I like it when bus drivers try to be funny- they often succeed. This morning, as the Q74 came to the end of its route, the driver picked up his microphone: "Union Turnpike subway station, last stop. Remember to take your belongings with you, and have a nice day." A pause. "Oh. By the way, it's Monday." The entire bus cracked up.
Speaking of buses, I've learned that my humble, heavily-Orthodox neighborhood has some reputation. For example, a few months back, I overheard a passenger on the Q44 on the phone: "Yeah, I'm in Queens now. I'll be in the Bronx in, oh, twenty minutes or so? Where am I now? Hmmm." (Looks out the windows.) "Oh, on Main Street. You know, the kosher neighborhood." Ha! Too true.
Then, a couple of Fridays ago, one woman wanted to know where the local library branch was. "Just a block past the bus stop," she was told. "But will it be open? It closes at sundown in this neighborhood." This led to a discussion, which concluded that sundown (of course) was still a ways off, so she was OK. (Needless to say, the local library does not close at sundown, although it is the only branch in the city open on Sunday instead of Saturday.)
Anything else to report? Well, a brochure going around tells us that if you give money to one of those "Gedolim in Israel" charities (there are two- I think this is the lesser one, nebach), they'll daven for you at the spot directly opposite the exact spot of the Kodesh HaKadoshim. (I guess they mean at the Kotel Katan, or maybe in the tunnels.) Of course, if you asked one of these "gedolim" if you were allowed to go up to the Har HaBayit, they'd tell you, "Oh no! We don't know the exact spot of the Kodesh HaKadoshim!" Ha.
On to politics. Does anyone remember a movie from a number of years back ("The Contender"?), about some woman nominated for- I think- vice president- and how she's smeared and attacked by- you guessed it- the evil Republicans? Remember Geena Davis's blink-and-you-missed-it series, in which a relatively inexperienced woman succeeds to the presidency and is attacked by- you guessed it- evil Republicans? Who'da thunk that when the situation would arise in real life, it would be the Andrew Sullivans of the world (including one idiot in shul this morning) who'd be doing the attacking?
Ah, it's not all bad news. Barry and his crew are running scared, it's clear, and from conversations I've had, I daresay even many of the people behind those movies and TV shows may be swayed toward Palin. (Certainly hoi polloi are. And boy, I don't even have to be swayed.) Even the Metro News this morning seemed to prefer her and McCain over the One. The media runs in a herd, I think- who knows where it will lead? (Yeah, I shouldn't like that either. But it is sweet.) MSNBC yesterday, the Times today, in its article on her baby, maybe even, tomorrow, Snopes, which, I'm sorry to say, has really been in the tank for Obama this year. (I've seen claims they were like this four years ago as well, but I don't recall it.)
Ah, and speaking of young'uns, the best piece of news of all- I have a new nephew! Whoo-hoo! Mazal tovs all around!
