Dodging bullets Part II, Wonder Woman style

This year, I dressed up as Wonder Woman for my first Halloween in New York. I even grew my hair out specifically to pull the costume off, with boots, cuffs, tiara, lasso, and all. I even rode the subway to class like that.

People would call out to me, "Hey Wonder Woman!" or "Hey Linda Carter!" Strangely, several people called me "Super Girl." I think the red cape threw them off. Some stopped me to take pictures! It was pretty funny.

My Psych teacher reacted with, "I'm narcissistic enough to think she dressed up for me." And of course, Henry the doorman was really stoked about it. I even went to sewing class this way. But I had to take off the tiara and cuffs, when it started to get a little warm.

Some of my classmates dressed up too, including such characters as Jem, Indiana Jones, and the scary Asian kid from "The Grudge." Two guys dressed as nerds, another girl dressed as a ladybug (borrowed from me), and one dressed as a panda (also borrowed from me).

After sewing class, my classmates and I failed to get a good view of the Halloween parade. So eventually I ended up at Union Square, trying to catch a 3-d showing of "Nightmare Before Christmas." But we got there too late, cuz it was so hard to get through the crowds! So finally I ended up going to a bar in Tribeca before finally heading home.

The next morning, I found out that there was a shooting in Union Square, right after we left the area. I thought I was escaping the Halloween violence of San Francisco, but apparently this stuff just follows me around!

***
Yesterday, at lunch break from sewing class, we had Korean takeout together:

Classmate 1: Man, this is so much better than all the Hot Pockets I've been eating!
Me: Ahh, Hot Pockets. I remember when I used to live on those.
Classmate 2: What's all this "used to" stuff? Why y'always saying "used to"?
Me: Well. I'm old.
Classmate 2: What? You're not old. How old are you?
Me: Uhh, haha. Old.
Classmate 3: (my class bff, who knows my actual age) You don't ask a girl that question!
Classmate 2: Come on, you're not that old. How old are you? 23?
Me: Uhh, haha. No.
Classmate 2: 24?
Me: Hah. Wow. I'm not saying anything anymore!!

Well I need to get back to school and partying with classmates who are turning 21. (hah!)

But in the meantime, you should catch up on episodes (free online!) of my favorite new tv show, "Pushing Daisies." It is a wonderful combination of so many of my favorite things: romance, a sweet boyish lead, murder mystery, magic powers, funny names, Amelie-esque narration, singing, smart dogs, and adorable 50s-styled fashion.

Being Bad and Good

I was bad today. I didn't spend any time on school, and I have SO much to do for the next week.

I went on that third date at the Top of the Rock (where I also checked out the Target Breezeway that one of my college friends designed), and somehow it led to seeing some really good comedy improv at UCB, dinner at Izakaya Ten in Chelsea, and then hanging out backstage at the SNL season premiere live taping!!!

I got to meet Will Arnett (who I loved on Arrested Development and Conan episodes) and Jason Sudeikis (who I've also enjoyed on 30 Rock). And in the halls, I passed by Andy Sandberg, Darrell Hammond, Molly Sims, Cameron Diaz, Ashton Kutcher, Bob Costas, Chris Rock, and Kanye West!! --Just walkin' around before and after the show. How wacky is that!?

I never realized that Kanye West wasn't that tall. I heard Jay Z and Beyoncé were there too, but I didn't get to see them. It was all very surreal.

When we exited the building, we came out where fans were waiting to see celebs. That was very amusing. I felt a little awkward walking out there, like I was disappointing the fans. Like I wanted to say, "No, I'm not Cameron Diaz or Beyoncé, sorry folks."

But I was good, cuz I could have gone to the after party. But I went HOME so I could study on Sunday. So... I'm sort of responsible? Maybe?

I will definitely have to tag along to the after party another time, especially if Cameron D is hanging out again. I hear she likes to karaoke.

Sunday in the Park with Misocrazy

The weather in New York was perfect today! Sunny, warm, with just a little breeze. And I was able to enjoy it in the name of Toy Design research and running errands.

After meeting my cousins and their little daughter for noodles in Chinatown, a block away from my place, we walked to the Columbus Park playground (bizarrely located across from several funeral Shops and one block from the Detention Center), where little Devon got really excited to get on the swings.

Then I went to check out Chelsea Waterside Park (as shown here, with its oddly phallic structures), to research my next homework assignment: designing an outdoor activity toy.

