Fri, 08 May 2015

Braking the A Train

I was on the way home from wandering around downtown tonight, and I got on the A train heading uptown from 42nd Street. It was late enough I got a seat, so I was happily sitting there reading a book, not paying attention. We were getting near my neighborhood when after leaving 181st Street the train came to a stop.

Just a regular stop, mind you. I didn't think anything until I heard someone screaming "Please can anybody help me?" Everyone on the train started looking around, wondering which car the person freaking out was on, until it dawned on us that it sounded like the voice was coming from under the train. Someone opened the door a crack and we could definitely hear the voice coming from outside. I was standing near the end of the train at this point, near the side door that was open a gap, and I turned around and pulled the emergency brake cable.

I've always wanted to do that.

Someone (I later found out, a former MTA subway driver) popped open the vent window and yelled out at the guy to stay put and not to touch anything. Eventually we could see flashlights outside, and then all but the dim center lights went out as power was removed. The fire department showed up, and the guy was removed, a bit scraped up, but in one piece (apparently — I couldn't see, but someone else in the car could).

The only funny part (and there was a funny part) was while we were waiting someone on the other end of our car, who sounded a bit tipsy, started yelling "Fuck him.", to the point where I really wanted to punch him. He was still going on when two Transit cops came in the storm door on his end of the car, he blurted out "Oh shit!" and the whole car burst out laughing.

The cops asked if anyone saw what happened, we said we just heard, and I said I pulled the cord. One of the cops took my info (I'm guessing they have to fill out a report every time one of those gets pulled), thanked me, and they left. Eventually the power came back on, the driver came back to reset the emergency brake, and they dropped us off at 190th.

Moral of the story: when those signs say Do Not Enter Or Cross Tracks, they mean it.

Posted at: 00:32 | category: /life | Link

Thu, 12 Mar 2015

Thank you, Sir Terry

Many many moons ago while in college a friend of mine introduced me to the author Terry Pratchett and his glorious Discworld series. I always recommended the series to friends, but with the gentle warning: "Buy one book, and you'll end up buying them all."

Sir Terry died today at the age of 66.

Many people have called him fantasy's Douglas Adams, and I'd wholeheartedly agree, although, while a fan of Adams, I always enjoyed Pratchett's writing and humor more. His incredible social commentary — particularly as the series progressed — and his biting satire were always a joy, and his use of footnotes and puns* have me in stitches every time. Every Christmas I read Hogfather, and every Glorious 25th of May I'd make a donation to the American Alzheimer's Association is his honor.

Celebrate Sir Terry, in your own way. If you've never read one of his books, pick one up. I haven't even mentioned his other series, or his co-writing efforts with other authors like Neil Gaiman (Good Omens is also a perenially favorite read of mine). Me, I've made a donation to the American Alzheimer's Association in his memory, and this weekend I'm going to re-read the first book of his I ever picked up, Interesting Times. I'll leave you with this, my favorite quote of his, and pretty high on my list of list of favorite quotes overall: "Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life." — Jingo

* I've read Soul Music over a dozen times, and every time I do I still find new puns.

Posted at: 22:52 | category: /life | Link

Tue, 17 Feb 2015

Riding the Drama Train

It's not the first time I've had to use my drill-sergeant voice on the subway, but it is the first time I got an entire subway car full of people to give me a round of applause (and to have someone give me $20 for my effort).

I was coming home tonight from work, and got on the uptown A train at Columbus Circle. It wasn't packed, but it was decently full, so I stood near the end by one of the standing poles. As we left the station a guy (we're going to call him Drama Guy) who was standing opposite of the door I came in on started pacing and generally tweaking me out, so I stopped reading and was kind of giving him the side eye. Presently he got in the face of another guy (we're going to call him Just a Guy) who was standing near the opposite door, started saying something, then started shouting. As Just a Guy tried to lean back Drama Guy started to scuffle, bringing up his arms. Drill-sergeant mode kicked in and I started shouting and got between the two, when Drama Guy started to lunge again I blocked him while a third guy (let's call him Rear Tackle) pulled him off and held him down on a seat.

By this point the people on that seat had left and when Drama Guy managed to get back up (I'm still shouting the entire time) Rear Tackle and I blocked him while I waved at the handful of other people still at the very end of the car (including Just a Guy) to to move the the other end. By this point the train had stopped (somewhere near the Natural History Musuem) and sat there for a very long time before we started moving again. By this point Rear Tackle and I were standing warily watching Drama Guy, who had somewhat calmed down and was pacing around one of the standing poles.

We eventually got to 125th Street, where we pulled in slowly, then stopped just as we reached the platform. I could hear an NYCT radio crackling at the other end of the car, and when I looked back I could see the conductor getting on and closing the door. We pulled all the way in, I saw a group of cops looking in the windows so I leaned over, tapped on the glass, and wiggled my thumb back at Drama Guy, who by this point was standing near the exit. The doors opened, he got off, and I leaned out long enough to watch the cops walk him up the stairs. None of the cops seemed interested in witnesses, so I got back on the train and sat down. While we were waiting for the other A train across the platform on the local tracks to leave, an older lady who had been sitting right the fracas came up to me, thanked me, told me my voice scared the shit out of her, and made me take a $20. As we pulled out, she got the car to give me a round of applause.

I have absolutely no idea where that voice comes from, but I'm pretty sure the Old Man would have been proud of it.

Posted at: 19:49 | category: /life | Link

Tue, 13 Sep 2011

Moving to New York City

My harebrained scheme actually went through: by the end of October I'll be living in New York City, starting a job at the Columbia University library at the beginning of November, doing various computery infrastructure things in support of many of the projects the library does.

I came up with this scheme, moving to NYC, after visiting it twice in July. Very simply, I fell in love with the city, and got bitten by its bug pretty hard. I knew, as I flew out of the city after my first visit, that I'd be living there within a year. Amazingly, it's only taken a few months.

It's not a decision I've taken lightly — I love Ypsilanti and southeast Michigan, the people here and the interesting and exciting things going on. And I love the immediate group of people I work with, and love working for the University of Michigan; it's just that the layers between those two things have become somewhat frustrating for me over the last two years. It was time to move on, but while for the past several months I've been half-assedly looking for a new job, it wasn't until I got back from NYC that I took that search seriously, that I actually focused.

I've become convinced over the last eight years or so that inertia is the primary guiding force in my life. And, for the most part, I'm fine with that. But I also realize that every so often some gumption breaks through, and when it does, it breaks through hard. And when that gumption comes, I have to grab it and go with it, even if that gumption comes in the form of a harebrained scheme. Sometimes, you just gotta see where those go.

I'm going to miss many things, and more importantly, many people, very dearly. But it's time to explore a new city, and I'm looking forward to that. Also: bagels.

Posted at: 17:04 | category: /life | Link