Monday was a weird day. After school, I went to Alex's house with Matt and Yadie who needed to get Alex's fedora for the Masquerade Ball. When they left, Alex and I went to his optometrist because he had an appointment. I sat around in the waiting room and read these kids books that had these huge googly eyes. Eventually, I fell asleep. Alex came out 20 minutes later and we went to some deli across the street that he's never been to. We sat around and talked about what life would be like if Alex's parents never separated and he'd be living in L.A. My Reuben sandwich was wet and that sucked. We headed back to his house and did pretty much nothing until 8:30 when Alex had to go to Dolya's.

I slept in on Tuesday. I think I got up at 1:30, although I'm not too sure. Why is it that the longer you sleep, the more sleepy you are? Anyway, I went to music early and then stopped by my grandmother's house to make copies of shit for my college apps. Watched some TV. There is absolutely nothing entertaining anymore. I spent the rest of the evening cramming homework that I don't think I finished. In short, Tuesday sucked.

Wednesday, wednesday, wednesday. Uneventful. Except for the fact that I kicked ass at tennis. I had really long "game" with Dennis, my instructor, because I kept hitting back the ball directly to him everytime he hit it to me. I was up to my 20th hit when a huge burst of thunder hit. God was officially giving me props. I was that good.

Now Thursday basically redeemed the rest of the week for me. The club meeting went smoothly. By the way, we're going to start selling mints, so bring 50 cents! After club, Alex and I went to the city to have dinner. We wanted to go to Mara's, but it was closed for a party, so we went next door to Awash for some Ethiopian food. I ate and Alex ate heartily. Afterwards, we went to Mud for some hot beverages. While we ate our ice cream sandwich and drank our drinks, we got on a very depressing topic. Alex and I have been together forever. I can't remember what school or life was like without him. He's such a huge part of me. I guess that's why it's hard to hear, "Maybe it is over..." Well, maybe its not. After Mud, we took the train to Times Square and walked to Birdland, a jazz club, for the Django Reinhardt festival. Lucky for us, there was still room by the bar. The show was pretty good. The French musicians were really cocky and kept butting into the Americans' solos. This one saxaphonist, who was really great, was getting dirty looks from the French. Yet the French were just as awesome. Damn them. I called my mom and she told me that I won my eBay auction, which is Alex's New Year's gift. Man, I hope he likes it. We got our free drinks and enjoyed the great music, and then we went home. Actually, to Alex's home. His parents are in Europe so he had the apartment and we had the bed. What a wild night. Especially at 6 in the morning.

Friday morning was wonderful because I woke up next to Alex. We lay around for some time, listening to music and talking. We showered and then went our separate ways. When I got home, Lena came over for my iRiver and bummed around until 3:30. I got myself a very delayed breakfast and watched Winamp TV. What a day.

Saturday was quite eventful. I woke up early, took a shower, had a light breakfast, and did all my homework. Next were college apps. I have 6 more or less finished applications to Brandeis, Columbia, NYU, Williams, Harvard, and Brown. Thank god that's over. I only have CUNY Honors and Berkley left and I can't wait until all this shit is over. Phew. Anyway, at around 6, my mother, my sister and I went to my grandfather's (from my mother's side) house for his birthday celebration. I didn't stick around too long and at 6:30, my mom drove me to Alex's house. When I came in, it seemed as though death settled on Alex's apartment. For some reason, a bunch of people backed out of his shindig and he was completely devestated. I had come earlier to help him work of his college essay, but he was so irritated and sad that we ended up just yelling at each other over it. I tried comforting him the best I could and eventually got him to relax and smile and act like Alex acts. Five minutes later, Matt and Leon arrived and Alex's face lit up like a little kid at Christmas. Everything suddenly started going his way. Lena and Anna came and then Oleg arrived. He sat in Alex's room watching hockey and every time he came out, he looked like a bear coming out of its lair for feeding. Anywho, Leon rolled for us and we piled into the bathroom for some hotboxing. Everyone eventually dropped out of the cypher and Alex and I finished it off. He was finally a happy camper. So how did the evening go? The hell if I remember. Well, Anna wanted to throw raisinettes on the table and have me catch them as they bounced through the air. Then I found the brush-up strip thingy, which is the weirdest fucking thing in the world. You put it on your finger and "brush" your teeth with it like you would at a sleep over when you forget to bring your brush. It was too weird for me though, so I killed it off with the Pops lying on the table. Then I ate the Pops, but before I would eat them, I popped them. Pop and eat. Then we all settled down to watch Dirty-Rotten Scoundrels, which was really interesting but I never got to finish watching it. Alex ordered Dominoes, which was delicious. At around 12 or so, Oleg, Alex, and I made use of the pear pipe, and then it was straight to music. Our choice for the evening: Radiohead. Oleg and I came to the conclusion that Radiohead is the most depressing, emo music out there. It really is, no matter how fucking good it is, it was really depressing. As we watched the visualization, Oleg decided "the computer is waterfall of tears" and that "the computer is racist. it just said moo." About that same time, Alex announced Alan was coming and Oleg uttered the phrase of the evening: "Talk about depression." Alan brought cheese balls with him, which were nasty. We went into the kichen and watched Alan take 13 shots in 20 minutes. The night was dwindling down. Matt left and Anna left. Lena and Leon were passing out/watching tv on the couch. I was playing solitaire and losing. Oleg was dying on the floor watching Alan eat cheese balls. Alex had gotten through two cans of corn and a can of beets. Eventually, Alex and Oleg walked Alan home. I watched The Soup with Leon and Lena and made fun of the crazy Christian woman. When Alex and Oleg came back, we watched South Park and then Tova came. After South Park finished, Alex and I went to bed. Oleg went home, Tova fell asleep on one couch, Lena and Leon on the other.

