Lights! Camera! Exploit!
Today at 34th and 7th (I think) at the strange-lettered subway station, a mess of cops converged through traffic to dash into the subway system and apprehend someone. I was on my way to get some Mrs. Field's cookies which I'd passed the other night accidentally on my way from the gym to meet my pal for the movies.

I overheard the people coming up from the Subway say things like "They get the whole precinct out for one guy." Truly, the way the cop cars cut across traffic and parked in front of Macy's, you'd have thought a train derailed or something. Oddly though, I haven't heard anything on the news about it--so I guess it really only was just one person.

But what have I heard on the news today? Death, death, and just a little more death. Shootings on the train. Woman run down twice in the street. Another woman hit by a Mack truck. Haven't we all been saying how depressing and horrible the network news is? Haven't they been listening? Didn't they try to change it a while back?

I don't need to hear all that terror, repeatedly, from those vapid talking heads. BleeAHHH.

But I do have some good news. The sax player played again today. Blogging like this made me bold enough to speak to another neigbor in her building who was hanging on the step when I left to go get cookies. He is the THIRD white person who lives in that building. He told me her name and that she is going to school in the Village. (And most importantly, she is NOT my close see-into-her-windows neighbor.) He said he lived above her and they spoke at times about music because he too played the "vibes". (I had/have no idea what those are.) He seemed like a nice guy. Very coolish in a "I'd live in Harlem even though I'm a white boy" sort of way. Much smiling.

In fact, I notice there is a New Cool among white guys. As if the Bohemian was making a comeback, or maybe never really died out. Out of all my white-guy friends, only a few have this kind of cool. If I were white, I'm sure I wouldn't have it.

Anyway, the sax player. She'd be the central female character if this were a movie. Instantly, I sensed a white-girl cool about her that rivals the male counterpart attribute. For instance, she came home alone and walked through Harlem with her instrument on her back. She must do it every night. And when she plays it, the poetry fills the space between our buildings. She'd be portrayed by Rachel Leigh Cook, if my memory serves. Taye Diggs would play me. Don't hate!

Moreover, I keep being reminded how much I dig this city.

Me at 1/19/2004 11:19:00 PM

---