On the train home last night, after a long day of work and rehearsal, and before another long day of work and rehearsal, I smiled. Why? Because a strange weirdo was singing "Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer." Brilliant. Some people on the other side of train even started singing along. I was about two shakes away from adding "like a lightbulb!"
Beedow is leaving the City for the summer. He is currently subletting an apartment from a friend, and needs to find another renter. If you or someone you know needs an apartment in Astoria, please contact Beedow soon before you miss out on this wicked pad. (June-July-August)
A boy and his dog just walked by me. There's a man big coat sitting on a bench across from me. A kid is standing near that pole listening to his headphones and sipping a smoothie. There's a suit just talking to himself, strike that, to the person on the other end of his bluetooth headset. A girl sitting against a concrete wall is scratching her neck while an old geezer stares.
Of course! You guessed it. I'm in the JetBlue terminal at New York's JFK. (Why am I here? Well, it's a surprise, and Mom, if you read this in the next couple of hours ... well, there goes the surprise.)
What a shock! Remember the days when a person in a strange surrounding (like this, an airport terminal full of strangers) would have to actually read a book to keep busy. Or, better yet, speak to the guy sitting next to him. Say hello and make friends with that person who just might be a friend of a friend or something. But, no, not in today's "advanced" day-and-age.
Today, we sit here (probably 60% of the waiting passengers) with our laptops on. The other 40% are divided between their cell phones or mp3 players. The ones who aren't involved there are watching Grey's Anatomy or Family Guy on one of the flat panel televisions hanging from the ceiling. (I, of course, already checked and found out that Grey's was a rerun, otherwise, yes, I would be there too.) It's distressing.
It is distressing, well, and exciting I guess. Sort of exciting because from that first paragraph you thought I could have been talking about Bryant Park. But, from the rest of this, it's clear that it isn't a park. And, even if it was, do you think it would really be any different? We're not in tune with each other anymore as people. We would rather all turn on our electronics and "talk" to someone who isn't even here or play tetris again than actually try to become involved with someone else in the room.
"Of course, Beedow, you're such a hypocrite! You complain about the inhumanity and non-connectedness of this world, and here you are, sitting in the middle of it all."
I agree, o sage master. To combat this, I think fate dealt me a little jab. The woman next to me sneezed. I said, "bless you." She said, "thank you." Just a little humanity, folks, that's all I'm asking.
Tomorrow, how I stoped thinking and wound up not at the airport ninety minutes before my flight. Whoops!
In other parts of the world, people go on with there humdrum lives and never realize certain things. Here A(t) (j)OE'S, we try to bring to light life's little curiosities for your pleasure.
So, I'm in rehearsal for this children's musical. It's fine, it's fine, whatever, no biggie. But I have spent all week with these repetitive musical phrases, and then I come home and find myself swimming in the lyrics and melody lines. AHHHHHH! Get out of my head. They're there when I shower, when I eat, when I think, when I sleep, when I wake up, when I am writing this ...
So, mister and missus scientists out there, why is it that these damnable songs won't leave my friggin' skull? Get out! Go away! Never come back because I hate you.
Today, I wasn't going to buy anything.
Instead, I bought a snickers bar. A big one. And ate the whole thing.
Worse, I'll probably go home and eat nachos. Or oreos. Or ice cream.
