If you live in Donelson and work downtown, I highly recommend a jostle on the train. The rates went down to bus fare price in July, only $1.60 per trip. I rode the Nashville Star today for the first time. From Donelson, it takes about 13 minutes and then another ten to walk to my office.
When I stepped off the platform onto 1st Avenue, the same intense connectedness that I’ve associated with the trains in Boston, New York, D.C and Chicago welled up in me and I felt like I was living in a city. A city! To call Nashville a city after experiencing the great thrive of big cities in this big country seems laughable but I felt it. The City-ness of it all and happiness and possibility seemed right there in front of me, chasing the frocked pedestrians and dark-clad queue waiting for the connecting bus. I wanted to run all 8 blocks to work chirping out how crazily wonderful everyone could feel if they’d ride the train with me every morning. I wanted to screen-print posters saying “Trains make people Happy!” and put them on every electrical pole. I wanted to hop back on and ride home again so I could ride back.
buses and I have never had the same heart-swelling relationship. I rode the bus to school for the first time when I was seven. I didn’t know when to get off. The bus driver found me huddled near the back, biting my fingernails (I’m sure) and walked me into the school where he’d parked and found someone who knew where I belonged. Unfortunately, it was my last school and the person he found was my previous 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Daniels, who did not like me at all.
At seven, I don’t remember thinking it strange that there was a teacher who didn’t like me and was very obvious about it. But looking back on it, the situation does seem odd and mean. Mrs. Daniels made sure I felt extremely foolish for not getting off the bus and explained to me what a bother it was that someone was going to have to drive me all the way over to the school I was supposed to be in. She made sure my mother knew which was not going to go well for me. Since then I have never liked taking a bus anywhere, but Trains! Trains are clackery thumpy stumble fun. I would take a train to the moon. (Although I’d still be nervous about when exactly I should get off)
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Friday, December 18, 2009
the unpeggable work-friend
My work-friend (wf) is a fascinating study. She befriended me through sheer endurance. Usually I will like who I like and if I don’t like you immediately, you get no second chances. But I’m becoming more open-minded in my old age, or something, and work-friend is locked in. At work only.
Work-friend specifically refers to me as “friend”.
“Hello, friend.” She says when she sees me in the morning. At first I interpreted this as reinforcement, as if she were trying to establish rapport with me that wasn’t happening naturally so she forced it by pointedly referring to me as “friend”. Then, I gained middle ground and figured maybe this is how she greets friends. I’m still not sure but work-friend is stubborn and has hung on through our many differences, I’ve grown to appreciate this about her.
I asked her to take the (shortened) Myers-briggs during my most recent obsession with it. She scored my exact opposite in everything except Extroversion. I had intuited our drastic processing differences upon meeting her but they’ve only magnified after scientific proof.
But the thing about work-friend that fascinates me the most is her different voices. I’m not sure if I should call these tones or voices, but in my mind I think of them as separate personalities so voices seems right-er.
Voice 1 appears to be her normal/default voice. This is (what appears to be) an unmodified voice, a gentle not too-too Southern accent, variations in tone moving easily between happy, sad, irritated and various other emotions. Voice 1 is most often used when we are alone, or she is on the phone with her boyfriend.
Voice 2 is only slightly different from Voice 2. The accent becomes a bit more syrup and there is a strange lilting to the ends of her words. There is also an “eager beaver” edge to it and Voice 2 is always upbeat. This voice is used in the presence of “Higher Ups” even when they are not directly being spoken to.
Voice 3 specifically applies to black people. This one really bothered me at first. Black people don’t seem to notice it because of the strange coincidence of thinking that this is how work-friend actually talks because she always talks to them this way. Voice 3’s Southern accent thickens to the point of molasses and includes a lot of references to black culture, rap music she likes and interjections of ‘awwww, yeahhh’ and ‘you know it’.
Voice 4 is for people in positions of service to work-friend. When work-friend calls someone on the phone to ask a question her voice become yellow sunshine honey, so sweet I want to brush my teeth. If I were the recipient of Voice 4, I would imagine dimples, pigtails and a head cocked puppy-like to the side. Maybe bubblegum smacking. Voice 4 talks circles around the listener until they give Voice 4 whatever Voice 4 wants. Tone is usually menacingly cheery.
Voice 5 is used when work-friend doesn’t like someone, light and nasally and pleasant. It reverts directly into Voice 1 (subset, catty) when subject leaves.
I understand the concept of people speaking to different people in different ways, I even understand that some people think this is necessary for our society to work but I don’t have a real ability to practice it. I talk to everyone the same way: boss, kid, partner, mom, friends. I like this about myself. I am One-Voiced.
Work-friend specifically refers to me as “friend”.
“Hello, friend.” She says when she sees me in the morning. At first I interpreted this as reinforcement, as if she were trying to establish rapport with me that wasn’t happening naturally so she forced it by pointedly referring to me as “friend”. Then, I gained middle ground and figured maybe this is how she greets friends. I’m still not sure but work-friend is stubborn and has hung on through our many differences, I’ve grown to appreciate this about her.
I asked her to take the (shortened) Myers-briggs during my most recent obsession with it. She scored my exact opposite in everything except Extroversion. I had intuited our drastic processing differences upon meeting her but they’ve only magnified after scientific proof.
But the thing about work-friend that fascinates me the most is her different voices. I’m not sure if I should call these tones or voices, but in my mind I think of them as separate personalities so voices seems right-er.
Voice 1 appears to be her normal/default voice. This is (what appears to be) an unmodified voice, a gentle not too-too Southern accent, variations in tone moving easily between happy, sad, irritated and various other emotions. Voice 1 is most often used when we are alone, or she is on the phone with her boyfriend.
Voice 2 is only slightly different from Voice 2. The accent becomes a bit more syrup and there is a strange lilting to the ends of her words. There is also an “eager beaver” edge to it and Voice 2 is always upbeat. This voice is used in the presence of “Higher Ups” even when they are not directly being spoken to.
Voice 3 specifically applies to black people. This one really bothered me at first. Black people don’t seem to notice it because of the strange coincidence of thinking that this is how work-friend actually talks because she always talks to them this way. Voice 3’s Southern accent thickens to the point of molasses and includes a lot of references to black culture, rap music she likes and interjections of ‘awwww, yeahhh’ and ‘you know it’.
Voice 4 is for people in positions of service to work-friend. When work-friend calls someone on the phone to ask a question her voice become yellow sunshine honey, so sweet I want to brush my teeth. If I were the recipient of Voice 4, I would imagine dimples, pigtails and a head cocked puppy-like to the side. Maybe bubblegum smacking. Voice 4 talks circles around the listener until they give Voice 4 whatever Voice 4 wants. Tone is usually menacingly cheery.
Voice 5 is used when work-friend doesn’t like someone, light and nasally and pleasant. It reverts directly into Voice 1 (subset, catty) when subject leaves.
I understand the concept of people speaking to different people in different ways, I even understand that some people think this is necessary for our society to work but I don’t have a real ability to practice it. I talk to everyone the same way: boss, kid, partner, mom, friends. I like this about myself. I am One-Voiced.
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