piles of math books on the F train
I just woke up from the most ridiculous but horrible dream.
I was in New York, in the subway, apparently at the 2nd Avenue F train station (though of course it didn't look like it). And for some reason I had all my math books with me. Not in boxes or anything so sensible, but in a few large piles on the platform. I had to get the books on to the F train with me. But when the train arrived, the books were not as conveniently situated as they could have been, so I wasn't sure I could get them all in before the doors closed -- I considered the wisdom of it for a moment but decided to try anyway. I almost managed it: I fit most of the books into two large piles and got these into the train, but there was still a small pile of three books remaining on the platform that I had to go back for, and I wasn't sure I could make it. I didn't want to just leave them there (I don't know what they were except that one of them was a yellow Springer text), so I went for them... and sure enough while I was doing so, the doors closed and the train pulled out, carrying all but three of my math books with it. I considered my options... a sudden express train would have served me quite well at this moment, but in the dream I forgot they exist, and anyway they don't stop at 2nd Avenue. I wondered if I could get a cab and catch up with the train by the time it reached 14th Street... it seemed unlikely (in fact now that I think of it in real life it seems bloody impossible), but it was the only thing I could think of, so I started running up the stairs to the street, clutching the only three math books that I still owned.
When you think about it, unless you're lucky and have an express train conveniently situated, catching up with a moving subway train would be well nigh impossible. I've only thought of such scenarios before when it comes to the question of what to do if you're with someone and you get separated by closing subway doors -- obviously the person on the train should then get off at the next stop. A despairing thought that occurred to me more than once during this dream:
A pile of books can't get off at the next stop.
I've seldom been so relieved to wake up.
I was in New York, in the subway, apparently at the 2nd Avenue F train station (though of course it didn't look like it). And for some reason I had all my math books with me. Not in boxes or anything so sensible, but in a few large piles on the platform. I had to get the books on to the F train with me. But when the train arrived, the books were not as conveniently situated as they could have been, so I wasn't sure I could get them all in before the doors closed -- I considered the wisdom of it for a moment but decided to try anyway. I almost managed it: I fit most of the books into two large piles and got these into the train, but there was still a small pile of three books remaining on the platform that I had to go back for, and I wasn't sure I could make it. I didn't want to just leave them there (I don't know what they were except that one of them was a yellow Springer text), so I went for them... and sure enough while I was doing so, the doors closed and the train pulled out, carrying all but three of my math books with it. I considered my options... a sudden express train would have served me quite well at this moment, but in the dream I forgot they exist, and anyway they don't stop at 2nd Avenue. I wondered if I could get a cab and catch up with the train by the time it reached 14th Street... it seemed unlikely (in fact now that I think of it in real life it seems bloody impossible), but it was the only thing I could think of, so I started running up the stairs to the street, clutching the only three math books that I still owned.
When you think about it, unless you're lucky and have an express train conveniently situated, catching up with a moving subway train would be well nigh impossible. I've only thought of such scenarios before when it comes to the question of what to do if you're with someone and you get separated by closing subway doors -- obviously the person on the train should then get off at the next stop. A despairing thought that occurred to me more than once during this dream:
A pile of books can't get off at the next stop.
I've seldom been so relieved to wake up.