Train In Vain

After a fun-filled morning of forgetting my train ticket, playing “Catch Me If You Can” with PGirl and an unremarkable visit to the Buffalo Exchange Street Amtrak station, I am finally on my way to Albany for a conference with my peers and some teaching artists. For those of you not in the know, my position – in some circles – is a Generalist. An outsider might break this down to being a gallery curator, education director, editor and services liason. I’ll tell you straight up that I do a lot of shit and get paid dirt. But I do love this job…

I decided to take the train after realizing that mileage reimbursement would cost more than paying a business class fare on the Empire line. The Organ Grinder and Saint Eileen took the same train to Long Island last summer (Mom recommended the Angus burger, which I have yet to try.) I’m in the last compartment behind the food car and so far, it ain’t too bad. This is better than the Greyhound (fewer stops, scabs, coughs and smells) and coach class on an airline (people reclining their seat into my knees – that’s my space too asshole!).

As of 6:15pm, I have:

• Purge unnecessary emails from my computer.
• Set up more email to send later. I pray that the hotel as actual, free internet service as promised.
• Edited half of a list-serve email.
• Almost completed a New York Times crossword puzzle.
• Scored some free business-class water and juice after a coach-classer was turned away from the food car for trying to make a purchase in stocking-feet.
• Listened to “On The Media”, “Only A Game”, “The Bryant Park Project”, “The Thundering Herd” and some tunes on the IPod.
• Talked to Saint Eileen (heading back from Cincy with The Organ Grinder), PGirl, The Viking Slacker and a board member
• Played some games on the IPod and my phone.
• Watched over the shoulder of another business-classer as he watched an eclectic mix of video on his ITunes including, “Nanny and the Professor”, Fleischer’s “Popeye”, an old sketch show with John Cleese, Graham Chapman and Marty Feldman (the title escapes me) and “The Whitest Kids U Know”.

All in all, I can’t complain.