Details, Details

So today, I went on an (unsuccessful) hunt for bowls with lids. This hunt took me to the two huge discount stores on Avenue M - Bargain Hunters and Amazing Savings. In Bargain Hunters, especially, before I even walked into the store, there were the rows of mishloach manot - baskets filled with Purim goodies, stacked up in the front windows. Once I got in, Purim was everywhere. A sign wished the customers happy Purim. and one aisle was labelled "Mishloach Manot baskets." There were all sorts of candies and cookies and crackers and other Purim stuff... it was amazing. I wanted to buy and buy and buy (total Purim purchases so far: zero. I obviously restrained myself)

It was such a wonderful feeling to leave with as I picked up my kosher take-out on the way to the subway (well, okay, so it took me a few feet further from the subway to go get the food - the take-out place being on the fat side of Amazing Savings, but you get the general idea.

About an hour later, having arrived on the Upper West Side, I entered my local CVS to buy something - and lo! there were more baskets! Only these were a riot of pastel-y colors. And there were eggs and bunnies and all sorts of colorful - pastel - chocolates! Help! It was the attack of the Easter aisle! And this, before the St. Patrick's Day goodies have been removed from the little shelf space they take up. (As an aside, it's amazing how so many holidays in America have their own special color scheme. Hallmark must have done some great marketing. Chistmas: red and green. Easter: pastel. Halloween: orange and black. Thanksgiving: fall colors. Valentines Day: pink and red. St Patricks Day: green. July 4th: red, white and blue. Granted, some of these were pretty intuitive, but still...)

Anyway, no offense to those who celebrate Easter and such, but I much preferred the Purim aisles. It's amazing how the aisles and CVS didn't bother me until I could contrast them with the aisles in Bargain Hunters. And even more amazing was how I walked into Bargain Hunters and took for granted the fact that it was filled with Purim stuff and bereft of Easter stuff. It's like a little reminder of what it's like to be in Israel - only I was in Brooklyn.

It's so wonderful to work in a Jewish neighborhood...

It felt so great to be in that store and to start to think about how Purim is just two weeks away, and how I have so many resourcs at my disposal to help me get ready for it.

(by way of explanation, for those who are not Jewish, a mezuzah is a scroll with a specific passage from the Bible that is rolled up in a case and hung on doorposts of Jewish homes)

So yesterday afternoon, I went to a different school than I usually go to in order to observe a more expereienced teacher. I had looked up the location on Mapquest, and was delighted to note that it was less than a mile away. Plus, the weather was gorgeous. So I decided to walk.

As I started my walk, I was a bit vigilant. This was not a street I had walked down before, and though I knew I wouldn't get lost - it was straight down the same road until I turned down one side street at the end - I had no clue what neighborhoods I was passing through.

Well, it was encouraging to pass by an assortment of single-family homes, surrounded by trees and even a few patches of grass. It seemed almost suburban. As I walked, I also began to count the mezuzot. On one block, I was thinking in my head: Mezuzah... Mezuzah... Mezuzah... screen door (couldn't see the post)... Mezuzah... Building with a Jewish name... And, a few blocks later: Site of future Yeshiva (Jewish school)...

Is it weird that knowing I was in a Jewish neighborhood made me feel that much safer?

It's been over a week since the last entry. Shows how busy life has been. Also stressful. But mostly busy.

So here, now, is an update that is likely to be far too long, as it includes all sorts of randomness and so forth.

First of all, I have been spending literally hours a day on public transportation. At least three hours a day, if not four, depending on my schedule. Thankfully, this is likely to improve as of today, but more on that later. My commute is at least an hour each way, depending where I'm at when the day ends. Plus, there is the travel between schools. At least those "commutes" count as work I get paid for... Yes, that's right. I get paid to sit on the Q train and do the crossword puzzle.

That having been said, I have been on so many bus lines and train lines and at so many different subway stations. It has really been interesting. Over the past week or so, I have ridden the following trains and busses: 2/3 (probably both), N, Q, R (so I could get to 23rd st - more on that later), D, B (I think - that may have been last week), B64, B72. I have seen many different subway stations, having gotten heavy use out of the Q station at Avenue M (Yay Jew-land!), the N station at King's Highway and the Coney Island Stillwell Avenue station, which, by the way, is beautiful. It's full of light without any direct sun, and when the Q train pulls in, if I am in the last car, I can see the front of the train curl around far ahead of me such that I wonder: is the train really that long? I am also getting a feel for the different characters of different subway lines or different stretches of different subway lines. It's amazing how different the subway feels when it's above ground and I see houses and trees and such. Plus, no matter what line I take, I get to enjoy the Manhattan Bridge twice a day.

I have also noticed some interesting characters on the subway. It's amazing what people do on the subway. Like the woman who was testing her blood sugar (cringe) and the man who was clipping his nails (different sort of cringe) and the man who was muttering curses, then stopped muttering, then started cursing again and banging on the door. And the woman who was so tense, she kept shifting in her seat. Also, the woman who was so scared of losing her balance that she remained standing, clutching a pole, until the next time the train came to a stop - or she tried to wait, anyway, then finally gave in - before taking one of many empty seats.

In other news, I killed a yellow jacket this morning. It was on my front door. That is, the front door to my apartment. On the inside. I don't usually kill bugs, but yellow jackets sting. So it is dead now. Ew. I hope this doesn't turn into a trend. Downside to a window on the courtyard side, perhaps?

And I got to see mysticengineer last night. Regrettably, only for about ten minutes. During that time, Fresh Samantha (sorry, too tired to link) kept referrring to her as "engineer" while demanding help with her new cell phone. This seemed like a misuse of mysticengineer's title, so I decided to take true advantage of her engineering expertise (really, her HVAC expertise) to ask her why my air conditioner was getting cold, and also collecting condensation - it got my blanket wet - but not cooling the room. I was not surprised when she immediately said it was the fan. I think that in my head, I was thinking, "the problem is the part that makes the cold air come out into the room." Plus, I have learned a lot about air conditioners just by listening to the aforementioned engineer discuss her work. Of course, when the doorman wrote the work order for me, he did not write what I said - only that it wasn't cooling the room, so I am now waiting for the maintenence men to say it is cold enough and nothing is wrong. We shall see.

And con ed lost three checks we sent - two from subletters - so it has been interesting to sort out that mess. And I had to change the name on the cable in order to change the address, but after going to 23rd street two days in a row, waiting for... an average of 20 minutes each time? - and dealing today with a woman I saw yesterday and had hoped that I would not end up dealing with because she seemed to not really know her stuff - the cable is hopefully set.

And I still do not have the check for my last two weeks of summer school. Every time I call, they tell me, "in a few days," pretty much. It keeps getting pushed back - and I am getting frustrated. NEVER tell somene to mail you a check...

And math class is going okay... two kids give me attitude. And I don't really have an interpreter yet... but I am surviving without one so far... It will be interesting to get one later on.

And my case load for the rest of the day just changed - so less in-between commuting. We will see if the commute is short enough to stop at some of the kosher restaurants for lunch. (the ones on Avenue M, that is). So now I start all over again with meeting kids and so forth - which will just serve to give me more time to figure out what I am supposed to be doing with them...

And I guess that means I will be riding fewer trains - no more Stillwell Avenue. Oh well.

And no, still not fully moved in. Give me time...

And this concludes my update.