trains, planes, and robots

Yesterday... mission accomplished. I spent a long two-hour lunch with my program manager, eating very good sushi overlooking the Potomac, and we caught up on projects and Headquarters outlooks. And met with the guy who is taking over the program from her. Gave both of them invitations to our summer final demonstration on Devon Island, and the former will accept. Also wandered and handed out other invitations around Space Science and Exploration Systems. Dropped one off with the NASA Administrator's receptionist (he wasn't in).

Then off to the airport and to New York. Weather delayed us a half-hour or so. On arriving at Penn Station, the taxi queue was a block long... on the other side, nonexistent, so a short walk saved me 20 minutes. Which I then squandered after dropping off my luggage, trying in vain to hail a cab on 6th Ave. and finally taking the subway to dinner with elissaann... hit up for cash by a homeless woman in the train, then tried to be oblivious to a Bible-thumping guy standing 5 feet away, bewailing us all in a loud Caribbean accent. Elissa was understanding, though, given that I was a half-hour late.

She was very pretty in a new, low-cut green dress. NRE certainly agrees with her, I kept feeling compersive about her and J and grinning at her across the table. The restaurant was across the street from her building, had a reasonably-priced prix fixe, and I enjoyed my pistachio-crusted chicken. Although I enjoyed the company more. :) She had some startling news for me, but it's hers to tell...

Afterward, I wandered over to the East Village and found McSorley's Ale House, had a couple, and people-watched. Looked at the nineteenth-century knickknacks , clanked mugs with strangers in agreement about something. I stop there on most NYC visits, it was where I first had beer... in college at MIT, I was visiting a friend on Long Island over a weekend, and he insisted (correctly) that I'd like it there.

Today... about to head to Honeybee Robotics, then back this afternoon to California, hopefully in time for a date tonight with patgreene.

leaving *real* bagels behind...

Up at 7am... was somewhat adjusted, it didn't quite feel like 4am anymore. Down to the street to find a sidewalk cart to buy breakfast (no way am I paying $12 for a danish and coffee in the hotel...). I rarely eat bagels except when I'm in New York, but today that was the case... large, surface chewy, tender down inside, a slab of cream cheese... simple, but the ones at home are invariably tough, hard, spongey or too flabby. Coffee and juice and a tip was still well under $5. Back up to my tiny $280/night 9x10 room with no closet or wardrobe (had to hang my shirts and jacket in the bathroom), located next door to the Rockefeller Center. Packed, showered, and off to Honeybee.

Took the subway, but the R instead of 1-9, and was momentarily confused to walk topside near the Empire State Building instead of Penn Station. Reoriented myself, then it started raining. I was still more or less on time to Honeybee (at 34th and 10th Ave). We covered MARTE final drawings and lists and manuals, proposed budgets for the MIB Scout drill, and DAME integration and summer testing. Then joined the daily MIB telecon.

The telecon dragged on... my part was done, and so I headed out for lunch with sinboy (after I'd shown him a few Mars rover display artifacts). We had a good time catching up, going to an Italian grocery/deli around 37th and 9th Ave. Smoked buffalo mozzarella and soppressa and smoked red peppers... mmm. Between that and the cream cheese, I've used today's calcium ration, pleasantly.

Then a cab back to the hotel, then to Penn Station, then a train to Newark airport and the six-hour flight homeward...

NYC isn't home, or even homelike, per se... but working with these guys at Honeybee over the past three years has brought me here often enough that I'm starting to feel comfortable and to have a vague idea of how things work. Not always (viz. last night's cab) but it isn't disconcerting anymore to adjust. I kind of get off on the energy, actually, the rush and sounds and movement and lights. I like crowds, to some extent. And there are little stories on every block, if I look or listen for them.

It's also interesting to watch the gender-image split... seems like NYC women are often locked in some kind of fashion combat, a feminine one-upswomanship... where generally males seem like irrelevant bystanders. While the guys just wear the usual corporate uniform, or are casually slobby in sports hoodies or polo or T-shirts, on the street.