New Yorkers Are Weird
Tonight one of the dancers in one of the shows I tech'd was the spittin image of Colin Meloy (lead singer of The Decemberists)- hipster-nerd glasses and everything. Only thing was he was lighter-haired. His name was Colin. I'm serious. I just stared at him all night. He probably thought I was weird, but he never said anything or anything. So either I got away with it or he just thought, "Aw, cute, the techie has a crush on me, but I'm not interested so I won't say anything" or whatever.

When I introduced myself as Vee, his dance partner Erin asked if it was a nickname. I said yea. Colin said, "Do you know my roommate Jimmy?"

I said, "What?"
"My roommate Jimmy. She used to be Jean-Marie" (French pronounciation) "and now she's just Jimmie. Do you know her?"
"No, I don't think so."

The three of us laughed, Erin said something like, "That was random."
I said, "Yes, because I know everyone who has a nickname."

That led us to the idea of a club where everyone has nicknames, to the nickname gang, "like the Bloodhound Gang" (Erin), where everyone has the coolest nicknames. It's a selective gang, of course.

*

Today I bought a hat for $10 on St. Mark's. I'd had my eye on it for a while. It's a black fedora with pink pinstripes.

On the 6 train riding home tonight, two men got onto the train and one of them was wearing pink trousers and a pink tie. I thought, my hat would look good with that outfit.

Not long after the train started moving again the man in pink said to his friend, "That hat would look good with my outfit." I smiled but said nothing.

A bit later he said "Excuse me." I looked up. "Do you think pink looks good on guys, too?"

I said, "Yea, definitely."
"You think it's attractive?"
"Sure. It can be, yea."
"Thank you. You're on my team."
(He'd been in an argument with his friend and another passenger about it.)

He held out his hand. "I'm Romeo."
I shook his hand as the train began to slow at my stop. "Vee."
"Would you be my Juliet?"
"No, sorry, I have to get off the train now."
"How much for that hat?"
"$10."
"$5."
"$10." The train stops.
"$5, that's my final offer."
"$10, that's my final offer."
"Thanks anyway, have a nice night."
"You too," and I got off the train.