March 18, 2004
Today was a very cool day.
I rented a car and drove up to the Bronx, and took some more pictures of my old building and the surrounding neighborhood. I also took a ride over to my old elementary school to see some of my old teachers, whichever ones were still there. I encountered a bit of a problem, considering the school has been pretty much locked down in that visitors are pretty much not allowed anywhere in the school. Talking with the security people out front, however, I found out who was still teaching at the school. As the woman flipped through the staff pages, she found the picture of BJ the custodian, who was still there. She called him over so he could see his picture, and as he walked up to the main desk in the lobby he looked at me and immediately smiled and said "HEY!" Normally I wouldn't expect a custodian to remember specific students, but since BJ was a cool guy to the kids, we talked a lot back in school. We talked for a few minutes at which time he told me that my face hasn't changed, different teachers that were retired and still there, and what happened when I left school. He also remembered my brother.
We looked through the two yearbooks I brought with me, and found that the only teachers of mine that were still there were Ms. Baier and Mrs. Morgner. I was told I could probably catch Ms. Baier out in the schoolyard after dismissal, so I went around back and waited. Kids started trickling out of the area near the portable classrooms, and I found Ms. Baier's classroom was one of them. Next door was Ms. Baranin who also remembered me when I mentioned my name, which was pretty cool. Then I saw Ms. Baier, but she was popping in and out of her classroom giving students to parents.
Finally I got to talk to her, and she'd asked who I was and why I was there. When I told her I was a former student, she smiled and asked my name. When I told her, she knew exactly who I was and said that I was "a blondie!" back then. (My hair was much lighter when I was younger.) She told me to stay put, and that she'd be right out so that we could talk. After she finished, we walked to the lobby of the school and talked for a good hour about everything that happened with both of us since I left New York. When the subject of the classroom came up, she said she is very happy with the portable classroom considering it is air conditioned in the summer (the main building wasn't when I went there, and still isn't), and is really nice. I mentioned her little wooden doll cart, and she smiled and said "yeah, you used to sit in that and get pushed around!" which I did. Then she told me that due to the changes in the kindergarten curriculum, it's a lot more academic. As a result, that same cart is now being used for storage. That kind of sucks. We talked about lots of other stuff as well.
While we talked, Mrs. Morgner also passed by and Ms. Baier stopped her and re-introduced me. Mrs. Morgner vaguely remembered me, and completely remembered when I showed her my picture from her class in the yearbook. We got to talk for a few minutes which was pretty cool. She told me she "knows this kid (pointing to the yearbook) but doesn't know this young man (pointing to me)."
After I left the school, I stopped by Loretta's pizza near my old building and tasted my first slice of genuine New York pizza in about fifteen years. It was awesome. The unfortunate downside is that I am once again reminded of how shitty pizza is everywhere else. Then I did a bit of browsing in some of the stores on Tremont Ave. before I met my elementary school friend Isadore (my friend Melissa's brother) at his job, and we went out and played pool in Jimmy Ryan's bar in the Bronx.
It was a fun day. Tomorrow I head back up to Manhattan to try and once again accomplish my goals, then meet up with my brother James.
Further bulletins as events warrant.
(23:06)
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