perhaps its the weather. but whatever it is, something is stirring within my being. i sat and wrote a three page letter to no one, or maybe to myself, this weekend. in it, i wrote:

perhaps it is this dis-ease that will become my poetic tension. a tension not to hold in place, but that will set in motion. set in motion my mind, my pen, and eventually, my heart.

i picked up Kafka's Metamorphasis this same day at east village books. i'm on the verge of securing my own apartment. i feel the vibration change.

yesterday was nearly perfect in terms weather. so, considering my exercise routine has consisted of brisk walking (generally only to and from work) and 12oz curls for the last 6 months, i decided to go buy some inline skates. i went with the roller blades because both j. and the consultant i work with both have them, so i figured i'd have the occasional partner. plus, i used to skate really well back in middle school.

of course, nobody ever said, "don't worry, it's just like inline skating"

after making my new purchase, i got home and got my shiny new skates ready to take to the east river park. there is a path that runs a good length along the river. i decided not skate there (four blocks east) since i was out of practice. good idea.

once there, i laced up and set south. now, i wasn't a complete beginner, but i surely must not have looked very confident. once i got down closer to the seaport, the path becomes much improved. this is when i realized it wasn't my balance that was so off, but the fact that the path between houston and around market was extremely uneven. it seems the asphalt was not really steamrolled nice and flat.

after getting more confidence on the southern end, i had to make my way back up through the treacherous first section. you'll be happy to know i did this with and face plant or broken bones, although at a much slower pace than the cruising i did further down. all in all it was fun. but i think i need to find a better place to skate. j. said he goes in central park, so i'll have to get some directions from him. or i'll check out what this skate guide has to say.

we had dim sum today for lunch. for the most part, i let s, s's friend, order things. i still had veto power for things like 'fried pork tongue'. as for my first dim sum experience, i'd say it was a success.

after lunch the three of us walked down to the financial district and battery park.

s, a friend i met in edinburgh, is visiting from baltimore.

cingular has by far the worst customer support that i have ever exerperienced for any service i've ever purchased.

does anyone else always check the postmark on the letters they receive?

i'm not sure where this week went, but its friday night, and i'm in philly at my friend's place. it's funny how used to the city you get, and how easy it is to forget how the rest of the world lives.

tomorrow i'll help d build a fence and we'll see just how out of shape i am.

i met a messianic jew tonight at church. we didn't have much time to talk, but i hope that we'll get more time as i'd like to hear how he has come to believe what he does.

while i'm talking about things past, i figured i'd post this pic of a mural on the berlin wall.

go.blogger.com. so, i discovered a great free service from blogger. they have created a way to send photos from your camera phone directly to your blog. i just signed up (it's free), and sent the test immage below. the image is from the brooklyn botanical gardens when i went about a month ago.

"You are beautiful. The world is grim."

this morning i was on my way to work, late, because we had a sending off party for the guy from india that has been working here with the team in NY for the past two months, and i can't pass up free drinks. while walking half way because the subway wasn't running to the usual stop, i came across a chicken reading the newspaper. i would have taken a picture if it weren't for the fact i was in such a rush and i was somewhat concerned about how the chicken might react to this invasion of privacy.

isolation years. i got to see them play when i was in berlin. they've got some groovy tunes, check them out.

i saw the enron movie tonight. its amazing what greed can do. it ended up costing thousands of people their retirements, caused one person to commit suicide, and put two companies out of business (enron and arthur andersen).

towards the end i was literally getting pissed off. partly b/c i knew the whole 'energy shortage' in CA had to manufactured. listening to the recorded phone conversations of enron traders would infuriate anyone that lived in CA during the brown-outs. i have a bit more sympathy for gray davis, but he should have been a stronger advocate for the citizens he represented. and now there's arnold.

i ran down to san loco to pick up some dinner. while waiting for my food, a guy walked in to order. as i looked over at him, i felt as if i knew him from somewhere. before i figure it out, he recognized me; i recognized him as he was saying who he was. i havent seen or talked to this guy since high school. we might grab some beers this weekend.

home sweet home. back in nyc. back to work tomorrow. been up for almost 24 hrs now, so should get some sleep. a great trip. more details and a picture or two to come.

going home. after a great week away from the most of what is my life, i return tomorrow to ny, work, the grind, and the typical routine. it is not very exciting, but i am tired and am looking forward to being in a comfortable place again.

j and i went to prague on a whim this weekend. more details about it later, but the city is fantastic. clean, beautiful, cheap, and fun. i really have to make it back there. time to pack.