I woke up today at 10. I brushed my teeth and made my way into the living room where everyone was watching Tv. I cleaned up the kitchen and dining area again and everything was clean. Lena left the four of us watched The Lord of the Rings, Episode 3. Alex made breakfast and whatnot. Eventually, Tova and Leon left at 3 to go apartment hunting and I went to sleep on Alex's bed while he did his American homework. I woke up at 5 and went home. And now I'm here.

Man, what a weekend. What a week. This week is a full one, but after that is Thanksgiving break. Alex is leaving to L.A. on Saturday morning, and I'm going to miss him. But time flies and goes on and soon enough, Alex's L.A. trip will be in the past. Any other news? I think not. Later.

Let's take it back to October 8. I don't remember exactly what happened on that day, but I have a ticket stub that says I went to see Capote. It was definitely a very rainy day and Alex and I went to eat at Ali Baba, this really good Turkish restaurant, or whatever. When we got to the movie theater afterward, we were completely soaked. The movie was pretty good. Philip Seymour Hoffman did a great job and I learned a little more about journalism. The ending was somewhat too tragic, but I'm glad it didn't end with something too happy. Anyway, we barely made it to the train station after the movie because it was raining so much. The ride home was wonderful.

OCtober 9th. In the evening, I met Alex and Oleg on the N train and we went to UCB to wait in line for ASSSSSSSSSCAT. We were waiting in line and slowly the rest of the crowd joined us: Lena, Dima, Eddie, Boris, Grubin, Khalida, Olga, Zoya, and a few other people who I don't remember right now. We eventually got the tickets and went to eat at Subway. Dima got cookies and we talked about good and bad macadamian nuts. Afterward, we went back to UCB for the show. By the time we got in, most of the seats were taken so we sat to the right of the stage all the way at the top, next to the sound guy. The pipes above us were leaking and Alex kept getting dripped on. Some guy from the crew came over and made a device out of a coat hanger and a bucket to let the water drip into. The show itself wasn't all that great. Horation Sans was the special guest, and he sucked. They finished off with a bang, though, so that was cool. After the show, we all took the F train home. Alex walked me home. It was so weird walking around in my neighborhood at 2 in the morning when everything is barren. Anyway, the night was wonderfully spent.

October 10 was Columbus Day. In the evening, I met Alex and Oleg on the N train, again. This time, the three of us were going to see The Machine (Pink Floy cover band) do an acoustic set. I was really excited to hear what it would be like because I was sure it was either going to suck or be really good. I was not let down. The show was absolutely amazing. They played really well and the bonus was that most of the music was Barett stuff from Madcap Laughs. Oh, wow, was it great. We all thought it was awesome, but the keyboardist did. The guy looked so bored. He sat with head hanging backward, hitting the keys with such lack of enthusiasm that Oleg nicknamed him Terry because of his close resemblance to Terry Shivo. I was just so amazed at home good they sounded. I was really glad I went. After the show, we stopped at Starbucks for some drinks and a black and white cookie and then went home.

