September 19 – Day 13: My Apartment Is Haunted


After my obsession with electronics on Tuesday, I was determined to have a calmer Wednesday. It being Wednesday, though, it was also new comics day, so I wanted to stop off at the comic shop on my way in. When I’m in New York, I like to shop at Forbidden Planet on Broadway (pretty much right next to the Strand Book Store). It’s reasonably convenient to the East Village and my usual routes. Yes, I could have stopped off after rehearsal, but as it turned out, it was probably a good thing I went early.

I picked up my usual assortment, but supplemented it with a copy of Batman: Damned, which turns out to be the issue with the glimpse of Bruce Wayne’s penis. Why this view is necessary, I have no idea. The whole thing smacks of “ooohh, aren’t we daring?,” while just being stupid. As it turns out, though, the damn thing sold out and is now selling for as much as $20. Had I waited, I wouldn’t have gotten one, and my life would be that much poorer.

 "Hey, kids! Comics!"

The rest of the day was surprisingly uneventful (at least, the daylight hours were). We were concentrating on table work at rehearsal, which means sitting around the table, reading the play, and doing an in-depth discussion about the text. It took us all of our allotted time to get through just one act. The most remarkable thing about the day (to me) was the rain. Around 1:00, the skies just opened, and it poured in Biblical proportions for the next few hours. It was relentless, and yet somehow didn’t clear the humidity in the air; it was still hot and muggy afterward.

The best part of the table-work process for me is not just getting to know a text I thought I knew even better, but getting different perspectives on it from a new group of smart people. It’s not that it’s better than the last time; it’s just a series of different takes. It’s the same with the actors and roles. Because I’ve already done the play, I came in with certain readings and interpretations stuck in my head, and I’m suddenly hearing new ones (some better, some maybe not as effective yet, but still good; actors as talented as these are going to make good choices) and it’s making me think about what I’m doing. I mean, it’s a play I’ve done, what, 20, 25 times already?, and I don’t want to get bored with it, so I’ve got to keep it fresh by finding new stuff, and this is the kind of experience that can do exactly that. (I just hope I’m up to it and don’t screw it up.)

We finished, and while I was tempted by the prospect of walking the 80 blocks back home (it would have been about 90 minutes), the humidity was just too much, so it was onto the subway and back downtown.

There are a number of restaurants I tried last year that I wanted to get back to and haven’t yet. I’m hitting them one by one, while adding others, but am still missing a couple (there’s a pizza place, the Westville restaurant, and Katz’s delicatessen, among others), and one of those was the sit-down version of Mighty Quinn’s on 2nd Ave. I’d eaten at the Yankee Stadium version, but wanted the full menu, so I hiked over to 2nd, and started looking. As is my wont, I walked by it at least once before stumbling in. I ordered more burnt ends and mac and cheese, but the pulled chicken looked so good, I added that and some mashed potatoes, figuring I’d have leftovers. Despite the humidity, it had cooled off enough that I ate outside. I finished about half of the food, got a to-go container for the rest, and came home.

 Pretty darn tasty

I figured it was about time to catch up on the blog, so it was early enough that I could spend some time writing. Thanks to the DVR here, I was able to catch up on some of the stuff I’d taped, including Ghost Adventures, which is one of those shows that I don’t believe a word of, but can still give me the willies under the right circumstances.

I had planned on a 2:00 am lights out (which is early for me), figuring that I could get a good eight hours before having to get to rehearsal, but I hadn’t figured on how all circumstances would conspire against me.

For a few days now, I’ve been tormented by an enormous housefly who’s been buzzing back and forth around the apartment, generally acting like he owns the place. I’ve tried swatting him a couple of times, but he’s evaded me each time, which only got me madder and emboldened him. He spent a good portion of the evening dive-bombing me, and I was kind of just waiting for him to live out his life span and dropping dead. (It’s kind of how I feel about Trump, come to think of it.) I ended up turning out the light about 2:40 and, as might be expected, the sonovabitch kept it up, buzzing past and around me. I was doing the New York Times crossword puzzle on my phone, so I thought I’d turn on the light on my phone and try to attract him—or at the very least, see where he was landing in order to maybe get him.

While I didn’t see him (or her; I’m not sure how to sex houseflies), I did attract a gnat of some kind who made his last landing place my arm. This one, I murdered in cold blood, and didn’t regret it.

I think I described how there’s a back room to this apartment that I never use, mainly because it’s a closed space with no windows, no door to the outside (well, there is a door on the inside, but since it John was told he needed to get rid of it, there’s no sign of it on the outside), and no real ventilation. There’s a door from the apartment, but it’s heavy and it’s closed (there’s no lock, but it’s shut).

I’ve already watched the ghost show, so I’m susceptible, but I’m here in the dark and that door back there suddenly slams. I think “What the hell?” and go back there. I check the front door—closed and locked—and look around the room. There’s no one there and no way to get in and no real way to slam the door: there’s no breeze, no opening, and no ventilation. I have no idea how it happened or what it was, but it gave me a little pause.

I kept the phone light on while I finished the crossword, and out of nowhere, a gigantic moth appeared, attracted by the glow. I went after him and think I wounded him, but he took off and I haven’t seen him since. I don’t know if he moved on or I gave him a terminal wound.

 My sub-tenant

I turned on the lights, and looked around. I considered leaving the kitchen light on, so if he was still there, he’d be more attracted to that than me, but it was too bright. I ended up turning the WC light on and mostly closing the door, hoping it would do the trick. I don’t know if it did, but (as I say) I haven’t seen the moth since.

By this time, it was well around 4:30, and I needed to be up for rehearsal, so I tried as best as I could to go to sleep. I ended up getting about four-and-a-half hours (maybe five), but I was pretty wrecked Thursday.

But that’s tomorrow.

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