all lights green

When I was a high school student I used to muse that the metaphor for a perfect afternoon would be a drive home from school in which i managed to hit all the green lights on the way. Yes, I was a bit of a romantic (pansy) back then.

These days I have no car, although I'm contemplating putting my life at serious risk by purchasing a scooter. (The topic of scooters in Korea deserves its own post so I won't get into it now).

since i'm currently scooterless, my miserable hour long morning commute takes me through two different subway lines, with an exciting transfer at Yaksu station. i say exciting because the transfer is like a staged battle, writ in miniature upon the 2 rows of escalators. every day one stop before Yaksu I join the unwashed korean masses (literally - the Kims tend to bathe about twice a week according to most sources) as we jockey for position at the doors of the first car. Once out the door it's a race through the sharp elbows of disgruntled ajumas - what the hell are these old women doing in the subway at 7am??

the reason people must race for the escalator is the train is absurdly deep in the station; climbing the stairs is unthinkable, and within minutes of train arrival some asshole is guaranteed to decide to stand still on the escalator, blocking all others from walking up. so i drop elbows on ajumas to secure my fast-paced ascent towards escalator two. along the way we merge with the phalanx from the other platform, and now it's a battle for position along the left side of the escalator. again this is inspired by the fact that some people will race to the escalator and then stand still as it climbs. apparently they don't really need to get to work, and just wake up at 6am every morning to go for a leisurely subterranean stroll.

now, how does all of this relate to my serene memories of driving home from high school? well the entire experience would be unbearable without my ipod. i'm not trying to be some lame posterchild for the apple generation here, but i think you know what i'm talkin about. however there are of course a variety of moods that i am pushed through during the first hour of my day, ranging from sleepy and calm to warlike. it's impossible to attempt to musically manage these moods while simultaneously fighting the crowd. thus i often put my ipod on shuffle as i walk out the door and hope for the best.

on some mornings, the bizarre apple algorithm is spot on, starting me off with a nice slow piece (say iron and wine), building up as i reach the first station (a little "Albuquerque" by Neil Young) and finally culminating with some ass-kicking old lady-punching music for Yaksu (today it was "California Uber-alles" by DK).

this morning, the ipod delivered - and i beat the slackers up the escalators to boot. as i squeezed onto the six train for my morning's swansong i thought to myself: good job ipod - all lights green on the way to work.