Page Nine: The Birth of the A Train Observer

This Texan has too many ideas.

I could write an entire book about daily subway sightings. "Today on the subway..."

I would never run out of material. Ever. Thus, dun dun dun dunnn....

The A Train Observer.

My standing favorites are the little city boys who bring on their boom box and their flat bill's full of change. They walk on, get situated with head nods and whispers to one another, then one of them screams (normally the tallest and oldest) "It's SHOW TIME everybody!" Then they do their break dance thing and clap and scream and have a grand ole time. I'm of course the only one on the train that turns off my ipod and is legitimately enthralled by what's happening in front of my very eyes.

One time I heard one of them say, "Ok, let's get off at the next stop and go to McDonalds."

Maybe it's just me and my Texan self that thinks there's just nothing more precious or more wonderful than this. I want to get that excited about McDonalds. I want to know what it's like to break dance on a moving train for fast food.

My latest subway observation came yesterday. We shared the commute all the way across the George Washington Bridge and onto the uptown train. She was a little Asian woman with one goal in mind. Mastering the Yo-Yo.

She whipped that little, red Y0-Yo out the second she sat down and didn't stop until she got off...or until I got off and couldn't watch her anymore.

She tried tirelessly, over and over and over again. Roll it up...watch it fall...a few weak tugs...and another failed attempt. Her perseverance was incredible. I never sensed any aggravation on her face or distress in her eyes.

She just wanted to Yo-Yo. And she had about 7 stops to get it down.

I wish her the best of luck in her Yo-Yo-ing endeavors. I have nothin' but faith.