31 Dec 06

***Vacation Update: Just More Interesting Things***

This state was a running theme during our week in that state. I answered a call to our cabin-thingy which turned out to be a wrong number; the lady told me she was looking for her daughter-in-law who was from Florida, so of course I announced that at least she'd gotten it half-right. On adding exactly what part we were from, she told me that she had grown up here and went to Atlantic back when it was Seacrest. Of all the cabins she could have called....

And then to add to that, we were in the parking lot of what was by far the nicest grocery store we have yet encountered on these trips when we saw a specimen of a family that, in their beat-up conversion van and electric-pink trucker's ball cap (well, on one of them, anyway), caused my mom to observe that "THEY" (as opposed to 95% of the rest of the people in the parking lot) "are from North Carolina." I added, not very politely but apparently accurately, "Yeah, or Mississippi... or some other place where they keep the hicks." Of course, when they closed the back door of the van Sister spotted a Florida license plate; discussion of whether they hailed from the Panhandle or somewhere near Gainesville came to a screeching halt when they spun down our aisle and I was able to see that the plate, in fact, said Palm Beach.

Otherwise, very much enjoyed the NC trip. I decided that unlike the rest of the year, when I'm highly motivated to make lists and cross things off them, vacation comes for my brain as much as anything else; I envisioned my thoughts as a pile of furry, like, minks or something, resting in a jumbled-up pile and only getting up slowly, one at a time, before collapsing back into the heap for examination later.

And that's all the weirdness from this particular update. I'll probably have more the next time I hide in Panera with a half-ingested cup of coffee for the purpose of using their internet.

20 Dec 06

Time:

Hopping down the lion stairs at 1300, asking whether my flight really was delayed (with freshly purchased lunch in hand, no less) 1442.

Money:

$doesn't even bear thinking about.

More interesting things:

Made the usual turn out of Astor Place past the Starbucks and did a double-take when I spotted a guy carving a gorgeous walking stick at a table inside.

Commented to my desk-neighbor that you have to love a profession characterized - even if only in part, because I know all too well about the sniping and politicking and all that stupid stuff - by the congeniality and conVIViality of the potluck taking place this afternoon.

Carried myself and my slight tension headache across the second floor and thought I was going to get really irritated before I made it out of there; as is well established, I'm not real crazy about the ends of things, to include semesters of college. But - I shouldn't have been surprised - Professor Alpha helped me out. First he commented appreciatively on the "little piles... who made these little piles so nice?" I'd fixed on his perenially messy table. Then, when he was on his determined way out to the potluck (and the "booze"), he stopped and gave me one of those sideways hugs, a good one, and told me that he was "really glad you've been here this fall...", so on and so forth. Finally, on my determined way out - to the library - I passed him in the former chair's office, stopped, backed up, and got a very animated kiss thrown at me.

Stopped for a quick exchange of break-related pleasantries with one of the guards who knows me, turned away from him, and ran into my other favorite one, the bald guy. Since I was standing right in front of him at that point, I leaned toward him for a handshake and a hug and departed on the sound of calls exhorting me "don't be a stranger!"

Smiled back at the LIRR motorman who, no doubt, was partially motivated to grin as he did because of the schleppy, camel-style figure I cut as I dropped down the stairs and down the platform.

Hopped off at Jamaica to the reminders of "Collect your personal belongings! Hats! Gloves! Booties! Scarves! It's COLD out there!" You cannot make this stuff up.

Remembered that one of the sponsors - whether of Lincoln Center or the National Choral Council I'm not sure - was none other than Herricks High School, clear contender for the Most Northeastern-Sounding School Name of All Time Award.

Spotted, among rows and rows of other newer ones, a relatively old-school LIRR car marked in dignified blue font stretching almost the length of the train, "METROPOLITAN TRANSIT AUTHORITY."

Wondered more than idly why there was a green road sign somewhere below the AirTrain track marked "KISS AND FLY."

Signed off from blogging until my January return to the city.... Out.

