Not So Bad...

So last night I got back from a week in Louisiana (more on that later?)... which made early this morning my first post-Xmas subway ride. Though imbibing liquids and/or consuming foods carries the risk of getting fined, a lot of people bring food & bev along for the ride. Me? I was determined to consume a small "a lot of pulp" OJ and some kind of cereal bar.

I opened the OJ and took a big sip. Me likey da pulpy. I was sitting down, so I figured I could wedge the container between my legs for a second while I busted out the breakfast bar. I... maybe have a problem keeping my legs closed? [never thought I'd say that until post-op] Before I could get my munch on, my OJ flipped upside down and fell to the floor of the L-train. Fuck balls! Surprisingly, the extra pulp made it look like someone had been puking all over the place (note: I've seen upchuck on the train--fresh or otherwise--on many an occasion, but never my own; my classy ass vomits on or directly off of the subway platform, thankyouverymuch)!

All I have is the brown bag they gave me for my "meal," so I tried to use that to sop it up, but it didn't help at all, really. I was pretty embarrassed-- I didn't want to be that guy, you know, the one who makes a mess in just wallows in it OR the asshole that makes the mess and just, oh I dunno know, walks to a different car for the remainder of his or her ride.

So I'm trying to clean it and doing a piss-poor job when my fellow New Yorkers extend the helping hand. A handful of napkins from one fellow sitting across from me, a McDonalds bag from another gentleman halfway down the car, then another brown bag from an adjacent seat. And I'm down there cleanin' that shit up best I can. After a couple of minutes, it's passably chunky-OJ free, but that left me with a couple handfuls of chunky-OJ & filthy MTA-floor saturated napkins, bags, etc. Another lady walked over from halfway across the car to give me a clear plastic bag (like from a produce section of some sort) to put all that mess into. If that weren't awesome enough, I only took one big deep breath/half-sigh before a passenger across from me busted out a bottle of hand sanitizer. Fuckin' beautiful.

Although, considering the infamous "Calloway Luck," I was just waiting for a pregnant woman or some elderly/infirm person to, after all that Disney-magic, walk through the doors and slip and fall on a spot I'd missed. If it happened, it happened after I got off the train 45min later at 6th Ave (yes, the train was running 15min slower than usual!).

PS: in case the one or *gasp* possibly two people that read this blog are wondering the ages and ethnicities of those that lent their helping hands, er, bags/what have you: napkins=middle aged Polish white guy, McDonalds bag=teenage black dude, stranger's brown bag=late 20's-ish Latina lady, clear plastic bag=Asian lady (age? who knows), hand sanitizer=early 20's black lady.

So yeah, I heart New York.

Legally Altered

Since hurting my back about a week and a half ago (see below), I'd been in pretty much constant pain until... I went to a walk-in clinic that handles worker's comp. They prescribed pain pills and muscle relaxers, both of which have been doing their parts to ameliorate my back pain. Alternating heat and ice packs, too, of course. But I'll be damned if that shit doesn't still hurt. Legal, paid-for drugs are great and all, but at this point I just want the whole mess to go away.

Doesn't help that business has been slow at both the restaurants where I work. So even if I could find someone to pick up a shift so I can take a whole day to rest (I've been skipping out on some crucial comedy shows to stay home and rest basically every night), even if that were possible, I can't afford to take off work. Bills won't pay themselves, muchless saving up for some more classes at the UCBT.

Add to all that: I'm coming down with a wicked-ass cold. Not entirely sure what medicine I can and can't take with the prescription meds. Ungh. Hope it's busy at work today! Ha.