Circus time!

Last night, Fran got free tickets to the Big Apple Circus! I thought my evening was going to be spent in my bed with a book or a movie, but who passes up free tickets to the circus?

I think the last time I went to the circus was for my friend Cody's 8th birthday party, but I'm pretty sure I was just as entertained this time. One huge difference, though: as a kid, I just stared in awe at the acrobatics. As an adult, I was awed but also dreading a mistake that would cause a clown to fall to his death in front of a crowd of six-year-olds. Guess I'm now old enough to grasp the concept of human error. All it takes is one unplanned sneeze, and there goes a trapeze artist!

I also can't stand looking at wild animals in captivity. Specifically, horses. I can't look at ponies chained to each other and walking in a circle or horses that are parked on 59th St, waiting to drag some tourists around Central Park. I just know those animals are not loved and not treated well, and it breaks my heart. So, when some horses trotted out and performed some tricks, I cringed just a little bit. However, did you know the Big Apple Circus is a 32-year-old non-profit organization? It's actually really cool. They run a lot of community outreach programs, as well. Fran and I just told ourselves that if they're non-profit, they must be a step above the stereotypical sleaze of circuses and therefore treat their animals kindly.

Photo from Flickr.

Work it.

It's a miracle! I joined a gym! While Crunch, Equinox, and New York Sports Club (the most popular and numerous gym chains in the city) are ridiculously overpriced and usually ridiculously overcrowded as well, did you know you can join the NYC Parks & Recreation centers for only $75 a year?? Knock out the summer months in which I will be riding my bike, and my six month membership was only $37.50. Pretty SWEET deal. Sure, it may not be fancy and have TVs in front of every treadmill, but who needs towel service and a sauna anyway?

In other news, the Yanks won World Series numero 27, and I'm pretty pumped about it. I can actually name most of the lineup this season, and I've been keeping up (at least enough to impress strangers in bars when I sound like I know everything about sports). Has anyone else noticed how much Teixeira looks like Rachel Maddow?

Went to see Ragtime on Broadway last week. A nice part about Colin's job is that he gets free tickets to shows and sometimes I get to go too. This one was especially nice, because it's at least a $120/ticket show and it's a musical, not a boring "edgy" piece performed somewhere Off- Off- Off-Broadway. I went in expecting a Thoroughly Modern Millie for 1900, but it definitely was not so lighthearted. Why can't Broadway tickets be $30 like they used to be at TPAC?

A few weeks ago, we got to go to the premiere of Superior Donuts, another show on Broadway. It was great...less drama, more humor. Kinda like a 1970s sitcom...social issues hidden amongst comedy. My parents went to see it when they were here and enjoyed it as well.

Also, last weekend was Halloween, and this year's theme was Beauty and the Beast. It was both a success and a failure. We had 2 Belles and no Beast. Whatever, I was Lumiere, the candelabra, and my costume was bangin'. I love Halloween, but I think I love the kid version with cute costumes and trick-or-treating more. In the city, it's a lot of skanky costumes and drunk people, and it always ends up being anticlimactic as every single bar is way, way overcrowded.

Happy Halloween!

Updates

I definitely go through blog phases. I wish I had something exciting to update with daily, but no such luck. I technically have many, many things to update about, but I think I'll just give a few highlights since September 11th. I'm lacking lots of the pictures on my work computer, though.

• Went to an Army football game.
  
• Painted Colin's apartment. He moved in before that, and I don't know if I've mentioned that one yet.
  
• Went to a Phoenix concert in Central Park.
• Went upstate to the country.
  
• Turned a year older.
• Was visited by the parents.
• Went to South Dakota.

This blog lacks a purpose. My book blog has a topic focus, and while I like this for remembering things I do, I never find the motivation to write on it. I read blogs that are fashion based, book based, random internet things based, photography based, but I have no inspiration. If anyone has ideas, share.

Today

It's been eight years since 9/11, and I've been in New York for five of them. I was a Sophomore in high school in 2001. I lived in Tennessee. My whole world was in Tennessee. I didn't (and still don't) know anyone that was personally affected by it.

I've been down to the Trade Center dozens of times. I've seen Ground Zero, but it's never really hit me. For the past five years, I've tried to brush today off as any other day. But today, for some reason, I started to think about it a little bit more. I didn't hear anyone mention it all day today. People weren't acting any different on the streets. It almost was as if today was just any other day. But then I took the 6 train home, and it was almost completely silent. A subway car stuffed full of 100 people, and you could almost hear a pin drop. Maybe it was coincidence or maybe people were thinking about it like me—now that their day was over and they didn't have work or life to distract their minds away from it.

No matter how much time passes, it really is unforgettable.

Can we have our own prom?

I saw Jennifer and Tina this past weekend. First time in a year! Jen and I went to Bro Jim's and Shake Shack. We went on the beach on the (perhaps) last warm, summer day. Tina came over but was deathly allergic to my apartment because of the cats. We went to the fun BYOB Thai restaurant near my apartment and gossiped about all that has happened in 2008-2009. I went on a 17 mile bike ride around Harlem and the Hudson River. It wasn't as pretty as I was expecting; I'm running out of bike routes.

I have been having the soccer dreams again, which means I have pent up energy. My bike is great, but it just doesn't get rid of that competitive edge.

Work is great. Life outside of work is great. The weather is getting colder, which I do not like (except that it prevents me from running the A/C, thus saving on my electric bill). New York will never be home home (you can't rob a Southerner of her roots!) but it is starting to feel more like home right now. I am happy.

Football season is starting...one good thing about fall. But the Black Eyed Peas are playing all their summer songs in the pre-show, and there's just something about lame summer pop music that makes you feel so great. It makes me want to have a massive dance party, and I am sad I am past the point in life for prom and formals. I guess my friends need to start getting married, so we can have dance parties at the receptions. There's just always something to look forward to!

I went to Highline Park, which is the old, elevated train from forever ago (we're talking decades). It is nice, but too crowded.

Rockaway Beach, probably the nicest NYC beach accessible by public transportation. Coney Island is just too crowded and GROSS.

The Hudson River and its random Parthenon-like structure.

Travel Bug

I discovered a bookstore nearby my office called Idlewild Books, and all the books are organized by country! In the 'Germany' section, for example, you can find travel guides, travelogues, fiction, and nonfiction, all grouped together. It's a store for 'world lit' and it is amazing. I need to go someplace new very, very soon.

On my list:

Prince Edward Island—I've wanted to go since I was five years old and watched Anne of Green Gables on PBS.

Glacier National Park—I have a feeling this is the other best National Park. Acadia is at the top of my list so far.

Greece—It's just too gorgeous to not see. Plus, I'm part Greek. And I like Mamma Mia.

Switzerland—missed the boat on my last trip to Europe. On the list for the next trip.