A hell of a town

A lot has happened, but not really.
That's probably the most accurate way to describe the last couple of weeks, but also 2008.
So as a disclaimer, this will probably be way too long and rambling, but is much needed for personal purposes.

My room mate is moving out so she can float in her little disillusioned bubble elsewhere. God, I will never live in a small town. It messes with your head, I think. She's still alright though, I guess, other than the fact that she cancelled the goddamn electricity and is making me pay for the new installation fee regardless of the fact that I really could care less if she stayed and left the TV on 24/7 or left to move in with her pretentious (yes, I said it) boyfriend. My new roommate is named Yiyi and she has a siamese cat, AND (thank God!) a sense of humor!

I have some ideas. The last polaroid film to expire will last until 2010. That's not very long, and I know of quite a few dedicated flickr members who will be devastated that one of their simplest means of vague personal expression will be terminated. That, aaand who doesn't want to have their sex photos instantly developed? I think I'll make a company called "Fauxlaroid" and just imitate the technology. I could probably sell something like that to Urban Outfitters, right? I kind of forgot my other ideas but it probably doesn't matter.

Matt made me a box for Christmas. Like, a nice box. Like, out of wood. It is the neatest thing ever. Then he told me about how he got the twins presents for Christmas last year and I just felt pretty awful because I think everyone would be a lot happier if it weren't for me, and my happiness isn't really effected by romantic relationships, I think. I'm just always 90% content, because I'm a perfectionist, and maybe the "beauty" in romance is that it can't be perfected.

So I've kind of been putting it off but I have a few obligatory topics to cover, the first being some sort of insightful connection between my four days in New York and my development as an individual. And this whole time I've been searching for the mythical bridge between the two, and I've concluded that it just doesn't exist.
I had fun. Um.
Well, alright. Maybe I'll just write about what happened and the hidden meaning will reveal itself.

December 29th, woke up at 6 because Matt likes to be places ridiculously early. Annoyingly cute? Literally slept the entire way to Cleveland, although I think I woke up long enough to deliriously hear "Wow, that's one of the great lakes!" Did I mention that airports are absolutely freezing? Short layover, then back to sleep. Resting my head on those tray tables reminds me of sleeping in class in high school, which I think I did way too much. Then we landed at JFK!!! Excitement, yes. We stood in a very long line to wait for a taxi, which reminded me a bit of a theme park. (Insert metaphor about how the weekend was a roller coaster.) Boy, are they crazy drivers! And this one didn't even talk to me when I addressed him. Our hotel was on like 44th and Lexington, and we could hear the car horns from the 16th floor. Matt says he thinks people just honk because they're in New York. (Insert quip about how we're shaped by our surroundings.) Anyway, called Aunt Elaine, who I think is probably crazy. We met up for a "quaint" 140$ dinner with her and my third cousin Lauren at a tiny bar/restaurant. Delicious, AND I got to hear all about the dangers of global warming. Uh. But really, was fun. Matt is so strange around people who are more quirky than him. I think he doesn't know what to do once the show has already been stolen. Something tells me that stiffly explaining your major isn't the best option. Then we wandered around in search of Rockafeller center. Took lots of awkward touristy pictures (which are the best!) in that area. The Christmas decorations in the city are pretty neat, but I don't know why the word "miraculous" is always used to describe a bunch of lights. Stopped by Grand Central Station, which is SO COOL. St. Patrick's cathedral is so beautiful, mostly thanks to the juxtaposition that it offers. Got cupcakes from Magnolia for breakfast for the next morning.

Day Twooo was busy, busy, busy! Woke up earlyish and took the subway (which, for some reason, is my absolute favorite part of New York. I have no idea why) to the financial district. We got off a few stops too early and walked down Canal St for way too long. Saw the New York Stock Exchange, which was neat, and walked through an Hermes store, which sadly, for me, it neater. Then we "explored," (which Matt loves to do, and so do I when it's not as cold), which I think is just another word for "were too proud to ask for directions to ground zero." I'm glad we did, though, because we got to walk through Battery Park along the cost. Lunch in some pizza place quickly became the norm. I love how all of the restaurants have such a, er, variable cornucopia of choices in such a small area. The salad bars looked amazing at every single place we went, and I think I'm pretty incompetent when it comes to describing food, so I'll just say that I enjoyed it. Then Staten Island ferry, as was suggested by my mom and my aunt. It was kind of cool, Matt was let down that the Statue of Liberty was "so much smaller than expected" (?), but hey, free boat ride. Next a very long subway trip to the north end of central park for ICE SKATING. Let's just say I'm not a land based athlete (although ice skating is arguably both a land AND water sport...), but that made it fun, probably not just for me, but for anyone who got to witness my gracefulness.

