Traveler, Writer, Aquarius, Peace Corps Volunteer
The evidence
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It�s 9:56 am Monday morning and I�m sitting on a packed Greyhound bus idling at the Port Authority about to depart to Philadelphia. The New York weekend is over, and I�m officially leaving the city for god knows how long. The emotions right now are very mixed. On the one hand, I made the mistake of dealing with the city during the morning rush. I already am trying to decompress from the stress of the subway and running around midtown. It�s amazing. When I got here three days ago I was in full laid-back beach mode. Three days later I�m tired and stressed. However, that being said, I had such a fun weekend and it was so good to see the great friends I have a final time before I leave the country. Here�s how the days played out:
Thursday: Got into New York around 4pm in an attempt to beat Hurricane Isabel into town. Went over to Kacy and Meredith�s house and met them as well as Kacy�s sister Yassi and her puppy Oliver (a lhasa apso). We had a few beers, I watched Kacy play video games with his friend Albert, they cooked an amazing dinner of marinated flank steak and potatoes, Cristy came over, we decided not to go to Shebeen to see Scott because it was raining and I was tired, and then Cristy and I fought the wind and rain back to her new apartment.
Friday: No hurricane in sight. The wind and rain we fought Thursday was it, and that wasn�t much of anything. I had lunch with a bunch of old co-workers at John�s Pizza, spent some time saying goodbye to everyone at the office again, ended up going to Bellevue Bar with Jacqui for drinks (got ugly), and then Cristy and Scott ended up having a small party back at their place where we proceeded to finish a bottle of Jack, Tanq, and Stoli before wandering out to some Karaoke party we were total outcasts at.
Saturday: Woke up around 10am and realized we never ate dinner the night before. Walked over to KFC and had a chicken sandwich and fries for breakfast (10:30am). Lazy morning, went to Kacy�s to check email, and then Eve came over and she, Cristy, and I walked around town looking for a t-shirt for me (which I never bought) and just enjoying the day. Had a 4pm drink at an Asian caf� accompanied by some tasty apps, and then Cristy and I were back home to crash before going out that night. I never really slept, instead watching college football and Rocky. Made it to Beauty Bar at 8pm, the crew showed up, cocktails till 9:30, wandered around looking for a place to eat, found Visage and chowed down on some French bistro food, and went down to my old hood to see my friend Ron spin at Lotus. Absurd amount of drinking. Cristy and I got stuck in the Twilight Zone on the walk home, heading north, taking a bend, and then somehow heading south again. Very odd.
Sunday: Went over to Kacy and Mer�s for a perfect Sunday brunch of Jew food: bagels, lox, sable, and cream cheese sandwiches and rugala from Russ and Daughters and knishes from a specialty place on the Lower East. When we were completely stuffed, we hung out for a bit and then took the dog to Tompkins Park, where Hopkins met up with me. Mark, Cristy, Kacy, and I went to a bar next to 7a for a few beers, which turned into a lot of beers (sensing a theme here?). Back to Kacy and Mer�s for another extraordinary meal of roasted chicken, rice, beans, and beets (which I skipped), and then a mix of the Emmys, Survivor, South Park (the Slave/gerbil episode), and the Ali G movie before we took off.
And that brings me to this morning. The bus is moving now, slowly I might add, because it seems I�ve been in the Lincoln Tunnel for half an hour. Ah, just coming out of it now. So it�s back to Philly for a few days before visiting Mom and Marc in Delaware and then off to whatever Ukraine has in store. Still excited about the adventure. The weekend definitely reinforced how wonderful my friends are. I know I�ll meet up again with many of them in the next two years in one country or another.
Also, I picked up a few gifts for the host family, so I�m just about all set. And I got offended when my old boss told me I looked like I lost weight, because all I�ve been doing this summer is eating and lifting, so I was trying to bulk up. I�m blaming the black t-shirt I was wearing (actually, am currently wearing) and will burn it when I get home.
Hair cut or no hair cut? That is the question. I think I�ll leave it alone for now and get it cut over in Kyiv�
All right, the bus is starting to cruise. I�m outtie.
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