What's Up?

So...what's going on? That's what I want to know.

Sorry about the lack of posts but there really hasn't been anything to write about. I mean, I could tell you about the amazing art deco gooseneck desk lamp I bought off this old guy on the street but if there's no accompanying photo, is it worth mentioning? Yes, and that's why I mentioned it.

OH. There is something to talk about. I went to this place a couple of weeks ago. Okay, if you know anything about my time in Japan, you know that I developed a love, no, a deep passion, for onsens. (What are onsens, you ask? They are hot springs. Check it out.) The utter dearth of onsens in America has been one of the most disappointing things I've had to face since my return. That was until I found the Great Jones Spa. They have this thing called the water lounge, which is not exactly an onsen but left me feeling like I had just gone to one. The sauna, the steam room, the whirlpool, and the cold plunge. Lather, rinse, repeat!! It was freaking amazing. I stayed there for three hours and got a facial. I left the place light in wallet-weight but completely relaxed and warm. If you come visit me, I will totally take you to this place.

Btw, my love for onsens was only made permanent and eternal when I found out this happens in some regions of Japan, including the area I was living.

(You see that look on this monkey's face? It's the picture of contentment.)

Tomorrow, I sacrifice celebrating one of my favorite holidays to participate in the democratic process. What I mean is I am leaving New York to go to one of the bigger swing states, Pennsylvania, to work for the Obama campaign in this home stretch weekend before Nov. 4th. I am taking my camera this time so hopefully I'll have some good updates. Pray that I don't get beaten up by the deep-south Pennsylvanians. (For those of you not familiar with PA - PA is politically and socially the northeast in Philly and sorta in Pittsburgh, but the deep south in between.)

OMG! I can't believe I forgot. We won the World Series!!!! Gooooo Phillies!!!

Do you smell that?

It might be the first scent of optimism I've noticed in a really long time. Why is that? Because of this.

It just occurred to me that Kerry's loss in 2004 might have been part of a bigger picture. Imagine if he had won. Or if Gore had won in 2000. I mean, on the one hand, our country could be in a place that doesn't require an Obama. But if either of them had won, we might right now be missing an opportunity for a real milestone and progressive step in our history. Although Gore and Kerry could have been great presidents, the sort of inertia of complacency that our country was in the midst of could have been an obstacle to real change in our country. What the hell am I talking about? Well, I just read an article about a 90-year old African-American man saying he never thought in his lifetime he would see something like this happen. And that made me happy. That made me feel like in one lifetime great progress can be made. I mean, it's sad that it took this long but it also gave me hope that maybe by the time I'm 90, I'll see something happen in this world that I once thought was impossible. Okay, okay, I shouldn't count my chickens before they're hatched but can you blame me? Anyway, all I'm saying is, if either Gore or Kerry had won, would we be close to electing a guy who makes us feel so good we associate his name with hope? When's the last time a politician made us feel that way? And also all while possibly being the first black president? Effing awesome.

This all began because I was thinking about bigger pictures. How do different events in one's life fall into the bigger picture? I wish I knew.

Cold Weather Hermit

When the weather starts getting cold, I have no desire to be outside. I get so preoccupied with feeling cold and uncomfortable that I find it hard to have much fun. Or maybe I just use that as an excuse?

Anyway, I feel weird making an announcement on a blog post but for anyone who still reads this, I'm not really with T anymore. I say "not really with" because it's not like we had this big horrible break-up or anything and I don't think all hope is lost between us but we're not really together now. It's too complicated to get into over this medium but suffice it to say, it was one of those things where how I felt about him didn't change but how I felt about our relationship did. I guess being at my friend's wedding and realizing that I'm not 18 anymore really forced me to reevaluate where I am in my life. Reality sucks, eh?

So this, various other things, and the cold weather is slowly turning me into a cold weather hermit. Or, I guess, just a hermit. I don't really know what to do with myself, either. This was my first real weekend in NYC by myself and I have to say, I am feeling sorta lost and alone. I know time just needs to pass but you know what they say, a watched kettle blah blah blah. Sorry, I'll try to make my next post extra funny or something Or maybe I can end this post with a joke. Q: Why do firemen wear suspenders? A: To keep their pants up. Sorry, that's bad. I'll have something better next time.