03 December 2005

take off that ipod!

lately i have been meeting people all over new york. last weekend, waiting for the R train, i met this group of german students, and we had a great discussion about germany vs. the united states, new york city as a fabulous place to visit. the train took forever in arriving, but i did not mind as we had such a good time talking. now they are back in engineering school, and their traveling energy inspired me.

today i met an israeli man waiting for the 2/3. he came to the usa so his 14 year old daughter could get a kidney transplant at johns hopkins, which was successful (but expensive). we had an interesting conversation, and he kept insisting "you have a jewish face" (something which i don't think i have, as if anything, i look english, but not jewish) and then he wanted me to cash his check. it was 11:54 and i had much more than 6 minutes on the train to make it for noon work, so i could not.

but put those ipods away. in high school, i would meet heaps of people on the trains--even my idols like thurston moore. a book is a much better conversation piece than headphones in your ears.

i admit: during rush hour, when you cannot even read you are so squished, an ipod is often the only thing that prevents insanity. but keep on opening up, as being a human is all about engaging with other humans.

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