Afternoon Off

At around 10:30 this morning, the lights flickered at work, and then the power went out. We all wondered what was going on, and we looked out the windows and saw tons of people outside, and some firetrucks, and thick billowing smoke, well, billowing from a building across the street. We’re right above a Newark city subway stop, and there have been renovations going on for the last few months; apparently, someone cut a cable or something, causing a power outage and some sort of explosion. There was apparently also a car on fire, but I didn’t get to see that. Anyway, seeing as how we had no power, they decided to close the office for the rest of the day. I love working for the government!

So I got home (well, back to my parents’ house, where I’m dogsitting), but not before stopping off at a great sandwich place near the house called The Cheese Shop. Great sandwiches. I had smoked turkey, havarti, honey mustard, lettuce and tomato on peasant bread. Mmmm.

Got to eat the sandwich. Got to watch a little bit of the afternoon soaps.

Which reminds me, I got an e-mail from a friend this morning telling me that his sister, Eden Riegel, has just been nominated for a Daytime Emmy for her role as Erica Kane’s lesbian daughter Bianca on All My Children. Erica Kane, if you don’t know, is played by venerable daytime diva (and finally an Emmy winner!) Susan Lucci. I feel kind of cool that I know Eden’s brother. He and I sang in the same college a cappella group — well, actually, he joined the 15-man group the year after I graduated, but I was still around the campus then, and we’ve mingled and sung together at alumni events and such, and all of us alums are pretty close. Of course, none of this really has anything to do with me, but I think it’s cool nonetheless.

(As for me, my mom raised me as a Days of our Lives fan, but more on that some other time.)

Later on in the afternoon, I went to Tower Records in New Jersey (the third Tower I’ve been to in several days) and bought a couple more CD’s — recordings of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 and Symphony No. 9, conducted by Leonard Bernstein. I think this almost completes my collection of Bernstein’s later recordings of the Mahler symphonies under Deutsche Grammphon. Lately I’ve wanted to re-read this great biography of Bernstein that I bought several years ago. Last night I was walking through midtown Manhattan, past Lincoln Center, right near Central Park West and lots of tall apartment buildings, and I thought about a few things: 1) I need to spend more time in Midtown, 2) this area used to be Leonard Bernstein territory, and 3) I want to make friends with older rich gay men who love classical music and have amazing apartments where they throw wonderful parties. Ahh, the life.

So anyway, it’s been a nice day.