THE News

I spoke ot a friend in Ohio this afternoon. At one point I made a casual mention along the lines of "if IT happens." And then I had to explain what "It" was.

The problem wasn't a misplaced pronoun, or anything else grammar-related. It was all a matter of perspective.

As a New Yorker today, December 15th, 2005, there's only one thing that people are talking about. That piece of news is said in all caps, bold, italic. I am speaking, of course, of the impending MTA strike. As the deadline nears, those of us who are going to get royally screwed if there's a strike are trying to figure out how the hell we're going to get to work tomorrow.

It's hard to remember that there are people out there who don't know or care what's looming on the horizon. It's an interesting phenomenon, this belief that everyone knows what's going on in New York City. It reminds me of one of my favorite pieces of dialogue:

"Why are your problems more important than everyone else's?"
"Because they're mine."

Or, I could quote some more appropriate dialogue from Gypsy (Natalie Wood is still one of the most beautiful women in film):

"New York is the center of everything."
"New York is the center of New York."