Rainy Monday

Since I'm working nights this week, I don't have to go in until 1900. Unfortunately I'm not very good at sleeping in, so after tossing and turning for thirty minutes, I got up at 0700. The first order of business, in my slightly manic manner which is usual for a caffeinated weekday off, was to make an overly ambitious to-do list in my green spiral notebook in which I've been compiling to-do lists for nearly two years. (This spiral notebook is made even more interesting by my hand-drawn maps for various errands I attempt to consolidate on one outing. I find a map made beforehand helps drastically in planning an efficient route.) Realistically it will probably take a week to tackle all the projects on it.

After a few minutes of web research and a reasonable ten minutes of hunting, I located my well worn little blue social security card and my passport and took the A train down to 34th Street to the Express DMV. I filled out the appropriate form to exchange an out-of-state driver's license for a New York State one and inquired at the information desk which line I should get in for the license exchange. From the response I got, one would think I had just told the woman that her $500 doctor's visit would not be covered by her health insurance, and she got a parking ticket to boot. Is it unreasonable to expect vaguely pleasant service? Ah yes, but this is New York City. Experiences like this were all too familiar when I used to visit the city. I suppose now that I rarely have to ask for help, I don't have as many such encounters.

The short of it is that Texas is one of the few states that does not print the date of issue on its drivers' licenses, and so I must request a paper copy of my Abstract of Driving from the Texas DMV before obtaining a NYC license.

Outside on the rainy Midtown streets, throngs of people hurried to work in the deep urban canyons, dodging taxis splashing through puddles and huddling under their ubiquitous black umbrellas. Penn Station bustled with passengers arriving from the commuter rails. I enjoyed the energy of the city, even on a gloomy day.

The best way to salvage this trip to Midtown, I decided, was to make a run to Trader Joe's. There I was greeted by a great selection, good prices, and refreshingly friendly employees. Along the way, for my good deed of the day, I stopped and helped an elderly Spanish-speaking woman fix her wind-inverted dilapidated umbrella, even though it meant getting a bit wet. A surge of kindness nearly led me to give her my very nice automatic-up-and-down/easy-to-revert umbrella which I splurged on and keep in pristine condition. Nearly.

Typical Trader Joe's fare: BBQ-Chicken pizza, biscotti and baked brie in French brioche (for the "Good-bye Washington Heights" party), extra virgin olive oil, "Goddess" salad dressing, spicy soy & flaxseed chips (4g fiber, 6g protein), and cinnamon Puffins cereal (6 g fiber, 2 g protein, only 6g sugar per serving)

It's difficult to go to Trader Joe's without stopping by their nearby wine shop. There I stocked up on four bottles of $3 very drinkable TJ-label wine, a nicer Chianti for my planned "Good-bye Washington Heights" party, and a bottle of Argentinian Malbec, which I'm growing to appreciate.

Before Trader Joe's was a stop by PC Richards, a local electronics store with fairly good prices. I began pricing flat-screen TVs. My justification for buying a new one--rather than buying the old clunky CRT from Brad--is that a wall-mounted TV requires far less space in the new apartment's smaller living room. In addition, as much as I enjoy having people over, it helps to have a good TV for movie-watching. And finally, if we sub-let the "study", the amount I save will quickly pay for a television.

Ordinary 26-inch LCD's were around $800, generous-sized 32-inch ones were approximately $1,000, and the luxurious 37-inch sets were more like $1,200. There was a 42-inch plasma-screen on sale for about $1,300, which is far bigger than I need, but not significantly more than the 37-inch TV's. I plan to do a lot more research to make sure I'm getting a good deal.



A new Trader Joe's shopping bag and an overflowing wine rack are two of the best parts of the morning.

The last highlight of the morning was purchasing a couple more $1 reusable grocery bags from Trader Joe's. About the size and shape of paper bags, these are much sturdier and water-resistant. I'm already in the habit of bringing a fabric grocery bag with me when I go to the grocery store, so I'm sure I'll use these as well. Besides reaffirming and recentering my moral compass, the occasion led to a little introspection on my part on behalf of society. It seems to me that although the population collectively seems moderately to very concerned about the environment, it's striking how little individuals are willing to make sacrifices. Carpooling with one person uses only half the gasoline...but it's inconvenient. And from my memories of the South, it would be absurd to ask people to take a bus. Oh well, at least re-using grocery bags is a start. And for goodness' sake, buy fluorescent light bulbs!