19 Dec 06

Time:

?

Money:

$5, red place breakfast.
$10, the best prosciutto sandwich I've had yet, Pane e Cioccolate.

More interesting things:

Walked past someone who was working to improve the image of his streetside business selling cigar boxes by... drying the sidewalk. Like, with paper towels. You have got to admire the dedication.

Realized, as I sat waiting for my lunch bundled in black coat and purple sweatshirt, that although I don't think I have worn the sweatshirt in question to sit in Washington Square Park as I had sort of imagined I would, I HAD come to the familiar, almost proprietary ease that was really the central feature of that daydream. Happens fast.

Decided that I may in fact have to stay in this city long enough to collect a real salary. Professor Bravo's apartment wasn't huge, but he had an office, a normal-people stove, and a dishwasher (!) - plus it was really very nice - so that's something I'm going to have to try for.

Chalked another one up for the New Yorkers ARE Polite Campaign, although I thought for a minute it was headed in the other direction. I got on the... E? headed for Columbus Circle and got stuck standing because this guy was sleeping all over two entire benches. Then I guess a bump or something woke him up, at which point he apologized profusely and even dusted off the seat where his foot had been so I could sit down.

Enjoyed very much the Messiah Sing-In at Avery Fisher with Ben. Next time, I'll make sure to get a copy of the whole thing - and practice beforehand - but for this go-round it was enough to look over the shoulder of the lady standing next to me... particularly as it gave me a chance to see the name labelled on the front of her copy: Rabinowitz. (Oh, and for reference in about the first week of December next year: it's best to get the Watkins Shaw printing.)

18 Dec 06

Time:

?

Money:

? (I give up.)

More interesting things:

Saw a young woman knitting something on the subway. The interesting part was the yarn: it was pale spring green with chunky little flecks of, like, mulch brown. That sounds terrible, but it was so cool because it looked like moss and soil.

Spotted a bullmastiff and a tricolor Aussie walking past the red place.

Decided that even though it wasn't really very cold, this was the first time it looked like winter. Actually, what it looked like was (for some personal-historical reason) Garden City, under a low gray sky. I think that's the kind of thing people get quite tired of, but it's only been once so far and I like it in any case.

Talked to Professor Number Four at length, collecting a sizable stack of books in the process. I don't know if Professor Number Five told him what I had said about how their personalities compare - I hope not, but anyway - but I certainly got an earful today, which I appreciated. I don't think he knows how seriously I take suggestions about psychology books from older, silvery-blond-headed Brooklynites, but since I'll be able to "pass the George Kelly test" upon my return, maybe he'll get the picture. And on top of that, he reminds me very much of Grandpa, which I told him. (The interesting coincidence of initials didn't occur to me until I had left.) Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed harassing him/being harassed, so that was a nice close to our discussions for the semester.

Saw a Gator sweatshirt in Pless. (It was on someone's back, not lounging around by itself.)

Turned in my lit review - hooray! - with the caveat to Professor Number Three that although I'd had fun writing it, I wasn't at all sure that I had done it correctly, a statement I represented physically by holding the paper at arm's length from my fingertips as though it smelled funny. Number Three first admonished, laughingly, "Don't hold it like that!" and then added that she would try to offer some nice "formative" comments and that she always enjoys reading my writing anyway, which was a very nice compliment.

Survived, for the benefit of said lit review, my first legitimate all-nighter as a "doc stu."

17 Dec 06

Time:

?

Money:

$9, tomato sandwich that my lovely roommate kindly brought back for my lunch.
$15, wings and beverages, Josie Wood's.
$10, laundry (yecch.)

More interesting things:

Worked most of the day but enjoyed the phone and text-message interruptions: Ma, Dad, Sister (several times, with regard to Christmas presents...), a variety of fabulous friends, and none other than LTC Rod, who was calling to invite me to his birthday party. Unfortunately - on so many counts - I won't be able to commute from the designated vacation spot, but I very much appreciated the invitation (and the chance to chat with him) anyway.