But before I got started on drawing my homework, I had to go shop for much-needed curtains (the windows are so bright in my room, that I can't get myself to sleep in past 8am) and a desk chair, but of course everywhere you go in New York, there are store windows full of cute and stylish items, beckoning you to come in and own them.

I passed a Brooklyn Industries boutique, and there was SO much good cuteness for Fall, I couldn't resist. I bought a dress, a jacket, and a sweater. I figure will need it for the upcoming cold weather!!

I may have to go back and get a bag and a coat later.





I did find some curtains later, plus I scored an $80 discount on my desk chair at The Container Store! It was the last display model of a discontinued chair, and I wanted a newer one, which they didn't have. Also, the sales clerk gave me the huge discount for being "pretty and for being so patient." Hah.

We'll see if the curtains are effective in the morning. I kind of doubt it. Darn. I guess I won't be late to class, but I might start nodding off at my desk again.

Quickie "I <3 NY" Tidbits

Before I get into my tales of Toy Design school, here are some fun NY moments of the last week:

• Getting asked by Rob Corddry (of "The Daily Show" fame) to watch his laptop at the local Starbucks


• Meeting a tv writer for "30 Rock", a writer of a new book about art & knitting, and a film curator who works for Martin Scorsese, at my cousin's party (The film curator told us about how he sometimes gets mistaken for some kind of celebrity food critic, and it dawned on me that he was, indeed, the doppleganger of Jeffrey Steingarten, who I've often enjoyed watching on "Iron Chef.")


• Getting days off from school for Rosh Hashanah!?


• Karaoke-ing at Winnie's, a funny little dive bar in Chinatown, right around the corner from my apartment. I went with four of my friends, and we realized that we were the only Asians in the whole bar.


• After a late night of drinking and singing at Winnie's, the Crasians wanted to get some food, and somehow we ended up at a "Chinese" restaurant called "69." This was the most Americanized Chinese food I had ever seen, because I could hardly recognize the food choices. One of the Crasians just gave in wholeheartedly and ordered Egg Foo Young & Egg rolls.


• Going to book-signing at a Chelsea Art Gallery, for a book about the new wave of knitting art, where I met a sculptor/part-time E.R. physician who turned out to know my brother from when they worked at the same hospital in Chicago (!?!?)


• My doorman greeting me by saying things like, "If I had a red carpet, I'd lay one out just for you," "It's like a dream come true," and "Did you notice how the lobby got a little brighter when you arrived?"


• Catching up with Dubbledubs and my original ex-boss from the old days of Yahoo!, over food and drink in the East Village. We ate at Momofuku and then drank some more at a hidden little bar called Angel's Share, where I enjoyed a delicious peach-flavored sake, and my ex-boss randomly broke a stem glass (either because he doesn't know his own strength or because he had one drink too many)


• Stumbling upon the Kid Robot store and picking up a "Smery" (stinky tofu) doll.

And as a side note: It turns out that the missing box and magazine rack from my move --they weren't missing at all. I thought the wardrobe box in the hall was my roommate's, but in fact it's mine. Yay!

Happy Rosh Hashanah to me.

OMG, I'm a New Yorker! (Pts. 1 & 2)

As I walk around and sit in the subways of New York, I often think, "Wait, I live here now? For real? Huh." It's been a hectic first three weeks, but also it's been chock full of fun classes, surprises, and general overstimulation.

The moving process is still bothering me, but otherwise I am generally walking around alternating between giddinesss and tiredness. I'm concerned about having enough time to blog while all this is happening, but I'll see what I can do... (Skip Part I if you just want to hear about the good parts)

Part I: Moving continues to suck.

My new apartment lease didn't start until September, so when I arrived in mid-August, I had to share my roommate's old one-bedroom apartment (in Upper East) for two weeks. This meant living out of suitcases and sharing her bed. Luckily she is a tiny person, we get along great, and she has a big, comfy bed.

But then, the long-distance movers called me, to tell me they had my van of stuff, ready to deliver... except they were about a week early! I had to call them to tell them that I'm not at the new place yet, and they can't deliver, because the old tenants were STILL THERE.

So I rescheduled them to deliver on the following Saturday at noon, except they NEVER arrived. I called them repeatedly, and they kept saying they'd call me back... which just were just lies. Finally at 3pm, they called and said they'd show up after 5pm... which my building doesn't allow. I requested to reschedule again preferably for Labor Day.

Then, I moved into the apartment before my stuff arrived. Luckily I ordered a new bed, so I had something nice to sleep on. But classes had already started, and I had no furniture. So I ended up sitting on cardboard, drawing my homework on the floor.

