Rainy Day Discoveries (Edited Reprint)

Torrential downpour in the city today!  I mistakenly didn't wear my rain boots and by the time I got to The Frick my jeans were wet to the knees.  Thank goodness I have waterproof sneakers, so my feet weren't wet.  On my brisk walk to and from my internship I saw a couple of things I thought worth noting.
1.  The box for this:

was on the edge of the sidewalk waiting for garbage pick up.  I have to wonder whose brilliant idea this toy was? Yes...let's make a movable sink for our children to play with!  Does this not scream "My main purpose in life is to create flooding and messes where ever I am placed!"?  In a city where backyards are scare I'm pretty sure this is sitting in the corner of some young couple's kitchen.   Cute visions of their young child happily (yet somehow neatly) playing with all the "whizbangs" that are usually kiddie pool bling whirling around in their heads.  I suppose their child(ren) hasn't yet discovered the bathroom sink and the joys of washing any and all toys whether they come with batteries or not.
When my kids were younger and I was in the market for a new refrigerator I purposefully did not buy the one with the water dispenser.  My friend had one at her house and our 4 year old kids would look for any opportunity to sneak away in order to push the buttons and make the water spray onto the ground.  I'm pretty sure the creator of this toy is either a single 24 year old male or a disgruntled grandparent.  I'll be watching to see if the actual toy winds up on the sidewalk in a couple of weeks.
2.  Who says New Yorkers aren't nice??  I saw a woman today run to catch up with a random grocery delivery man who was walking with bags and no umbrella so she could share her umbrella with him as he walked down the block.  It is one of the nicest things I have seen.
3. Walking in a crowded city is difficult enough without throwing all sizes of open and dripping umbrellas into the mix.  I often feel like I'm playing a game of chicken with the other commuters on the sidewalks as we weave and dodge each other, not to mention lakes on the edge of the sidewalks and dripping overhangs.  It will never cease to amaze me that someone's eye doesn't get poked out in the process.  However, that said most people try to be considerate with their soaking umbrellas and I have yet to have someone snap one closed in my direction so I get hit with the bucket full of water that somehow seems to get collected on the top.
4. Cutting my own hair is NOT one of my talents!  Which I should have known since cutting other people's hair is also not one of my talents, but sometimes enough is enough.  I need to learn to breathe deeply for a few seconds until the feeling goes away next time.  It looks like I'll have to collect money from the couch cushions and find a hair dresser.  (Note:  No I did not attempt to do this while walking in the rain carrying an umbrella, although I might use that as an excuse...  It actually wouldn't surprise me if I saw someone trying to do this.  I've watched women put eyeliner and mascara on while riding the subway.  I always feel like if I keep staring I'm going to witness the debacle that occurs when someone actually pokes their eye out.  I'm not sure whether I want to cheer them on or plead with them to put the mascara wand away.)