Adventures in NEW YORK! NEW YORK!

I might have TB... well I do, but I might have more than just the TB bacteria in my body... like full blown TB... More on this later. Meanwhile please enjoy these nice after dinner mind refereshments.

So today I went on an accidental fire stairs escapade... I was trying to get to the computer lab on the 7th floor of Hunter East (we have three buildings, north, west and east, occupying the Northwest, southwest and southeast corner of 68th and Lexington, well we actually have four buildings at this campus, but the north building and the Thomas Hunter building are seamlessly adjacent, and the difference between the two is only noticable from the outside, not the inside.)

Well, I've seen the 7th floor lab from the bridgeway (we have three bridgeways, one on the 7th between east and west, and two on the third between east and west and west and north). But there doesn't seem a way to get to it from the seventh floor bridgeway... there are a few dummy computers (not full stations, just client computers) but there is a wall and elevators between them and the lab that you can see from the bridgeway. so there appears to be no way to get to it from the 7th floor, so I tried the eighth floor, but there didnt seem a way down into the lab, so I thought there might be a way up from the Library on the third floor, figuring that the lab might be part of the library and thus only accessible through it. So I tried the elevator, but when the elevator showed up it was obvious I and my luggage (more on the luggage being with me later) would not fit. So I decided to go down the stairs. So I go down the stairs... and a sign on every floor access door says "no entry, reenter on the 8th floor or go to the first and exit street level" or something of the sort. so thinking that I can't take the elevators and going down hill is easier than up, AND that the first and third floor are a heck of a lot closer than the 8th and 3rd, I procede down to the first floor, where I come to a door that looks like it goes out.

SO I check for alarms and finding none on the door, I push through.

then I see that I'm actually in a longish hall and I can see some daylight through the cracks at the door on the other end, as I approach the exit door, I notice two things. First I notice the door behind me click closed. Second I notice that the exit doors have two alarm systems wired to them.

So I debate about sitting down and reading the rest of Narnia.

That won't do, because I'd be in the same situation as this area seems seldom ventured into.

So I look around, the elevator requires a key... I don't have a key.
The other two doors in the room are locked, as is the door I left.
All that's left is an emergency call box.

So I debate briefly about looking foolish and then realise it's foolish to put off looking foolish, when you might as well at the soonest convienence (keeps ya humble and all).

At which point I push the button, hear the ringing and blush.

After a few rings the guy on the other side asks "Public safety how can I help?" or some other polite and genuinely loving and unimposed-upon words.

I blubber something about being outside elevator bank A on the first floor and unable to get out without tripping the alarm (I had noticed the sign earlier and thought it would be easiest to describe where I was to someone on the other side, but now that i think about it, they probably knew exactly where I was, considering it wouldn't be too hard to have a light saying which emergency call box was tripped.)

He said to just exit, but I questioned if that would trip the door alarms.

"One minute"
As he went off to converse with his colleagues I had to let out a little smile, chuckle and "crazy".
Then I overheard "yeah just have him exit".
"Yeah just exit to street level"
"you sure it won't trip the alarms"
"yeah just exit."
So I walk up to the doors and without pausing take a deep breath as I push the doors open.
I hear the alarm go off, in my mind, but no where else.

I later discovered that there may not be a public lab on the 7th floor, the lab I'm thinking of maybe a workspace or private... in any case no body knows about it, not even the people in purple shirts that say ask me questions(our colours are yellow and purple for the Hawks) or the campus security.

So luggage. Last night I arranged to go to a hostel in the east part of queens (about 45mins from Hunter). I'm supposed to meet the person before 530 or after 11. (maybe after 10, but she wasn't so sure she'd be there). so I go and wait outside from 11 until 1230 waiting for her, and calling her and buzzing the apt... at which point I realise how tired I am and how much I'm going to need sleep. So I decide in a last ditch effort to call a hostel that didn't have rooms earlier, but whose number was the only other one I had, thinking if nothing else I can go stay at the Missionary of Charities Shelter in the Bronx (they invited me to stay if I ever needed a place). Well lucky tired me got a welcome answer on the otherside saying "yes, we have rooms", "all you have to do is show up" and "30 to 36 dollars". I'm excited to be almost asleep in a bed. But I give her one last try to no avail. I head down little India (thats what I'm going to call this area, as there were so many Indians, and it even had the random Indian "taxi" driver in a personal car asking "Taxi?" and not believing me when I said no.) to the train station (the subways are considered trains, and they are sometimes above ground, especially off of Manhattan Island).

Now please note at this time that its between 1230-1am that I'm walking down to the subway station in NYC... everyone has heard the horror stories of gangs and seen movies so they briefly pass through my mind, but it didn't bother me much as I know God wouldn't permit something that wouldn't be for His glory. (So what if I die in a lynching... maybe souls would turn ever more to Him because of it? Not that I'm trying to dredge the fathoms of God's wisdom, but just that I could see it happening.)

So I get on the train eventually and notice a group of what appears Europeans and one suitcase amongst them. Now during the train ride up manhattan Island I'm trying to figure out if they're sharing the suitcase or if that satchel on the guy's arm is his toilletries case thus signifying that it's his suitcase... whatever. At some point in the daze of 130am I stumble ever so gracefully off the train and into the w 103rd st station. Noticing that the suitcase is carrying a small and cute slavic looking girl. So I try not to make much eye contact, other than a cordial smile, as I walk beside her out to the exit (I didn't want a single girl to be worried that I was a threat or that she was in danger by engaging her in conversation). But she at somepoint seemed to say something, but as I couldnt understand I just chalked it up to self-talk. Then she repeated it but louder and directed at me, "Are you going to the central park hostel?" I say no "Jazz on the Park, How much is that hostel?" "I don't know, do you know where it is?" "No, do you have an address for it?" "no." "well I know there is space at the hostel I'm going to, so you're welcome to come."

The rest of the night proceeds with her saying "what would we do without boys" (I lugged her luggage up several flights of steps), us ending up in the same room (the only two occupants of a four-bed room), free clean towels, and an nice comfy bed around 2am.

Well that was what we thought was the rest. But at 4 am we were awakened by some really loud noise, our door openning (which it shouldn't since there was a key card access), some really really really loud talking and laughing (including "A girl!") for 4am in the morning, and two guys that appear in to be in some oddly outdated uniform. I thought they were drunks at first, then staff, and after a bit we discovered they were travellers who had just gotten in. They left. and we returned to sleep, to be woken up again at 7am by them stumbling back in loudly, and going to sleep on the bunks above us (we had the bottom bunks, and they had gone to see the sun rise in Brooklyn). Around 940am Anna wakes me up (I've been in and out of mostly restful sleep the whole time due to the random interuptions confusing my sleep cycle). saying that breakfast is almost over... I say I'm going down are you? she said in a bit maybe. So I go down and enjoy a nice and free bagel with 3 packets of jelly a coffee and grab an orange for after. Around 1005 Anna stumbles down to find that they had already closed up the free stuff, but also to find an orange that I saved for her.

In other news, I'll talk about Subway confusion (I've been going the wrong way alot lately) and a rental Scam later. But now back to our main course.

Yes my skin test was POSITIVE. Though the way she explained it was "it just means you were exposed to it and have an infection, not that you have TB" I think she was differentiating between a carrier and an active case, but I'm not sure. So tomorrow morning I have an Xray and Dr.s appt. to find out what the dealio is, Yo.

And I'm off... gotta find housing for tonight and beyond... checking out an appartment in a second.