The movers didn't call back to confirm the new delivery time, until Monday morning, when they were 30 minutes away from showing up! I jumped out of bed, threw on some shorts, and frantically ran out of the house to find an ATM so I can pay them the final moving fee. Meanwhile, I had to explain this to the building Super, who hardly spoke any English. But he managed to tell me that moving in requires a $25 fee for them to pad the elevator, and a $300 cash deposit in case of moving damages!! Effing New York condos!

Finally the movers started carrying in all my stuff, which started to make me feel better... until they brought in a whole extra couch. As they started to unwrap it, I said, "Um. That's not mine." To which the Russian dude responded, "You're kidding." "No. That is not my couch. All my items have orange-numbered stickers on them. This couch has a yellow one." It was an ugly couch. And I had no room for extra furniture. This is New York, people. So they took the godawful couch away.

And a few days ago, I realized that I am missing a magazine rack and a whole wardrobe box!! --and that's just the part I noticed! I'll be giving the movers a call tomorrow.

FYI, I used a company called Lightning Van Lines. Don't ever use them.

Part II: Let the Good Times Roll

I've been warned that the Toy Design program would be so intensive, that I'd have no life outside of school. It has actually been compared to medical school, if you can believe that. (Also, they are strict on attendance, and they don't tolerate tardiness. I panicked slightly at hearing this, because I'm still getting used to NY subways, and I got spoiled as a web designer, where I rarely had to show up at work before 10am.)

Luckily, my wonderful New York friends (Dubbledubs & Linda, also recent Cali-transports,) wasted no time in getting me out of the house to enjoy some city entertainment, before FIT sucks my life away. I started off easy (as I was tired from the recent road trip), with seeing a couple movies. If you haven't seen Superbad, you really have to. Right away.

So anyway, for my first Saturday in New York, they planned a jam-packed belated-birthday celebration, which included:

• Joining a gang of "Crasian"* California-NY transports for tasty hotdogs and overpriced Coke at a Dodgers-Mets game at Shea Stadium (Luckily tix were only $5)


• Stopping in Queens for tequila shots, food, and dancing at PS1, a contemporary art center (and an extension of MoMA) -where they have enormous, jam-packed, crazy outdoor rave parties on Saturdays in the summer


• Singing and lychee martinis with old and new friends at Karaoke One-Seven, by Union Square, where I had my first red-velvet cake--delicious!


• Dancing the night away with a major cutie, at a ridiculously loud dance club in the meatpacking district (with the biggest disco ball I've ever seen) and meeting one of the guys from Thievery Corporation!?

*"Crazy Asians," as my friend Jeff likes to call us, fondly, not to be mistaken with those delicious Craisins

I had so much fun, I couldn't sleep that night. And this was all before classes even began!

Speaking of which, I should get to bed for my morning class in Anatomy and Figure Drawing. Stay tuned next time, for Adventures in Toy Design School!

A Case of the Happy Mondays

This morning, I signed the lease to my fabulous future Manhattan apartment and visited my friend Jen to get it scanned and sent back to New York to cinch the deal. Jen was working from home because she had a cold.

To comfort her cold, we headed to our favorite Mission restaurant, Luna Park, where she had a steak, soup, and salad, and I had a sweet corn risotto with English peas and cherry tomatoes. I "Dodgeballed" "@ Luna Park," to gloat about our lovely lunch, and so later a couple of my friends in the neighborhood later passed by to say hello.

Then I ran a few errands in my VW convertible bug with the top down, while Pink Martini, Digable Planets, Arrested Development, Smoosh, and Michael Bublé emanated from my car stereo, connected to my new iPod. It was just set to random shuffle, but the songs seemed oddly appropo. Then I came home to find an IM from KT, saying we should grab dinner and hit the Mint later this evening. That sounded like a plan to me!

Then I played a couple turns of "Scrabulous" (basically online Scrabble, my latest addiction) on Facebook and decided to take a nap, until I realized that it was so warm and sunny that it would be a travesty to not go lounge by the pool.

I got on my red Paul Frank bikini on, grabbed an amusing novel called "Love Monkey," and then decided it was so warm that I deserved a bowl of ice cream. Then Linda called me, and said, "Well you sound happy!" And I replied, "Well, I'm in swimwear, eating a bowl of Bi-Rite ice cream, listening to Britney, so yes, I'm pretty happy."

She confirmed that the papers went through, so we are, indeed, going to share an amazing apartment in September!

