hoo man.

the other day, i saw the delorean from "back to the future" driving up sixth avenue in manhattan. totally normal.

i think the fact that bank of america only has atms (no branches) in certain movie theaters here will force me to change banks. i hear they bought fleet boston, but there aren't that many of those here either.

my cell phone (f you very much at&t wireless) is not working now. it shows that it is getting reception, but if you call it, nothing happens. it occasionally will seem to work, but clearly it is just messing with me, because i haven't been able to make a call last more than about 30 distorted, garbled seconds. also, my last bill had like $25 worth of roaming and long distance charges on it resulting from calls totalling maybe 15 "minutes."

so i've been looking at alternatives, and boy do the cell phone companies really try to stick it to you, especially if you want one of their "cheap" plans. i think i'll end up with t-mobile, because they seem to be the most upfront with their pricing. they don't offer free nights, just weekends.

learning to ride the subway is a quasi-artform. also, i think i have identified a panhandler franchise on the L train (which links brooklyn to manhattan for me). a buzz cut, clean clothes, new backpack wearing, mid-twenties white dude will get on and announce in a very stilted speech that he is joe, and doesn't do drugs or drink, is a little "slow" but will work, and needs money or food for himself, his wife, and their unborn child. the first time i saw this guy, i took one look at the clean clothes, backpack and recent haircut and thought, no way. then i saw him a few days later, only it WASN'T the same guy. same speech, same general build and appearance, same fresh looking clothes and backpack, even a similar haircut, but this guy had a distinctive birthmark along his neck hairline. so i dunno if this is a frat or some kind of club or what. very weird.

mcsorely's is the second oldest bar in nyc, and they serve only their own beer, either light or dark, only two at a time in 10oz mugs. there is a lot of wood, sawdust on the floor, and the supreme court had to force them to admit women in 1970.

i just ate half a burger and a ton of fries in a faux-70's burger joint that is squirrelled away in the lobby of the swanky 'le parker meridien' hotel. it was a good burger. lots of celebs have signed the brick wall inside.

i should probably try to get a job soon, but walking around this town is just nutso. the weather has been unusually accomodating as well. i see a jaunt in sunny central park in my future today.