Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 307

“After the kids left the house, I decided to go to medical...

“After the kids left the house, I decided to go to medical school and become a doctor. I was 48 at the time, and had been out of school for a long time. When I asked him if he thought it was a good idea, he said: ‘Sure. It’s your turn.’”

“I want to be a first grade teacher because I know a lot about...

“I want to be a first grade teacher because I know a lot about first grade and second grade is kinda harder and you have to count with bigger numbers.”

"It was just me and my mom growing up. I’m her only child,...

"It was just me and my mom growing up. I’m her only child, so we were really close. I didn’t tell her that I joined, because I knew she was against it. She thought it was too dangerous. I just came home one day, sat her down, and showed her my contract, and she got very upset. We didn’t talk for months after that. Whenever I spoke to her, she’d answer with as few words as possible. She didn’t talk to me until I was well into basic training, and I got to call home."
"What did she say during the phone call?"
"She asked me if I was eating OK, said she was proud of me, and she told me that she’d already booked her hotel for my graduation."

“I wanted to be someone.”

“I wanted to be someone.”

"We did a cabaret show together back when we were younger. He...

"We did a cabaret show together back when we were younger. He was 29. I was 42. And we were both married at the time. He called me up twenty years later when he was passing through my town. We’d both gotten divorced. After we met for drinks, he leaned down and kissed me, and said: ‘I wanted to do that 20 years ago.’ Then a semi-automatic drove by and honked the horn, I swear to God. It was all very exciting. I mean, I was a grandmother! So on our second date, I said: ‘Before we order, I just want to let you know that I want to go to bed with you.’ Then I took him home and we didn’t leave for three days."

“I’m pretty much a loser. I just got out of prison a month...

“I’m pretty much a loser. I just got out of prison a month ago.”
“What were you in for?”
“Something stupid. I got really drunk and started fighting an off-duty cop that was trying to arrest me.”
“Did prison change you in any way?”
“Yeah, no more hard liquor. Only beer.”

"Last time we were photographed together, my alimony got...

"Last time we were photographed together, my alimony got doubled."

“I did my undergrad in law in Australia, focusing on domestic...

“I did my undergrad in law in Australia, focusing on domestic criminal work. Then I moved to the Hague in The Netherlands to work for the office of the prosecutor in the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. Then I worked for an NGO in Johannesburg that uses the South African constitution to enforce human rights. Then I went back to Australia to clerk for a justice of the supreme court. Now I’m here studying international criminal prosecution, though I’m considering switching to transitional justice.”
“What’s the biggest crime you’ve ever committed?”
“I’ve never been a constant in anyone’s life.”

“I think my father had always been a bandaid for a lot of my...

“I think my father had always been a bandaid for a lot of my mother’s issues. She was quite insecure, but he was always reassuring her, bringing her cards and flowers, and coaxing her out of her shell. She never got back to herself after he died. She thought that anytime somebody wanted to visit with her, it was just because they wanted something or they felt bad for her. Which wasn’t true, because she was very smart and interesting. She started drinking a lot, and if we went to visit her, a lot of times she’d just be staring blankly at the TV. We found her journal after she passed away. It was hard to read. She wrote things like: ‘My life is ashes.’ And, ‘My daughter only needs me for money.’”

"My dad used to pile 15 kids from the neighborhood into his...

"My dad used to pile 15 kids from the neighborhood into his station wagon and take us to the Yankees games. It wasn’t very safe, they’d probably arrest him for it today. Even when he lost his job, and he couldn’t afford the tickets, we’d still go to the games. He’d just pick the really bad games that not a lot of people wanted to go to, and we’d pull the station wagon up to the curb, and send my little brother to ask businessmen for extra tickets."