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March 12, 2006

OVERHEARD IN PASSING, Part 4 or 5

1. “She had dreds to the heels of her shoes.� 1/8/06 – one homeless woman to another in public toilet, Washington Square

2. “When you stop being a fan, it sucks.� 1/28 man on cell phone pushing baby carriage

3. “I left by the rear fire escape and jumped over a wall.� 2/23 young guy on cell phone in Tribeca

4. “Yeah, he got acquitted but he still wants to talk to you.� 2/24 man on cell phone in bookstore

5. “… And number three, I’m having a fling with a guy from work! But that’s not all …� 3/9, young woman on cell phone, West 4th Street

6. 1st woman: "Colitis? At least it's not life-threatening."
2nd woman: "No, but it's quality-of-life threatening." --Health food store, 13th Street, 3/12.

A NEW SURREPTITIOUS DIVERSION: SPYING ON SUBWAY READERS

In addition to street-eavesdropping, I’ve begun a new hobby: straining my eyeballs to read a line or two from the books in subway riders’ laps. The array of printed matter (limited to books) is instructive and entertaining. Here’s my first collection.

1. Heart of Darkness:
“We had carried Kurtz into the pilot house; there was more air there. Lying on the couch, he stared through the open shutter. There was an eddy in the mass of human bodies and the woman with the helmeted head and tawny cheeks rushed out to the brink of the stream. She put out her hand, shouted something, and all that wild mob took up that shout in a roaring chorus of articulated …�

2. Desire after Dark: “Oh please, don’t give me any of that macho vampire crap. What about the other night?�

3. Modern Philosophy: “But what about the converse: things which are possible but inconceivable?�

4. Frankenstein: “I threw myself into the chaise that was to convey me away, and indulged in the most melancholy reflections.�

5. A Wild Sheep: “About her background I know almost nothing. What I do know, someone may have told me; maybe it was she herself when we were in bed together.�

Just after I jotted down #5, I glanced up to an ad for Club Med that was posted above the seat across from me. A lot of words touting sharing, bonhomie, urban manners, etc. The last bit of advice: “Wait until the person reading over your shoulder is done before turning the page.�

Posted by Jane on March 12, 2006 12:17 PM

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