16 Dec 06

Time:

Left Astor Place station 1932, arrived library 1939.

Money:

Not a whole lot? I bought one round of drinks for the four of us plus my own dinner at Boca Chica. (Well, actually Roey spotted me the cash. But I paid him back already.)

More interesting things:

Smelled, floating in the air somewhere, that wintry smoky smell, but somehow this time it was sharper or something, and reminded me instantaneously of that pow-wow weekend in Jacksonville.

Noticed that the Italian restaurant on a corner I'm familiar with is called Bella Cucina, while the glasses store 22 feet away is named Bella Vista... are they owned by the same one-time biker Italian guy from (in my opinion) Long Island?

Felt like I had, to some weird extent, already seen the blue-and-purple checked shirt a guy on the subway wore, and realized just a second later that this was because the shades of the pattern matched precisely those two fat markers I used to do (kind of) my explorer project in fifth grade. That is a very strange thing to remember, ladies and gentlemen.

Sat on the train across from an older guy in Santa tie, bright red cords, and an arm-hugging elegantly dressed wife: Christmas party, anyone?

15 Dec 06

Time:

?

Money:

Well, I don't know, but it involved Caffe Buon Gusto, Mustangs, and probably some other things too.

More interesting things:

Heard from Professor Number Five that the reason Professor Number Four is less forthcoming in terms of personality is that "he's not Jewish, dear." When I responded to that first by cackling loudly and second by reminding her that I'm not, either, I was honored (I think) with "Yes, you are, dear, you are."

Hopped on a rush-hour-ish train in back up from school, where at Grand Central someone was obviously quite irritated about not making it through before the doors closed and chose to express this irritation by slamming angrily on the windows. I laughed and said out loud that I'd never seen anything like it, which caused the guy standing in front of me to announce, "Only in New York!" True, I guess, and only partly because most cities don't have subways.

Booked it in the direction of the restaurant - which turned out to be exceptionally cool, incidentally - and past the windows of, I think, that Eli Zabar place, featuring a lovely and fairly elaborate gingerbread scene I'll have to get a picture of before I head home for break.

Spotted once again the green Mini sporting the uncannily accurate "I FIT" license plates.

Spotted, for the first time, none other than Rudy Giuliani himself, as we were on our way to Mustangs. He (and Judith, I guess; it's weird to think that I know her name even though I wouldn't recognize her) was leaving a restaurant or a bar or something just a little south of where we were going, jumping into a large black SUV that a bodyguard (or something) had idling near the curb. I really, really would have liked to say something, and I guess I did, but it was limited to "Gasp!" and the sound of me grabbing Brenan's jacket in disbelief. We stood there for a minute inhaling his cigar smoke, his bodyguard opened the driver's side door, he hopped in, and they were gone. Unbelievable.

14 Dec 06

Time:

?

Money:

$5, protein bar, muffin, and coffee, the red place.
$8, yogurt and protein bar, Space Market.
$9, chicken sukiyaki sandwich, Dojo.
$9, mocha and muffin, Esperanto Cafe.

More interesting things:

Noticed that even if they aren't in fact the same person, the overly concerned looking female model in the Bose headphones ad and the overly concerned looking female model in the "Jobs Ireland" ad have precisely the same weirdly serious expression on their faces.

Found myself in the middle of what Anne called the "social corner," an important geographical feature of which happens to be my desk. People were in a good mood, and the highlight of the proof thereof came when Professor Alpha stood collecting the paper clips I was removing from a recycle pile, walked back into his office, sort of wandered out semi-purposefully back towards me, stopped, and answered my question about whether he needed me to do something with, "No, no... I'm just glad you're out here now, and we can, you know, hang out like this. It's really nice." Needless to say, a) I laughed and b) I agreed, but I don't think he knows just how much I agree.

