'strike one'

so the transit strike is on, and the city is chaos. since i have my car here and i am used to driving to work, it hasn't been a huge inconvenience for me. i feel almost guilty knowing how aggravating it's been for so many others to plan something totally mundane, like going to work. sara estimated it would take about 4 hours for her to communte from BK to midtown.

i had a total of twelve students today out of the 100 i have on roll. not that my students really need an excuse to skip school or anything though. the two hours didn't really make any kind of difference i could acertain.

i was asked for directions by drivers more than once today, which initially struck me as odd. then, after giving it more thought, i realized that people who are completely accustomed to going into the subway at point A, getting on a train, and popping up at point B really might not have any concept of how to get there above ground. so bizarre to me, as a new city girl.

i completely empathize with people hating to deal with the frustration of the strike ramifications, but i have a really hard time listening to the newscasters going on and on about how new yorkers do so well in times of strife. they make it seem like the strike is a tragedy, on par with events like 9/11, and the comparison makes me angry. irritation and inconvenience are not the same as disaster and cataclysm*. "the enduring spirit of new yorkers"? okay. "new yorkers facing another trying time of courage and persistence"? i'm not so sure.

* new vocabulary courtesy of m-w.com