G-d works in mysterious ways

I haven’t busked for so long now that it almost felt like I might have forgotten how… 😉
For 10 days I was out of the country, doing a TV show in Israel and starting to organize the first ever gathering of musical saw players there.
Then when I got back to New York the weather was so cold that I couldn’t busk 🙁
Not because it was too cold for ME but because it was too cold for the SAW! My cut-off temperature for busking is 34 degrees Fahrenheit, because below that the metal of the saw just doesn’t vibrate enough to produce the singing tone. In cold temperatures the saw makes crackling sounds and I have to fight it to force it to sing. A few winters ago I even broke a saw while playing at the 59th street $ Lex subway station.

Today’s high temp. was 37 degrees. It felt so good to be back in the subway again!

When I got to the spot my friend, an Andean player, was there playing the flute and pan-flute. He had a friend selling CDs with him. My friend said how he didn’t play over the weekend because it was too cold.

A lady stopped to listen. A second lady stopped a minute later. Lady 2 explained to Lady 1 what to listen for in my music: that the sound of the saw is the voice like sound. during the piano intro she said “not now…not now….” and when I started playing she said “now! you hear that ‘ooo’?”
Lady 2 took my card and told me she will recommend me to the Board of Education, even though she might be suspended.
Me: “I hope you won’t get suspended for recommending me…;)”
Lady 2: “No, just now I was suspended”.
Me: “I’m sorry to hear that!”
Lady 2: “No, if I hadn’t been suspended I wouldn’t have run into you! god works in mysterious ways.”

It was so nice to see my friends again: Chill and Bow who sing on the train (Chill said he got the newspaper article about me I sent to him with his brother when Chill was ill and bed-ridden); the guy who always shows up at about 2:30, sits on the bench and applaudes after each and every tune I play – he noticed I wasn’t wearing my usual black garb! How nice that people actually notice what I wear :)  I explained I wasn’t in my usual blacks because it’s too cold and my warmest clothes are blue… (a vintage Navy shirt from WWII); the MTA worker who is in charge of the garbage at Times Square passed through and said a cheerful ‘helo’; and the guy who always wants me to play J.S.Bach –
Bach guy: “have you given up on playing Bach?”
Me: “no, just a while before I played Bach. I’m also working on a new Bach piece”
Bach guy: “which one?”
Me: “Agnus Dei”
Bach guy: “from the Mass?”
Me: “yes – I’m playing the alto-voice part”
Bach guy: “ Wonderful, I look forward to hearing that!”

Somebody put a big black button in my donations box. The button says ‘J. Lindeberg on course’.

There were a few Chinese ladys walking around wearing gorgeous chinese costumes. A couple of them, who also had a child walking with them (the child was not in costume) put a brochure in my box. It turned out that they had performed at the Times Square subway station in honor of the Chinese New Year, and they were advertising their Chinese New Year show taking place at Radio City Music Hall.
Happy New Year!

Michael Schulman, the violinist, showed up for his spot after me. Very nice guy. He told me he has been playing with gloves – not fingerless gloves but full ones! He said he is the only violinist in the world who can do that. He also said he doesn’t book in stations where there is no Police right by our spot, on account of the violent hip-hop dancers.