Walked down to the Bleecker Street station - with a pleasant sense of familiarity, incidentally - past my favorite beverage site and an Afro-sporting, mustache-wearing transvestite. Then, on the ride home, Roey and I were treated to the best "homeless people debate," as he described it, that either of us had ever heard: it involved many grand and philosophical pronouncements from a guy at one end of the car, rebuffed weakly but amusingly with uh-huh's and the bug-eye/pursed-lip combination from another guy holding a cold pizza. We considered riding until they were finished, but we decided they probably weren't getting off at 86th and jumped off there instead.

13 Dec 06

Time:

?

Money:

$3, egg-white sandwich and coffee, Cafe University (I'm going to start calling it "the red place," because that's shorter.)
$12, tomato sandwich and yogurt, Space Market.
$4, maple macchiato and biscotto, Broadway Starbucks.
$19, this mushroom dinner, Cafetasia.

More interesting things:

Looked in the garage of the Fire Department building right behind the gym - the door was open, obviously - where the firefighters had hung all kinds of wreaths and lights and things; the trucks just looked like two more enormous, brilliant red decorations.

Walked past the Reservoir bar on University Place, which is also all decked out: garland, wreaths, lights, you name it. Now that I think of it, I feel like I've heard that name before, and as best I can recall it was associated with something good, so I'm going to have to try it, but I would have gone anyway just for the festive look.

Spotted a lady on the corner of 8th and University who I saw on the train yesterday or the day before. My commuter-matching skills are getting better, though; she had on not a garish Mets yarmulke to identify her as someone I'd seen before but a black coat with an unusual square silver buttonhole at the top.

Looked out the window in the bathroom on my floor at school and noticed that no matter what time of day (or year) you look, it seems to be autumn in that alley. Some people would probably take that as a dismal view, what with the dim and the dinge, but I like it, especially because as I have noted repeatedly, I have chosen a life where the year's cycle really starts in September, not April.

12 Dec 06

Time:

?

Money:

$5, yogurt, banana, and diet Pepsi, Cafe University.
$6, pet food, Cafe University.
$12, lunch-for-dinner, usual place.
$5, eggnog latte and biscotto, campus Starbucks.

More interesting things:

Appreciated the spirit of openness, whatever might motivate it, from people working in my corner of the universe.

Watched a fire truck whiz by with great big wreaths on both ends, followed by an enormous silver Rolls - an "OINY" combination.

Passed, on my way back to the gym, a police officer who did nothing to strike down the stereotype: he had a bag plus a tray of three coffees from Dunkin Donuts.

Walked to dinner from Metro, passing a guy who managed at least in one respect to be fastidious AND homeless all at once. He was shaving carefully, using his reflection in a darkened office window to see what he was doing.

11 Dec 06

Time:

Left my desk chair (at school, that is) 1656, on the corner near the Silver "Red Room" 1847.

Money:

$4, diet Pepsi and yogurt, Cafe University.
$7, pet food (even though they didn't need special feeding yet), Cafe University.
$12, two Kati Rolls (man, were they good) and a soda, Kati Rolls.
$5, maple macchiato and a biscotto, campus Starbucks.

More interesting things:

Guessed on the subway that a girl leaning wearily on Mom's arm, book barely in hand, who asked to check the time on Mom's cell phone was trying to plod through 30 minutes of homework reading. The journal she pulled out and in which she marked 6:42-7:12 indicated that my guess was good. It's teacher instincts....

Decided that there aren't too many towns where just in walking past a vitamin store on the way to the train station you can hear a pair of gonna-be world-class sopranos harmonizing a verse of the Carol of the Bells, and, furthermore, that I'm glad I live in one of them.

Waited curiously outside my research site to be let past the small throng of large, mildly sullen-looking boys and through the door, which was, oddly, locked. Then the sirens to which I had just wished good luck pulled up behind me, and a uniformed officer came up and asked with concern but also, I think, a degree of confusion, whether I was okay. I gave him a confused shrug/head-shake of my own and told him I was fine, that I was just there to do research. Maybe needless to say, I didn't get any further than that, so I have to go back this week. But it was interesting all the same.

