Wednesday, November 21, 2007

New York Moments

*croons* In a New York minute.... oo oo oooooo...

This afternoon, when the Poo and I toddled off to the supermarket to stock up on food, I had a delightful encounter. A short lady, who looks much like many aunties from Amma's generation, is standing in the bus stop. She wears an orange jacket and has glasses and a salt and pepper bob. She's carrying bags from the same supermarket, and is amused to see that we are only carrying one bag, especially since she apparently struck up a conversation with the Poo* while she, the Poo, was forlornly guarding the shopping cart while yours truly was darting among the crazed Thanksgiving shoppers acquiring raw materials for lunch, and she, the lady, noticed the full cart. What a delightful sentence! She is from Guyana and keeps house for a family on the UWS. She's been keeping house for this family fourteen years and all told for seventeen years.

...

The other day, when I was trying to get back uptown at 11pm, the 1 decided not to run and a whole subway full of disgruntled people disgorged themselves from the station. A tall gaunt man yelled anyone wants to share a cab to the UWS, so myself and a little lady hopped into one with him. Turned out that he was an opera singer. No really!! And she went to Julliard, and has one actor son and one graphic designer son. But the opera singer, with his sunken eyes that bored into one, was gaunt from not having food because he was, like all great talent, starving in his rent controlled studio. I swear I felt like I was in a movie.

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At Halloween I noticed, and this might not be restricted to New York, that for women, wearing a costume is not about looking like the thing, but about looking like a hooker fulfilling male fantasy about the thing!

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A lady in the subway called out to me as I left: I love how your socks match your bag. This was untrue, except that both were striped, but still I was stunned that a nice white lady would DO that!


*It never ceases to amaze me who, whenever I go ANYWHERE with the Poo on public transport, random people start chatting with us. Apparently she attracts them and me, being the chatty one, I keep them hooked.

7 comments:

  1. fun.
    but then again, you encompass that.
    come fast.
    i miss.

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  2. New York is like being in a movie isn't it? Who is Poo?

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  3. but doesn't 'Poo' have this air...this horribly Queenish air*....
    I remember once when i and 'Snegum' were in K. and Poo walked in looking for snegum.... but looking at (possibly walls?) well above anyones head... I almost felt like an insignificant extra without a line in a busy cafe in one of those high-budget hollywood films....

    are you telling me Poo is so different in NY?

    *(which along with her fathers genes and my height or lack of it, makes me feel quit small)

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  4. Heehee it really does sound like a ruddy movie!

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  5. this sounds like fun.:)

    I meant to ask...do you like Ugly Betty? I am addicted.

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  6. gai, YOU come! :) hub

    yeah it is like a movie. which makes me so sad to leave. i swear there are times when i have my headphones on and am walking down the subway platform that i feel like it's one of those montage minutes...

    thanks dave, alas it is far more mundane than i make it seem :(

    the Poo herself claims she attracts attention because she always look so lost...i think she might have a point. that queenish air I have always seen as um where to look i am paying no attention to anything around me im lost aaaaaaaaaaa. i guess tis all perspective.

    dragon, oooo looky who popped by! :)

    ns, yes!!! i am!!! and the gilmore girls! of course all the seasons are messed up, sigh, but it doesnt matter. also im moving back to the home ship and then i wonder HOW WILL I LIVE WITHOUT DVR??? HOW CAN I NOT BE UP TO DATE ON GH!!!

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