Subway bathroom

No this isn't a post about trying out the bathrooms in the NYC subway. I don't even think they exist and I wouldn't even want to try. But this is about bathroom art and how one can reproduce the NYC subway map in a really cool way with tiles.

We've been trying to fix our bathroom and make it a little more artsy (no luck so far). I was also planning on buying some small tiles to put on our window, but maybe we should redo the whole thing.

Christoph Niemann (remember him blogging about his kids loving riding the NYC subway?) has been blogging about redoing his bathroom with tiles representing famous art pieces. It's very cool and inspiring. Obviously, I like the subway art the best, even though it's not really a famous piece of art (although I do think that people who create maps should be considered artists). I plan on doing some thinking and shopping this weekend to figure out how I can use tiles in our bathroom without it costing us an arm and a leg. That might be the real challenge at the end of the day.

Otherwise, not much happening on the subway lately. I used to think that people that wear sunglasses on the subway are morons trying to be cool. But I now see the attraction and cannot board the subway without my shades, especially in the morning when my anger is at its peak. I just think it reduces the opportunities for confrontation. And even if I can stare at people and frown in disgust, at least nobody can see me. I really think I am becoming more and more passive aggressive by the day.

Happy commuters

Yes, they exist. I haven't met them (yet) but I read about them this morning in a pretty cool New York Times blog from artist Christoph Niemann (his Web site is pretty nice too).
This is a great entry, nice illustrations and very sweet words on Gustav and Arthur, the subway lovers.
I wish I could meet them one day.

Rubba Dub Style

Long time no post. The angry commuter was relaxing and trying to get less angry in Brazil. It worked a little bit as you can tell from the rarity of posts.
The Paris subway is well known for dirty men trying to rub their genitals against women (or other men if that's their preference) during rush hour. The defense tactics are numerous and range from placing your bag on the part that's being rubbed (front or back), trying to push the person with another part of your body, turning to your side or screaming in the subway train that a dirty man is doing something unpleasant (to which the man typically responds that the screaming woman is a crazy one.)
But since the angry commuter moved to New York seven years ago, there hasn't been any rubbing on the subway. I haven't really tried to identify reasons for this just happy that I could forget about the subway rubbing frenzy. Well, it all changed this morning.
Yes, I had to leave early for an appointment and the subway was more crowded than usual. I pushed my way in and held onto the pole (I know it's gross, I don't usually do it but had to, and I washed my hands afterwards). I was thinking the subway is really crowded today, with people too close for comfort on all sides. Oh well, I was thinking "stop complaining, you've been good for a couple of months and you might even be able to forget all together about this Angry Commuter stupid blog, so suck it up." Well, after a few seconds, I realized that the hard thing touching the middle of my butt wasn't all that normal, that the guy (short Latino man, or boy maybe, not sure) was really too close to me and that his fun was starting while I began being seriously disgusted.
I thought about placing my bag strategically, no luck, it wasn't the right shape or lenght (the bag not the hard thing). I pushed him with my shoulders but he kept coming back. I turned (his hard thing was now rubbing against my hip, very weird sensation), but he seemed to be just as pleased, continuing his rubbing session.
At the next stop, some people got out, leaving more space in the subway car and having me thinking that maybe the session was over, that it would just be too obvious. But now, rubbing man the rubber kept on rubbing like if it was the most normal thing to do on the subway. It was definitely gross but I didn't want to make a big scene.
So I just told him gently: "Can you please stop rubbing yourself against me, there's plenty of space behing you."
To which he responded: "Oh yes, sorry!" And then he moved back.
The matter was solved, there was no screaming and the rubber apologized.
And now I can't say there aren't rubbers on the New York subway but at least they are a lot more polite.

