Lucky 13

10:23 a.m. in Union Square Park I saw someone that closely resembled Franklin D. Roosevelt without his glasses. When I looked a second time I saw that it *was* Franklin D without his glasses - on a dime. It was glinting up from the grass.

At Tisserie about ten minutes later I found one penny on the floor next to the cashier's counter and another by the Barista's counter. I guess people are aware of it when they drop pennies but they fear being seen as cheap or miserly if they pick them up so they just leave them. It's sad how much shame can be brought on by money.

The real excitement came on the down escalator at the Union Square Movie theater around 5:00 p.m. (after seeing WANTED) when I saw a penny perched right at the edge of the landing. There were people behind me. Would I have enough time to step off the moving escalator, turn around, and scoop it up without getting trampled? Could I pick it up on the fly? There was no time for that. I had to double back. Not only did I get it without losing a finger to the moving stairs or the departing movie-goers, but after I stood up my friend said, "Nice scoop," and he doesn't even like pennies.

TOTAL haul today = .13

TOTAL since June 22, 2008 = .54