Iron rails & iron weights

Wednesday, May 21, 2008
12:07:00 AM EDT
Sort of an anti-stereotype day

After yesterday's stereotype-reinforcing day, today (mildly) weakened a couple of stereotypes.  I got the shuttle from Medford, but barely, having to run up the stairs to the platform.  It turned out that the train was actually a couple of minutes ahead of schedule and waited at the platform until its normal departure time.  Once at Ronkonkoma I got the 6:56 Flatbush Avenue train, which was an M-7 consist so no single seats today.  The first mildly anti-stereotyping occurred at Hicksville, when a 30ish woman sat next to me.  In an example of something that's hard to explain though readily apparent at the time, she seemed to come from, let's say, the lumpen end of the proletariat.  On her way to visit her parole officer, perhaps.  It was a combination of factors that led me to this conclusion.  Shabby clothing, too much makeup, even her facial expressions.  But wait!  She had a monthly ticket, meaning that she commutes everyday, and spent much of the ride studying course materials for surgical technology, which I believe is a well-paid job.  Guess my stereotyped impression was wrong.  I transferred at Jamaica to the 8:01 dual mode to Penn, which arrived on time, and I waited only a couple of minutes for a 1 train to Houston Street.

I had another really easy subway trip after work, with a wait of about 30 seconds at Houston Street and even less time at 14th.  This got me to Penn in plenty of time to catch the 5:41 to Ronkonkoma, indeed I could've gotten the 5:22 but didn't want to wait in Ronkonkoma given the rain. A man not unlike the one yesterday afternoon sat next to me, not an SCA but well-dressed and with a definite upscale air about him.  But wait, Part Two!  He spent much of the trip doing the crossword puzzle and Soduku in the newspaper, not reading the sports pages as the stereotype would have had him doing.  Today was not my day for "reading" people.  The ride to Ronkonkoma and the shuttle went by quickly, or as quickly as can be expected.

Gym: Not a bad session tonight.  I spent about 15 minutes on the speed bag, and then ran 1.5 miles on the treadmill at 6.0 mph.  This met my 6-mile weekly quota.  Then, for a change of pace, I used the stationary cycle for the first time in weeks, going 20 minutes at mid-range resistance and an 18-mph pace.  I'm not quite sure howthe stationary cycle compared to other things in exercise terms, though it seems to be easier than the treadmill but harder than ellipting.


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