Wednesday, November 23, 2005

transit

Writing this post from my phone. I'm on my way to Atlanta for the half marathon. I am desperately underprepared for this, and keep thinking that I feel like a grad student who is about to take a prelim after only studying for a couple days. I can either have a positive outcome or a just one, but not both. Fans of fairness, root for me to wheeze and fail.

This is as light as I have ever traveled by air before: one not very full backpack. The only clothes I've packed are what I plan to wear to the race. So, of course, I managed to accidentally spill Coke Zero all over my pants while getting on the subway. At least one advantage of looking incontinent while you travel is that other people give you a wide berth.

Madame Simpleton, her partner, and I are supposed to meet at 6:30am tomorrow. None of us are bringing our cel phones to the race but instead we are counting on having a foolproof plan for making sure we find each other amidst the 8000 other halfthoners. This feels weirdly risky. How did people ever coordinate with confidence before cel phones?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Didn't Schelling famously come up with the idea for his focal point solution to multiple-equilibria problems when in a very similar situation? If I remember correctly, you need to proceed to the central post office to find your friends, assuming, of course, you're all rational.
Never mind.
-Corrie