Surfs Up?

Riding the waves of the oceans of the world sounds reasonable enough. However, riding the exteriors of New York City subway cars defies a reasonable exercising of judgement.

The prominently placed signs (as pictured) can be seen while riding in many NYC subway cars. Inquisitive by nature, I questioned the legitimacy of the ads. As it turns out, several years ago someone died 'surfing' the subway.

It is no one's place to judge the actions of others. Although I am confident you will not find me 'riding the rails' in this manner anytime soon, I do have one lingering thought: why are these signs placed on the interiors of the subway cars? How do they anticipate reaching their target audience if they are 'surfing' on the outside of the car?

Whatever the case the message is simple: "Ride inside. Get there alive."

Your Kiss is on My List

Ah, the art of PDA (public displays of affection)!

What qualifies as PDA?

The Urban Dictionary purports PDA “can be seen in the form of kissing, touching, groping, licking, nuzzling, cuddling, crossing hands into each other's opposite back pockets, etc. Usually spotted among new couples, frisky teenagers, and occasionally the "young at heart.”

Subscribing to this definition, what is the basis for determining when and how to exercise appropriate degrees of PDA? Just the other night at dinner, the couple seated next to us decided to engage in a full blown make out session. I can appreciate their desire to express their feelings to one another, was the place to showcase it in a crowded restaurant?

Some people take the anti-PDA, while others, like my fellow diners, are more liberal with their PDA. It would be hard to justify zero PDA. For example, imagine attending a wedding where the bride and groom refrained from their first kiss as a married couple because they just were not into PDA. On the flip side, imagine witnessing the same bride and groom engaging in a lip lock that seemed more suited for their honeymoon. Where does one draw the line? Or is it not even necessary to care?