Birthdays are always sad events. They used to be happy, when you were younger. They meant advancement, growing up, getting to do more cool stuff and being more mature. But after a certain point (specifically, 10 minutes after I turned 21), it just meant another day closer to death. With various body parts either breaking down or needing serious rest for a week, inbetween. My co-worker buddy had her birthday today. Normally she doesn't work on her birthday, but I guess today was the day that tradition went down the tubes. So I was tasked to buy the cake. I forget the name of the place I got it from, a nice little French bakery down the street, but it was a very nice cake, even if it was too small. White chocolate topped with raspberry mousse. Very rich, and very delicious. But it was a small affair, as we don't have that many people left any more. And in the end, it was just a normal night's ride home, so I felt a little bad about that. Happy Birthday Liz. :: My fever is better today, although this morning I really had to fight to concentrate on anything. But my throat is still pretty scratchy. I can talk just fine, but it feels like sandpaper when I swallow. This, plus the guilt I'd feel if I ditched Liz on her birthday, means that I dissed Rudy and his invitation to go drinking tonight at the The Salty Dog. Too bad, I really felt like some alcohol tonight. :: Chaos will rule come Sunday. Full Manhattan Bridge Service Returns to the NYC MTA subway system. The old B line used to run with the M, the D with the Q. And then they closed the North side of the bridge. And thus was born the W line (which followed the B line in Brooklyn) and the Q Diamond (a D inside a diamond shape) which essentially is a Q Express in Brooklyn. So now that the North Side of the bridge is reopening, do they follow conventional wisdom and put the B and D back where they belong? Of course not, silly, they get reversed. The B is replaces the Q Diamond, the D replaces the W. Mind you, even though the W has been around for 3 years, people still call it the B line. Some old B Line signs are still around. But in their infinite wisdom, the MTA has decided to instead call it the D from now on. And the same goes for the D line. I know for the next three years I'll be trying to direct confused senior Chinese folks back onto the D, even though they've been conditioned for years to use the B. If you look at the board of directors of the MTA, you'll notice they're mostly white. I think this is their way of screwing over the limited English speaking immigrants. Do I really think that? Maybe not. But then the other rational explanation is that the MTA is staffed by total idiots. Idiots that I trust my life to on a daily basis to get me from point A to point B in giant electrified steel boxes, through narrow 100 year old tunnels and bridges which run either over or under large bodies of water. Or there is no rational explanation, and the MTA is guided by total and complete chaos and chance. So, sad to say, the MTA as evil racist suburban geniuses is the most comforting explanation of all. Welcome to New York City.