i ain't no dummy, i'm grown now

...and while I'm reminiscing about New York, here's a picture of me rediscovering the theory of relativity, after a few drinks at Daddy's:

you can't always get. . . something even remotely acceptable

Someone who knows told me that one of the things I'd miss most about New York would be the food. He was right. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love mah food; fortunately, I'm not afraid to cook it myself, especially when I can't just go out and get what I want.

So recently I was craving some falafel. In Fort Pierce, Florida, expecting to go out and find a hot, tangy, fresh falafel sandwich is akin to waiting up all night for Santa, or expecting to jump off the top of a skyscraper and not get dead. Ain't happening. Long story short, I found the can of chickpeas in the pantry, the proper spices, cilantro, olive oil, the pitas. . . I even had yogurt and cucumber so I could make raita. I didn't have a choice. Even after I read the warning in the recipe about how frying falafel inside would make your whole house smell like a Lebanese garbage can (in August), I still had to do it. This is the result (note glass of $6.99 Pinot Grigio in background):

It wasn't exactly Mamoun's, but hey, I was shooting from the hip. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but for my first attempt, it turned out pretty damn good, even if my house did stink like the armpits of a thousand camels for three days afterward.

Stay tuned for reports on my backyard landscaping project (Prospect Park, here I come) and the new P.A. system I'm installing in my car: "this is a beach-bound honda accord, next stop will be the 7-11, stanclearclosindoorspleez."

weather, or not?

I can't wait for hurricane season.

"The National Weather Service is advising anyone in the path of this tchotchke cloud to stay indoors until the danger is over."

wish you were here.

conflict resolution/resignation

This blog would not exist if not for my relationship with a certain friend, a discussion we once had on blogging in general, and my skepticism of its ability to fulfill. Everyone who blogs gets their jollies from it in his or her own weird way, and I won't deny that I have enjoyed stroking my particular neuroses through the writing itself, as well as pandering to the voyeuristic desires of my imagined audience. But I'm not here today to get into a discussion on the psychology of blogging. I want to talk about how the internet has essentially turned my friendships into magazine subscriptions: we all get to read and enjoy each other's anecdotes and photos, without having to put any effort into actual personal exchange. It's made me a lazy friend, and I'm not proud of that.

How many of you check out the blogs and facebook/myspace pages of your friends more often than you actually see, speak to, or write to them? It's okay; we all do it. It's convenient, it's a fun diversion, and sometimes a few minutes during a workday break is all we can spare. That's what those sites are there for, anyway. I put some effort into maintaining my blog and myspace page because I know a few people here and there actually are looking at them. And I want them to be looked at. What I don't want is for glancing at a couple of websites every now and then to take the place of real interaction.

I have seen photos of the husbands, wives and children of people whom I haven't spoken to in years. I know who their closest friends are, and I can even see jokes they're shared and notes they've written to each other. I know where they've been on vacation this year, what they've done with the house they just bought, what bands they're listening to, what they watch on TV, what books they're reading, who they're sleeping with, and which presidential candidate they support. There's not really anything wrong with all of that, either. Or is there? I imagine running into an old friend and having this awkward conversation:

"Hey! I haven't seen you in ages! How's it going?"

"Well, I got married last year to..."

"Yeah, I saw that on your MySpace page. She seems like a great girl. Pretty, too."

"And we have two kids, they're two and four now..."

"Mattie and James, right? They're adorable. I saw the photos you posted."

"Right. So we bought a house and we're...."

"Yeah, I love what you guys are doing with it! The addition was a great decision, and the landscaping is perfect."

"Thanks. So, uh... I read in your blog that you just moved back from New York. Going back to school, eh? Journalism? Good choice, I always thought you should be a writer."

"Hey, that means a lot. Thanks. So, I'm really digging being back here and..."

"Yeah, seems like you've been enjoying yourself. Love those pictures from the beach. And I see you've gotten yourself a boyfriend."

"Right, right. So... Is there anything new going on in your life? Maybe something I haven't seen on MySpace?"

"Uh, no, actually it's all there."

"Great, so I'll just keep checking your profile."

"Yeah, same here. Wow, keeping up with friends these days sure is easy!"

"No kidding. Say, maybe we'll bump into each other again in a couple years and avoid eye contact so as not to have to have another vapid conversation about absolutely nothing."

"Great! See ya, or not!"

=:=


So getting back to the friend I mentioned earlier... Our current relationship is a perfect example of what the above dialogue -- though exaggerated -- represents. Through no fault of his or mine, we've become habituated to learning about each other's lives through our respective cursory web representations, and I think we've been fooling each other into thinking that that's enough. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I know there are wonderful, exciting, life-changing things happening in my friends' lives, and it's a shame that we don't always get to share the stories behind the photos and the status changes. I'd really love to hear how my friend feels about applying to grad school, or what he thinks of the new R.E.M. album, or how his love life is going. Another of my closest friends just became engaged, and I didn't get to hear the excitement in her voice because she told me the news via text message. And on that note, I'll bet my friends are vaguely aware that the profound thing that I share with my boyfriend simply can't be summed up by the words, "in a relationship," but they're probably too busy to ask. Just like me.


I do love that we live in a time in which technology is advancing faster than I can adjust to it; it's fascinating and exciting, and I thoroughly appreciate the entertainment and conveniences I have been afforded. I just don't want the use of these things as part of my lifestyle to take the place of living, y'know?