So I've been living in Ft. Greene, Brooklyn, for about six months now. And while it's easily the best living situation I've had in New York, during that time, there have been approximately two to two-and-a-half months where the climate inside the apartment was acceptable without artificial enhancement. During the summer, I might as well have poured any water I was thinking about drinking over my head, because no sooner would I drink it than it would be filtered out my pours in streams of sweat. And now, with the onset of bitter winter, it's like a goddam igloo. Since complaining to the super a few days ago, the situation has gotten better. But for a week or so, it was absolutely intolerable. Miss Charming Melodee and I were basically in hibernation mode, as the cold made doing anything a terribly unpleasant prospect. We actually left the house during a snow storm just to go some place warmer. That place ended up being the movies, where we saw Bad Santa. I had my doubts about the movie when I first saw the preview, as it seemed like your run of the mill comedy, and because I'm no particular fan of Billy Bob Thornton. But I heard good things about it, and that it was directed by the director of Ghost World, which I enjoyed very much. It also featured Lauren Graham, whom I also enjoy very much. All in all, the film was just about the most vulgar and profane movie I've ever seen that did not feature any nudity. But pretty goddam entertaining.
One thing about living in Ft. Greene that is markedly different from my past New York apartments is the subway situation. It's a trade-off, really. For the first time, I have multiple train options. In Park Slope, I was beholden to the F train, a train I didn't mind but seems to get a bum rap. I think it's mostly because yuppie white folk don't like to wait. Not that I do. But the middle class are comfortable enough that we can complain about things like trains. In Greenpoint, I was a prisoner of the constatnly crowded L and cursed G train, my most hated train in all the MTA system. While some complain about its infrequency, my main gripe is that the G train is actually half train, the length usually reserved for the shuttle trains. The G is actually the second-closest to my apartment, only a block and half away. But the Fulton street stop is infuriating. Because it's a half train, it always goes at least halfway down the track, so you always have to run or sprint to catch it, even if you get to the station before it even pulls in. This makes zero sense, because there is only one working entrance for the G train in that direction. I didn't even notice this until the other day. Everyone getting off the train has to go toward the back, yet, the train goes fifty feet forward from the exit. Maddening. But I rarely take the G unless I'm going to Williamsburg, or taking it one stop, so it's mostly a non-factor. My main transportation hub is the Atlantic Ave. stop. Here, the trade-off from my previous transporation choices is most evident. While there are a plethora of trains to choose from- no fewer than 8 different lines- the riders on these trains are leaps and bounds less attractive than any of the trains I used to ride. The F, as I mentioned, is largely middle class white yuppie, at least during moring rush hour. Which is the world I grew up in, and thusly the most comfortable. A fair amount of attractive girls on this train. The G train wasn't bad either, as it was largely populated by equal mix hipsters and hot Polish women. However, the L train takes the cake. Without a doubt, the most attractive train in the system. This is mostly because the main destination of the L is Williamsburg. Are most of these people scene-conscious, annoying hipsters? You betcha. Are a lot of them totally hot? Affirmative. It's just about the only thing that made being packed in like a bunch of sardines worth it. Speaking of sardines, one strike against the L was the the terrible odor that would emanate from some of the passengers. Yet another of life's little trade-offs, that chic, just-got-out-of-bed-and-didn't-shower look was often times the direct result of the person having just gotten out of bed and not showering. Good to look at, bad to stand over. One morning this girl actually smelled of hard salami.
The only problem with the attractiveness of the girls of the L train (would that make a good calendar I wonder?) is that they're all basically of the same attrativeness school- Tall, skinny, pale, model-looking. Of course, this is about as much of a "problem" as too much candy. On a personal level, this is a problem because for some reason I'm usually most attracted to people whose apperance I find totally hot, but who I am probably predisposed to hate, or vice versa. Even my dear Miss CM has told me things like "you're the opposite of everything I ever thought I'd look for," and most recently "I can't believe I'm dating such a prick." Granted, these things don't happen that often, but when they do, no one is really surprised.
I'm in the process of putting together my year-end mix CD, and this year I decided I'd limit it only to music that came out this past year. Normally I just put a mix of songs together that I like for my friends. I was thinking about how other people make top ten lists at the end of every year, and I was doubting whether or not I actually even bought ten CDs this year. But as I'm putting together my mix, it turns out there was a lot of good music put out in the last year. Great, even. Still, I don't think I can come up with ten CDs that I would find totally year-end list worthy without just listing ten of the 12 or so CDs I bought this year. I think I download most of it now. Anyway, here are my favorite CDs this year, in no particular order:
1. Beulah- Yoko.
2. The Shins- Chutes Too Narrow
3. Death Cab For Cutie- Transatlanticism
4. New Pornogrophers- Electric Version
5. Fountains of Wayne- Welcome Interstate Managers
6. Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Fever To Tell
7. Bonnie Prince Billy- Master and Everyone
8. Delgados- Hate
9. The Postal Service
10. Grandaddy- Sumday
The Shins album also features my favorite song of the past year, "Gone For Good." I've been liking the acoustic version more lately. So much so that I used iMovie to extract the audio so I could load it onto my iPod. Just a great, country-tinged, head-bobbing, foot-tapping, lamenting song.
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