17 Oct 06

Time:

?

Money:

$12, lunch, from the lunch place.
$4, maple macchiato, campus Starbucks.
$9, hummus, The Hummus Place.

More interesting things:

Waited only somewhat impatiently on the train in Grand Central. You often hear about "being held momentarily by the train's conductor" and being "delayed by train traffic ahead of us" - those are direct quotes, thank you - but today I got one I didn't know was an official reason and was glad to hear: we weren't leaving until a connecting train let its passengers off so they could get on the local I was riding. I think that's very accomodating, and to judge by the automated voice delivering the message, it's official practice. Add it to the New Yorkers ARE Polite Campaign, under the subheading of "Standardized Kindnesses."

Heard from Professor Bravo - who seemed quite different given extended time for interaction - that Professor Alpha is glad I'm here.

Labeled a WHOLE bunch of file folders in the process of trying to organize Professor Bravo's stuff, and wondered, as I occasionally do in such situations, how long my handwriting would appear in Bravo's filing cabinets. In ten years, when some new assistant is doing the reorganizing and asks what crazy person set it up like that in the first place, is Professor Bravo going to laugh and say "Why don't you ask her when you go to her class this afternoon?" Is he going to grit his teeth and restrain himself from making a comment about the GA who never found him any money? Is he going to smile and talk about his friend at Florida? What? There IS an answer. of course, and it's so weird to think that it's coming but I have no idea, really, what it is. Weird, yet fun, and if my past is anything to go by, something to anticipate contentedly.

Spotted among Professor Bravo's files an article that was reviewed by Carlos Torres, whose presentation on campus I missed because I was filing the article he reviewed.

Learned from Professor Alpha that I may be working with him in the spring... eek! (That was a good eek, of course.)

Received after a short discussion with Professor Number One about how "things" are changing some ominous yet light-hearted advice: "Just... finish quickly. [A single slow and meaningful nod of the head, and a preemptive spread of the hand, presumably as she encouraged herself, like I have often done, not to elaborate any further.] Just get it done, is all I'm saying." Oy. Funny, but oy.

Stood on the platform between a local and an express rushing together into the station. I've experienced that several times from the perspective of one of the trains, but it was pretty cool to wait in the middle.