Waiting for my next meal

I got up really early today. 5:15 am early and will have to do it again tomorrow. As a result, I am famished. Starving. I had yogurt once I got into lab and after a series of experiments bought myself a bagel with butter and now am dying to eat lunch. I don't know how I will make it to lunch. If I can't eat, I really would like to take a nap. But I can't do that either, so I'm writing this very un-interesting blog. So here is an update of recent events/thoughts.
1. I am hungry.
2. I will get a footlong sandwich from Subway for lunch.
3. Mike and I registered for the NYC half marathon, which I am excited to run when I am thinking about it but not when I am actually running. It is 2 months away and already I am very tired. The course looks awesome and beer afterwards in our backyard sounds even better.
4. Mike really likes this TV program called So You Think You Can Dance? It's really funny to watch him get all into it. He has analyzed the judges and the strategy of this show's programming from a few episodes. It's pretty funny.
5. I killed the world's biggest bug last night. I'm not scared of bugs, but in NYC, no matter how clean you may be, you get a big bug/roach once in a while (this was about the size of my thumb not including its antenna). This thing was HUGE. Mike called me in (in his defense he was holding stuff but I think he was a tiny bit scared) and told me to kill it. When I did, I heard/felt a crunch. Gross. Later, I was slightly afraid of going to bed thinking that another would invade, looking for his friend, and eat my face. This all stems from the time I woke up once (as a child) with a roach on my face and let me tell you, it changes you for LIFE. I have a serious vendetta with roaches.

I hope you enjoyed this post. I wasted a good 15 min writing it. That's 15min closer to more food.

All the news that's fit to print

That's the NYTimes slogan (and a good one too!) and it's repeated throughout the film Wordplay which Mike and I saw yesterday. The film was great and being an avid NYTimes reader and sometimes crossword solver (I only got as good as Wednesdays when I was doing them regularly), the film surpassed my expectations. I think you have to be a little on the dorky side to really get into the film, but obviously for me that was no problem.

There are really only two other bits of news to report here. The first is an embarrassing moment I had the other day. I was getting on the up elevator at Equinox the other morning while listening to my iPod. Most of the time, people aren't in the elevator when it hits Equinox since it's the lowest level. I get on (going up to the third floor to get coffee at Bouchon Bakery...soooo good...) and "I want you back" by the Jackson 5 comes on my iPod. So of course I start dancing in the elevator. I mean dancing the way you dance at home...when you are in your underpants, with full high pitched signing. You know what I am talking about. It's your secret I-know-I look-foolish-Where's-my-fake mic?-dance.

But of course I wasn't alone. Standing in the somewhat dark elevator corner is a man, about my age, laughing so hard that he could barely get the words out..."You really have some moves there..." I was stunned. So in a stammering voice I say, "it's...the...Jackson5...my...motown...hits..." All I could think was that I wanted to punch him in the face and run out of the elevator. I am not a shy person, but this really was embarrassing...he saw my most secret dance moves! It's like being naked!

He tells me that its nice to see people that happy in the morning. Then he tells me as he leaves that my dance moves were cute. Mortifying.

Now, the last most important recent development is that we are moving...again. This time to the UWS (Westside 4ever [followed by gang sign]), W70th to be precise. The area is great as it is right by Central Park, two locations of our gym, the A, B, C, 1, 2, 3 trains, and more importantly, Sido and Fairway. The apt is smaller than our current one which means we have to get rid of more stuff, but the backyard makes it all worth it. I can garden tomatoes and herbs, have my coffee at my patio table, drink beer while sitting in a kiddie pool and most of all, get a slip and slide for the first time ever. Ok, well Mike says I can't get a slip and slide since it will result in serious bodily damage but I think it's worth a try. Bodies heal and I really want a slip and slide.

If you're really curious about the apt, check out Mike's site. He has this "to scale" layout of the apt we made yesterday. And don't be scared of the "metal cage." It's the locked metal fence/gate that is put up to separate out backdoor from the yard to keep perpetrators out I suppose. That's where we plan to put our bikes and Vijay. We are suuuper excited.

Tomorrow regular programming resumes

Since returning from vacation, I have immersed myself in lab (surprise suprise) and have found that living alone is pretty nice (surprise!). Of course it's a total falsehood. I like living alone because I know that I actually don't live alone. Hmm. I guess that sounds mean. What I am trying to say is that I have never lived alone. Just me. In an apt. My place. All MINE. I also grew up in a busy and big family, so private space really never existed. From what Katie tells me, living alone is the preferred method once you've done it. I've always had roommates and stuff (aka husband) and so pretending I am a fancy NYC female living up the life is a nice fantasy. So what have I done with my fancy alone time? Well, hold on to your socks.

