Today...I'm beginning my career as a psychic :)

I predict that in the morning I will be sore. If you too, want to partake in the psychic venture, please read the following.

I woke up this morning with an idea. My idea was to utilize the beautiful day and see everything that I could see in Central Park. I took my time preparing for this journey: a shower, breakfast (granola, some soy yogurt, & some tea), picking out the right "walking-outfit" and of course snacks for the trip. I decided that the best plan of attack would be to take the subway to the bottom (i.e. southernmost end) and then traverse the park, going back and forth until I was 1)hungry 2)tired 3)sunburnt 4)just couldn't go on.

I began at Columbus circle, seeing all the good stuff (if you would also like to see these things, then either google them, or if you're lucky enough to be friends with me on facebook, than look there :) including:
-the carnival: year round?
-lots and lots of snack/pretzel/icecream stands: I resisted and ate the snacks I brought!
-The Dairy & giftshop: I just took a quick look around
-Tavern on the Green, cute, wish I had more money to stop there :) hehe
-the "bowling" green...LOVED it! lots of old (sorry for calling you old...)people lawn bowling...I want to be one of those old people! btw: they all have to wear white.
-Strawberry fields...not as impressive as I thought it was going to be :(
-Betheseda Terrace & fountain...pretty stinkin' sweet, good view & lots of people taking pictures of each other :)
-the big'o'lake (and the little pond & the Turtle pond),
-the Swedish Cottage/puppet theater...it's kinda weird to me that they have a puppet theater in Central Park, but c'est la vie...and I guess they had to include one of everything to be fair
-Cleopatra's "needle"/obelisk: it had crab claws on it!
-the great lawn: super huge, and fun. LOTS'O'PEOPLE!
-the Jackie'O resevoir (where I walked the wrong way!) I think I might like to come back sometimes and actually walk/job the correct way!
-Lts of people, and dogs, and bikers, and pedicabs, and horse/carriages
-Belvedere Castle: pretty sweet, but the stairwells were super skinny & awkward with so many people...good views of the dirty Turtle Pond though

Honestly, I don't know how it happened. But pretty soon I was near the top (the northernmost part) of the park, near the pool & subway stops. I had stopped frequently to drink some H2O, and snack on a couple carrots here and here. I even took some pictures (again...look at facebook, if you want). At that point, I felt pretty accomplished and decided to walk the rest of the way to the top of the park, I thought that if I ended up getting tired I could take the subwayt he rest of the way. Turns out that a 5+ hour walk is exactly what I needed. I walked the rest of the way to my apartment.

Another good find about today, was the "shortcut" I took home, through my local park. It had one thing that Central Park had very few of: cookouts! Lots of families joined together and listening to music, eating food, playing games and just large bousterous gatherings! It made my heart so joyful to see this, and know that it was even closer to "me" than all of those Central Park visitors and tourists! I can only hope that before I leave New York I can participate in just such a gathering :)

Anywho...any votes if I'll be sore tomorrow?

So, today was a good day. And the goodness didn't stop in Central Park or my super long walk. I decided I would join some other New Yorkers at either a concert in Central Park, or a production of Shakespeare in a park a bit closer to my apartment. Shakespeare won out. To my surprise (and joy) I got to the park and heard some drumming. It was literally "a drumming circle" (it even had a placard designating it such). I stood and watched for a while...it was beautiful. There were people of all ages, singing, dancing, drumming, bouncing to the beat. I loved it...but there was Shakespeare to be found. I made my way up to the "upper level" of the park, and took some pictures (it was super beautiful up there...perhaps even worthy of a special event) and then made my way back down the other side where the play was about to begin.

Michael Jackson tributes were being played as the audience was getting settled. On stage an interesting set of graffitied objects and two musicians. It was an NYU version of "A Midsummer's Night Dream" called: "Dream a Little Dream". Fan-freakin'-tastic!! Funny, good music, and so well done. There was also just 6 actor/actresses playing all the roles, which provided some comic relief in itself.

The audinece waxed and waned as the play went on, but overall we ended up with more people at the finish. Of course a standing-O was well deserved!

It was dark by the time I had to make my way back to my apartment. At teh bus stop (a few blocks from teh park) there was a cop van pulling over a car, apparently they needed 7 or 8 cops to pull this person over (the scary part was that it was a cab!). Anywho a spanish-speaking family was at the bus stop. The father asked me (in Spanish) if I spoke any Spanish. I replied no (which is almost the truth)...I guess un poco (sp?) is more correct. He asked me another questions, this time in english. "If you don't speak spanish, why did you answer with "no"(w/Spanish accent), not "no" (like I normally say it)". We got to talking and apparently I sat on the bus in fron tof this family on my way to the concert, and now we were waiting at a different bus stop together, ready to head back to our respective homes...interesting, huh? I asked them if they were worried that I was following them, and when they responded that they had gone all the way to Queens, and perhaps it was them I should be worried about, I knew I loved this family! I needed that. Just a cute family, nice to strangers and funny.

Another thing: I cut off my hair! Went to Supercuts yesterday and cut it off...it's much more enjoyable in this heat now!

One more thing: I have orientaiton on Monday & classes start Tuesday, and I already have 2 chapters to read & an article!

One last thing: I'm trying out churches, and tomorrow's my first in NYC. Wish me luck, or pray for me, which ever you choose :) And I'm meeting a PLU friend for church and brunch! yay for old friends!

Good night, sweet dreams :)