And the Days Go By Like a Strand in the Wind

P went to a coworker funeral this morning and I went to spend the afternoon with a friend.  Felt funny him leaving in a suit and me all chipper hoping for sunshine and lots of laughs.

I walked through downtown Brooklyn there and back.

Moonstruck Diner on 2nd Ave, my bud's favorite.  I had the Greek Salad and she had her usual grilled cheese platter with fries and a Coke.  Any good diner's staple.

H and I have gone to diners for years and she always gets the same thing and eats like a quarter of it.  She made me appreciate diners for the conversation and easiness of the whole experience.  Laid back yet hustled and noisy.

They took out the booths and put in little bistro tables and the waiter looked disappointed in our order.  Then don't call it a diner!  They already upped the price tag on these menu items to well beyond their worth anyway, so keep your specialty items and pocket the profit and leave me the eff alone!  And bring me a cawfee!

Walking past some of these places  in the East Village I have specific memories attached to over the years when we first moved here.  Instantly I get pulled back into those days, all the mystery of the new terrain, and the history and the memories being made at the same time.  Being taught New York 101 by the men we called McIntosh, Jackson and Halverson on the easiest ways to get from bar to bar in all the neighborhoods and then to the nearest subway when you've reached your limit.  And how to pour your friends in a late night cab when necessary.  It seems easy until you are the one responsible for doing it.  Where does your friend live?  Should you get a cab facing uptown, downtown, across town?  Do they have money, can they talk?  It actually does need to be taught.  This was before GPS and cell phones mind you.  And you were wise to listen to the tried advice of these professionals.

That was years ago but I love how specific times in your life become whole chapters.  And you can go back sometimes and read them and it all comes to life again.

Everything changes and some things stay exactly the same.