The mini sausages are out

I had a great weekend with friends and family in town and a fun wedding. The weather was wonderful and very cooperative, but unfortunately so were the toes (fully out but not so wonderful).
Yes, Americans and especially New Yorkers love exposing their toes on the subway, whether they're worth it or not. There are the ones that got ready for the big day with nail polish and the whole pedi thing and then there are the ones that still carry pieces of socks in between nails and that haven't been trimmed all winter. In either case, they are usually super white and disgusting.
Now, I can't say I don't take a part in this whole toe madness. Not that I show my toes (Oh no, just the tough of it makes me think of smoe nasty breakfast item), but more because I watch. Yes, I hate them but I cannot help but watch the nasty toes (nastoes). Anyway, I could start posting pictures of nastoes because they are plenty around, but I want to keep this blog PG13 so I might avoid.
And by the way, those gladiators' sandals are this summer's new uggs. They suck and they are everywhere.
See you toemorrow.

For everything you've ever wanted to know about toes but always felt grossed out and still do, here's some reading.

Big Cheese

I just got back from Seattle. I did 4 hours and 16 minutes at the Yakima River Canyon Marathon, which I was very happy with. But although the marathon was in an awesome setting and it was another cool running experience, I come back to New York with my head full of fun images of Seattle and its cool people. Seattle very much seems stuck in the 1990s and I loved that decade so the town was very attractive to me. The people were nice but not overly nice and were dressed with tatoos and piercings all over. The bars and cafes are the best thing about the city. Cyclop was a highlight and luckily just under our hotel so we did it properly, ending the night talking to random people in the bar including giselle who spoke French and was crazy, the chef was had fougth in Iraq One and had live in Tortola and that other guy I don't remember the name who does VC and I gave my email address to for possible interviews (yeah right, that was funny). Shorty and its pinball machines was also pretty cool.
Anyway, it was also the 14th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death over the weekend so quite appropriate. We didn't go to Aberdeen but spent some time in Olympia visiting some friends.
Overall I loved it, including the microbrewery in Ellensburg even though I couldn't drink that day. I almost feel nostalgic being back in New York.
No crazy Angry Commuter stories out of Seattle. Both fligths were super smooth and we had exit rows right next to the exit of the plane, pretty convenient, except when people kept going to the bathroom and felt compeled to step on our feet to express jealousy at our great seats.
But this morning I felt thrown back straight into the Commuter Anger, although I tried to minimize it with memories of beautifully grey Seattle. A class of teenagers invaded the subway car I was in and obviously being Queens teens, they were pretty funny, taking pictures at each other, making out and rubbing against each other and being super loud. I even saw a piece of bob among them, he had been trapped. I called him to make sure he was ok and he was. I stole a kiss on the way out in Grand Central before making it to work.

Eating on the subway

Lately I have been taking the subway with bob in the morning and it turned out neither of us really love it. I mean I don't mind it but I don't get as much stuff done readingwise. And from his point of view, I am just too angry and comment way too much on what bugs me.
So anyway, I think it was Thursday morning and I was seating next to this man who apparently didn't have time to have breakfast at home. So here he was eating his gross homemade egg sandwich on the subway.
Well, first of all, eating on the subway is illegal. (Well actually I spent the past five minutes looking for confirmation on the MTA Web site and I haven't found it so it might not be illegal after all but it is certainly not a proper social behavior. This story says that it is illegal but I couldn't confirm it.). (Once someone was eating a chicken soup on the subway and it stank really bad. They should really make it illegal if it isn't)
But anyway back to my egg-sandwich eating commuting neighbor: the guy was chewing in my hear. I could hear everything, from the bite to the actual chewing, the reaching for food stuck in his teeth and even the cleaning of the mouth with water in between each bite. So I though it was really gross.
I made some comments up in the air. Nobody caught them beside bob, who told me after we got off the train that I really have a problem and should think about having my commuter anger problem treated.
I told him I'll think about it.

7 line is one of the cleanest of the MTA Subway system

Read this story based on a recent survey on cleanliness in subways. 7 train did pretty well. Commuter is happy today...