Sticky and Sound

Someone dropped a rosemary stalk, in the elevator, and a straw too.  The floor's also pretty sticky, and when I get out my shoes feel glued to the ground for the next couple of steps.  Outside, one of the old ladies who live in my building is sitting in the courtyard on a lawn chair.  I wish her a good morning and she heartily responds with blessings for a good day.

Rachel L. swings past the intersection of Overlook and 186th, and I catch up to her right before the subway entrance.  Rabbi B. is also nearby and says hello. Rachel and I walk through the tunnel and down to the platform, then into Jenny R. who forgets that I exist while talking to Rachel about her recent engagement.  When the train arrives, I try to convince Rachel that since she works on 47th, she should be at the southern end of the platform, where she can get out right on 47th, instead of 50th, where she will get out if she is in the back.  She is set in her ways, however, and I walk alone to the other end.

A Very Frustrating Morn

Going to sleep early, and waking up early, doesn't actually give you more time to do things. That's why I'm still frustrated at getting locked out of my apartment building for 45 minutes earlier this morning, an event that has dominoed into my morning commute. I am now 45 minutes late despite the fact that I was up before 3:00 A.M.

I rush to the train station thinking of nothing but the fact that my new watch is too thick to fit underneath any of my shirt sleeves.  In the tunnel at the station, I pass Michael Z. and his daughter, and on the platform I pass Tzivia H. talking to her husband. Rachel L. is also here. She is quietly reciting her morning prayers, so I walk right by without saying hello.

Sarah M. is standing near my spot. I stop and wave, and when she waves back I see she is also busy platform praying. The train arrives and we both get on the same car. I find a seat, but she heads in the other direction and ends up standing.

Riding with Rachel

I seem to be back on schedule and should make it to work on time, though I skipped breakfast just in case. It’s hot in the elevator and so, despite the rain, I enjoy the cool air when I leave my building. Just outside Will A. is walking down Bennett Avenue with his wife.

At the station, I spot Sara R. near the bottom of the platform steps. Her hair is down and wavy. The train arrives right away and just as I get in I see Doron S. and his son walking out from a different door.

I am sitting in the train when Rachel W. comes over and says hello. Her rain boots are ultra-funky, full of psychedelic colors. She tells me her mom bought them for her, then takes my book to read the back. Rachel is with a friend and introduces me, and then she and I spend the rest of the ride discussing Broadway, weekend plans, and random parties. The ride feels short and I even have enough time to pick up a bagel before I go in to the office.

Caffination

I'm a coffee snob even though I don't drink much of it. I hate Starbucks - preferring brew that is handmade, like a good soup, over the push button kind - but drink it because the location is convenient. I can tell you the difference between a latte, a cappuccino, and twenty other drinks, or where the largest crop of beans is produced every year. So, it must be an indication of extreme desperation, due to extreme tiredness, coupled with extreme tardiness, when I take instant coffee (I don't own a machine) with me on the way to work today.

Downstairs, I see the wife of an old college mate unloading children from a minivan. They live in the suburbs now but his parents live down the block on Bennett.

Turning onto Overlook, I see Benny S. in the distance. That is when a lanky African American male approaches me, holding some papers in one hand and some cash in the other. He asks if I speak English, and says that he is asking because he's just been “released” from Rockland County and they told him that in New York city most people don't know the language. They've only given him $6 and maybe... "Sorry, I can't help you." He follows me for a few more steps then on to the next victim.

Homeless Guy, A.K.A. Larry, is back after a long hiatus. He and his girlfriend are sitting outside the station entrance smoking cigarettes. "Can you help out?" she asks a passerby.

I walk into the station, down to the platform, and take the last available seat on a bench near my spot. Tzivia H. walks by, her husband a few feet behind, and says good morning. Benny S. Has caught up to me and is now standing nearby as well. We both board the same subway car and get seats not too far away from each other.

At 59th I switch to the B train and run into Rachel T. It’s a rare treat to see her since she doesn’t live in my neighborhood. We chat for a brief moment until my stop. When I get off the train, there is a dog wandering around the Rockefeller station. It’s a seeing-eye dog, and the blind woman who lost it eventually finds it and grabs hold of its leash. Walking out of the station, the coffee has yet to kick in and I let my mind wander into thoughts of yesterday, too tired do much of anything else as I walk the rest of the way to the office.

The Heat Is On

I head downstairs at 7:24 and find it overwhelmingly hot for mid November. I insisted on wearing my new sweater and realize now I should have compensated with a lighter jacket.

Steven S. is on Bennett. We exchange hello and how are you and keep going. Around the corner, I bump into Lisa K. and we say hi as well.

I get into the station and onto the platform. Rachel L. is there again, sitting on a bench, and I take a seat next to her. She has a cold, and I have a bit of a lingering cough, so we talk to each other while looking straight ahead - at the "181" signs across the tracks - to avoid breathing at each other.

While talking to Rachel I see Rena G. on the catwalk above the platform. Before I started writing my blog, I almost always used the catwalk, to avoid bumping into people and being forced into conversation too early in the morning.

I can hear the train in the distance and say goodbye to Rachel as I head to my spot. I run into Doron S. and we walk together towards the front, passing Emily L. on the way.

Doron and I sit together and he takes off his jacket, revealing a spiffy blue shirt with beige trim squares. It's a tough color to match but he's done a good job. We chat a bit and, seeing my phone, he asks about Blackberry apps. After a little while we decide to each do our own thing. He puts on his headphones and I go back to writing emails. We work across the street from each other, so we both switch at 59th, but I head further up on the platform. I am planning to get a bagel.

Here's to the Upstate Cholent

It's early, for a change. I was planning to do some work over the weekend but volleyball and a water leak downstairs got in the way. Instead, I'm trying to get a few hours in before the normal workday begins. I leave the building and see Rachelli R. across the street.

Inside the station, I spot Tova K. buying a metrocard and sneak up behind her. BOO! She gasps for air and I keep on walking turning my head so she can see the grin on my face. I pass the turnstiles and wait for her to come through, motioning for her to hurry as I hear the train approaching.

We board the train and stand near the doors. Rachel L. is sitting two seats away and waves hello; Avi Z. is a bit further on the other side and doesn't see us.

Tova and I discuss the usual. Some gossip and a bit about this and that, but mostly we talk about dating, online dating, and dating in relationships. She also warns me that her mother thinks I'm nice and might friend me on FB, though hopefully that has nothing to do with dating.

I get off at 59th and onto the B, which is already across the platform. Neil H. is there. I doubt he recognizes me at all, but I remember him as the Director of Financial Aid from my college days (I believe he no longer works there). He also owns a kosher bed and breakfast in Hunter Mountain and although I never stayed as overnight guest, I did have the opportunity to eat some homemade cholent there a few years ago. It was pretty good, and thinking about it has made me both hungry and nostalgic for the upstate vacations my friends and I take every summer. As we get older, many of us busy starting new families of our own, I wonder how long the annual trip will last, if it hasn't ended already.