NYC

This past weekend I was in New York. It was a blast. I went there to visit my best friend (who I will refer to as Brooklyn, since that is where she lives), whom I hadn't seen since June. That alone made the trip worth while, despite the outrageous fees that Amtrak likes to place on travelers. Where are the days where taking the train was cheaper than a plane? Overall the weekend was better than I could have anticipated, and because of that I want to share it here.

We woke up bright and early on Saturday. I had arrived late the previous night and Brooklyn and I had stayed up talking about nothing. Down the street from her apartment is this little "restaurant." It's kinda a dive, but the food is good. We both got the breakfast special: 2 eggs, french fries and toast for $2. Amazing!

After breakfast we went to see where Brooklyn teaches. A nice private school. A huge upgrade from the school she taught at in France. Here the students actually listen and respond to discipline. The best part of her school is the walk way along the river. It's just a couple blocks from her school. We went there and watched the helicopters fly around the city. There was one helicopter that were pretty sure had a student driver (although others have theorized that they were filming something for the news). This helicopter hovered in the same place for a good 15 minutes. then he flew down the river and hovered again, then he landed. I know this doesn't sound interesting, but we were engrossed in trying to figure out what it was doing and why. It's amazing how much life an animated conversation can give a far odd piece of machinery. There was also a light blue helicopter that was really pretty, but it didn't do anything of interest.

After watching the helicopters we went for lunch. Then we went to the Met. This is when things got really interesting. Somehow we ended up in the exhibit rooms with out having gone through the main entrance, and thus not paying the suggested fee. Now I'm not sure if the suggested fee is really a suggestion or if it's in fact a permanent fee, but we did not pay it! We did get caught by a security guard and had to leave the exhibit at one point, but due to a little quick thinking we did not get in trouble. We had tickets for a lecture latter in the evening, and used those to get a pass into the main exhibit. The met is truly a beautiful museum.

While waiting for the lecture to begin we sat outside and judged people. That's right we said out loud what everyone thinks, but no one says. We rated the dress of both men and women on a scale of 1-17, 17 being the best. Yes 17 is a random number, and I give full credit to Brooklyn for that. I apparently am a much harsher critic. My lowest score was a 5, while Brooklyn's was an 8. Her highest was 16.5, compared to my 15, although we typically agreed on whether an outfit was good or bad.

The lecture was on archaeological findings in Egypt. It was given by the head of Egyptian archaeology. This guy was hilarious. He kept throwing joke in between talking about Kings and Queen of Ancient Egypt.

"I was excited to find his (King Tut) erection, because erection in ancient Egypt meant resurrection!"

You could hear the passion in this man's voice. I hope that when I have been in the discipline for as long as he I can still feel that way, and show my enthusiasm in a way that reaches those of all ages.

"The Valley of the Kings still contain mystery and magic"

After the long day out we went home to make dinner. Spaghetti O's, followed by Strawberry shortcake ice cream bars.