Home Sweet Home

I'm back in New York! It is so wonderful to be back home, even when I arrived at JFK airport (which is saying a lot, if you've ever been there) where I whisked past all my German flight companions and went straight to the short US customs line and greeted the guy behind the desk maybe a little too passionately. I was just relieved to understand someone perfectly and have someone understand me. Then driving into the city (in a taxi, I should say) was just wonderful. (*Footnote: I should say, I am in the honeymoon phase of being back so please excuse the exagerrated happiness and annoying euphoria I am experiencing) It seems that the city has functioned just fine without me, and it's still moving along as beautiful and exciting as I remember it. Except for the dirty, ugly parts. The weather is gorgeous and everyone has sort of surprisingly been really friendly. Strangers even.

The past few days have involved waking up at around 5.30 or 6 in the morning due to jet lag, wondering where the heck I am; many trips by my dad (bless him for helping me tremendously with re-settling) and myself to Bed Bath and Beyond, Home Depot, the Verizon store, and various pizza places. I quickly re-oriented myself to the rush of the city when I ordered a coffee, paid and conversed with the cashier all in less than 3 seconds flat. I had my inaugural dinner being back at my favorite Burritoville, which thankfully hasn't changed a bit with it's big red leather seats and huge Mexican dishes and free tortilla chips. Thank god for American-sized portions!

I did discover in the few days I've had walking around that a lot does change in two years. New restaurants are everywhere, which is sad when you remember a place fondly and find it deserted or with a new owner. I had a huge scare when I saw that my neighborhood Tasti-D-Lite wasn't there. But relief followed when I saw that it had only moved next door to a bigger locale. Which will hopefully equate to more flavors to offer. So good! (Again, ignore the bliss) Then this morning, I found that my laundromat had closed (it sucked anyways) and the pub around the corner that was so great has been closed down and changed into Starbucks. It made me really sad. But then I went in and ordered my soy latte. So I guess, appreciate the old but move on to the new.

I'm off to California tomorrow to visit the good old Bay Area, and I'm kind of getting sad about the idea of ending this blog, so I'm going to do another entry from the west coast. And I'm thinking of starting a new blog when I get back to New York. Granted, nothing too exciting will be happening to me, but then again, you never know. Do you?

PS. There seems to have been some confusion over who this "Mitch" is, who I stayed with in Berlin since some of you don't know him (that's you, Brooke). He is my sister's husband's brother. Brother in law? Second brother in law?

PPS. Also, some comments about the lack of photos in the blog at times. Which was due to lack of USB ports at the computers at the internet cafes. And now it is due to the fact that the blogger site is having issues. Apologies.

Any other questions?