sometimes...

...you just have to make a decision.

There were some extenuating circumstances that influenced my decision, and I may have been somewhat upset when I made it -- but I've made it.

I'm flying home on a one-way ticket this Thursday, God willing.

what i wore

I really love those fashion blogs that have daily posts of what people are wearing, like What I Wore or Daily Work It or The Sartorialist. I don't have the fashion IQ to come up with a different outfit everyday or the dedication to update my blog daily (or even regularly), but I thought for today's post I would channel my inner fashionista and post the fabulous outfit I wore today:

The Graduate, (in front of) Low Library, NYC. 5/20/09.

WhatIWore
Cap & Gown (complete with bat wings that can be used as storage): Columbia Bookstore, $50
Shoes: Wal-Mart, $?
Dress (worn underneath, not shown): Macy's, $40
Education: Columbia University School of Social Work, approximately $60,000 (tuition and fees total)

That's right: I can now add MSW (or, technically, MSSW) after my name!

nyc bucket list update: staten island

1. Go to Staten Island. See the new South Ferry Station (is that lame?). Ride the ferry. Eat Ralph's ices.

Staten Island Ferry, NYC. 5/13/09.

I have now been to all five boroughs! Unfortunately, Lucia and I didn't make it to Ralph's, because, apparently, Staten Island is big. Trying to figure out how to get to the closest Ralph's was like trying to figure out how to use the subway map for the first time: a lot of trouble. Instead, we hung around the promenade for a bit, took pictures at the 9/11 Memorial, made fun of the Staten Island Yankees, and then took the next Ferry back to civilization.

Leaving Manhattan, On the SI Ferry, NYC. 5/13/09.

Hair Blowin' in the Wind, On the SI Ferry, NYC. 5/13/09.

Statue of Liberty: View from the SI Ferry, NYC. 5/13/09.

Lucia at the 9/11 Memorial, Staten Island, NYC. 5/13/09.

all the news that's fit for a half hour comedy show

9. Catch a taping of The Daily Show and/or The Colbert Report.

The Daily Show Studio, NYC. 5/12/09.*

So I cheated: I changed #9 on my "NYC bucket list" from eating hot dogs in Coney Island to watching a taping of The Daily Show. In my defense, I've already been to Coney Island, so it didn't make sense to include it on the list as my intention was to do and see things I haven't done before. I also didn't think it would be possible to see a taping of either show before leaving, since it takes a certain amount of foresight and persistence to reserve tickets.

Apparently, I lack foresight and persistence. Lucky for me, I have friends who don't. :)

Holding our golden tickets!

We got to the studio around 3PM -- you have to be there by 4:30PM in order to get the tickets -- and the line was already a hundred people in (no kidding: when we finally got our tickets, we were numbers 93-96 in line). But it was a nice afternoon, and we managed to keep ourselves entertained until we -- or rather, the people at the head of the line -- were finally ushered into the studio at 5:15ish PM. (We had to be screened, so they let people into the studio in stages.)

The studio is much smaller in person, as is the man behind the desk; Jon Stewart is a wee little man (okay, not exactly "wee" but definitely shorter than I expected). Before the taping began, Jon (Mr. Stewart?) took several questions from the audience. His responses were funny, and I would retell them here except I'd totally over-explain the joke and kill the humor. Tom Hanks was the guest (!), and -- I don't know how the interview seemed on TV but -- it seemed like a whirlwind of a discussion on antimatter, symbology, mugs that looked like Prince Charles, and then boom! he was gone. I know the interviews are always that short, but it seemed so much shorter in person. Tom Hanks is such a nerd. :)

At the end of the show, Jon Stewart thanked us for coming, which was nice. Save for that and the Q&A at the beginning, though, there was little interaction between the audience and the show. While it was exciting to see Jon Stewart in person (and in action) and I did have fun, it wasn't too different from watching it on TV. I love Jon Stewart, but I don't think I would wait in line again to watch his show live.

*Photos courtesy Joanna. Thanks, Jojo!

the big potato

"i don't know how people live here, dorothy.
i mean, it's all very interesting and everything in the world is here, but
it's so tall, and so crowded, and so noisy,
and so much!
i've never seen so much of everything in my whole life."

-- rose nylund, on new york city

I've begun to compile a bucket-list-of-sorts of things I want to do before I leave the city. Rose is right: everything in the world is here, and I've not really been able to explore the city as assignments and readings and bad time management got in the way. Graduation is but a mere few weeks away, and I have the apartment until May 31, so here it is:

things i want to see and do in nyc before i go:

1. Go to Staten Island. See the new South Ferry Station (is that lame?). Ride the ferry. Eat Ralph's ices.
2. Walk the Brooklyn Bridge. (How have I not done this already?) Treat myself to Grimaldi's afterward.
   
3. Visit the Brooklyn Flea: White Dove NYC. Kumquat Cupcakery. Liddabet Sweets. etc.
   
4. See 9 to 5!!! I love me some Dolly Parton! Maybe I'll take mom to see this when the parents come for graduation?
5. Eat at Chip Shop. I'm Southern. I like things fried. Like Twinkies. Mmm... Clogged arteries.
6. Sunbathe at Water Taxi Beach.
7. Stalk Liz Lemon at 30 Rock, or take in the view at Top of the Rock.
8. Gamble away the few dollars I have in Atlantic City. Walk the Boardwalk. Eat Taffy.
9. Catch a taping of The Daily Show and/or The Colbert Report.
   
10. Check out the museums at ICP and FIT. Be inspired.
    

... it's a work in progress.

cookie monster

While I'm still processing my reactions to the film Rachel, I want to share one thing that made me happy yesterday:

picture via Time Out New York

Levain Bakery's Chocolate Chip Walnut cookies are six ounces of ooey gooey melt-in-your-mouth yummy goodness -- you will definitely need a glass of milk with these cookies! Here I am at the Amsterdam Ave location, courtesy of the Levain Cam:

Levain Bakery, Upper West Side, NYC. 5/1/09.

On a side note (and this should definitely not be a side note):

Happy Derby Day!

Also, I want this hat.

top of the world

the world is a book,
and those who do not travel read only one page.

-- st. augustine

Last winter, my parents and I took a three-day excursion to Nepal while we were visiting relatives in Bangladesh. These are some of my favorite photos from that trip:

Prayer Flags, Nagarkot, Nepal. 12/25/07.

Goat, Bhaktapur, Nepal. 12/25/07.

Prayer Wheels at Boudhanath, Kathmandu, Nepal. 12/26/07.

Sunset at Swayambhunath, Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. 12/26/07.

Himalayas, Nepal. 12/27/07.