Great trip but now I'm sick

All in all, it was a fabulous trip. I feel much better mentally now that I had a few days off. Of course, I'm worse off physically but hopefully I'll be able to get in to see a doctor tomorrow.

Being in the city was great. There are so many people, moving, living, expressing. So many things going on. So much stimulation to the eyes and ears. It would be hard not to feel vibrantly alive while there. I enjoyed so many little things about the city - like getting to watch people on the train. Like walking through Central Park on a beautiful day. My brain moved non-stop while I was there. However, I took a break from writing. Nothing on the internet, nothing on paper, almost nothing in my head. It was time to just experience instead of reflecting all the time (like I normally do). So now I am going to reflect. It might not all be here but that's ok. The beautiful thing about memory is that it comes and goes depending on what kick-starts it.

Highlights
• Everything went smoothly to and from NYC - no airport tragedies
• Halcyon drinking wine and listening to some good DJ's
• Riding the subway everywhere
• Aaron and Andy live in apartment 12A but it really should be 13 since none of the other apartments have letters.
• Spending hours in the Met
• I met a security guard, Mike, in the Met. It was fascinating to talk to someone who works in the city but hates it. He dislikes Manhattan so much he lives in a little town in New Jersey. The distance makes his commute 2 and a half hours each way. But he's been working at the Met for 19 years and can't imagine doing anything else.
• Hung out with Andy and Kevin Thursday night while Aaron worked. Andy works for Kingstreet Records so I met him at The Virgin Megastore where he had a CD release for one of their DJ's (specifically Danny Krivit). After that, we headed off to another CD release party, but I didn't pay much attention to the club or the DJ. I was too busy catching up with Kevin, of cDc fame. Funny thing was I sortof knew Kevin in Lubbock but didn't learn about his fame until years later. I never knew the guy I danced with weekend after weekend was really a computer geek underneath all that hair. Andy, Kevin, JC, Lofta (two people who work with Andy), and I finally left the bar to get something to eat. Ended up keeping Kevin and his roommate, Danny (also of Lubbock), up way too late once we got back to the apartment. (Did I mention Kevin and Danny live one floor up from Aaron and Andy? It's the Lubbock crew in the middle of Harlem.)
• Walking into the VIP line at a club in NYC and getting in free.
• Knowing you can drink til 4am but choosing not to
• Big Nicks at 5am...this is just something you have to experience to understand
• Coming out of the subway and seeing the sun come up
• Meeting Andy's girlfriend, Pam, who was quite enjoyable to talk to and made the walk to the club seem entirely too short
• Having sunshine and being warm in NYC when I expected it to be overcast and cold
• Hanging out with Aaron and catching up on life's little things
• Seeing people of all different cultures and backgrounds mixing in the same place
• Talking with the waiter at the little Italian place we had lunch
• Hearing about Superlitz, probably the best subway band ever! though it was disappointing I didn't get to hear them
• Getting anywhere in New York City takes about an hour. makes me think my commute isn't so bad afterall

I found myself thinking a lot about where I live and where I would want to live. In the past, anytime I've visited NYC, I've been dying to move there. I can honestly say I'm totally content living in my little suburb. And I'm lucky that living here means I can afford visiting places like New York...and someday, White Sands, New Mexico.

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