Tuesday night- I came home, gave myself a mask, watched Gilmore Girls (which I hadn't seen in years!) and Sex in the City (which I never watch) while drinking Guinness and then...I went to bed at 10pm.

Wednesday-Woke up at 8am, worked, ordered Dominos 555 deal (3 medium pizzas for 5 bucks a piece) at my apt with Josh and Katie. I drank La Fin du Monde and ate an entire medium pizza. At 11pm I went to bed.

Thursday- Worked from 6:45am to 8pm, ran 3.5 miles at snail pace (my legs have turned into lead since the hike), and made lazy girl pizza and drank the rest of the Three Buck Chuck Katie left here. Then...off to bed (soon).

So what have I discovered from this time alone? It's really nice. I get up earlier because it's not as nice to lay in bed yourself. But I like getting up early. What a quandary. I also found that TV is overrated. I use to like Gilmore Girls, but Rory has turned into a rather annoying character. Come to think of it, all the characters on the show are annoying. Great clothes though. Also, any person who wants to watch the film The Lake House needs to refrain from talking to me. What a dumb movie. The commercials (which I have watched so many times since this week has been amounted to the most TV watching I have done in weeks) alone makes me want to gag.

My time fingle (fake single) is almost over. It was a nice while it lasted.

UPDATE:
[Ok. This is totally freaky...After posting this post, I went to check out my friends' blogs. And Josh has a post about his short lived freedom as well. Man. I guess a taste of liberation really has an impact. But he is a bit nicer. He actually mentioned he missed Yilin. But who wouldn't. I miss Yilin too. Oh, alright. I missed you Mike.]

6 days, 2 hotels, a million bug bites, 90 miles

So this is a re-cap for those of you dying to know how the MA AT hike went. We finished early. Two days early to be precise. Let me backtrack.

Day1-We hiked about 2 miles on Friday, May 26 from the CT/MA border to Laurel Ridge Campsite. Nothing much to report about this day except that it was hot and buggy. Mike Chow and I woke up the next morning with bug bites. This is normally not a big deal, but mosquito bites on me (and Chow) turn into massive, itchy, red, tumorish bites.

Day 2- We hiked about 19 miles to Tom Leonard Lean-To. En route, we encounter a stretch of 3-4 miles completely ridden with mosquitoes. I'm talking a boggish swamp with a haze of these little buggers waiting for the blood of an unsuspecting hiker. We all ran through this part. I think we were walking/running at 4, maybe more, miles an hour. That night I was eaten alive by bugs (since the tarp provides no mosquito netting) and was in a foul mood for the most of the day. The trail was ugly. I really mean that. It was the ugliest boggy trail with no vistas (due to over growth of trees and hazy skies). The lean to was a really pretty one with a tent platform over looking a beautiful mountain view. But even this was not enough to lift my spirits. There was a lot of talk of quitting and never returning to the woods, but hey, if you were hiking long days in 85+F weather (One should note that I have a serious temperature regulation problem and that even though I am female, I am almost NEVER cold.), getting eaten by bugs you would be pretty mad too.

Day 3- The 11 miles to Shaker Campsite was highlighted by the field of gypsy moth caterpilleres coming off the trees like paratroopers. Hundreds. This means you will walk through their disgusting webs and be covered with caterpillars. It was truly aggravating. They were in my hair. [I actually shook out my hair and three fell out.] I tried to do a public service and squish as many as I could...but I am ashamed to say I was out numbered. The moths win. Being covered in webs on a hot humid day (with the days previous bug bites turning into itchy welts) was so incredibly unappealing. I started feeling like the world's biggest whiner and wimp. It was so defeating. At the campsite, we pitched our tarp on a platform and all of us took advantage of the nearby stream to wash up and stick our feet in the cold cold water. I made secret plans in my head to run away when we got to Dalton.

I have to shamefully admit that at this point I thought of using my wiley girl crying skills to get myself out of this hike. Now, by admitting to this, I think most of you will understand how HOT and ITCHY I must have been to reach this new low. But I moved onward.

Day 4- 19 miles to October Mountain Lean To. We started packing up at 4am (after Vijay and I prodded people awake) since it was reported to be a 90F day (WTF! It's MAY people! In MA!) so we could beat the heat and pack in the miles early in the morning. The haze and condensation was thick. At one point we were walking through a field and there was this creature. We couldn't figure out what it was. It looked like a horse's head with a cow's head at its butt. Upon closer inspection it was two horses but the overlap in the haze made it look really strange. I should note that these horses were really fat. Really droopy bellies.

