And it just keeps going

Transit Strike 2005 just keeps trucking along, and I'm beginning to feel a little guilty about my telecommuting. I'm watching the people walking accross the Brookyln Bridge, and I'm seeing the crazy traffic, and it's like I'm watching Darfur or the tsunami. Or at least it's equally far removed from my very well-heated and spacious Brooklyn apartment. I live in Bed-Stuy, and as I've been telling myself (and my co-workers, and my boss), there really is no way I could walk to work. My office is in midtown (the 50's) and there basically is no way in hell I could walk in.

A big part of the Transit Strike 2005 is people having reactions. What's the reaction of those crossing the Brooklyn Bridge? People stuck in traffic? TWU members marching around wherever it is that they walk around in front of? The fact that "This sure sucks" is the unwavering answer hasn't stopped our intrepid media folk from asking. Yesterday's Daily News probes for some celebrity reactions, and turns up this from "Saturday Night Live" castmember and "comedian" Darrell Hammond, who you may better remember as the only unfunny person in Anchorman:

"I normally take the 1 and the 2 downtown to do standup, because it's much faster. Today I am doing the shared cabs, where they can stop and pick up four fares, but it's not easy to find one. I'm trying to get to the East Side, and it's a parking lot. I'm not mad at anyone. I think you'll find a more meaningful dialogue as talks continue. New York is a special place."

Wow. That's great, Darrell. Could you do me a favor, funnyman, and make a fucking joke? It's okay to laugh at it: nobody's dead. Except, obviously, your sense of humor.

STRIKE 2005!

It's about 9 AM, the time I would usually be numbly stumbling the nine blocks I walk every day to get to the A train. Or, as happens pretty often, thinking "Shit! I'm running really fucking late. I've got to leave! But does this sweater match my shirt?" Not today, however, as we're all knee-deep in Transit Strike 2005.

While part of me wishes that I was out looking at all of the workaholic NYCers braving the cold just to get today's fix, a far larger part of me is happy to be in bed with my girlfriend, watching other people be cold. I'm also watching several transit-beat reporters who seem to have decided to cope with the stress of reporting from the same cramped conference room for the last 12 hours by getting coked out of their minds(I'm looking at you, NBC-twitchy-face!). All in all, it's shaping up to be a great day.