"Hello A.D.D., meet N.Y.C."

I have many humorous things to share with you, my nearest and dearest most loyal blog readers.

First, I was on the phone with mom earlier when I said, "I never really make it to my destinations on time because I get so distracted on the way there." She said, "Yeah, a person with ADD in New York - good luck!" We got a good laugh out of that. It's so true though. I told her I need like a GPS chip in my head in that monotone voice saying, "Continue forward. Do not look side to side." Or I need a dog cone: [Insert Ali Here].

Next, I find the snippets of conversations of the people I pass in large crowds to be absolutely fascinating - since I am not engaged in conversation I am constantly hearing these pieces from all around me, and today I heard this kid say, "I mean, I think about getting hit by lightning all the TIME!" ..... I literally whipped around to see who had said that, and I kid you not, this guy was the most pastey-white Dungeons & Dragons Extraordinaire material I've ever seen. He truly is the least likely candidate imaginable for being struck by lightning because I'm fairly positive he must have gotten lost and wandered above ground from his mother's basement...

One of my absolutely favorite things about this city is that no matter where I go I am always surrounded by two or more languages. I'm on the subway and have German on one side of me, French on the other, and I'm sitting across from Japanese people. It is truly amazing. Throughout all my traveling I've never known another place to feel like being in another country as well as the Heart of America simultaneously.

That reminds me of the next thing I wanted to say: I am so happy that we were raised well-traveled. I love that Lane took us on so many vacations and that I can navigate effectively. Granted, I don't always do things in a straight-shot, but I sure know where I'm supposed to be and how to get there. I have just been taking my time... for example...

How could you regret wandering around and stumbling upon this? I came across this beauty while I was walking in the wrong direction to Time's Square. How grateful I was to have found it. I stopped, sat on the side of the fountain, and wrote in my Moleskine and watched people for probably thirty minutes. I really had nowhere else to be (a luxury I'm taking advantage of before classes start on Monday) and I wasn't in a hurry. Behind me was a bunch of food stands (another fascinating thing about this city, how accessible food is) and people rushing around with shopping bags and cell phones. But here, in front of me, was serenity. And a nice misty breeze that felt and smelled like nectar in the heat.

All that sitting and doing nothing made me hungry so I got an afternoon snack at Au Bon Pain, a cute cafe that is here in New York and other places of genius like Boston. I love apple strudel. (Don't be jealous.)

It was here that I was talking to mom and said, "The combination of my love of food and my taste in men is going to have me married to a tall skinny boy who loves me and won't notice me getting fat and we'll end up like an insect couple: the preying mantis and the ladybug." *sigh* HOWEVER! This morning I did my part to fight obesity. I went to a personal training session at my gym and had my butt royally kicked by a giant mass of a man named Garth. After an hour of intense workout I wanted to cry, but my body was thanking me. Having taken that step in my personal fitness I passed on the option to go to Yoga tonight.

I spent the rest of the afternoon/evening walking around the city for about 2 1/2 hours, sitting in plazas and watching people, going into shops, and eventually ending up here in Time's Square at the TKTS booth, just sitting on the steps and observing everyone. You can see the insanity of the line of people on the left side of this photo - they are all waiting in line for discounted tickets to shows. Now you know what I mean when I tell you I'm going to TKTS for tickets. What I really mean is: I'm going to Disneyland for a few hours.

After lots of people-watching and a failed attempt at getting lottery tickets to Wicked, I headed home and grabbed some delicious bar-be-que from a local place right by my apartment. As I was standing there waiting for my food to-go, I saw the announcement on TV that Michael Jackson died. It was at that very moment that his song "The Way You Make Me Feel" came on - how bizarre is that?! Everyone in the restaurant was a little freaked out by the irony... Now it's time to see some dancers get kicked off So You Think You Can Dance.

Love to all!