Lobbying for Time

Judy R. gets into the elevator on the second floor with her two children (double stroller). She tells them I'm very friendly with their uncle Ari and they should say hi, which they do. I say hi back and give a friendly wave just before getting out on the lobby floor.  I'm in the wrong lobby. It's 9:04 A.M. and I thought I'd be walking into my office building by now, but it appears I'm still at home.

On 186th, an Orthodox Jewish girl pulls her skirt down a bit lower. She keeps doing this till we reach the train station, or at least until I lose her at the turnstiles.

In an effort to avoid anyone I know and finish reading an article on the Borukhova case, I use the catwalks above the tracks to reach my spot. Looking down below I spot Suri G. and wonder what she's doing here, since she lives further downtown. Mental note: get the gossip.

On the train I grab a seat next to Ronnie S. who is so engrossed in his phone that he barely acknowledges me, even when I say hello. I'm not easily offended though, and by the time he puts his phone away and takes out a Sefer, I've already forgotten and opened my New Yorker.

Le Pensuer

When a shiny minivan pulls up next to me on 186th street, I think at first that the car is just parking. It is, but it turns out Gershon S. is the driver and, after spotting me through the windshield, starts honking like a madman. We chat for a while and he tells me about his new upstart business, Hudson Heights Restoration.

Zehava K. walks by and I join up with her. She wants to hear all about Matt's wedding in Israel, which I attended in May. I spot Lisa K. on Overlook while talking to Zehava, and we also pass Rabbi B. He waves. When we reach the platform, Uri M. walks by and says hello.

Zehava looks ponderous and I want her to assume the position of Le Penseur, to photograph for my blog, but she doesn't agree. On the train, she grabs a seat but I stand, preferring that to squeezing between two fairly large people on the bench across from her. At 59th, we both get off and wave goodbye.

Walking towards Park, I see my old girlfriend Debbie R. but by the time I recognize her, it's too late to say hello. As quickly as the fleeting summer nights so many, many years ago, she has disappeared into her office building.

Party Time

I've gotten used to leaving my apartment in the early hours so today, having overslept as much as I did, I'm surprised at how much light is out already. There's a fresh cool breeze though, which after yesterday's sweltering heat just about makes up for anything.

I head to the station, through the turnstiles, and down to the platform. Aviva P. is near the bottom of the stairs. As the train approaches, Ken H. walks by and we fist-five each other as he passes.

There are plenty of seats on the subway; I grab one and - finally off my video kick - start reading the New Yorker. I'm three months behind, but plenty of subway time to catch up.

At Rockefeller, as I get off the train, I spot Ilan K. in the distance. A guy who is very much defined by his curly hair, we have mutual friends and have met at various parties, including my some of my own birthday parties. And while the memory of those parties makes me want to head straight to any open bar, I follow the crowd up the stairs and to the office instead.

U Rock

I run into some neighbors in the elevator, then make my way to the garbage room where I dump a large bag of trash and some recycling. Heading out the back door, I mail some letters at the dropbox on 187th and Broadway and then to Dunkin' Donuts for a much needed cup of coffee. Being National Donut Day, I expected a longer line, and am surprised to find only two people ahead of me. The girl behind the counter pours milk into my coffee and asks if it's a good color. I tell her it’s great, and notice she's wearing a "U Rock" sticker on her left cheek. "Yea," she says, "I rock!"

Today is the first day, since I returned from Israel, that I woke up later than I wanted. I'll still make it to work on time, but I'll need to skip the gym and its unlikely I'll have time to go after work or during lunch.

At the station I run into Nomi G. and we ride a relatively uncrowded train together, discussing a large number of topics ranging from naked male yoga to California geology.

At 59th I get off and switch to the D train, but when the B arrives across the platform an announcement is made stating the B would be leaving first, so I hop across, making it inside just as the doors close.

Bump

I’m carrying a large shopping bag today, with an ergonomic Microsoft keyboard which I needed at the office but had accidentally shipped to my apartment instead. As I walk outside the building I run into Avi T. and we say good morning to each other. On the corner of 186th and Bennett, I also see Ezra F. We say hello. Near the entrance to the station I see Steven S. and wave to him too.

The station is scorching and everyone around me seems to have broken sweat, including the teenage girls with a miniscule denim skirt. Sitting next to me, her hair is in pigtails and she is working on a report about World War I. To my right several people are playing games or emailing on their phones. A girl with very large feet walks by.

On the train, I want to watch a movie I’ve downloaded to my Blackberry but the file is corrupt and it won't play, so I listen to music instead. At 59th The B is across the platform so I stride across. Some people run and one woman wallops into me. I can't hear what she says afterwards, because my music is on too loud, but at first I assume she has apologized, until I look at her expression. I think she might have been telling me I should watch out.

Travel Travails

My friend Rachel calls me while on my way to work to ask a few questions about Petra and Jordan, where she'll be visiting later this week. Standing outside the station, while still talking to her, a few familiar faces walk by but the only one I really know is Yehuda B. He waves and disappears inside.

On the platform, I find a seat on a bench near my spot. David H. walks by and waves. Uri H. and Avi H. also walk by, but don’t seem to notice me. Neither does Elisheva E. when she strolls past. I am left all alone to my thoughts, mostly consumed with Rachel’s trip as well as my friend Adina’s trip. She is also leaving today, for a month long cross country drive. I am jealous.

La Luna

I'm eating a Luna Bar. This is funny to me because the Luna Bar states that it's made specifically for women.  Don't men need calcium too? I wonder if the company's gain on the female demographic outweighs the loss on the male side.

Heading out of the building, I catch a glimpse of today's front page. Israel faces "international backlash" because Israeli commandos, while raiding a foreign vessel that broke through the Gaza blockade, were assaulted.  The commandos, initially armed with Paintball guns, were heavily outnumbered and were only given the OK to use their hand pistols when the men on board started attacking with knives, metal rods, and live ammunition.

On Overlook, Ben S. exits his building and rushes towards the station. My thoughts return to Luna’s marketing and leads me to think about how terrible most TV commercials have become. Madison Avenue has reached a new level of corn with some of its latest campaigns.

Hard to believe, but I am running late again. Not by much though and if the trains cooperate I will still make it to my morning yoga class.  I suppose all the recent travel has finally caught up with me (I fell asleep at 8:30 last night) and started to wear me out.

The train arrives shortly after I get to the station. The conductor's heavy Austrian accent makes me feel as though I might be riding in the next Bruno movie.  "One chundred and etee feerst strit. Stand chlear of the chlosing doors pleace."