Noticed, for the first time in awhile, that subway smell I'm so fond of. Now, MTA-New York City Transit is quite capable of creating any number of aromas, and many of them are not that inviting: diesel fumes, train flats hauling garbage, that inimitable subway-staircase scent. This one, however, is entirely inoffensive - I don't know what it is, just an underground smell, maybe - and, like the silver clanking rush of an express train blowing through a local stop, reminds me of how it felt to get a first-hand indication of the love for this city I already knew was bred in me. And just so you know, my skeptically-sniffing friends, this scent I'm talking about is well-known and definable enough that it is, somehow, featured in the waiting area of the Kong ride at Universal Studios.

Watched a Gator-looking university mailbag roll by - orange and blue, obviously - as I listened to a Gator-sounding guy - Johnny B., of course - on the other end of my phone.

Discussed our perennial third-quarter situation - hoping desperately that they're not going to let the whole first half get ruined - and realized there was no good answer when Dr. B. asked, "Do they think the other team doesn't have COACHES?"

Perused some ERIC results - apparently, I found some kind of magic combination of terms, to judge by the number of pages I was able to print - and came across not just a book chapter on rhetoric by Dr. Dobrin but also a Dr. Townsend article called (surprise, surprise!) "Wondering Discourse."

Dropped my headphones just in time to get a good comment from yet another friendly professor on this hall as he blew past my desk: "Don't get up, it's all right."

Wandered back out of the restroom and right into... Professor Number Two, who was looking quite lovely in a bright lime-greenish shirt. We had a quick chat about abstracts and school fights and so on, and then I headed back to my desk. Whatever else I think about him, it's pretty cool to know that he - and all our other professors - knows who I am; if I ever forget what being at this stage of education means has been accomplished (which is pretty easy to do when you're involved in its daily machinations), that is one kind of thing which can remind me.

Spotted, on my way to the second gym go-round, a girl whose cargo pants pocket looked so much like a glove I once had that I thought immediately of Michael Jackson.

Collected a Vizsla sighting. I don't think it's my first one, but it's my first officially recorded one, so I'll go with it.

Stood in line at Starbucks next to a girl (and even that took a couple of minutes to figure out) who was asleep on the couch but looked, in fact, creepily close to dead. Her skin was kind of waxy and very pale, but she was breathing well so Roey and I left her alone. (We did, however, contemplate letting Roey shove me into the couch so we could see if she'd wake up; it turned out there wasn't enough time for this operation before we were able to move six inches closer to our lattes.)

Found my gaze caught unusually steadily, as we studied on the sixth floor reading room, by the glowing arch... just as Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance came on my iPod.

Got an idea for an essay or a parallel blog or something: describing the lights you can see from the library. There was, as I mentioned, the opaque white glow of the Arch; the high-floating brilliant red letters reading "UARE," which I determined a little later was part of the W UNION SQUARE sign; the understatedly blue tiers of the Empire State Building; and, above all else in terms of luminosity, as far as I'm concerned, the glittering white Art Deco design of the Chrysler Building.

Listened to Circle of Life, which usually I skip, but this time around it occurred to me that you could apply it to the city very neatly and easily. Check the lyrics for a demonstration....

Watched disinterestedly as a youngish woman sitting on the subway bench knocked over her otherwise-empty cup, spilling ice halfway to the middle of the car; became more interested when she carefully collected the cubes, wiped up the melted part, and added herself to my campaign.

10 Dec 06

Time:

?

Money:

$7, honey bread (which was pretty good) and yogurt parfait (not that fabulous), Karen's Real Food.
$21, very good mushroom ravioli and part of the eggplant rollatini, Panorama.
$6, white chocolate mocha and rainbow cookie, campus Starbucks.

More interesting things:

Sat on the train headed downtown next to a dad whose sparse, spiky light brown hair was matched exactly by his infant son's. (Thankfully Dad didn't match the kid's lungs near the end of the ride. I was glad to let Mahalia wail in my ears instead of that overheated ankle-biter!)

