Mr. Crazy Himself

My colleaugue who happened to be on the subway with me when the homeless dude started his lecture mentioned the experience to some local friends of his. 

"Oh, he's a legend here in New York - been around for years", they said.

So I googled the guy, and sure enough, he is rather well known around here.

Crazy Crazy I Love Me Some Crazy

My hotel this trip is near Times Square, and I take the subway to Queens every day for work.  The first 4 stops until we hit 53rd street and Lexington are always packed, and I have to stand, hoping I'll have a pole to hold on to.

Wednesday I got on, and was holding on for dear life, when I heard a booming voice behind me. 

"Women are NOT equal to men.  They are meant to have babies, and should not assume that they should have the same privileges a man enjoys." 

I turned around to see who was speaking, something I know better than to do.  The speaker was a middle-aged African American man, round and bearded, and sat by himself in the back of the subway car.  He looked up, and seemed surprised because I made eye contact.  I'm not sure, but I think I saw a glimmer of glee in his eyes when he saw me see him. 

This guy had a radio voice.  As if he was reading from a script, he gave his opinions on women, Obama, and other assorted topics.  I was crammed in the subway, so I turned to my colleague while "The Prophet" broadcast his views.  I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes.  My colleage, mistaking my demeanor for discomfort, asked me if I wanted to get out and take another train.  I laughed and said "no, I wouldn't miss this for the world!"

At the next stop, I was disappointed to see The Prophet exit the subway.  I turned around to watch him leave, and as soon as he stepped onto the platform he turned to face me again.  He continued his rant even as the doors closed and the subway pulled away from him.

New Yorkers are pros at ignoring strange behavior.  If you don't believe me, look at the YouTube video of the man who got on the subway with a chicken. 

But as soon as The Prophet got off, previously indifferent travelers started to laugh and talk about this guy.  "You can't argue with the crazies", one older lady said.  We all agreed that the guy had a perfect radio voice and ought to have his own show, but then we decided that there were already plenty of shows just like it.

I love this city!

Random

Someone told me tonight that the Mayor of New York City offered a one-way ticket anywhere in the USA for any homeless person that wanted one. Now Miami has a lot of bums.

My commute to work every day involves 3 elevators, 4 flights of stairs, one subway, and about a block walk.

Tonight I walked from Times Square to Grand Central Station. I'm really glad I wore the long johns. If I do that again I think I'll wear two pair.

My Kindle is broken, and I'm in panic mode about what I'm going to read. But Amazon is going to get me a new one tomorrow. I love Amazon.

I don't have to go to work until 2 am Saturday morning. I feel like I'll have a whole day off tomorrow. Bad news is I have to be back in bed by 4 pm tomorrow afternoon in order to get a solid 8 hours, since my first shift is 18 hours.

A mentally ill person near Grand Central Station tonight was yelling at the pavement about being the prime minister of Nigeria, and fuck the people. I wonder if Nigeria is missing a prime minister?

Second Wish Fulfilled

This week will be the eye of the hurricane workwise. We've finished testing, and the cutover is a go for next Friday night. I fly back to New York City Monday, but in the meantime, I have the weekend off! First time since I started on this project November 10th.

Last night I got one of my wishes - be able to focus on Haiti instead of my work for just one night.

Today, I got another wish - I was able to take a nap, and it was in my own bed (not an airplane). I was finally awakened by my cat licking my ear.

Wish Go Away

In my last post, I wished that I had time and the focus to pay attention to what was happening in Haiti instead of in my own hectic life.

Tonight, life is relatively quiet workwise, and I don't have to work this weekend, so I tuned in to the Hope for Haiti Telethon tonight, quite by accident.

As I watched tonight with tears streaming down my face, listening to the stories of despair and hope, I thought about a couple of things.

1. No matter how bad I think I have it, I was blessed to be born in the USA. I'm not always proud to be an American, but I was certainly blessed to have been born one.

2. It seems to me that the best parts of America come out when people are hurting. The tsunamai, 9/11, and Haiti prove that Americans care about other people more than their day-to-day lives.

3. I'm so going to buy the music from the telethon on iTunes. And I'm glad that it's going to help the people of Haiti.

4. Anderson Cooper is way hot. Especially when he attempts to speak French to small children rescued from the rubble.

5. George Clooney is also way hot. But he really needs to shave that beard and dye his hair.

6. Brad Pitt isn't even hot anymore. What is up with that horrible hair on his face?

Wishful Thinking

I wish that I could take a nap in the middle of the day without being on an airplane.

I wish I could be home long enough so that Sam (my cat) didn't feel like he had to wake me up at the crack of dawn with kitty kisses.

I wish for one day of freedom, where I wasn't tethered to my computer and Blackberry. But with one day, all I'd do is sleep anyway, so make that two days.

I wish I could experience New York like a tourist and eat at one of the finest restaurants, instead of eating whatever I can fit into my mini fridge in the hotel room.

I wish that my company would pay me back for the weekends, holidays, and extra hours I've put in since November 10. At last count, it's an additional 20 weekend days, 4 holiday days, and approximately 276 overtime hours. They did pay me for the 2 weeks of vacation I gave up. And it doesn't look like I'll have a day off until February 27. Four months of 16 hour days with no days off. I thought that slavery had been abolished.

I wish I could eat just one meal without being interrupted by a phone call, instant message, or the buzzing of the Blackberry.

I wish everyone could have the stories I can tell.

I wish my family would come visit me without me having to pay for them to get here. I wish I had as much money as my family thinks I do so I could pay for them to get here.

I wish my friends would know how much it means to me when they IM me or e-mail me in the morning just to wish me a good day. Without wanting anything from me.

I wish hormones didn't make me have mini-meltdowns at least once a month.

I wish I could recognize the tension and stress in others without picking it up myself and carrying it for them.

I wish that I was more focused on the horrible tragedy in Haiti instead of myself.

I wish for peace on earth.

Randomness

I'm fairly certain I saw Alan Rickman (Professor Snapes) this morning at the Starbucks inside the Waldorf Astoria. He was tall, with white hair, and was wearing silly sunglasses inside. We made eye contact as he was leaving. If he had spoken I would known for sure, but he was too many people ahead of me, and frankly, I was half asleep at 7:30 in the morning.

Bums on the subway. For $2.25 they can ride all night and stay warm. Every one I've seen has tucked his arms inside his sweatshirt and hidden his face under a hood. I guess they don't want to be seen either.

I was upgraded to the Waldorf Towers this trip - 41st floor. I keep thinking I'll run into Brad and Angelina or the Obamas. I have a separate entrance, separate elevators, and even my own hallway in the room. I have a nice view of the sunrise in the morning coming up over the skyscrapers. This is where Cole Porter lived for years, and occasionally played his piano in the Park Avenue lobby.

Crab cakes and a Guinness at Connelly's Pub with friends after a long day is priceless.

That soft, warm bed with the down comforter and fancy sheets is calling my name.