At the lean to we met up with several people. One was an older section hiker from Alabama who we would run into frequently afterwards. He was doing 200 miles from CT to VT (I think). He had already done everything south of this lean to. He was a really cool person. The bugs weren't as bad that night so Vijay, Mike and I decided to sleep in the lean to for a fast 4am get away the next morning. Chow decided to use the tent to prevent any possible bug bites. This was my first time in a lean to and I have to say I really liked it. Except getting up at night to..relieve myself. Apparently my feet are made out of lead and it sounded as if Paul Bunyan was clomping around.

Day5- We hiked 11miles to...DALTON, MA! Here we had a glorious time with beer, pub food, showers, calamine lotion, and a mall to watch X-men (so much fun!) and stayed at the Shamrock Inn (highly recommended as a hiker). The original plan was to take a full day off in Dalton. We modified this and decided that Vijay, Mike and I would hike 8.8 miles to the town of Cheshire the next day and stay there for the night. The air conditioned room and the bed were soooo nice. Especially given how hot it had been. I smothered myself in calamine, washed my hair twice and slept like the dead. Mike and Vijay left their shoes out to dry in the sun while we did our laundry and watch X-men, but it rained and soaked their shoes. Ha! (It dried out for the most part by the next morning.) Chow would be leaving us after Dalton as planned (Man it was good to see Mike Chow...I mean Dr. Chow.) For breakfast, Vijay had steak and eggs.

Day 6- We hiked a really easy hike to Cheshire. I think it was easy for several reasons. It was short and we talked the whole way making one forget about the uphills. We had made last minute reservations at Harbor House Inn Bed and Breakfast (listed in the Thru Hikers guide) right on Mass 8. On the way their we ran into a ice cream stand. Of course we all partook. Yum. When we got to the B&B we were so happy. Oh man...This was a vacation. This place was sweet. Classic New England B&B. I felt so wrong being there and out of place, but that wore off soon and I made sure to test just about every chair in the place. I read the New Yorker, had a beer, ate pizza, meatball sandwich, salad, and cookies. Mike read a book and Vijay wore a robe the whole time. It was so nice and relaxing.(Sorry you missed this Chow.)

Day7- After a monster breakfast at the B&B, we headed to Mt. Greylock, the highest point in MA. Before we headed out, Vijay pointed out a group of men walking down Mass 8 with sticks. "Hare Krishna!" he says. I topple over with laughter because I know they are road cleaners. Eva, the owner, comes out and says, "Dear God...Those are prisoners from the prison down the street. Not Hare Krishnas!" It was hysterical.

Once on the trail, we tried to cross a field of cows but they charged at us and we ran back and hopped over the fence. The cows stood in a line staring at us. Finally, Mike took two big sticks and made lots of noise and shooed them away like a herder. Little did we know that cows will run to you then stop when they reach you...city people that we are. When we got to Mt. Greylock, Mike insisted we go to Bascom Lodge and, well, check out the food. The two of them ordered food while I ate my PB&J, jerkey and trail mix. I did get some chicken gumbo though. I felt like I should eat the food I have been carrying.

Bascom Lodge is really cool. Aside from being at the summit, it allows hikers to stay there for the night and shower for 10 bucks. Good to know..for what I'm not sure since I thought the MA AT up to this point was pretty disappointing (in terms of vistas and trail views..too many bogs resulting in several mud-shoe suction).

We hiked to Sherman Brook Campsite (about 16 miles at that point) and it was about 5pm. I was feeling oddly good and the guys needed a break and food. I foolishly ate a small PB&J sandwich and waited for the verdict...Are we staying here as planned or pushing through the extra 2 miles to the MA/VT border and then the additional 3 miles in VT to the car?
After an hour break and Vijay's circular logic, Mike and Vijay decided to push through. (Since I was fine either way and have a history of poor decision making, I was not allowed in the discussion process.). We has an uphill to complete and a then it began to thunder. Complete with lightening and rain. I kept telling strange and funny stories to keep potential man eating animals away. (My other plan was to stab the animals with my GoLite umbrella.) By the time we got to the car it was 9pm and we had finished it with headlamps and we all had serious mud shoe suction. We got back to NYC at 2am last night and found that Vimal had annexed our apt while gone (of course we had said he could). The bed couldn't have been nicer. I was clean and smothered in calamine again. SO happy.

The next day Mike and I headed to Ocean City, NJ for a few days and stopped into the Acharya's for an awesome lunch. I also learned how to wear my sari (Thanks Mrs. Acharya!). Then I had to drive the big SUV. 9 months without driving will make you a bit nervous (especially if you really never drove before that anyway). Seeing my Irish/Polish/German/Chinese -American family was great. In the end all was good and actually, I drive pretty well and I got to wear my cowboy hat around Ocean City. And, I never broke down and used my girly crying skills to get me out of a sitution. That's Right. I don't cry. There is no crying in hiking. Fun Fun.