Passed some kind of miniature Corgi near Washington Square Park, which caused Roey to lean towards me with a shocked but important secret: "Someone cut that dog's legs off!" I don't think the dog's person appreciated it when I repeated the comment for Rebecca and, probably even worse, laughed like a hyena.

9 Dec 06

Time:

?

Money:

$6, maple macchiato and biscotti, my uptown Starbucks.
$35, excellent Italian dinner, Bella Cucina.
$81, new keyboard and mouse (grrr.)

More interesting things:

Went to support one or another of Professor Number Two's conference things. I don't generally like one-time volunteering deals, because I hate not knowing the flow of a situation, but the wine and the company made it better (although having a half-full water bottle pitched at Anne and me as we dared to make our way past the George Washington Carver Houses was fairly interesting), as did knowing how to give participants from out of town directions to the train.

5-8 Dec 06

Time:

?

Money:

?

More interesting things:

Decided that I'm a blogging pansy. I don't like having such a total lack of record for the last few days, but it's not particularly useful to go through each of the missed days saying that they're missed days, so I'll just stick what I remember together and drive on from there.

Went to the Apple Store, Bergdorf Goodman (!), Sharper Image, and Brookstone with Anne. There is a huge three-dimensional, lit-up silver star over Fifth Avenue at 57th Street; a big pink banner advertising "I am a city child; I live at the Plaza" hanging on the front of the building; a slew of glowing Christmas trees in the middle of that expanse in front of the Plaza; a filigree of almost-bare trees in Central Park looking like some kind of lacy overlay that covers a far-off picture of tall old buildings across the way; a chinchilla hat and a six-hundred-dollar scarf in Bergdorf's; and somewhere outside it, a vestigial trail of Dudley, Liza, Sir John, and a silk tie. (That was Friday, after class and lunch.)

Sat at my desk, chatting with Professor... well, let's go with Charlie, whose office is literally two feet from where I sit. He is a really, really nice person - in Professor Alpha's words, "a very sweet guy" - who shares quotations and observations and stuff like that. At one point he walked out past me, noticing that I was squinting at what I was reading (it looked like I couldn't see it, I guess, although thankfully it was more an issue of frustration!) and commenting first that "it wasn't an accident" that I sit right outside his office and second that "You can always tell a scholar... you'll have eyes like mine before you know it." So a) not only am I a scholar, but b) I'm also coming up behind him. This brings new meaning to Tony Soprano's comment about the "re-tyyyy-amint comm-uuuuu-nity": in their retirement, we get their community. Snarl. (This would have been Thursday.)

Confirmed, in a small way, my position that part of the reason I don't have to think so hard or be so flashy about all the Native American stuff is that it is firmly internalized and governs my thoughts as much as any religion or spirituality does for the next person. After that conversation with Professor Charlie - and another in which I got some good words from Toni Morrison, Dr. King, and others - it occurred to me that my method of getting where I want to go is, and has always been (which explains a lot), learning from the elders. The problem, of course, is that the elders never quite stay where I want them to for long. (This, obviously, was also Thursday.)

Watched Professors Alpha and Charlie share that three-part handshake my dad always used to end with some comment about "my main man, my main constituent." (Haven't thought about that in a LONG time.) Did they practice? I'm thinking probably not, since I know how to do it myself, but what happened that they agreed to shake hands like that and not like more boring people? Did it come up in conversation sometime? I'm going to ask Alpha.