On the 17th, Alex and I went to the city after school. We went to Second Avenue Deli, where we hadn't been for ages. We each had soup and half a sandwich and talked about bitches being bitches. I hate getting into drama, but that's how the world goes round. After we had our fill, we walked to the Union Square theater to watch Corpse Bride. Right off the bad, it wasn't nearly as good as Nightmare Before Christmas and what the fuck was up with the butterfly ending? Weak. Other than that, it was nicely done with it's own measure of songs and such. I loved some of the exaggerations, though, like how the butler was made to look with his huge nose up in the air and such. When we got out of the theater, we saw that Good Luck, and Good Night. was playing in next in the theater next to ours. We snuck in without much difficulty and stayed for another movie. Good Night, and Good Luck. was really great. It was basically about how Edward R. Murrow helped put down the whole McCarthyist bullshit. It was all in black and white, which was intersting, and the acting was wonderful. Overall, I think it was well done and it was a pleasure to watch. Finally, my $10.75 was worth the spending. After the second movie, we went over to Mud where I had a Caramel Latte, the first cup of coffee I've drunk. We got some brownies and played around with the chocolate sauce. As we sat around and talked, I realized I want to be a journalist. I want to do it so badly. I want to contribute to its wonderous field. I guess Alex inspired me, or maybe it was because I was talking to him and suddenly it hit me. It felt great. For an hour or two in my life I felt like I knew what I wanted to do with myself. After sitting around until 12, we went home.

From October 17th to 23rd, my parents and my sister went to Orlando in order to do the mandatory Magic Kingdom thing before my sister got too old. My father called every night, telling me how bored he was and how much he wanted to go home. I spent that week with Alex coming over for some risky business that was very fulfilling. Every day I went to my grandmother's house and I got my fill of TV for the month. I loved living at home alone because I just took everything at my own pace, and that felt awesome. Can't wait until I get my own place. That whole week, Alex and I were trying to get an eighth to make brownies. After Alex's contacts fell through, I turned to Sandi who got Yan and Gela to bring me an eighth on Friday night. That Friday, the 21st, Alex and I went to the city to kill some time. We went to Hummus for some hummus. Then we made our way to Rice to Riches. On the way, I punched Alex and he started laughing at me, which only made me angrier and made me hit him more but he kept laughing. At one point I thought I was going to kill him. Whew. Anyway, we got to Rice to Riches and I got maple flavored pudding with blueberries and Alex got caramel again. We took the pudding to the park across the street and talked for some time. At around 6, we went to my house. Between 7 when we got to my house and 9, we talked and frolicked and talked. At 10, Gela and Yan came to Brooklyn to bring us the eighth. Alex and I went downstairs to see them, but the door wouldn't open. It simply wouldn't budge no matter what we did. Eventually Yan broke the door in and we were saved. Soon after, Alex and I took to making the brownies. While they were baking, we watched Curse of the Jade Scorpion. The brownies came out really yummy, but not too effective, though.

On Saturday, Alex, Lena, and Eddie came over in the evening. We prepared the apple, ate the brownies, and went through a few bowls until Eddie started blowing up a huge purple condom. The balloon he made was absolutely huge, probably the length of both my arms. When it popped, we all got really fucking scared. We started watching Yellow Submarine, but everyone started falling asleep. In short, we got burnt very quickly but the night was nicely spent, I think. We played charades temporarily and I wrote down "wet napkin factory" and "self-induced penal regurgitation." I passed out in bed with Alex.

The next day my parents came back from Florida. We went to my grandmother's house and ate shrimp and watched TV. I passed out on the couch for a few hours.

The next big event was on October 26. Morris and I went to see Cream, the whole Cream, and nothing but the Cream. Cream!!! Oh, man, where do I start? I got to his house and we chilled until 6:30 when we smoked outside and went to the show. The train ride seemed to take forever, as usual, but Morris and I settled on the fact that those 25 cent cookies and cakes were the ultimate food for anyone's night. We got to the stadium and went all the way up to the very top of the seating. Not only were our seats all the way at the top, but they were to the left of the stage. It was still awesome, though, because we could see everything by looking down. Morris and I were separated by 4 seats, but we managed to negotiate a seating arrangment and Morris and I ended up sitting next to each other after all. When the lights went out, we quickly smoked and then relaxed and enjoyed. It was the complete group: Clapton, Bruce, and Baker. Ginger Baker played a 7 minute solo on his drums and Clapton rocked. They sounded really good. They didn't play anything new, just oldies, and that's what rocked most of all. They sounded like old Cream and it was fucking amazing. They played White Room, Born Under a Bad Sign, Crossroads, Toad, Outside Woman Blues, Sleepy Time Time, Badge, We're Going Wrong, Tales of Brave Ulysses, Politician, and Sunshine of Your Love as the encore (with an extended solo), plus other songs that I forget. I did my job of calling Oleg during Badge and calling Alex during white Room and Sunshine. Anyway, it was such a great night. Halfway into the show, a bunch of people started smoking up and four people around us were escorted out of the stadium. Morris and I got lucky with everything, and we were so fucking happy. After the show, he got a shirt and then we went on our own ways back home.

