2 Nov 06

Time:

?

Money:

$4, coffee and "oat scone," Oren's.
$48, an extremely necessary wool sweater, The Gap.
$9, a very good sandwich, hummus, and diet lime Pepsi (hooray!), that campus restaurant place.
$9, really excellent gruyere macaroni and cheese, 'sMac.

More interesting things:

Waited for the local - since for the benefit of Professor Bravo, who ended... up... stuck... in... a... meeting, I skipped the gym and went straight to campus - and wondered if the fact that an MTA guy was methodically checking and, like, sweeping the rails on my track should be taken as an indication that it was going to be a long, long time before the train actually showed up. As it happened, that was not the case: when the worker saw the headlights way down the tunnel, he moved slowly and deliberately into the space between the columns separating one direction from the other and did this runway-style arm-flagging thing. I don't know if this would count as an instance of politeness, exactly, but I'm quite sure it counted for the shared-humanity aspect of my campaign when a bunch of us on the platform looked quizzically and somewhat worriedly at each other; I even mentioned to the woman next to me that I didn't think you'd be able to pay me enough to stand there and watch a train come in, to which she agreed in that "o-kaay??" tone that it was scary. Bravo, MTA person... I think you are tougher than I am.

Detoured as widely as I could around a drunk but apparently largely harmless guy who went into The Gap at least twice making strange comments about strawberries and such (well, that's what the cashier told me.) Two police officers came in to get him out, and they did so in what seemed to be a fairly pleasant way - they didn't touch the guy, or threaten him or anything; they just sort of herded him out the door quietly. I'm sorry he then had to experience the cold while obviously not having much control over his mental faculties, but I guess the situation could have been worse.

Glimpsed - and then did a double-take to make sure that I had glimpsed - a skateboarding waffle. Halloween was two days ago now, but I guess if you need to be an Eggo Washington Square East is a good place to do it.

Remembered Professor Number One's comment to... I think it was Jenn, yesterday at the welcome thing. She was talking about retiring and all that, and she concluded some section of the conversation with, "Just come and visit! I'm only on __th Street! It's not that far...." And the thing is, I'm quite sure she genuinely means that. So - at some point, I think I can expect to be writing here about taking her up on it.

Watched approvingly a pigeon who carefully crossed the street, first over Washington Square East, doing a little hop-flutter onto the curb, and then over Washington Place, staying well within the crosswalk lines; in fact, he walked pretty much with a crowd the whole way, like maybe he was going to class with the other kids. (Ornithology major, anyone?)

Sat and enjoyed a little more of that vicarious friend-visit thrill thing as I listened to Anne chat with someone arriving tomorrow. I'm glad her friends are coming into town, of course, but for myself I still cannot quite get over this idea that I live in a city half the world seems to want to come and check out for a few days. Okay? I live here. This to me approaches unbelievable, but since I see it, hear it, breathe it, eat it, drink it, and walk it everyday, I think I have to believe it, too... but good Lord, what a gift and a chance.

Chatted most enjoyably with Professor Alpha, although the topic of conversation - impending "retirements" - was not in itself terribly lovely. He seemed to get that, though, didn't joke about it or do some version of the horrid "no one's indispensable" speech I used to get from ANOTHER retiree I know in an attempt to be, like, even-keeled. He just agreed that it wasn't exactly making him completely thrilled either, although they're setting it up pretty nice for him (and the others) and added in what may have been the most serious and direct tone I've heard from him yet, "______, I'm not abandoning you. You're going to be my last product as a professor here." When I thought about that response, I felt a little bad, because I don't want to add to whatever funny feelings this process is engendering - and I know there's got to be some - but I do think it's important that he knows why I'm here. Ah, well. He can still do the committee and all that jazz; he's technically still on the regular faculty for awhile yet, so that's good. And it appears that I'll be having two classes with him in the spring, including one he's reviving in small form just for our benefit, which is also extremely cool. It's just... this is twice now, these wonderful silver-headed guys taking off, just as I've landed. Is this going to be some kind of weird pattern in my life? Because if it is, I'm not taking any more jobs until I find out how many people plan to retire once I'm hired....

Got a quick nod and smile from the conductor of the express on my way home, which I always appreciate.