Tried to stay out of the way as workers put up those wood-framed plastic sheets in Professor Alpha's (and everyone else's) windows. Alpha first saw them in the hall and made some comment about, "You're sealing me in... oh, good." Then he noticed that a sheet which had already been put up was taken back down, and casually asked the worker if he was measuring again because the people who made the frame "had fucked it up... ah well, surprise, surprise." The worker absolutely did not know what to make of this - he probably was not a person who had never heard such a word before, but at the same time, he probably hadn't heard it uttered a) by a distinguished-looking professor b) so nonchalantly that he wasn't even looking at who he was talking to c) with a young woman in the room - and he stopped mid-reach to look around at the parties involved. Alpha was busy at his computer, though, and I was turning quickly back toward my work so I could at least try to stifle the laugh that bubbled up persistently, and I don't think this poor guy had any choice but to carry on with what he'd been doing. (This, too, was Thursday.)

Looked at the clock on my desk computer as I wrote, and experienced a moment of genuine temporal confusion: it said 1:00, but I was doing schoolwork, so shouldn't it have been 1 am? (Thursday.)

Watched, as I waited outside the gym, a big sister walking with the little one to school. This is nice first because they are obviously looking out for each other and second because in establishing a routine of my own - 14th Street, 7:25am - I get to have a little look at the routines of others (Dandelions, chocolate Labs, and dalmatians, too.) (Thursday...!)

Headed at a fast walk to DTUT to meet three peeps for a movie and dinner, and in the process of doing so, found myself behind a small boy who was obviously very impatient to get somewhere, and scrambled ahead of his mom, scrambled back, and struck out again waiting for her to catch up. The destination: Little Red Hen Bakery. The cool part: Florida kids don't get to be impressive by knowing how to get where they want to go; their parents drive them and all they have to navigate is a parking lot. This kid knew where he was headed and what he would find when he got there. He probably played peek-a-boo in Washington Square, too. (Friday.)

Smelled the piles of Christmas trees waiting outside the Food Emporium (or whatever.) It was so cold that all I could really catch was a small waft of the pine surrounded mostly by the sharp, dry smell-feel of very chilly air, and I suspect if I found those trees where they came from, my nose would have had the same experience. (Friday.)

Walked gratefully into the coffee shop to a greeting of "Schultzie!" and the sight of three friends sprawling around one corner. I'm lucky enough to know lots of great feelings and experiences, but coming in from the windy cold to a warm laid-back place populated by people who are looking forward to seeing you as much as you're looking forward to seeing them - and especially with a Cheers-style welcome - is definitely right up there. (Friday.)

Walked into the conference room for class with Roey and Professor Number Five right at my heels. Number Five must have asked what we were doing or something, to which Roey responded, "Regine is amusing me." I added that he was right, he came back with "Almost 24 hours a day, it seems," and Professor Number Five responded not in a surprised or offended but merely on-the-down-low curious tone... "Sleeping together?" The enormous "Ha!" I snorted in return was less because of what might seem to be the more obvious reason for such a reply and far more because Professor Number Five was so matter-of-fact (and so sure she'd get an answer!) about it. (Friday.)

4 Dec 06

Time:

?

Money:

?

More interesting things:

Made, in perfect time, the switch from the express to the local. I love when that happens.

Felt like I was in some kind of train race, because - unusually, it seems - the aforementioned express and local left Union Square at the same time, which cannot do anything less (for me, anyway) than make you think you're on your way to some kind of finish line.

Heard White Christmas come on at that campus food place as I was eating breakfast. Hi, Grandma.

Spotted a Gator hat - of the especially bright orange-and-blue variety - on the head of someone walking past... Pless, I think it was.

Watched as the Tea and Sympathy car (which is also the A Salt and Battery car, incidentally) rolled by on Greene Street. It's exactly the old black wagon you should expect, and it even had the driver on the right.

Went to the school symphony's last performance of the year with Rebecca. We only stayed for half - which was especially reasonable since I was falling asleep by the end! - but it was really terrific. I don't know if somehow I absorbed that the title of the first one came from a poem about the afternoon of the faun without noticing it, but as I listened I had a picture of some creature gambolling along through, like, a forest or something, down a winding path, before getting to a place that was strange and dream-like even though it was exactly where he was supposed to (and wanted to) be; it was pretty crazy to look at the title after all that. Then there were two extremely well done short animated films, one about a boy who's scared to go to sleep because of the things in his room that might turn into monsters and another about a figure in a Picasso-esque painting who tries to relax in other people's pictures, both so perfectly scored that I couldn't decide whether to close my eyes and get the mood just from the music, watch the film and listen, or watch the musicians and listen.