After I finished my ice cream, I grabbed my cowboy hat for shade and went down to go read by the pool, as I listened to mellow summer tunes from Beck and Emiliana Torrini.

Then I pondered what I should do with the two weeks' time I'll have between my last day of my San Francisco lease and when school starts. Quick trip to Los Angeles? Hawaii? Road trip to New York? Last-minute trip to Costa Rica? Or hitting as many bars and restaurants in San Francisco as I can before my time is up? Hmmm. Anybody up for a quick last-minute trip with me? Or San Francisco drinking and karaokeing? I'm hoping to check out Amnesia's Tuesday night karaoke tomorrow.

And just now Nicole called me about grabbing a snack at Ti Couz later after she's done browsing at Therapy. I'm trying to cajole her into joining me at the Mint later, with the offer for her to crash on my cozy sofabed, as I am just walking distance from the Mint.

I shall now return to enjoying the rest of my Happy Monday.

---

Soundtrack songs of the day:

Pink Martini: "Sympathique" (a song in French, about not wanting to work but rather to go smoke.)
Digable Planets: "Rebirth of Slick (Cool like Dat)"
Arrested Development: "Everyday People"
Smoosh: "Find a Way"
Michael Bublé: "For Once in My Life"
Britney Spears: "Outrageous"
Emiliana Torrini:"Unemployed in Summertime."
Beck: "Earthquake Weather"

Sexual harrassment in the City

On Monday, I walked by a flasher on 17th Street. Actually, I don't know what you call it, because he was fully naked, no coat or anything. He was standing inside the gate of a building, and just as I walked past, he opened the gate toward me and it looked like his hands were reaching for... --well. I didn't want to witness any more of this so I just continued to walk briskly to dinner down the street.

I think I would have been more distraught about it, except that it was in the Mission District, and actually something similar happened to me back in college once. I was just kind of annoyed and disgusted. (They caught and busted the one at UCLA.) Anybody know where I can get a nice taser gun?

BTW, I think I may make it through my whole stay in San Francisco, having never had a date in my house. And yesterday, I woke up to the sound of loud sex from the neighbors again. Like it was mocking me.

I think I'm ready for New York, folks.

I'll be moving to Nolita initially for a 1-month sublet, and if all goes well, I may be sharing a nice 2-bedroom apartment in Tribeca by September. Wish me luck!

(Image above captured from the oldie-but-goodie flash animation, Peanut Butter Jelly Time!)

Various thoughts of the last week.

• How the hell am I going to live a New York apartment, half the size of my San Francisco apartment?
  
  
• Tragically, I've decided to sell the Junebug. Know anyone interested in a 2004 Convertible Turbo VW Beetle in Aquarius blue, with practically new tires? I'll try not to cry.
  
  
• I use mobile texting a lot, but being asked out by a mobile text is a strange thing. I thought it was a Gen-Y move, vs. a Gen-X move, but in fact this has happened to me with older guys! Or maybe this is just the way guys operate these days, where they don't want to make it seem too "datey" but more casual, and if I happen to like the evening it becomes a date? But in the end it's really a date, isn't it?
  
  Getting asked out by mobile text strikes me as a little bit chicken, which is not a turn-on. And it strikes me as a "player" move, (also NOT a turn-on) because you could be texting while you're out with other people or other dates. Texting can be a multi-task sort of thing. I don't like the idea of being part of a multi-task.
  
  Back in the day, 15-year old boys had to pick up a phone and talk to a girl. If you're over 30, can you make the effort to talk to me? If I like you, I'll want to hear your voice. Am I old-fashioned?
  
  Or maybe nowadays, the texting is a early-stage thing, and the voice call comes later? I guess I could handle that. But it better move up to the voice call quickly. Or maybe guys don't like the sound of my voice, is that what they're saying?
  
  
• On my Karaoke Revolution game, I now have a virtual room of heads... of my San Francisco friends. That is, when I play karaoke in New York, I'll be able to pick one of their scanned heads to be on my player/singer. Is that creepy or sentimental? Both?
  
  
• After having about 3-5 cups of sake, maybe I shouldn't follow it with 3 shots of tequila.
  
  
• I know two people who have already shown me their iPhones. I guess they seem nifty, but that little keyboard is hard to type. And I didn't quite get the hang of the resize-drag. And knowing me, I would totally scratch up that screen in about a week's time.
  
  
• Okay, what is up with the dudes? I had like a 2-year dating dry spell, and last week I suddenly got the attention of 3 attractive guys, and this week, I hear nothing from ANY of them.
  
