Working on the Formula for the Perfect Day… Any Suggestions?
The thought struck me the other day; this is a city of magicians. Next time you’re here; simply ask someone for anything; the object of your desire will be in your hands in moments; any object. Every last ‘thing’ known to mankind can be obtained, here in this city; simply by wondering if its available. I have been to other cities; many have their own unique conveniences; many have have a similar treasure trove of all things one could possibly desire… I challenge anyone in a race to obtain, say, a banana, a cup of coffee, a toasted bagel with scallion cream cheese, a pack of smokes, two bottles of wine, a bathroom floor mat and a bottle of beer from your favorite micro brewery. (OK, the bagel’s not fair)
Convenience is definitely a key component to a perfect day.
This morning, a woman got on our train and recited the worn out old story of how she was collecting for her three daughters at home; that she was pregnant and had exhausted all options for assistance. At the next stop, another woman, quite young, and as Robbie pointed out surprising beautiful and relaxed for a woman with two toddlers in tow; another in a stroller and yet another strapped to her chest in a pouch… We all got off at the same stop; I helped her with the stroller and Robbie held the hand of the youngest up the stairs; this city could use a few more escalators.
There is NEVER an open bar stool; our place for Chinese screws up our order somewhere in the one minute and 35 seconds it takes for the delivery guy to get to our door after we hang up the phone… There is nowhere to go pee outdoors anywhere… Every last single radio station in this city appears to be tuned to “All Hip Hop - All the Time”. If you can find a place to eat outdoors; its almost guaranteed your table will be at a 15 degree angle from level. 6 out of 10 people are distracted by their cellphones at any given time, this advances to 9 out of 10 when you reach the checkout counter; 10 out of 10 people working behind the counter are on their cellphones.
…suffering in silence is part of the process; I’ll have a brand new list tomorrow…
The other morning, I walked out of an appointment in a part of the city I don’t normally find myself, I was faced with 6 options to pick up a coffee, banana and the paper to read on the train. I happened into a bodaga and found myself surrounded by a group of Sikhs eating Indian breakfast grub from a huge steam table multicolored with bowls of sweet smellin’ glop… I joined ‘em for a bite; grabbed my banana and coffee; forgot the paper, descended into an empty subway station to the almost cliche sounds of a lone saxophone; found the paper on the train and headed off to the studio with a nice bug smile on my face.
(Hassles/Conveniences) X Surprisingly Wonderful Unexpected Incidents = The Measure of a Perfect Day.
So far…
