5 Oct 06

Time:

?

Money:

$4, yogurt-and-granola, Space Market.
$4, giant coffee, campus Starbucks.
$15, great burger and REALLY good onion soup, Cozy Soup and Burger (they named it after my lunch.)
$6, granola bar and mocha, Think.

More interesting things:

Attended a meeting where I finally learned about the grant Professor Alpha was actually talking about that time in the train station. This was fun for a variety of reasons. For starters, the other people in the meeting were genuinely nice, and made a real point of not only asking my name and position (which, for some untold reason, one of the somewhat-higher-ups thought was "new faculty member" - if she'd said "new underdressed faculty member," it would have made more sense) but remembering and using that information later. Second, Professor Alpha volunteered me for all kinds of stuff, including the lit review, because as he has it, "[she] has been LONGING to go to the library, but she hasn't had a reason! Now she has a GREAT reason to go to the library and do all KINDS of work!" as he thumped me in the shoulders. Third... well, this one's in two parts, because I owe them both to the LTC: 3a) it didn't take long at all before I had quite a good idea of what was going on and 3b) I felt far from clueless as far as actually writing the proposal up (not that that's my job.) Fourth, my name... is actually... on the proposal as the "Graduate Assistant" (which IS my job.) And fifth, I just love, love, LOVE working with professors. I cannot believe that sitting around with these guys, all of whom are not only part of a group I admire but want to help me JOIN that group myself, is a JOB. Okay, that's it for now on THIS subject.

Flashed - well, not really flashed; it was slower than that, so - scrolled back to my days living on campus, when just a little luck added to one's regular treks past the infirmary meant that you could fill out a health survey (for instance) and be rewarded with pizza, a Coke, and a professional massage. The scrolling was brought on by the school Wellness Fair on W. 4th Street, where the balloons were of appropriately autumnal colors rather than orange and blue but were as festive and beckoning as ever.

Camped once again in the bottom of Pless but was forced, for a short time, to take up residence on the excessively loud side, which would be the one more usually inhabited by the ed theatre people. In this case, however, I had a moment of appreciation for their exuberance before I went and found a spot on the other side: two girls were chatting (okay, bellowing) when a third came up; Bellower One announced in the newcomer's direction, "Hey Regine! I'm just calling you Regine 'cause that's, like, short for your whole name." Of course, if I were representing her proclamation more faithfully that would have been in all caps, but since by standing literally ten inches away from me during all this she added a small but amusing element of the surreal to my day, I'm willing to forgive her the damage she inflicted on our eardrums.

Retreated into the hood of my sweatshirt once I had moved back to the normal side of Pless, mostly because I didn't want to read my chapter but partly because it was a little chilly in there, whereupon Nice Guard Number Two (the woman with the short curly hair) asked whether I were cold in a tone that suggested she would change the thermostat if I said yes. I told her I was just hiding, but I hope she knows it wasn't from her... those guards are pretty cool.

Caught the local at Astor Place and experienced for the first time something I read about somewhere, maybe in that Brooklyn guy's subway blog: recognizing for sure another commuter. In this case, however, it wasn't much of a trick; if this kid ever wants to achieve the level of "inconspicuous," he's going to have to ditch the Mets yarmulke.