  I guess it doesn't help that I'm in mid-move to a new state. And I guess they know I'm traveling this week. But I am guessing that is not the issue. Is there any romance left in the modern metropolitan world? Thank God I have New York & toys to distract me from this nonsense.
  
  
• I saw that low-budget movie, "Colma." I thought it might be a sleeper-fun-slacker-indie film. But no. It made me want to go to sleep. I think there could be a more amusing musical made about my apartment complex. Or my livingroom. Or my dollhouse.
  
  
• Why do I have to wear a wool coat in JULY? (Yes, I know. I'll be bitching about the humidity next month when I finally move to New York.) At least it'll be warm when I get to Chicago for 4th of July. Happy Independence Day!

Crunch Time!

It seems I may be revamping my summer plan a bit. It looks like I won't be taking that grand trip to another country before school starts. I know, it's sad.

But I promise to make up for it when I graduate. Right now it seems too over-priced (and humid) to go to Western Europe like I hoped, and I wasn't able to find someone to go to Costa Rica with me, because most of my friends just went there within the last year. And the rest just don't have vacation time or can't leave town in late July.

(--Unless someone out there offers to be my Costa Rica travel buddy. Airfares look good for it right now! Anyone? Someone?)

But this may be just as well, because I haven't yet pinned down an apartment in New York. So I may decide to leave San Francisco sooner, like end of July or August 1 to stay with my NY cousin temporarily while I find an apartment!

Well, this way, I can spend the remainder of July, enjoying more of being in San Francisco, refining my home-karaoke system, finishing my homework, and gradually preparing for my move (selling most of my furniture, car, and a third of my clothes & junk). And like KT said, going to NY is kind of like one giant vacation away (unless I end up staying there).

I've been apartment-hunting in NYC for about 3 days. I have 6 more appointments tomorrow. There are interesting prospects, but nothing so far seems like the perfect combination of features/ location/ safety/ quiet/ neighborhood-feel/cost. It seems there are near-good places, but each one has its one random thing that's just a little off... so hopefully I'll find something that feels more fully-well-rounded tomorrow.

Anyhow, I don't think I'll realistically lock down an apartment this week. I've been targeting Chelsea, Upper West, Midtown, and I looked at one Greenwich apartment. I was amazed by a brand-new high-rise luxury building in Midtown, a block from Madison Square Garden, but the neighborhood is a bit manic, and I don't think there's a lot of affordable restaurants nearby. It's a bit pricier than what I hoped to pay, but the amenities are fantastic (in-unit-laundry, gym, glorious city views, eco-friendly design, valet/concierge services, 24/7 doorman, etc.). Also I still have to sort out if my roommate and I will even financially qualify! And then someone else pointed out that there's a PAROLE office right near it. Hrmm.

If anything, it's been interesting to see the variety of apartments available. It doesn't seem quite as hopeless and scary as I thought, but maybe I'm just a bizarre optimist that way. My friend Dubbledubs just moved here last week, in temporary housing, for work. When I told him what I had seen so far, it kind of made him worried about how he would find a good place.

Well, I better go get some rest now, before my last day of manic apartment-hunting in 90+ degree weather! Wish me luck!

New York, New York, it's a helluva town

It's strange visiting New York right now, knowing that I'll be moving here in August. I don't feel the pressure of having to go see the sights. This time I'm actually enjoying just being in the environment and figuring out the strange irreglarities of the subway system.

So far, I'm loving the warm 80-degree weather that lasts way into the evening, the diversity of people, and the bustling activity that exists through every part of town.

When I say "diversity," I don't mean just ethnicities, but I also mean their ages, styles, and the industries they work in. I am staying with my cousin, the psychiatrist, and his wife, the filmmaker. We had dinner with his friend, the writer, and my future roommate works in the insurance business. My classmates come from various educational backgrounds, ranging from Biology, Illustration, and Fashion. None of them work in tech, and I find that to be rather refreshing. As a creative person, I crave this kind of diversity in perspectives and inspiration. So I'm looking forward to living here for school.

I've been kept pretty busy with my school workshop this week, in perspective-drawing and marker-drawing classes. We've had homework, and even after today's last class, they assigned us homework to work on over the summer. I have to design three more toys and color a 3-d shape in markers to practice my blending/shine effects.

But in my free time, so far I've visited Pinkberry two nights in a row, eaten some tasty ramen with my ol' college girlfriend, walked in the rain at night without an umbrella, pigged out on Korean food with ex-coworkers, played with a friend's two little daughters while walking up 5th Avenue, gone on a sushi-&-drinks date on the upper west side (I know! I haven't even properly moved here yet, and I got a DATE!), and gotten lost on the subway (I have to pay more attention to the local vs. express trains).