We're getting through October!

The 28th was a spectacular day. It was a half day because of Open School Afternoon. After school was over, the senior class (and then some) went to Fort Greene Park to take the senior photo. Alex took photos of the crowd and I walked around with him. They took a bunch of photos of us as a class but we were falling over one another. It was crazy. It was a lot of fun though seeing all those seniors together. Anywho, after the photos, Alex and I went to the city to the Met. We stopped to have a slice of pizza and then went to the museum. We first went to look at an exhibit of Van Gogh's drawings. It was amazing. I finally understood what my dad was talking about regarding van Gogh's mastery of perspective and Japanese influences. He puts so much detail that the drawings look like actual photos. It was an absolutely wonderful exhibit and I had a whole lot of fun. We also went to see a photography exhibit about the occult. There just a bunch of old photos of seances and such. It was pretty cool. After the Met, I decided we had to go back to Ali Baba. I got my meal, which was yummy, and Alex got his. When Alex cut open the jalapeno pepper, there was a maggot in there. It was so nasty to see that white thing in there, I almost got nauseas. The manager came and apologized and such and replaced Alex's dish with a new one. At the end, we even got free desert. It was still really nasty, though. Anywho, after dinner we went to the movies and watched Weatherman, which was an ok movie. I realized the preview had absolutely nothing to do with the movie, but I kinda liked the way the movie ended. Could've been worse. It was then off to Mud with us. I got more of my Caramel Latte but this time, Alex and I ordered an ice cream cookie sandwich, or whatever it's called. We talked and talked and talked some more and then went home. I was an amazing night.

Holloween was fun. After school, Alex and I went home to get changed. Alex dressed like a lifeguard and I was a nudist on strike. I made myself a sign with a slogan: We'll get bare when laws get fair! It was awesome. I met Alex on the train and we made our way to the village. We got out on 14th and 6th and had to walk over to Union Square to meet the rest of the crowd. It was almost impossible considering the amount of people in that intersection, but we made it. Eddie had no costume. Dima was Bill Clinton, the pimp. Boris was a gangster and Anna was his gangster bitch. The other Anna was glorious Cleopatra. Lena was a wench. Marina was "confused" - 10 belts, suspenders, 2 unmatching shirts, two unmatching socks, etc. When we all got together, we decided to walk to the parade. At the intersection of 14th, we met Ian, dressed as a navy seal, who told us the better entrance is on 23rd street. We walked up there, but they wouldn't let us in and this went on until we made a whole circle to 17th street and 7th avenue, moving into 6th. We watched the parade for some time and then went to take a snack brake. We sat around for quite some time talking and drinking Snapple Pie, which is still unfathomable. Eventually, the crowd dissipated and we got to see more. At around 11, exhausted from walking, we went home.

This week took a lot out of me. On Friday, I just went home because Alex had to study for SAT IIs. I chilled at home and enjoyed being free of the tyranny of work.

Saturday took a whole lot out of me, again. I came over Alex's house around 7 and we got limes and orange juice. By 9 o'clock, Alex's party was assembled: me, Eddie, Dima, Lena, Anna, Boris, Oleg, Olga, Matt, and Leon. We began with tequila shots (3 for me on an empty stomach). I felt that shit 20 minutes later when everyone around the table started swimming. Soon afterward came the bowls and the dutch. Oh man, were we all shitfaced. I think I passed out at around 3 but I before that I managed to entertain Olga on the balcony, eat a pizza sandwich, spill Bacardi Silver into the sour cream and onion chips bag, listen to Dane Cook, listen to the Doors, listen to Dark Side, watch George Carlin, and watch Meet the Fockers in Spanish. I woke up in the living room with people passed out around me. Leon drew a mustache on Alex and I couldn't help laughing like an idiot. After a few naps, a Pops breakfast, and cleaning up the kitchen and floors, I felt relatively ok. I went home at 2-ish and now I'm here. What a crazy fucking night.

Ok, so college apps are killing me. I'm getting my Yale decision on December 16th, so stay tuned. I don't think I can think anymore. Or write anymore.

Cheerio, chaps!

I want to leave.

