Friday, April 24, 2009

And How Was YOUR Day?

This post will have nothing to do with running, and will explain why I've been so lax about posting, and getting my fundraising for Fred's Team in gear.

Last week was an assortment of holidays -- Passover, Easter -- and schools in NYC had the week off. Since a lot of reporters are either (or both) the head of a single-parent household, or religiously observant, I had a lot of steno work. I wasn't even calling in for work, as my beloved roomie Laura was in town for three days, and I wanted to spend time with her. However, I am a low enough man on the steno totem pole at the agencies I work for, that if they call with an emergency, I don't want to say no.

Here was a typical day:

Get a call at 10am --"How fast can you get to 45th and Park Avenue?"
"Oh, half an hour."
"Go! I'll text you the details in a few minutes."

Did you know, it is not only possible to shower and dress in two minutes, but to add blow-drying your hair to that?

Get to Park Avenue, take the deposition. Done at 11:30. Call the office. They say thanks. I start heading home. Stop in a takeout place to pick up some lunch to take home.

I am within two blocks of the house. Phone rings. Different agency.

"Can you do a 3:00 in Astoria?"
"Sure."

Get to the house. Phone rings.

"They cancelled."
"Okay, no problem."

Good, because I have two mammoth jobs to finish proofing.

Phone rings. It's Agency One calling again.

"How fast can you get to the Upper East Side?"
"Where?"
"91st and 1st. Can you be there by 1:00?"

For those non-NYers, a shlep from anywhere. There's no subway line close, and buses in midday traffic are super-slow.

Chirashi bowl goes in the fridge. Grab a granola bar and head out the door.

Take job #2 of the day. It's fun. The witness loves to talk. Doesn't love to answer the questions he's asked, but he loves to talk. The attorneys are laughing, he's laughing. Eventually everyone gets what they need.

Walk west to 5th Avenue to catch the bus home. Stop at Road Runners to pick up my race stuff for the Run as One.

4:15pm on the bus, within 5 blocks of my house, the phone rings.

"How fast can you get to Hudson Street? Can you be there by 5:00?"

Get off the bus, start walking up to the 1 train. I am again within a block of my house. Call Laura and apologize. We're having dinner with my parents and a friend at 7:00. Describe my day so far. I'm literally steps from home. I tell Laura I may be late for dinner.

Get to Hudson Street by 5:00. Take job #3 of the day. Done at 6:30.

Make it to the restaurant by 7:00. Order a large drink.

And THAT'S why I haven't been posting!

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