Today, on my last day of the school workshop, my class had a picnic lunch on the rooftop of FIT with the dean, one of the Toy Design graduates, and one Toy Design senior who was at an internship with Fisher Price. They have all warned us that the program is crazy-intensive, and basically I won't have a life outside of school. Hrmmm. Well, if I'm not going to have a life, at least I'll be busy learning how to design TOYS!

Okay, I'm off to go meet my future roommate in Central Park, in my purty summer dress in this beeeyootiful weather.

Gender-benders, Star Wars, and Ira Glass

I am just about recovered from a cold. I am also mentally in a daze, because quite a lot of remarkable things happened over the last couple weeks, including (in chronological order, and thus also revealing my "secret project"):

1. I heard a great episode of "This American Life," (well, it's also a bit sad--) called "Quiz Show." They interviewed various puzzle/quiz show competitors, including a guy who competes in the annual MIT Mystery Hunt. His puzzle-solving team is called, "Dr. Awkward" (You get points if you notice something interesting about that name).
   
   So I recommended this episode (on Podcast) to my friend who is big into puzzle competitions. Within a few days of hearing this episode, he just happened to meet one of the Dr. Awkward team members!


2. I met a very knowledgeable hermaphrodite, who likes to garden and tinker with her (his?) computer system. (What did you think I was going to say?)


3. I stayed up all night, finalizing toy design drawings and a portfolio for a college interview in New York.


4. I flew to New York and showed up at the interview, with about 6 hours of sleep over two days.


5. I entered what I thought would be a 1:1 interview, to discover a classroom of applicants, sitting alongside still-life arrangements of toys. We all drew toys for 30 minutes, for our drawing test.
   
   (After three straight days of constant drawing and coloring, my arm was about to fall off, from pain.)


6. One of the applicants looked like a very feminine woman, until she (he?) spoke, in a somewhat low voice. And I think someone called him "Doug."


7. As I observed some Illustration students debate whether Lando Calrissian was played by Billy Dee Williams, it dawned on me that perhaps a third of these applicants were about a decade younger than me, and that I was probably the 2nd oldest applicant in the room.


8. At my 1:1 "interview," I showed my work, and they didn't ask me any questions. Otherwise they seemed to react positively.


9. I nursed a hangover after dancing in NY Chinatown until 4am with three of my girlfriends: one from college, one from last year's SF training hikes, and one from work. It's great to find my different circles of friends merging together!


10. I found myself laughing at how cold it was, and how unprepared I was, as I walked to the New York MoMA in falling snow. I was in a miniskirt and open-toed shoes (and leggings, but no socks), walking in falling snow. Luckily I had a hat, coat, and gloves. (It wasn't snowing when I left the house!)


11. I discovered that with a California ID, you can get an 11% discount card at Macy's New York (resulting in a fantastic celebratory Tokidoki bag purchase, after completing my college interview)



12. I joined a group of coworkers to see a one-man show of Star Wars at the Post Theater in SF (It was very amusing, except I wish I had seen the movies recently, to have fully understood what was going on.) The Canadian actor, Charles Ross, has been doing this show for five years, and he also does a one-man show of "Lord of the Rings"!


13. I got a call at 6am from the Toy Design college, informing me that I'd get a letter and email. (They keep thinking I live in NY.) I dragged myself out of bed, to check my email. It said that the faculty is recommending me for acceptance into the program! (pending my transcripts and general formalities) --woot!


14. That same day, I learned that another team would be stealing--er, borrowing me at work, thanks, in part, to some pies. I didn't even get to have any of this pie, cuz I went home sick!


15. As I started to figure out my plans to move to New York, I pondered the idea of purchasing an adorable red-and-white VW Vanagon, for a road trip across country, like some kind of "Little Miss Sunshine" fantasy.


16. I discovered that they're making a TV show out of "This American Life"! And Ira Glass looks much cuter (in that totally nerdy Jewish way that I love) than I remember! (But he's old and married and in Chicago. Oh well. Did you know that he's related to Philip Glass and had a bad breakup with comic artist, Lynda Barry?)


17. Today, I met one of the guys from the Dr. Awkward team. He was visiting from L.A., AND get this: he attended the New York Toy Fair, where he was promoting a game he designed about "CSI."


18. It was 77° in San Francisco today, and I drove with the convertible top down. Beautiful.