My sleep issues are continuing; that’s why I’m now rushing to write this before I leave for the Met game. It hits me so oddly. My alarm phone awoke me at 8:00. I turned it off and started getting out of bed. I had swung one leg over the side when I fell asleep. Next thing I knew it was 8:51 and I still had one leg hanging out of the bed. I washed up, went to the living room, sat down at my computer, did a few things, and fell back to sleep.
When I woke up I ate, watched TV, and went to the pharmacy. When I got back, I made the mistake of putting on TV as I wrote and got no further than that. Now it’s the next day.
Yesterday I went to my second Met game of the year, they were playing the Phillies, they are fighting each other for first place. It was my first game with Alan, my usually sports buddy. It was raining much of the Day and Alan said he’d wait till they announced a starting time as the game would probably be delayed. I don’t have that luxury as I’m coming via public transit from the Bronx. So I left here at 5:37 for the 7:10 start. I like getting there a little early so I can get settled down and I like to hear the National Anthem.
Robert Burns words proved prophetic. There was switching problems at Main Street, the last stop on the 7 Train. Mets – Willits Point is the second to last stop. That made a huge bottle neck as they had to work to turn the trains around. Instead of getting there at 6:50 I arrived at 7:40. If the game weren’t delayed I’d have missed the start. As it was, I had to wait around till 8:45 for the game to start. Alan arrived just in time for first pitch but it took him a bit to find me even though I told him exactly where I was sitting. We have very different priorities on where to sit at games. I like sitting where I can see the best. He likes sitting where there are no people around. He thought I’d be in the last few rows under cover. It was no longer raining. I would never sit so much further back. It makes a dramatic difference in how close you are. He just doesn’t care about that.
The Mets were the underdog because of the pitching matchup, Jake Arietta vs Steven Matz, but Matz pitched great and Arietta less so and the Mets won 5 – 1. Alan left after the top of the eighth but I stayed till the end. That meant I didn’t get home until after 1 AM it was worth it. As Roy Hobbs said, “I love baseball.”
The ride home went far smoother but I ended up not getting to sleep until around 2 AM. Good thing I fell asleep immediately. My issue is not falling asleep but the quality of my sleep. I only got six hours last night but I feel better than I did after eight hours the night before.
I’ve been missing too many entries of late and then forgetting what I’ve wanted to write about. I’m going to hit on one of the quirkier ideas and save the serious one for a day when I didn’t go out.
I’m fascinated with the way people navigate moving in crowds. I live in New York and walk down busy sidewalks almost every day. The constant movement of people moving in opposite directions and at right angles goes remarkably smoothly considering that nobody is directing traffic. Every day I pass thousands of people and very few of them cause any problems. Pay attention next time you walk. You’ll see that people will start moving out of your way far in advance of your meeting. You’ll move right or left, usually right, without even thinking about it. It helps that pedestrians move often follow the same rule as drivers, we walk on the right side.
I know that some of you are saying, “Are you nuts? People don’t know how to walk in crowds. I always have people walking right at me.” I’m not crazy. I see those people too. I see them all the time. They are the ones that remind me that I want to write about this. I just recognize how rare they are. I pass thousands of people and just a few of them make problems, except where there are lots of tourists. People from less densely populated areas never acquire the skills. That’s why all real New Yorkers curse them. But for the most part it all moves smoothly except for that one guy that doesn’t make the slight movement required to pass you smoothly. It happens most often when I’m all the way to the right and can’t move any further. Then all the responsibility for moving falls on the other person and sometimes they don’t take it. Those are the people we remember. We have all lined up against the person that thinks of it as a game of chicken and expect you to move. Most of the time we just move out of the way but once a week or so we don’t have that option and we end up face to face with the other person. I’m not talking about doing the dance, where you both move one way then the other and stay opposite each other. That’s just a consequence of both people trying to be considerate. I think of it as a bonding moment and smile at the other person and they usually smile back. I’m talking about those that just don’t want to move even though they can and you can’t. Even though we pass thousands of people without incident, that’s the one person we remember. I was once shocked because a friend posted about that happening to her and took it personally. She thought she was singled out. My thought was wow, there must be something about her that make people extra-considerate as it doesn’t happen to her once a week like it does to me.
Then there are the people that don’t know where to stand. They don’t realize that standing where the path is narrow is a problem. You see it on subway platforms all the time but also on sidewalks. They also stand in doorways and stairs. I have a confession to make. I always brush against them as I go by. I will not turn sideways to pass them without contact. Perhaps if they get bumped into they’ll realize it’s not the best place to stand.
These people are the exception. Next time you walk through a crowd pay attention to everyone’s subtle movements to avoid each other. It’s an elaborate dance, choreographed by an invisible hand. It always entertains me.
Wise Madness 