The workaday world

The commute continues to happen, with the new glitch that post-Labor Day, the line at the croissant-and-coffee establishment has about as many people on it as I saw the entire last year living in the woods. My own memory of how this sort of line moves was good enough that I correctly assessed that I had time to inhale a chocolate croissant and bring the iced coffee with and still get to class a few minutes early, but this does complicate matters. Will the coffee place I'd go to if I took a West Side train rather than East be any better in this regard? I'd forgotten this about teaching, but having a gigantic iced coffee - thirst and caffeine needs both addressed - is key. The advantage of the place I went today is that they put a shot of espresso in theirs. Thus (given that this is the drink everyone orders) the line.

(Yes, the cheapness-acceptable answer is to have bulk oatmeal at home at 5am or whatever before I leave, but I'm easing into this one step at a time, and if butter pastries pave the way, so be it.)

Other glitches: a white, button-down shirt sends a nice, professional message, but invites bike-lock grease. It just does. And lifting my over-stuffed backpack on the train, the thing finally gave out. Not entirely, but enough that it's probably time for a new one. Class itself was fun, though. Stay tuned for reports on the egregious manners of NJ Transit commuters (flicking dirt from under nails out with teeth!) and (my appetite regained) my myriad quests to stuff as much NYC food down my gullet before the semester is done.