Tonight Was Perfect Weather To Go Elephant Watching

So I did. It's funny how some days you end up doing something you had no idea would happen. For example, tonight after work (around midnight) I was walking through Astor Place on my way home and stumbled into an old New York friend of mine who I like to call Alejandro (because that's the name his parents gave him).

I must pause a moment and say that seeing people I know on the streets of New York or in the subway cart is one of my favorite things about this big city. The world is so much smaller than we think. Okay, play.

So, he asked me if I wanted to go see some elephants walking down 34th street and Park Avenue. I've been wanting to see the circus elephants march their way into Manhattan for two years now, so I decided I would finally do it. The timing was right, the weather was perfect, I was already out, I had some friends to experience it with, and I wasn't ready to go to bed yet so I said yes. We didn't have to wait long to see them. There were about five that were marching in a line with the leader wearing a sparkly cloak that stated "I [insert heart] NY." Here's what I noticed about the three minute long event of the night:

1. The police were there to stop traffic and they had barricades lined up along 34th Street, but the crowd wasn't very large.
2. The smell was that of a farm.
3. The elephants weren't really as big as I thought they would be (or perhaps I'm bigger than I think I am).
4. The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind depicted the elephant march to be about a million times more romantic than it really is. I wanted to see this before I even found out about the scene in the movie - just watch it again, you'll figure out which part it is. You'll recognize it because it's the scene with the elephants in the background.
5. Lots of horses followed the elephants. Poor horses. Once you've seen an elephant, a horse is no big deal, ya know? They should have had the horses walk first so they could have a little lime light and help build the anticipation of seeing elephants.
6. It made me think, "why don't I have a digital camera again?"
7. It also made me think, "I have a really crappy camera phone."

So the night proceeded to end. I took the subway back to Astor place where I bumped into another person I met earlier in the evening at the Japanese restaurant I temporarily work at. We stopped and chatted for a bit and then went our separate ways. Tonight was great. I got to see elephants, two people I either know really well or briefly just met - all in the span of an hour and a half. Who knew I would see all of this after midnight tonight. It is just one of those Dark Side of the Moon nights. And now I'm drinking warm milk and honey with a dash of cinnamon.

I Forgot to Mention...

That I went to the Bodies exhibit a while ago. I know there's some controversy surrounding the exhibit, but I don't want to get into that because I really just wanted to post the cool picture I bought to remember my trip. You see, I've never wasted my money on anything so cheesy in my life. I felt like it was high time I spend $15 on a picture that means nothing to me. So tell me, what's the best $15 you ever wasted? Or tell me what you thought of the Bodies exhibit? Or tell me why the Bodies exhibit should be boycotted? Or tell me what it looks like we're saying in the photo. I like to think I'm saying "Bodies rock!" Jason's like "We're both wearing Stripes." Nicole's goin' "Why are we doing this?"

I've Fallen In Love with Alex P. Keaton All Over Again!

There's nothin' cuter in my book than the republican orange juice addict that is Alex P. Keaton. I recently bought the first season of the television series Family Ties on DVD and just finished the first disc. I felt so happy watching it. It's well written, funny, teaches a nice lesson in each episode, family oriented, a little off-color, and please let's not forget the wonderful theme song - it gets me every time! "What would we do baby, without us?" Note to self: play this song at my wedding.

If you want to instantly feel warm and fuzzy inside, you can either throw back a long island ice tea or watch an episode of Family Ties. I of course will always opt for the latter. Feel free to discuss your memories of Family Ties or any other television series from the 1980s that we might have forgotten but will hopefully be released on DVD soon - say, like, Small Wonder.

I think I'm Turning Japanese...I Really Think So.

Lately I feel like I'm no longer caucasian - just asian. You see, I've just realized how much I'm surrounded by all things Japanese:

1.I live in a place I call "Little Japan." There are six Japanese restaurants, three Japanese salons, and a Japanese laundromat all on my street. Just MY street!
2. My landlord is one of the wealthiest Japanese men in New York.
3. I work part-time at one of the yummiest Japanese restaurants in Manhattan.
4. I'm working on a web design for a Japanese children's summer camp.
5. I'm getting my hair cut by a Japanese woman on Wednesday.
6. I want to see Deerhoof in concert...
7. A Japanese man asked me if I am Japanese. Maybe now I can say I am.

I wouldn't mind being Japanese. They're one of my favorite nationalities. And honestly, what boy doesn't love a Japanese girl? Japanese girls always trump white girls - always.

Twinkies!

Reghan and I don't just wear matching shirts...


We wear matching shirts and sweatpants!

This was purely accidental one day and I thought I would share what happens when you've been a roommate with someone for three years.

My Whole Life I've Been Wrong!

In all of the 26 years I've been alive I've always thought of marshmallows as marshmellows. In case you didn't catch that, I've always pronounced and spelled the word as if it were marshmellows not marshmallows! I just realized this today as I was grocery shopping online at FreshDirect.com for the first time (I had a 25% off coupon and thought I would give it a try).

I was looking to buy baking ingredients and saw what I thought was an misspelling on their website of the word and clicked on it. Next thing I knew, the Jet-Puffed Kraft brand misspelled marshmallow and so did every other company I googled that contained the word. Merriam-Webster even had a different spelling than I thought it would. Side note: if you play the audio pronunciation of the word marshmallow over and over again, it begins to sound like a strange foreign word. I was shocked at how such a thing could go unnoticed in my life for so long. I've always considered myself a "detail-oriented" person. I mean 26 years I've been in the dark. I walk around the streets of New York thinking, "I need to get Rice Krispies and marshmellows" or "mini-marshmellows are better in hot chocolate than their larger counterpart." This new realization will take some getting used to. I'm going to really have to concentrate the next 500 times I use the word "marshme - DOH! I did it again. I mean I'm really going to have to concentrate the next 500 times I use the word "marshmallow." What else have I been mispronouncing/spelling?!? Catchup? At least I discovered it while I'm still young and able to recover.