and i've been living my life longing for a city

What an amazing weekend.

I know I have a penchant for writing detailed, sordid, and lengthy blogs, so bear with me. I was at the record store in the morning then went on to have a great radio show with lots of callers - thank you, you rock. But that isn't the fun stuff - ROAD TRIP!!

Karen, Melissa, and I decided to go to New York City for thirty hours of music, drinking, dancing, shopping, and randomness. We met and exceeded our expectations.

We left around kickoff - 7pm - and listened to the UD football game until we lost signal in Jersey. Before 95, we partook in the customary Wawa stop for dinner, which consisted of a pretzel and coffee. Did you know that they have naked M & M's at a Jersey rest stop? The M & M's seemed to have lost their colors. Karen wouldn't buy them for us, she bought mentos instead. We had to fill up the tank at the rest stop and being slow around someone who has an extreme sense of road rage is never a good idea. First off, it took 10 minutes for me to even get to a pump since the pumpers were extremely slow. Second, I told him to fill it and after he ran my card through, he only put 5 gallons in my car. Ass. While the gas was pumping, I kept rolling down Karen's window at the skeevy guys next to us. Melissa and I thought this was a riot, then proceeded to play the penis game since we have the maturity of two twelve year olds.

We were on the way to Hoboken until I got us lost...oh come on...melissa says that i allow her to value her life more since i threaten it so often. The Darkness carried us through New Jersey. Awesome awesome awesome CD that I broke the girls into. We ended up driving around and in the Newark Airport where I almost hit someone. I didn't slow down, dude, I had the green light - hence my acceleration. I saw the whites of his eyes emblazened with fear. After a few trips back and forth between all of the 14 A, B, and C exits, we got to Hoboken and onto the PATH. We were seperated on the subway, Karen sitting across from Melissa and me. Our giddiness still has not worn off and a few minutes into the ride we decided to be scandelous and make crude motions to each other from across the train. I don't think the other passengers enjoyed our sexual advances towards each other in public. Off to Desmond's...

I've heard the stories of Desmond's and finally I got to experience the essence that is this fine establishment. We got there a little after Green to Think started their set and quickly noticed the crowd and how very old we felt, though we're not that much older than of legal bar age. The sound of the room was sub par, along with the static of the young, chatty, flamboyant acting students, but Maryellen and I still found the sounds enticing enough to make us dance. Unfortunately for Karen, and Melissa, their first GTT show, the sound wasn't that good and the crowd we were around were too self absorbed. Ken lost his glasses in the heat of the moment. I can't remember if that was before or after the bra was thrown on stage. Craziness. Oh, I should keep a drink count while I write this as well. By this time, there were two mixed drinks consumed. Maryellen wanted to hear "Its Christmas Eve" so I helped her yell it and they played it. Aw!! They played Sundays and Maryellen said how it reminded her of Dewey, so funny because now everytime I hear it to, it reminds me of that crazy time at the beach. And how a certain lead singer forgot the words to the song he wrote - haha. Another drink was had while we ogled at the happy gay guys dancing. The girls know how much I love gay men, so I was pretty much in heaven. Ok, so now the best part of the story is coming up, so I need a new paragraph, your shifting eyes will give you a moment to brace yourself.

So after the show, Karen and Melissa go to the bathroom while I talk to Dave. Holy crap, I just had to stop for a few minutes because I was laughing so hard that I couldn't type, oh geez my sides hurt. Ok, I am back and composed. So Melissa runs out and tells me she needs my tissues - Karen had dropped stuff in the toilet. So the girl was in one of the nastiest bathrooms in NYC, and of course there is no toilet paper in the nastiest bathroom in NYC. Intead of shaking it like a polaroid picture, she searches for "a reciept or something" in her purse. Items in her purse slip out and into the toilet, yes, the tainted unflushed toilet. Caught up in the frantic moment, she plunges in to save her keys, cell phone, and a twenty dollar bill. She left the change. They rush out and immediately Karen douses herself in my gel hand sanitizer. Her cell phone is drenched and ceased to operate. So of course I had to tell everyone around what just happened in the Desmond's bathroom. I plan to make Desmonds and GTT legendary by spreading the pee phone story.

So we're on stage all talking, well except for Chris, he doesn't speak to me :-P. I can't remember much of the convo now because I am really tired now and slightly inebriated then. On the GTT message boards, Ken's nationality has been mentioned, so I questioned. He is in fact Italian (Adessa sure does sound Italian), and not Asian. He claims he just "looks squinty" which confuses people and he is in fact a stunt cock and could not be if he was not italian. It was decided that the night was not over and we would regroup at Siberia.

