More Stuff

I lied, y'all. Last weekend I said I was going to Montauk, but I stayed over at Holly's new apartment til 2am Friday night helping to unpack her 82,000 boxes of books. So Saturday I decided to enjoy the gorgeous weather and get some stuff done in the 'hood.

First on my list, a stop at Bank Street Bookstore to line up with the 10-year-olds for a reading and book signing by none other than JUDY BLUME!! Yeah, I'm not gonna lie, I was full-on ready to wait with the munchkins to meet the real Ms. Blume. Unfortunately, I walked by there at least three times in the span of two hours on Saturday, and every time the line was out the door and wrapped around the block, and that was just to buy a book at the register to get signed upstairs. So, I gave up. And I even brought my Judy Blume diary - left for me by Santa Claus for Christmas 1982 - for her to sign and everything!
Yeah - for real - the first entry is December 27, 1982, about a dead mouse I found outside my parents' business. And I quote: "I felt sorry for it, just laying there. but, at least it's not suffering. And also not running around, scaring the women out of there wit's!" As you can see, I was still working on spelling and punctuation in third grade.

I wanted to thank Judy for writing Tiger Eyes and inspiring my unending adolescent fantasies about a young Latino waiting for me somewhere in New Mexico. Something about when the lizards run. Fellow girls of the 80's, I know you know what I'm talking about. Where is my own personal Wolf when I need him??

I didn't get to meet Judy, but I DID see something interesting across the street from the bookstore. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a tour bus pulled up in front of Tom's Restaurant, with

Side note: as I was typing, I heard some guy screaming and yelling outside on the street. I just poked my head outside to see what was going on, and I see some chick crying on the sidewalk, and a young guy walking in the middle of the street wearing white boxers and socks, waving around dollar bills yelling, "I got money, bitch! I got money!" I can see his tennis shoes and jeans in a pile on the side of the street. Also, a police cruiser just slowed down to get around him in the middle of the street and kept going. Home Sweet Harlem!

Where was I? Oh! Saturday on 112th street:
I do believe we stumbled on the "real" Kramer's reality tour of Seinfeld locations!

Good lord - do people pay money for this?? Then again, I paid $70 for the Hip Hop Tour of NYC, with Kurtis Blow as the tour guide, so to each his own. (By the way, you should TOTALLY do that tour if you can; it was AWESOME.)

Today My (former) Charge called (with assistance) to tell me about his first day of pre-school in his little half-day program upstate. I asked him if he had fun, but he didn't say anything. I asked again, but nothing. His mother had to get on the phone and say that he had been nodding vigorously to whatever I was asking him. Awww. I miss that sweetpea.

But the new gig is good. More on that later...

Oh, the Pinball Champ? I relented and decided to ask him if he wanted to go to the Medieval Festival at Fort Tryon Park near the Cloisters Sunday. He was watching football with some guys and by the time he got in touch with me to go, the festival was over (and I hadn't actually made it there, anyway) and I had other stuff to get done, so we didn't get together. Now it's been well over a month since I've seen him. We have tentative plans to get together this weekend. We'll see. I know, I know... it's ridiculous. I know. But in five years when I look around and all the men my age are dating 25-year-olds, I'm going to be really sad I didn't like him more now!! Mark my words. Is it okay to date now out of fear of a bleak future? I'm guessing no. Don't worry; I'll nut up eventually.

I WILL!