After crossing the street today -- another perfect January day, cold but not too cold, with zero clouds -- I paused at the corner market, distracted by the sight of a wayward mango.
It look perfectly 'normal' from the outside, even happy, and I wondered if like many people this exterior masked a more troubled soul; after all, why would it want to flee from the rest of its people, all of whom lived happily in the bins out front?
Quickly fatigued by this somewhat reckless metaphor, I amused myself by watching the 'progress' on the condominium development across the street. Today someone had taken the time to carefully place the plastic construction barriers in alternating colors, which represents a big step forward!
This entertainment also proved rather fleeting, so I tried to enjoy the reflection of the sun against the buildings as I walked to the subway.
Waiting for the train, I succumbed to the melancholy induced by 'rom-com' ads with hundreds of thousands of perfectly teethed Hollywood celebrities, all showcasing a different 'emotion' through their incredible acting skills. (This could be a great movie: I'm admittedly 'judging a book by its cover.')
Walking to work, I admired an exhaust pipe on top of a building but for some reason neglected to photograph it, a decision I regretted when I spotted the above steam pipe. I was struck by the idea (and not for the first time) that there are cities built on top of cities in Manhattan, and I was walking past the exhaust from an underground building (possibly even a luxury condo, given that I was on 35th and 5th). I almost expected to see people emerging from the manholes.
I arrived at work, where time passed. Then it was time to leave and I took a picture of the setting sun, behind the Empire State Building.
As I walked back to the subway, I regretted that I didn't have $35-$75k to blow on a new bedroom set.
Above me the moon was rising white next to the matching Empire State. (Actually I took this pic yesterday, but forgot to post; the weather was really no different today, though.)
As I waited for the train, I enjoyed a jazz band, even though I'm generally not very knowledgeable or passionate about jazz. In this case, though, I was impressed that the band, in addition to sounding very polished and 'profesh,' featured a 'lady rhythm section' with two men (like the women, one white and one black) on guitar and trumpet, respectively. Three cheers, I thought without any irony or sarcasm, for ethnic and gender diversity! I might have stayed even longer, but a nearly empty D-train arrived and I got on board, found a seat and said goodnight.
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