So, yesterday was interesting!

It was raining fishhooks and hammer handles, so I put on my Wellingtons and sloshed off to work, arriving soaked from head to toe, well, shoulder to ankle, as my Wellies did keep my feet dry and my umbrella kept my head dry, but the wind made certain that every other inch of my body was wet as a frog.

As I staggered into the building, thinking that I couldn't bear the thought of working all day long in my wet jeans, I ran into Audrey and Roderigo on their way out, crying "We're closed, go home!" "But I just got here!"

So I went upstairs to sort of check in before turning around again, and the entire department was completely empty. I don't know if they ever came at all, but they were certainly gone gone gone by 11.15a!

I figured no point in letting my breakfast get cold, so I sat and ate before turning around and going back into the fray.

I decided that I wouldn't be seen dead walking another mile in the driving rain, so instead I walked to 9th Ave. to pick up the Bus That Never Comes. And I don't mean because of the hurricane, either, the 9th Ave. bus is usually just a rumour. People stand at bus stops staring hopefully up the street for hours on end before giving up and jumping in a cab.

So I stood at the bus stop for about half an hour, helping a couple of confused German tourists by first giving them change for two dollars, then showing them was $1.50 in quarters and nickels and dimes looks like so that they wouldn't get attacked by the people behind them standing in the rain, waiting for them to work it out for themselves.

When the bus came it was bizarrely empty and I thought that maybe that this trip home might be a toddle! Ha...

So I get to 42nd and usually the queue goes through the parking lot, but this time the queue went up the street instead, so I mentally shrugged and stood at the end. "Is this for Boulevard East?" I asked the woman ahead of me. "I sure hope so!" she fervently replied.

Half an hour or so went by, then the same woman decided to see if she could get any information, so I saved her place as she went around the corner. She came back and said "There's another great big line in the lot--it goes all the way through and around the corner! Why are we in this line?" and then the woman ahead of her said "We weren't able to fit on the last van, so he told us to stand here!"

"He" being not the usual line wrangler, a short guy with a moustache who keeps order easily because he expects to be obeyed, but instead a tall guy in a yellow slicker who promised to take care of us but proved to be worse than useless.

When a van finally came, and we, the line that was supposed to go first, stepped confidently forward to take our rightful seats as promised by the Guy in the Yellow Slicker, the other line surged forward screaming epithets.

"Get in the back of the line, you bastards!"
"But we were next, we've been waiting a long time!"
"Fuck you!"
"Fuck you raw!"

We didn't make it onto that van. The next one pulled up closer to us than to the Other Line, so everyone was all elbows and gritted teeth, shoving their way on. I was behind the only polite guy in the bunch, who stepped aside and said to me "After you!"

When we were on the van, we all forgot which who came from which line, and were instead united in our loathing of the Guy in the Yellow Slicker.

So finally we were on the van and all was clear sailing.

Or so we thought. It took about half an hour to get to the Tunnel (a five minute drive, if that) as the traffic was absolutely appalling--the rats were fleeing a sinking Manhattan--and then once we got there, made the turn, the mouth of the Tunnel was in sight...the van stalled. And wouldn't start. It wasn't even turning over. We were stuck.

We were right where we were most in the way without being at a point where we would completely block the entrance, and I don't know if that wouldn't have been better, because they would have been one hell of alot quicker about getting us the hell out of there! Perhaps they would have banded together in a great show of brotherhood and pushed us to New Jersey.

Basically, we sat there for an hour, getting honked at (which made me laugh because honestly, did they think that we were there for the joy of it?), watching our driver get out every so often and look at the engine (I think he had no more idea about what to do that I would have) and speculate on what the hell he was talking about on the radio with dispatch, the few on the bus who could speak Spanish not sitting near enough for me to get what was happening.

We kept thinking that they would send an empty van, though the idea of getting off our van and getting onto another one in the middle of all of that traffic (o yeah, and a hurricane) like some sort of mid-air refueling struck my heart cold.

We pricked up our ears like pointers whenever we saw one come by, but they were always full. One van driver actually honked at us and gestured for us to come on, before driving away laughing. He was full up.

At long last, a tow truck arrived, driven by a very surly-looking mechanic (and who could blame him?) who pushed us to the side of the road, gave us a jump, and sent us on our way. We cheered when the engine turned over, then caught. We were finally going home.

I got home at 2.15p. Nearly three hours to take a 40 minute trip.

After all that excitement, the rest of the day was just hanging around the house, watching a channel that is all weather and traffic reports with one eye and catching up with every on-line journal that I even remotely follow with the other.

I figured that anything useful I did would just be a plus, so I washed the dishes, did two loads of laundry, updated No Spring Chicken and Funny Pages, slammed a few people into Open Pages, and practically broke my arm patting myself on the back.

My favourite thing heard on TV was at 5p when the channel 7 news said "The worst is over" just as I changed the channel to the channel 4 news, where they said "Hurricane Floyd is in no way over, in fact, its hardest punch is yet to come!"

I was hoping for another day off, but it was pretty much over by 9p, though it was still terribly windy.

All day yesterday during the hurricane I was connected to the internet with no problems at all, but this morning it's beautiful and clear and all I get is a fast busy signal!

I guess I'll put this up when I get home tonight.

Today's horoscope:
Communication with family members flows more easily today, with acceptance on both sides. Shared feelings lead to more closeness.

One year ago today:
Of all the things that can happen, it's always the most banal that actually does.

* Yesterday / Index / This Month / Tomorrow *

E-Mail

Butterfly Delight by:
Beth!

This page was written by hand. My hand. Only pussies use HTML editors.
Last Updated Fri 17 September 09:05:09 1999