27 Oct 06

Time:

?

Money:


$7, "pet food," gym store.
$1, Calvin Trillin book, The Strand (and as I told Anne, I still can't believe that what some people might fly 2200 miles to have the chance to do, I can experience just in the course of walking to meet my friends for lunch.)
$12, part of the pizza-and-Anchor-Steam-on-tap bill, Patsy's.
$4, "pink" mocha, Joe on E. 13th (?)

More interesting things:

Waited (somewhat impatiently, I'll admit; we were on the platform for quite a while) for the train with a smallish older woman in a red suit, who chose to take out her subway-related frustrations on... a piece of Dubble Bubble. Somehow the garish yellow wrapper looked a little incongruous in her hands, but it did make me smile.

Jumped, at long last, onto a very old-school car, at least for this line. The big green number on the front reminded me of Oscar the Grouch or something else Sesame Streetish, and I think that was the first time I'd ridden such a non-electronic-looking train anywhere other than the west side.

Apologized for bumping into a girl in the gym stairwell, thereby demonstrating (I guess) that I was a reasonably pleasant person, because she chose me to define for her the purple-placarded phrase "Please Use Handrails." I laughed, showed her what a handrail was, and added that it was so people couldn't blame the school if they fell, so she laughed too - at least I hope that's why she laughed - and we went on about our business.

Saw a lot of Army reminders today - two sets of BDU's (although I think the one in the train station actually belonged to a flyboy) and a black, white, and gold sweatshirt.

Passed Grace Church on Broadway, which first of all is a fine example of the castles-in-the-city style of architecture, with all the green green grass and the Dungeons and Dragons or King's Quest feel, but maybe even better features Bach pieces on the organ around lunchtime four days a week. I happened to go by when the sign said music would be playing, but since I wanted to meet my friends on time, I'll have to do it another day - preferably sometime soon.

Watched as a skater whizzed by us on WSq South. This would not have been unusual except that a) they were roller SKATES, not blades or a board; b) the wheels lit up with crazy colors as they spun; and c) the guy wearing them was probably about 40 and had on dress pants and a button-down shirt to go with them.

Saw a guy with fangs. I know you can have your incisors filed, if you find the right free-thinking (or really weird) dentist, and Anne added that you can have false ones implanted, but I'm hoping that guy was just wearing a grill, because I don't think the vampire look was working for him so much.

Examined a hundred million long or longish black wool, wool and cashmere, and wool, cashmere, and nylon coats. With Anne's extremely patient and amusing assistance, we pawed through coats with round collars, stand-up collars, hoods, and fur ruffs. We looked at single-breasted and double-breasted, big buttons and small buttons, belted and plain. We looked in two different stores. We found a good one, but since I am challenged and neglected to bring my card, I put it on hold; tomorrow I'll re-check out the one at Banana Republic and see which one I should get.