Everyday i take the L train to work. my stop is Union Square. i board the train at the DeKalb station in Brooklyn, and while this might not mean a lot to the average reader, it means i am about 10 stops away from my destination. this is about the maximum number of stops one wants between one's self and work. had it been eleven stops, my life would be vastly different.
on the L train, there is a 50/50 chance of me finding a seat. the train either arrives full or empty, and it's nearly impossible to predict its capacity upon arrival.
when i sit, i am able to close my eyes and sleep for 15 to 20 minutes, or failing that i watch the people enter the board the train. the closer and closer we get to Williamsburg, the more fashionably eccentric the people become and i realize that yes that girl IS wearing a green necktie as a bandana, yes that guy IS 6 foot 1 and skinnier than the pole he's holding, yes that girl IS wearing fishnet stalkings to work as a barista, and yes that guy spent 45 minutes to get his hair to look like he just rolled out of bed.
upon arrival at Union Square about 80% of the train's riders disembark and make their way up the stairs en masse. i try to usurp the crowds and head to the unpopular stairs which would normally transfer me to the NRQ trains, but bypass the trains and pop up the relatively deserted stairs and find myself in the midst of union square proper.
i pass by a dog park that reeks and begs to be cleaned with rain, local artists setting up their works for sale (most of which are really quite shitty [i'm talking portraits of J-Lo and Fergie]), and three days a week a farmer's market. sometimes i buy apples and peruse the bonzai trees for 5 bucks and think always of the Karate Kid movies (2 and 3).
I usually pass the same homeless man sleeping in a doorway, always wearing a blue plaid flannel shirt, unbuttoned, bald, bearded. occasionally i fall into Au Bon Pain to get a bagel or a yogurt. there is always the same couple sitting by the big front window, an older white man and a younger asian woman. they are always reviewing documents on the table and i wonder what it is they are discussing: a thesis? real estate? a divorce?
i pass a deli that sells flowers outside, always a rainbow in white buckets.
the empire state building, which i can see from the DeKalb station all the way in Brooklyn, is stoic and silent every morning. i watch it as i walk north on 5th avenue to my building thinking this is my life, and it is wonderful
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Monday, September 18, 2006
On an Island in the Sun...
i know it's been a while since i rapped at ya, but life has been just too good to blog about:
at work: i've moved to the 10th floor in celebration of my awsome proofreading skillls, to a rather large office (a rectangular cubicle normally meant for 2 people) and am now being paid a salary to drink coffee, write fiction and listen to amazing music.
at home: Heather's truck from colorado was delivered to us by my brother who drove it cross-country with his girlfriend. it will be nice to NOT have to rent a car from now on, and it wil be nice to NOT have to shlep stuff from the Home Depot via gypsy cab.
on the wedding front: after much wrangling, we've finally picked a date and venue. (September 2, 2007 at the Boulderado Hotel, in Boulder, CO). our collective sigh of relief could be heard across Brooklyn.
heather and i also attended a wedding on Long Island for former Sphere guitarist Sean Senical. it was a classy affair at the Thatched Cottage in Centerport, and just a wonder to see my friend get married, this man who i used to know as a 15-year-old goofball.
on the meat front: heather's parents sent us a case of frozen steaks and other meats from local ranches in Colorado, which we were able to grill on the new grill heather gave to me for an engagement present. it works wonderfully, the meat was flawless, and i plan to grill anything i can from now on, including eggs.
on the facial hair front: in preparation for winter and spousal sexiness, i have taken to growing a beard. after 4 weeks it's coming in pretty well, though the jury is out when it comes to my friends and family. heather, however, likes it, and i'm a sucker for her opinion.
at work: i've moved to the 10th floor in celebration of my awsome proofreading skillls, to a rather large office (a rectangular cubicle normally meant for 2 people) and am now being paid a salary to drink coffee, write fiction and listen to amazing music.
at home: Heather's truck from colorado was delivered to us by my brother who drove it cross-country with his girlfriend. it will be nice to NOT have to rent a car from now on, and it wil be nice to NOT have to shlep stuff from the Home Depot via gypsy cab.
on the wedding front: after much wrangling, we've finally picked a date and venue. (September 2, 2007 at the Boulderado Hotel, in Boulder, CO). our collective sigh of relief could be heard across Brooklyn.
heather and i also attended a wedding on Long Island for former Sphere guitarist Sean Senical. it was a classy affair at the Thatched Cottage in Centerport, and just a wonder to see my friend get married, this man who i used to know as a 15-year-old goofball.
on the meat front: heather's parents sent us a case of frozen steaks and other meats from local ranches in Colorado, which we were able to grill on the new grill heather gave to me for an engagement present. it works wonderfully, the meat was flawless, and i plan to grill anything i can from now on, including eggs.
on the facial hair front: in preparation for winter and spousal sexiness, i have taken to growing a beard. after 4 weeks it's coming in pretty well, though the jury is out when it comes to my friends and family. heather, however, likes it, and i'm a sucker for her opinion.
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