Strike-o-rama!

Didja ever have one of those mornings where you just want to roll over & go back to sleep? That's how I feel every morning, but today especially. I was up til 12:30 this morn watching the news & writing, then my computer froze but thankfully I didn't lose too much. I got a call at 7 about the strike. I didn't want to move. Then again, at least I had an excuse for being late to work this time. I love how Doomberg commente that the tourists get to say they were here thru it all. What the fuck? Take care of your own first.

When I got downstairs, everything was quiet. I could not believe it. The stairwell to the subway was gated. Still, the quiet. We should do this more often. I guess you're just so used to hearing trains underfoot that when they're not there, you really hear the silence. Queens Blvd. was packed, a couple'a bicycles went by, a woman caught a cab. I went to get the Q60 which was on strike yesterday but back now, took the 60 bus outta Rego Park, I was thinking to go to Forest Hills but that would be packed and besides, I don't think it's a major stop. The railroad barely stops there as it is.

I don't know why the hell I did that. A nightmare. At least everyone was quiet and no kvetching. The back of the line, though, was on 97th Ave and Sutphin Blvd., 4 blox away from the entrance to the ticket window for the LIRR. At least the line kept moving....down every fork of the intersection and back around. Down Archer Ave. to 148 St., past all the places. If you've never been to the Jamaica station this probably doesn't make any sense but it'll be on the news tonite. You'll see it there. From there as you crossed the intersection it was mass chaos, but somehow I managed to return to my spot in back of the woman dragging a duffel bag and carrying a loaded Duane Reade shopping back. Jesus, ever hear of traveling light? I kept kicking her duffel bag by accident. At one point she said, "At least we're blessed that it's not snowing." Yeah, you're really far gone. There was a man selling gloves. You really want to make some money? Sell donuts and coffee. Or Dunkin Donuts can donate some for good PR. A tie was discarded in the street. Today's AMNY: NYC safer than ever! with a pic of an armed officer down by the Broad St. station. Someone read the Bible. At least people were, for the most part, quiet except for swearing under their breath, or aloud when someone tries to cut the line. "I've been on this line for 2 motherfucking hours! Don't let him on!" Yeah, and you're not going to get to work any later with one extra person in front of you. People were willing to continue to tough it out on line because they were already on line for 2 hours and they refused the $10 van offers. One woman said someone was taking pix in the Flatbush station, but it's nothing because that's how it is every day. Good thing she didn't see my camera.

And you know what the thing is? None of us schlubs on the line needed to be where we were going. So no papers get filed, no numbers crunched, nothing gets sold. Who gives a shit? The world isn't gonna stop. Nobody except medical personnel or firefighters or cops have an important job. Everyone should've stayed home. When we're dead, none of this shit is gonna matter. We tried to get to work on time during the strike. Big deal. We're all going to the same place--and I don't mean Penn Station. We're all gonna be dead one day.

Back down Sutphin Blvd. and around, then the line doubled on itself twice, forming 4 rows alongside the terminal. Up until this point I'd only been taking like 3 steps at a time and now that I was really moving, I realized I couldn't feel my toes. People would cheer when they entered the terminal but the anchormen put down their cameras so no one cheered in my group. Down the corridor where the bathrooms are, a reporter was interviewing a woman. You stood on line all this time just to get off it and do an interview? At least we didn't have to buy tix. I didn't have much on me since losing my brand-new Metrocard last nite and the ATMs out of service by me. There's probably nothing in them by now.

Anyway, up to the platform to the waiting train and the sign said 9:00 express, on time. Doors were open but they kept saying to go down the end of the platform to get on. I don't know why since the train is barely full, but I race for the last car--all the while the train chugging like doors are about to close. I get a seat and my asthma is making me gag. I'd already tripped over the guy opposite me who looked like a plumber or some maintence guy since I can't move my toes and when I started hacking, he turned away from me in case I had the plague. So I had an hour and a half wait for a 15 min. ride. I was expecting packed trains but no. It's worse on Thanksgiving when people sit in the aisles and it's so crowded the conductors don't take tix.

Penn Station was a mob scene but that's how it usually is. We have to buy tix for the ride home and the lines were already out the wazoo. Walking down 7th Ave., it was so quiet. We really should do this more often. I even got an express elevator; none of those asses taking the elevator to the 2nd floor or from the 7th to the 8th. Problem was I was wasted all day. Felt like puking from the coughing. Couldn't hold my head up. Couldn't concentrate. And since I got in at 11 that's when I ate breakfast and didn't know when to eat lunch. Sounds strange, but that's what happened. I felt bad about not being really there and stayed til 6 just to make up for it and hopefully the crowd will have thinned. On my way out I heard they'd just closed Penn Station. I was thinking to walk up to 59/Lex for the 60, but what if they'd stopped? I wasn't wasting my time and energy.

When I got there, I figured to go up to 34th/7 to buy a ticket. But I was told I had to stand in the main throng with everyone else. Who already had tix. "What's the holdup, here?" a guy asked. Well, duh. Asked another cop, he said to buy a ticket and back on the line. I headed up to 34th and asked where the trains to Forest Hills were and was told that rides to Queens were free. So I headed back to the Forest Hills line and double-checked that I was going in the right place. Asked another cop. He asked if I had a ticket. I told him I was told I didn't need a ticket and was directed to the line and told to get back in the throng out front. I passed a woman sobbing into a cellphone about how she was told the wrong things. There was no line for the tickets.....which was just down the escalator to the ticket window. Inside Penn Station. This is the magical door. I guess everyone out front had tix cuz they're from LI. There was no line at the window and the train was leaving in 4 mins. Which I caught.

Assholes on the train kept an empty seat between them. The woman next to me had her purse taking up a seat but begrudginly moved it and kept it next to her, crowding me out. She also sat twisted in her seat, taking up more room. We could've squoze an extra person in, but no. I almost punched the woman's lights out. She got off at Woodside and I took her place against the window and the woman at the end stayed, letting her bag take the empty seat. I got back in no time only to see a long line to buy tix for the next morning. Right? Those tix that we needed or else we couldn't board? No one collected them. I guess the MTA needs to make all the $ they can, but still, if you needed a ticket I was going to get me a ticket before needed to stand on another line before getting on the big line. I figured the 60 would be packed so I walked back, past a group of TWU strikers. You gotta stand up for what you believe in. I wish I could go on strike as well because what the fuck is so important about our production schedules that we have to be in the office in the middle of terrorist attacks and transit strikes. I made it almost all the way back before I saw a 60. My back was killing me, but I got back easier than I got in, at 8:20. I can't do this much longer. Fuck the MTA.