Sunday, April 08, 1984

Trains

It is unfair to talk of buses and forget the trains. The truth is that the most wonderful experience of the whole trip was an Amtrak experience. I left Princeton, and, as one would expect from american railroads, I found myself, together with another girl who boarded at Princeton, stranded in Trenton. Hour and a half in the Trenton train station. The girl said: "What are we going to do? You'll be very bored... I have an Ebony, do you want to see it?" (no she was not black - actually she was off-blonde). She had this issue of Ebony because it contained an article about Charlotte McCoo's diet. I have no idea who Charlotte McCoo is - she is a television personality. The article said she put great emphasis on regular bowel motion.

I read it and then I said to the girl "You must be bored, too. I just happen to have two Superman comics books with me, and a Classics Illustrated from 50's - is that something for you?" She said that that might be worth load of money; she had just received a comic books catalogue she had ordered in the mail, and did I know that some of the first issues can fetch a few thousands of dollars? For example, the first issue of Batman in mint condition is worth $6000. I had no idea, I had to admit. I thought six dollars for a Classics Illustrated was outrageous enough. One thing seemed clear - Princeton freshmen have gotten more brainless. Television stars, and comic book catalogues? Next thing you know, we were sitting in a train and I was confessing to my dislike of Wagner. How I went all the way from Oxford to London to the Covent Garden to sit through four hours of Sigfried for love of my Wagner freak friends Francois and UF. A long story - for another time.

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