Where the F#@K’s My Spider Sense?

New Yorkers are blessed with extra sensory perception. We feel vibes, catch drifts and seem to know the score a lot faster than our country-based counterparts. Some say we’re born with it, but more likely it comes from countless encounters that hone one’s fight or flight response into, well…a superpower.

I know. After a lifetime of dodging everything from schoolyard bullies and step-scumbags to bar room hot heads and the occasional criminally-inclined, I surprised I don’t sport a cape. And so when I moved to North Carolina, in 2004 I was concerned that I would loose my edge. It’s not complete paranoia. Vonnegut said something similar in reference to San Francisco. And Kurt knew his shit.

Anyway, I survived the south. Turns out there are enough dirt bags in Durham to keep you on your toes. Plus rednecks have an affinity for Miller-muscles…so there’s that. The long and the short: You can find your danger fix if you look around.

That’s not true in Singapore. The city is so safe that you can amble about an alley with a map in one hand, a fist full of c-notes in the other and ask a tatted up teenager for directions to a bible study without worry. Yeah, it’s easy to lose your edge.

It happened to me this morning. It was dark and I was decaffeinated - details, not excuses. It was nothing big, but as I rode the escalator from the tube to the street, a man was able to approach my blind side and get within striking distance without me noticing. This from a guy who would previously stir from slumber if someone walked passed my apartment wearing slippers in a snowstorm.

Maybe it’s good that I’m chilling out. Insomnia has me by the balls enough as it is. Still, I feel I’ve lost something and I miss it. I miss him, that guy I was before I got comfortable.

Maybe there’s just nothing wrong…nothing to tingle the brain. More likely, I’ve been slipping, slacking, sleeping away the last few months...God the last few years. But it’s wake up time. It’s been dormant recently for sure, but something tells me my spider sense is set for a scream fest and maybe that’s a good thing.