3 Dec 06

Time:

?

Money:

$10, a surprisingly good brunch with surprisingly good, and free, Mimosas, Blockhead's Burritos.
$6, coffee and scone, campus Starbucks.
$13, panini, chili, coffee, and brownie, Think. (And it was good.)

More interesting things:

Watched a Golden Retriever dance along in front of his person. I don't know what he was so excited about, but if he had pranced any harder his fur would have fallen off and he'd have to be called a Hackney.

Stopped at a corner and had cause to wonder whether there's a collective noun for women of the cloth, because "a vanful of nuns" works well, I think.

2 Dec 06

Time:

?

Money:

$14, pumpkin pancakes and coffee, Annie's.
$16, yogurt, muffin, and beverages, Cafe University.
$24, burger and beer, Jack Russell's.
$9, cherry cake and coffee, Andre's Cafe.
$30, margaritas, Mustang.

More interesting things:

Sat enjoying a cold blue city Saturday morning, waiting for a table at Annie's, when a guy walking past noticed the orange-and-blue "O-R-I" that was visible between the open edges of my black coat and announced, "Hey, I'm a Gator!" I asked if he'd ever been to the Gin Mill (yes, but it would be too crazy for him that night) and whether he was going to watch the SEC Championship (of course!)

Walked past a real estate office, I think, in the window of which hung a long blue satin ribbon with orange letters spelling out GO GATORS. (It worked.)

Caught the train downtown - that is to say, in the direction of our study room at the library - at 77th, where there is a really lovely gold, red, and pink mosaic involving roses or something over a short, wide staircase down to the platform. I don't know if it always looks that festive, or if that was more a product of the atmosphere added to the colors, but whatever it was, it seemed an unusually beautiful example of subway artwork.

Passed my "smile, it's downhill right here!" friend, and this time I was prepared enough to turn and call over my shoulder, "Hey, I like you, man!" which got a great smile back.

Passed, shortly thereafter, another guy, this one carefully holding a big round goldfish bowl containing... a goldfish. I admire a person who takes his pet fish to breakfast with him, because that's where he was going: to get crepes or something.

Left the library in the direction of Jack Russell's under a sky that was very clearly dark enough to be night but still somehow glowed deep, dark blue - not purple, not black. It was like that afternoon blue - Twelve o' Clock Blue, I think I once called it - but turned down as if Chroma the Conductor had the blue section at, like, largo or something, and everyone else was at rest.

Packed into a very tight uptown car, right next to a small boy - maybe three or so - in a stroller, with dad right behind him. My coat brushed against the kid, so after that I had his attention: peek-a-boo, smiles, the whole thing. This, of course, was amusing and enjoyable in itself, but the best part came after someone on the platform directed the people inside to move together so he could get on, as if there were just acres of space left on the train. I responded to this with a fairly loud and thoroughly exasperated "Are you KIDding me?"... only to feel a tug on my coat and a little voice - with perfect inflection - ask, "Are you KIDding me?" If there had been room left, I would have fallen over; as it was, Rebecca and I couldn't quit laughing, partly because it was so funny and partly, I have to say, because I was really glad I hadn't said anything worse!

1 Dec 06

Time:

?

Money:

$23, LIRR fare to Westbury and cab to mall.
$19, dinner at P.F. Chang's (awesome.)
$40, fuzzy orange fleece that was half (or less) the price of the one I was going to buy at North Face.
$8, coffee, Downtown Uptown.

More interesting things:

Had an excellent time at the mall with Anne... as usual, which is a slightly frightening phrase in this context!

Spotted, as the cab U-turned into the mall parking lot, a license plate in front of us not just from Florida but from Palm Beach.