Different names for the same things



I have a new favorite spot. It's my own little secret spot in this vast metropolis. Well, my own little secret spot that I share with 50,000 other people, that is. It's a tiny Japanese garden slash pier-like structure overlooking the Jersey skyline in Battery Park City. People go there to eat or read or stare at the water but there seems to be an unspoken vow of silence. I sat on a bench beneath the shadow of a pole and ate my yogurt while watching the waves actually crash onto the thick beams supporting the wooden floor planks.

Lately, I have taken to picking up a yogurt parfait for lunch from the deli and taking it to any of the multitude of small parks in my area. I haven't had any coffee apart from my morning mocha for a week. On the walk back from the park, I get tea and sip it throughout the afternoon.

Today I discovered what happens when sudden caffeine withdrawal is combined with minimal nutrition and slumber. (I used to drink up to five cups a day.) I suddenly felt woozy in the middle of the afternoon and had to go up to the nurse, who is notorious for her lectures on the benefits of herbal tea. I could barely focus on her voice as she listed my shortcomings: too little sleep, too little exercise, poor nutrition. I didn't even mention the coffee as she shuddered at the horrible fact that I sometimes drank black tea in lieu of green, herbal or decaf. I was allowed to lie down for 20 minutes and was sent down with stern advice to sleep 7-8 hours, walk 30 minutes daily, eat lots of veggies, stop using cotton buds to clean my ears, shun Tylenol and take cough suppressant for my cold only if it keeps me up at night.

With that in mind, I shall bid thee fond adieu, Internet, as I've got plans to beat my alarm clock.

Facts versus romance

I don't know about you, but I put a lot into making these mixes. There's picking the songs, making sure that they flow and transition one onto the other smoothly, rearranging if they don't, listening to the finished product, and finally picking a picture to go with it. Sometimes I cut and paste lyrics to get a better feel.



1. I Melt With You - Nouvelle Vague
2. 5 on a Joyride - Cody Chestnutt
3. So Here We Are - Bloc Party
4. How To Be Dead - Snow Patrol
5. Japanese Gum - Her Space Holiday
6. Science vs. Romance - Rilo Kiley
7. I Don't Know What I Can Save You From - Kings of Convenience
8. These Days - Nico
9. You Know So Well - Sondre Lerche
10. The Way I Feel Inside - The Zombies
11. Only in Dreams - Weezer

Until there's nothing left to love
Until there's nothing left to say
I know that you need help
But even I can't save you from yourself

I'll cry if I want to

To offset all the angst, I'm happy to announce that my birthday went well. I am now twenty-five years old - single, unable to drive, guitar-less (broke a string trying to play an f'-in Goo Goo Dolls song), and a step above broke. But I'm happy. This year's birthday featured a five-or-six-course Chinese dinner, a surprise party, coordinated presents, surprise flowers, wake-up calls, and a hilarious video that I swear has a shot at winning that 10K America's Funniest Home Videos grand prize.

The way I feel inside



If I feel that I could be certain then I would say the things I want to say tonight.

These feelings are mountains

Kookaburra gay your life must be

My week-end rocked. Good weather - check. Friends - check. Fun activities - check.

I went fake camping - no tents and non-existent bathroom facilities this year because we stayed in motel-style cabins with AC and a bathroom in each room. We drove slowly as we got to the camp because there were deer crossing the street, their eyes reflecting our high beam headlights. The others who had gotten there earlier had set up the drums and instruments in the common room. Stayed up until 2 am playing any song we had the chords to.

On Saturday, played (and won) a basketball game. This is awesome because not many people ask me to join a basketball game because I run like a girl, eventhough I am a girl and I have a right to run like one. But this time, I scored (!) and stole the ball a few times. The trick is to be generally distracting by doing things such as having a conversation with your opponent and/or pretending to be harmless. I also joined the volleyball game but when I avoided the ball a couple of times I was replaced.

In the afternoon, we had a team-building thing, which was called a ropes course. The instructor made us do things that I never thought I'd do in a lifetime. Nothing vulgar. Just some TIGHTROPE-WALKING. And he also made us SCALE A TWELVE-FOOT WALL with no ropes or ladders. This is in caps because some of my friends reading this will say I lie like a rug. But this is 100% true. I thought the whole thing would be kind of cheesy, but it really is quite spectacular to do things that you never thought you could do.

I was the second lightest person in the group but I took the longest to climb the wall. Funnily enough, it was because of my propensity to follow instructions. I was clambering merrily atop my friends' shoulders, reaching out to grasp another friend's arm, when the instructor said, "Don't forget to use your elbows!" I said, "Oh, right," and quickly hooked my elbows. I hung by my elbows for five seconds with no clue how to hoist myself over. If you and your friends ever find yourself in the woods being chased by a black bear and you need to get over a wall, there is no standard position or steps that you need to follow. Just get over the freaking wall. It's kind of hard to think while you're hanging on a wall. Meanwhile, unless you're a gymnast or some kind of super human, you can't really hang by your elbows for a long period of time; they eventually give out. If you ever find yourself hanging for dear life by your elbows, the trick is to swing one of your legs over. And given a choice to get down via rope or ladder, always pick the rope because it is way cooler.

We also went fishing. We didn't catch anything because I think the fish in the lake were too smart for us. Then we went on an uneventful rowboat ride. Had a bonfire. Unknowingly stepped on a snake. Your usual camp stuff.

Also, I thought I would mention that we had a fire drill at the office on Friday. And holy canoli, yours truly is part of the Fire/Emergency Evacuation Team. It says so on the hat. I am supposed to search the female bathrooms and make sure no one is left behind in case of an emergency. Why anyone assigned me that task is beyond me.

But I am so feeling like an athlete/mountaineer/all-around stud so today I went and carbo-loaded and got fettuccini with bacon and mushrooms and a cream sauce for lunch.