Countdown: (Hope & Jim Joe, Snapshots of Home)

7 days until Vassar

I managed to pack only 20-something pairs of shoes

I call that skills, and restraint

besides missing all the shoes I'm leaving behind,

I'm going to miss Jim Joe, his wisdom

and his knack for always having the perfect message for me

wherever I go, he's like that best friend that gives the greatest advice,

he always reminds me to keep on truckin',

even on the most unbearable days

Beau also keeps me smilin',

I always have my camera

just in case one of my favorite men pay me a visit

IloveyouJimJoe

Inspirational messages might be at their best in Willyb

At Vassar I get all of my hope and inspiration from

the ladies at the Deec (my surrogate moms)

or whoever is making omelets,

I can't complain, I miss those egg white dreams.

Oh Hi, July

Can there be a more perfect day?

cheap food & free finds

those might be the things I love the most

by cheap food, I don't mean just any normal eats

I mean pizza, from Artichoke

the most epic slice of pizza ever to exist,

and coincidently the best in the city

this is the pizza I dream about while eating Baccio's take out at Vassar

(and just in case any non Vassar people, by some odd chance,

visit Poughkeepsie, Baccio's margherita pizza is a lovely,

olive oil laden, addiction-in-a-box)

just by the line that is perpetually snaking out of the small shop,

you can tell, this pizza is not to be missed

14th between 1st and 2nd is a sea of people making their way through a mammoth slice

some stand at the counter, sit on sparse wooden benches, loiter on every staircase available, and others just simply stand on the sidewalk,

because when you're in pizza-bliss, location hardly matters

the price just went up to 4.50 a slice, but it is massive & oh so worth it

I'm impressed with anyone who could finish their own slice

it's creamy, super savory with such a thick crust

think a few normal slices stacked,

slathered with an intoxicating spinach artichoke concoction and pieces of artichoke hearts

yes, it is a two plate pizza

Not only was there great pizza in my life today, but lots of freebies

I was pleasantly surprised as I walked down Ludlow St.

to find bags & boxes full of books, and old records

I went through that awkward moment of looking at the treasures,

and wondering whether these discarded items

were actually up for the taking, or if I got too close

someone would emerge from the shadows, and claim the stuff

embarrassing me, and crushing my dreams of free stuff

luckily, as I spied the Complete Vegetarian's Cookbook

I could not resist and I got past my apprehension,

to find out, it all was free!

I grabbed that cookbook (which can be bible # 2, seeing as I already have my Zagat 2010)

as well as the Tao Te Ching, a book on yoga & consciousness,

Kite Runner, the Canterbury Tales, and some vintage records

other people were encouraged by our searching and soon there was a small crowd

picking through books, shoes and records

this is why I love New York City,

you can be a broke intern, and shopping is still possible

in other news,

today is a celebration, I ordered Food Network magazine.

Street Art

I already have a torrid love affair with the city

but now that I'm an intern

I love every single minute I get to spend outside even more

working in an office

is actually quite alienating

maybe it's just the sociology major in me

or maybe its because the light in my nook is out

but this weekend, I got in some much needed QT time with the streets

and encountered some street art that really made me happy

anything might be beautiful after staring at an Excel workbook for 7 hours at a time

but this stuff is actually great.

This sexy man inspires me.

Gotta love some divalicious attitude & a bit of scandal

Gritty High Renaissance in the big city? yes please!

Trifecta=new best word.

I wish there could be a pizza place, Thai restaurant & Cold Stone all in one,

that would be my dream trifecta.

No words needed. This speaks the truth.

This truck couldn't have been in a better place. Love dollar stores, forever.

LES masterpiece.

My fave.

Home Sweet Home

I got home yesterday

and let me tell you, the LES is looking beautiful

I've really learned my lesson

I promise to pack lighter next year

maybe I"ll bring only 20 pairs of shoes next time

but, this morning

I woke up in a room, alone

and it felt good

I could hear all the traffic on the Williamsburg bridge

and right outside my room door

was a patiently waiting pup

just dying to play fetch and lay on the couch

I had my mom's Spanish coffee

right out of my Hello Kitty mug

(college coffee is so nasty)

and a mom-let

with yellow american cheese on white bread

my classic favorite food

there was Spongebob

and lots of revolutionary things happened

Spongebob got round pants, and a booty

Patrick turned into a sexy woman complete with blond pigtails and red lipstick

I must say, he was a hottie

it feels so good to be home

where everyone wears shoes at all times

each street smells like a different type of food

halal is always the most tantalizing

and sometimes you run into a street fair (which made me oh so happy)

thai spring rolls, nom

and you don't see the same face,

or the same college sweatshirt or

ethnic print harem pants (oddly popular at Vassar) twice

I was just speechless as I walked around

I forgot how beautiful Essex Street is, it's an acquired taste type of beautiful

but lovely, and welcoming all the same

I got reacquainted with my non-edible-double-decker love Forever

I was on the L train and I had the fleeting worry

"oh my god, I have so much reading to do tonight"

