About, Face!

I caved.

It all started years ago, when I started getting unsolicited emails from people I know, saying "[Such and such] wants to be your friend on Friendster! Click this link to join..." I would hit delete, thinking to myself I am not joining that stupid thing- not really even knowing what it was all about. 

Then a couple years went by, and the Friendster emails were replaced by invites to join MySpace. Once again, I scoffed, and I hemmed... and then about a year ago or so.. I joined. I was hooked. So many people out there wanted to be MY friend (including strange girls with web cams i could look at if I just went to their website and had a major credit card handy). I was re-connecting with people I hadn't spoken to in years, and even sometimes connecting with people (my wife) who were down the hall in my living room. The obsession soon died down a bit, but I still would check my MySpace page, feeling I was up to date in this internet based society in which we live.

Then something happened. Fast forward to this year. The emails, they started again. Apparently I had waited too long, and MySpace was now passe', and Facebook was were it's at. Nope, I thought. I don't even check my MySpace often enough, and now I am going to join Fcebook? Please. Well, last week my wife joined. Then I didn't see her for two nights after work, as she loaded up on friends, and wrote on people's "wall." So, just to see what all the fuss was about... well, you know how it happens. 

My Facebook initiation was way more overwhelming than my humble beginnings on MySpace. This time, even more people I hadn't talked to, people who I forgot were on the planet all wanted to be my friend... and BAM, I am one of the popular kids again! They even have this this where you can create pages for your pets- which my wife and I did for each of our cats immediately- after which I felt excited and ashamed all at once.

Where does it all end? And have I waited too long again? When will the emails start again, asking me to join [TheNewCoolKidsSite].com? And how long will I have the strength to stay away? Too much to think about. And plus, I need to get back to Facebook- I just got a friend request from a guy I think I know from class... but I am not sure if it's the guy I am thinking it is. Ain't the internet grand?

Ramblings for a Monday

It's a warm soupy evening in the city- this Apple they call Big. Not particularly hot, just humid as all get out. Even my sweat is sweating.

***
I was walking down Broadway this morning on the way to work, and I passed a newsstand with a Playboy Magazine cover prominently displayed on the side. The headline on the cover, accompanied by the obligatory scantily clad female, was: "Vegas Showgirls Nude!" And I fail to see the gimmick. What next? Porn Stars Nude! Or, Nudist Colony Co-Eds! I'm just saying. Vegas showgirls are supposed to be nude. Putting them in a magazine just takes away the two drink minimum. That's all I'm saying.

***

Did I mention it's damp out? It is. Damp that is.

***

I'm gonna go on record and say cibatta is my favorite sandwich bread. I had a turkey sandwich today on cibatta bread- and one bite into the sandwich I knew I had made the right choice. If you haven't had cibatta, give it a try. I defy you to not enjoy your sandwich. And if you say you don't enjoy it- you're lying. And you're lying to yourself and that's what hurts the most.

***

I'm just saying. It's uncomfortably humid today. And it's only the second full day of summer.

"A" Philosophy to live by

This morning, as the A train I was on pulled into Columbus Circle, my fellow riders and I were instructed by the conductor to "Have an interesting morning." Now pleasantries from a conductor- while not the norm- certainly aren't a rarity, but the choice of words was. I've gotten the "Have a nice day" or "Enjoy your day" - there's even one guy who always says "Have a blessed, safe and prosperous day." All very normal positive affirmations as you exit the subway train, ready to tackle the day. But, have an interesting morning- that's deep. It can be taken so many different ways.

We should all be so lucky to lead interesting lives, and have our interesting mornings blossom into intriguing and mindful days. I'm trying to fight through the crowd to get off the train, and this guy's waxing philosophical in between transfer and other train info. And you know what, why not? He's got the mic and (some) people's attention. As long as your not screaming at me that my soul is destined for hell fire, I say spread your gospel Mr. Subway Philosopher. It gave me pause, not sure if anyone else even noticed.

And maybe, just maybe the conductor meant to say "Have a nice day" and just misspoke. Maybe he was half asleep and just mumbled out the first thing he could think of. Whatever it was, his interesting choice of words got my attention. And while the rest of my morning was somewhat normal, I had already had an interesting morning as I walked off the train.

Tis the season

Subway car roulette. You are waiting in the hot, sticky station when the somewhat crowded train finally rolls in. As it comes to a halt, you realize that the car that has stopped right in front of you seems completely empty. Now someone not familiar to the subway system might think- My lucky day! Empty car during rush hour, whoohoo! But to the seasoned rider it can mean one of two things. One: A particularly foul smelling homeless person has either taken residence or left their scent on the car. Two: No air conditioning.

This morning, fortunately, it was the latter. I wasn't feeling tip-top to begin with, so there was no way I gave any thoughts to toughing it out- braving the AC-less car. So when the empty car opened its doors in front of me- lights out to boot, never a good sign either- I made directly for the end door to move in to the next car. A couple people follow suit. Crowded, but about 50 degrees cooler.

Now the curious thing is what seems to happen next with regularity. Whether it's the promise of empty seats, or the tight squeeze caused by the extra people entering the car- a couple people decide they want to move to the car everyone's trying to get out of. I don't know if these people are being brave or stupid, but invariably they come back- and almost immediately at that if the reason winds up being the homeless stench. 

But there always exceptions to the rule. There are those people that will sit in that car no matter what. Impervious to smell or to heat, or willing to put up with hazardous conditions for the sake of a seat on the train? Only they know. All I know is that even the best possible circumstance, you are never 100% comfy on the subway. I am not going to purposely lower that percentage even more, choosing to be nauseated by heat and/or stink.