2/9/10

Today I met Joel, a 23 year old, aspiring film maker. I had just come from my weekly therapy appointment and was heading up to work on the F train. I picked Joel to talk to because he was wearing a bright green sweatband with just the right amount of irony. NICE! Originally from Michigan Joel came to the NYC about 1 1/2 years ago to live in "the big city".

On the subway Joel likes to read. Currently he is reading Torrents of Spring.

Now here's the thing....I've never heard of that book. When I googled it I found that Hemingway published his book The Torrents of Spring in 1926 while an Ivan Turgenev wrote a Torrents of Spring in 1872.

I can't be sure which one Joel was reading but he did say it was painfully boring.

Should I read both

and compare or just watch the 1989, Timothy Hutton/Nastassja Kinski film of the same name and assume the books are similar? I think I'll go with the latter.

2/3/10

Hello readers.

This morning I made some subway observations of my own and thought I would share them.

On the C train heading to work. Two strange and interesting looking women were sitting across from me on opposite sides of the long subway seat. One, a middle aged black woman with short crimped hair was accessorized with bright red, 80's style sunglasses and a Disc-Man. She was breathing into her turtleneck and rocking back and forth - almost violently. She stop a few times to say hi to nearby passengers. Friendly. Then she hastily switched seats and yelled at the woman across from her "What are you staring at? Huh? What are you staring at? You're too ugly to stare at me!". Not so friendly anymore.

Two, an older white woman who looked like she stepped off a boat at Ellis Island a hundred years ago from Russia or the Ukraine. The lines on her face and babushka in her hair gave her a sense of old world wisdom and heartache. The mole under her nose was the kind grandchildren fear when kissing their old, strange relative at family parties. I was brought back to present day when I noticed her fashionable boots and purse. I realized she must just be another NY woman on her way to work.

I wonder what people make up about me on the subway?