I forget that those are the worries of the past,

goodbye Art History flash cards

(they really got to my head, I was working in the library the other day

and as I scanned out some books for a girl,

instead of telling her the due date, May 21,

I handed back the book and said 1921)

but, the triumph of the day was the noms

vegan Pizza from Vinnie's in WillyB

Barbeque chicken slice with vegan cheese

I load on the hot sauce and parmesan cheese and I'm just in heaven

granted, when I eat spicy food I feel like my lips swell

but it hurts so good

and who doesn't like a lil added lusciousness.

This is What I Live For

This fateful Friday I finally got to leave Poughkeepsie

and it felt so good

midterms week was so oppressive

all I did was sit in various library cubicles

staring at the walls 

and listening to Robin Thicke to get me by

while my roommate overdosed on caffeine 

literally, she said her teeth were buzzing

which worries me a bit

but enough with that 

because Vassar seems like just a distant memory 

still covered in snow 

so for now I'll just pretend that I'll be in the city forever

not for just 2 more weeks

it's actually spring here

and I'm storing the snow boots

and my winter jacket away

hello leather jacket, 

sweet thing, how I've missed you

I traded in the library cubicle 

for the park benches at Tompkin's

watching pups in the dog run (and sane squirrels)

I saw the cutest bulldog

a chubby, scrumptious little thing

that looked like a roll of sugar cookie dough

pups help past the time when you're waiting 2 hours

to get a coveted seat in 

the Clinton Street Baking Company

for the best blueberry pancakes ever (more on that later)

so the wait was productive,

I finally got to take in my neighborhood(s)

while the sun was shining

perfect weather for an iced coffee

and a long walk

so here are some pictures I took

because one of the best things about the city 

is the street art, the graffiti, the murals

this is one of my favorite ever

an amalgamation of everything about the city that I love

the Lower East Side is the most beautiful place in the entire world

no matter what anyone says 

I'm a sucker for any tag in pink 

so long drab brick buildings of Vassar

I get so sick of staring out my window onto the quad

where everything looks the same

where nothing is colorful

where the extent of history isn't just some 

tall tales about Jane Fonda 

I just wish I could stay here forever

where there's a bodega on every corner

and a photo op on every block

and I don't have to wait for a shuttle to go to the supermarket

where the extent of my walk isn't to 

English class

where there are pigeons and buses

and different types of people (this is probably the most refreshing thing about being back)

for the next two weeks 

me and my leather jacket

are going to take on the world 

(because the Lower East Side is definitely the center of the world).

An Ode

It all started one day

in a small playground on the Lower East Side

outside of a cluster of projects

the typical metal structure,

red, yellow, blue construction of fun

Who knows why but I must have been 4 

and I was alone

roaming across the black matted ground 

playing by myself on the monkey bars

slipping down the short, cold metal slide

probably in some seriously 90s

 floral print leggings-cute babydoll dress combo with too short bangs and a bob

I swear I was Matilda reincarnated

minus the magical powers and all 

but who needs magical powers 

when you're a kid in the 90s

anyhow, I was roaming around that

sad little playground when!

     Alas!

     my young eye caught sight of a

    lone red gummy bear

   I swear it glistened on the black rubber ground

  and it whispered "eat me"

  I knew what was good for me, and that I should'nt 

  eat off the floor

 for various reasons (crack, HPV)

 but I had too, it was calling my name

I peered up to the sixth floor gated window

no sight of my mom

I walked over

my Payless sneakers lighting up

preparing me for the magical taste

and then I just picked it up and ate it

and that day has been by far one of the biggest impacts on my life

Do I still eat candy off the floor you ask?

anytime, anyplace

but I've moved on to Swedish Fish

I swear I can smell them from across a room

and anyways, Gummi Bears have gelatin

and I'm a vegetarian

those days are over, but the thought of floral print leggings still entices me.