We hail a cab, and Karen got us a Rolls Royce to drive us in style to the club. Karen whips out the pee soaked twenty then proceeds to tell the cabbie that the bill is wet because it was in alcohol and she saves those for special occasions. Very seductively she added that the bill dropped in a pool of sex on the beach. Melissa and I were laughing so hard we were crying. We told Steve we wanted to dance and be crazy and he sent us to Siberia, though it had an awesome atmosphere, it was chill. So we found residence at a corner couch and talked. Now we are onto beer. We make some phone calls and find out the DE won the national title game 40-0 so we celebrate and we celebrated a bit too loudly. Steve also warned us that the club has two rules: no hitting on women, and no cussing. The girls yelled at me because I broke rule number two many many times. So we're hanging out massaging each other - kinky, but apparently I give good head massages and I'm like a pillow, so yeah we are draped on each other when Steve, Ken, Jodie, and some other people meet us. We talk for a bit then decide to leave and find food, specifically eggs since Melissa was craving them. I was trying to find my jacket, so I would reach down and thought I had my jacket but I was actually grabbing Kens hand. This wouldn't be funny if I didn't try doing it like five times and kept forgetting that his hand wasn't my jacket.
We stumble and jump around on the streets of NYC in search of an open late night eatery. En route we played with my Rainman like mind with its uncanny ability to remember mundane things - or things that I just find important. And I remember laughing and smiling a lot.
It just felt so awesome to feel so free and unrestrained, that everything was right there within my grasp. Amazing; the sky was dark, the buildings flickered with the fire from construction, the lights dazzled, and Steve said the sidewalk sparkled just for me.

As we were riding the subway to Hoboken, there was a man who was well dressed and a bit intoxicated holdingonto one of the bars. The subway jerked and the guy spun around and SLAMMED into the wall. It was so damn hilarious because he never let go of the bar, he just swung around. then he acted as though nothing happened. It wouldnt have been funny if he was hurt, but he acted so nonchalantly about it as if he didn't just cause a commotion on the subway. I had directions to Steve & Dave's, but somehow during my drive I forgot them. As I am driving, I am thinking I go turnpike to 78W to 3 to Bloomfield. How in the hell did I just remember that? Regardless, we got off on Bloomfield Ave (sidenote....who puts Bloomfield Ave in Nutley, the town next to Bloomfield!!??!?!) and we drove around for a while. A long while. We got the scenic route and I sobered up which was a good thing I suppose. And my park job in front was excellent. The best ever. So damn straight.

After a few hours of sleep, Dave asks if we should get Chinese. Just like last time, nothing beats Chinese food for breakfast. Or I guess technically lunch since it was afternoon. After everyone collectively made fun of my parking job since it was blatantly obvious in broad daylight, we packed up and went to Peking Cuisine. Karen and I don't eat meat, and we ordered the Won Ton soup with our meals. Since I have been sick, I figured I would just have the broth since the soup has meat in it. Karen didn't know that the soup had meat in it and ate it all. So we enlightned her after, though Dave tried to tell her it was tofu. Karen's phone was still dead - oh, just a reminder, she dropped it into a dirty toilet and fetched it - so Steve evaluates the problem. After a few moments I realized that he had protected his hands from the pee phone with napkins - so damn funny. Don't worry, we got a picture. Melissa offered us all gum and Steve declined since he didn't want to use his hands since his hands touched the napkin that touched the pee phone. Instead, he pulled his sleeves over his hands and launched the gum in. I was nearly in tears.

Steve gave me real directions to Hoboken (screw you Mr. Rand McNally) and we were off for another random day in the city. We were all freezing and tired, but the skyscrapers awaited us. First stop was H & M. Oh my it was three floors of clothing goodness. We found crazy pants, modeled freakish accessories, and played in the underwear. Melissa and I found neon leopard print pants though Karen wouldn't let us try them on. She said she was doing her friend duty. We hit up the village next to bar hop. We got off of the NYU exit and I showed the girls some of the buildings that I will hopefully be around next fall (cross your fingers). We found Burrito Loco and started the night off with a shot that was on fire. You drink it through the flames in a straw. Melissa ha promised that it would be good, but the girl also likes tequila. Karen said my look was priceless and I swear to god, I have no more esophagus. We ordered food and more drinks and took crazy pictures. We were the only ones downstairs and felt that we should dance in the aisle since there was Latin music playing. Karen and I attempted to Samba and shook our hips while the whole kitchen watched. Melissa joined and and we were three crazy white girls getting down with the salsa.
After drinks and dancing, we walked down 4th to another bar, The Slaughtered Lamb. Damn I just love the Village. Another awesome bar where we had our drinks while staring out the window creating stories for the passerby. Karen saw a jewelry shop and she thought I would like it so we go in. I have a fascination with large and chunky and glaring bracelets. So I found things that made me happy and left with a slightly heavier bag than before. We found a Moroccan bar, Absolutely 4th, and sat on the stools and enjoyed more drinks. A dark, artsy atmosphere colored with friendly characters. Melissa met Ed, who bought us a round of wine and we all sat and talked like old friends. He was a retired Marine and now just spending his time on the town.
While broadcasting on Friday, this woman - Dina, had called in for information and we ended up talking and knowing the same people. I had told her I was going to NYC to see GTT and hang out and she said that she would be at a club in NYC with another band I had heard of on Saturday night. So we decided to check that out, and spent the rest of the evening at the Acme Underground. Beer was had here. In between sets the club played the Darkness, I swear I don't think any group of kids got more excited over house music then we were. The band Copper Pot took the stage and were really good. Melissa and I danced like crazies and had a great time jumping around. Afterwards I think we took a cab back to the PATH and headed for Hoboken. We took pictures in the subway station and somehow Melissa and I found ourselves on the ground. Stopped in Dunkin Donuts for caffeine for the trek home.
I drove us home from the city in less than two hours, I rule. I could barely keep my eyes open though. Too many consecutive nights of barely sleeping caught up with me on the road. Got home around 2 am and crashed.

The whole trip was euphoric, so amazingly happy with the company. I am so lucky to be surrounded by such whole hearted, positive, and energetic people. Thank you New York, I'll see you soon.