let go until you do it: ‘Comb your hair. Shine your shoes. Change your pants. Wash your hair. Sit up straight.’ Been that way since we were kids. But she kept us out of trouble. The neighborhood we grew up in was like West Side Story without the singing and dancing, so she kept us all in line. My father was General MacArthur’s personal cook and valet. He used to tell us: ‘Nobody likes the general. But everyone respects him.’”

“We met freshman year in ES142. It was an Engineering By...

“We met freshman year in ES142. It was an Engineering By Design class. We were just friends for the next two years. We spent a lot of time studying at the library together, and we ate a lot of lunches together. Then finally I got up the nerve to ask her out to dinner. Because, you know, lunch is just lunch, but dinner means date. So I asked her out to dinner. My heart was in my throat. I felt like I was about to give a class presentation. Then she said: ‘Wait. Are you asking me to go OUT, out. Or just out?’”

“I’m learning the cries right now. Different cries...

“I’m learning the cries right now. Different cries mean different things. There’s the bird cry, which sounds like a squawk and means ‘I’m hungry.’ There’s the whimper, which means 'Pay attention to me or I’ll let loose.’ Then there’s the sleepy cry. You don’t want to hear that one. Nothing stops sleepy cry but The Boob.”

“I’m raising a biracial grandson full time. Every...

“I’m raising a biracial grandson full time. Every time I try to discipline him, he says it’s discrimination.”

“I’m not sure what the score was but we lost the...

“I’m not sure what the score was but we lost the game. The other team was older than us though. They looked like they were ten or something.”

“We’ve been in the shelter system ever since their father was...

“We’ve been in the shelter system ever since their father was murdered. We needed his paycheck to pay the rent. We had no choice. He had a good job at the Pepsi factory. We were engaged at the time, and we were about to move upstate. We were even planning to take a trip to Disney World. But when he died, a part of me died. I went into a depression. Everything was moving around me, but I was at a standstill. I didn’t want to do my hair. I didn’t want to be bothered with the kids. We used to go to the park and play, but after their father was killed, we were homebodies. I just wanted to stay at home and cry.”

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This is one of a series of portraits featuring residents and staff of the Win Homeless Shelter for Women And Children. In addition to providing programs and services aimed at breaking the cycle of homelessness, Win provides shelter for 4500 people across NYC every night, including 2700 children.