The Daily Bump and Grind

Not to sound like an impatient New Yorker, but what's wrong with some people's manners? So I work in various outer-borough areas, which means that I have a reverse commute from Manhattan to the outer-boroughs. It's great, I get to sit down (and sleep) and my train runs local, so it takes me twice as long to get to work :o| . But everyday on the way home, I face a wall of rude people who are trying to get onto the train at 86th Street (the first Manhattan stop from the outer-boroughs). Common subway courtesy is to let the people off before you force your way in. And since I am on a reverse commute and heading downtown, there's lots of people trying to get on and only a few people getting off at 86th Street. But that's a lousy excuse for people to think it's okay to form a wall with their bodies before the doors open, preventing me from getting off the subway in a timely manner. I've gotten so annoyed with this every day that I've decided to use my bulky, muscular frame and barge through this wall of rude people without even trying to prevent hitting them with my bags laden with digital gear.

Thou shalt step aside, or thou shalt witness the wrath of my boney shoulders and my new Pentium M Centrino laptop knocking ye the hell out of my way....

Last night I went out for dinner with Paul and his friend's sister Krystal, who is in town for a beach volleyball tournament this weekend in Jersey. I thought we were just going to grab something local, but it turned out to be quite a late-night excursion, hitting up Waikiki Wally's down in the East Village, followed by vegan dessert and tea at Teany in the Lower East Side. It's been a while since I've been downtown (like a whole two weeks) and we've always wanted to check out Waikiki Wally's because it's all Hawaiian inside, kind of unusual for a city like this. But the seafood and plates were surprisingly well presented and tasty. I was thinking it would be a burgers and fries kind of joint, this place was thinking mako shark medallions and hearts of palm. No complaints from me!

By the way, if you're losing sleep thinking about how my herbs are doing on my window sill, you might want to see a doctor. For the rest of you, sleep well knowing that the oregano and the thyme have found death to be a better option than trying to survive in such a barren environment. And the basil's not too far behind, though I'm giving it my all to keep it around for a bit...

J. Riley, no green thumb here.