Handsome Boy Modeling School [feat. Jack Johnson] – Breakdown

The MTA Metro North is totally ooffed.

When you rely on a commuter rail system to get back and forth to work every day, this is not the kind of message you want to wake up to:

“New Haven Line Service Alert Update: Limited Bus/Train Service will be provided for the New Haven Line, beginning with AM Peak service today, Thursday, September 26, and until further notice due to the loss of a Con Edison feeder that supplies traction power to the line’s electric fleet. The service plan can accommodate approximately 33% of the regular ridership on the New Haven Line.”

For those outside of the Tri-state area, the MTA is the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York. This quasi-public agency (it’s a “public benefit corporation”) absolutely controls one’s ability to move freely within the confines of the five boroughs and beyond. For commuters, such as myself, who have to cross into Connecticut or head into upstate New York, it’s Metro North or Bust.

Today, it’s a resounding Bust. Repairs on my daily route “could take weeks” and the Governor of Connecticut is actually advising people to simply stay at home.

This whole fiasco comes at a weird time for me. I’ve been very sick for the last few days, taking refuge under blankets while in a Nyquil-induced coma. For many, the loss of the ability to travel is a undoubtedly a major headache that spells losses of all kinds—money, time, patience, and so on. For some, it might be cause to reflect on the poor state of America’s infrastructure and how it symbolizes our country’s fading prestige. But today, for me, it’s cause to reflect on, as Sheryl Crow would have you believe, the “new Don Ho,” Jack Johnson.

Jack Johnson’s “Breakdown” was adopted as part of Prince Paul and Dan the Automator’s Handsome Boy Modeling School project in 2004. Despite being a perfectly enjoyable song in its own right, I prefer this version for its punchier sound. It’s a delightfully straightforward song about enjoying the sorts of moments when things, well, break down and take us outside of our routine. Perhaps not so profound—we’ve all heard “stop and smell the roses” before— but particularly apropos on a day like today.

The grind of your daily commute isn’t going anywhere. Enjoy the change while you can.

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