Alarm clock thwarted MoMA plans on New Years Eve, as we slept in so late that it would've taken about two hours to even get in. So, we wandered around Times Square, which ended up being totally awesome. Obviously that area of the city on a normal day is an aspiring creative director's playground, but seeing the set-up process for the evening was a lot of fun too. Then we switched hotels and got ready for dinner at Artisanal, and it was absolutely, hands down, the best meal that I've ever had. Lobster bisque, veal wrapped in spinach, orange creme brulee, some sort of cheese sampler, yeah! Rad! Then we went back to the hotel for way too long because we ended up being 14 blocks back for the ball drop. Still an awesome experience, although I felt sort of like cattle, the way they directed us around and whatnot. Kind of almost had a panic attack about 15 minutes before midnight, but I'm not sure why because I'm usually fine with crowds. Matt was stressed because he feels like he needs to protect me, or that if something goes wrong on the trip it's his job to set it right. This is a little strange for me. This is pretty harsh I think, but it seems like he only applies gender stereotypes when it is convenient for him. Although my past relationships haven't been golden, I do miss having dinner paid for sometimes without having to feel like I'm a misguided child who always needs help and directions, be it literally or figuratively. That's alright, though. He really is great. Anyway watching the ball drop was fun! Would I do it again? Nonono.

Last day, went to MoMA! Liked it. B+. Only one Magritte this time, which was a let down, and no Dahli. Some Warhol, almost too much Picasso and two Van Gohs (!!!). I'm no art student, but it is so cool how you can recognize his pantings as his from a mile away. I really like that one painting they have at the MoMA concerning the woman with polio. It is probably my favorite. This one man was staring at one of those paintings that is like "really? why is that famous? who did they sleep with?" for like ten minutes. It was just a canvas painted white. I love art, I'll never understand it, I just need to surround myself with things that I have a hard time understanding.
Oh, the photography exhibit was a bit of a letdown. It featured one pretty great photographer who I think took shots at prisons, but otherwise it was like... informative? I don't know, it explained different types of printing. Thanks, that's what the internet is for. The best was the architecture, but I don't know how to explain why. There was some graphic art, which of course was super, like a collage of different punctuation that formed an illustration of a gun. Colin is going to be a famous architect, I bet. He's the most creative person I know, but he's also a mathematical genius. How lucky am I to even know someone like that, let alone be such close friends with him? He's going to build some furniture for me if I ask nicely. Anyway, New York. Went to Greenwhich village, which everyone says is "so bohemian" but it's kind of just a less cool Austin. There was an Urban Outfitters, a drug store and some street vendors. I wonder why people said to go there? C'mon, New York has way more to offer than that!
Then we had one last pizza dinner, cabbed it back to a JFK hotel and relaxed. Watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall- why are movies like that so great? It's a little mind-boggling, really.

Flight left early, layover in DC, which I think is the best airport.

Well. That was New York! I adored it despite the -10 degree wind chill. Oh, a couple more things. Matt and I both noticed that the policemen there were so, so wonderful. I usually hate cops. I mean, really, let's face it, they're the anti-me. They're the epitome of self-righteousness, and they really act like their job in the most important. They're smug, which has to be the worst character trait ever. But New York cops seemed very down to earth (I guess they have to be), fair and friendly. Very respectable. I don't now how they can maintain that kind of composure with such a stressful lifestyle.

You know what else, though? Magnolia cupcakes are divine, they really are. But belting out the words to "Sleeping Lessons" with the windows rolled down (the only option in 80 degree weather, really) on the way to the Lewisville Magnolia bakery is even better. Especially when it's followed by lounging around Grapevine Springs (certainly more ideal for frisbee throwing than Central Park) and laughing about everything, barefoot and messy.

Tay and I were chatting about today being kind of a time warp. Days like this are the best. It's January 3rd and I'm wearing a tank top outside with someone I loved. What season is it? What year is it? Doesn't matter, I'm feeling refreshed and happy.

One thing about the subway is that no one looks at anyone else, and even when it is the most crowded it is completely silent. Are people scared, tired, bored? All of the above? Am I the only one who finds that to be such a fantastic phenomenon?