Christine invited me to a small get-together at the Boxcar Lounge on Avenue B. I had commuted into Manhattan straight from my workplace in Princeton, and was famished; I hadn't eaten dinner yet. It was about 9pm when I arrived. I decided that it's bad form to socialise on an empty stomach, so I got a bite to eat at The Pantry, just down the street from the Boxcar. Here I am waiting for the girl behind the counter to ring up my order.