On Friday, I stopped by Ms. Lehrman's to ask about my essay. She butchered it and I was really upset. When I finally got outside, I stood around complaining to Alina and Sabrina. Eventually, Alex realized there was a world beyond his hacky circle, so we left to the city. We got out on Columbus Circle and walked up to Josie's. Only Josie's was under rennovation, so that really pissed us off. We ended up walking all the way to 86th, then across to Columbus, then down back to 80th, and finally back to Amsterdam looking for a place to eat. We settled on Monaco and ate outside, where we realized too late that it was a little chilly. Anyway, we ate and I got full really quickly because I was eating couscous. It was good, though. Our next mission was to find a place to have tea because we were so cold. We walked over to Broadway and walked into a diner, Viand Cafe, where we ate a banana split and drank tea. We sat around talking for a while and just enjoyed being in each other's company. At 8, we walked to the movies to watch Thumbsucker. Go see it now. Yes, it's another coming of age movie, but it's just so wonderful. It's so multi-faceted: it doesn't just focus on his addiction to Riddlin or his tristes or his problems with his family or his experimentation with sex and drugs, it's everything, and that's why it's wonderful. Also, I really think it's worth seeing because of the characters. Keaneu Reeves plays a role the suits him perfectly and it was the first time I enjoyed watching him in a movie. Really great stuff, guys, really great. One of the best movies out there right now. After the movie, we walked to Times Square. For some weird reason, it wasn't cold anymore. It was warm, perfect walking weather. We got home pretty late and Alex left soon after.

Saturday I spent not doing much at all. At 4, I left with my parents and sister to Princeton Ski Shop in NJ. We got there 20 minutes before it was supposed to close, but miraculously, they took us in and we got our skiis and equipment. I was really relieved because I didn't want to go back the next day. Anyway, on the way back home, we stopped to have pizza in the city and then we went to my grandmother's house. I watched Making the Band, which is terrible because I don't like Diddy, and America's Next Top Model, which was interesting but superficial. I got home at around 10:30 and listen to Dane Cook's Retaliation, which is the fucking funniest thing I've heard in a long time. So great. I've resolved that I MUST see Dane Cook live before either he or I die.

Today was really cool. At 1:30, I met Alex on the train and we went to Washington Square Park. There was a Jewish festival there, Chabad at Washington Square, where Matisyahu was going to perform for free. We found Oleg, Matt, and Leon sitting around. Regina came, too, and we stood by the stage for a while. Eventually, Matisyahu came on and he blew everyone away. Amazing. Wow, there was so much energy. He was just so fucking great and his beatboxing was spectacular. I made some movies that I shall upload soon. I can hardly describe how great it was to see him live and to see him do what he does. Amazing. Hmm.. After the performance, we all got hungry. Leon got himself a shofar that probably made his jacket smell like goat, but the goal was to make it into a bong. Good luck with that. Anywho, we all got hungry and walked to 8th and Broadway and then decided to walk down 8th to Gray's Papaya. The orange drink tasted weird, but Alex liked it. The hot dogs were yummy, though. Anywho, we walked back to Washington Square Park where Regina came back to us. Alex, Oleg, Matt, and Leon were playing hacky with some weird Richard Lewis-looking dude that kinda just came up to them. At one point Phillip Seymor Hoffman walked by and everyone got really excited. Anywho, Alex and I went home at aroud 6:30 and now I'm here.

Great, great weekend. We have one day of school and then we have two days off. Yay!! It's such a great feeling. I'll see you on the other side.

Friday was Yana's 17th birthday. Happy birthday, Yana! I truly wish you all the best. After school, Alex and I went home to change and get our gifts. At around 5:45, I met Alex on the N train and we made our way to Havana, our favorite midtown Cuban restaurant. We got off at the wrong stopped and had to walk from 7th Ave to 3rd, which was a bitch. Not soon after we got there, Yana, Ron, Julia, and her boyfriend Mark came. We all went to Havana, where we were promptly seated, and began the grueling process of ordering. We had a comedy show to get to that night and I was worried that we wouldn't have time, but everything was made quickly and we ate at a wonderful pace. At around 8 we left the restaurant and walked over to Dangerfield's where we were scheduled for a show. I met Sandi and Max and Sandi's friends Liza and Mitch. We all sat together inside the comedy club and enjoyed the show equally. The crowd was pretty small, but the comics were good and made us laugh. We talked with the comedians a little bit and I made the host do an Aristocrat's, but he sucked. Oh, well. So that was basically it. Oh, we showed our Russian pride when one comedian mentioned Baku. He called Sandi "Natasha," which was hilarious. After the show, we said goodbye to Julia, Mark, Liza, and Mitch and Sandi, Max, Yana, Ron, Alex, and I went in to Dylan's. We ate a bunch of free candy while we shopped for other candy. I got my favorite Jelly Bellies and Sour Belts. Everyone got candy for themselves, which made everyone happy. Alex bought drinks for himself and me and I walked around taking photos. Soon after saying goodbye to Sandi and Max, the rest of us went home, too. Yana bought herself a huge ice cream from Dylan's and ate it sloppily along the way. We parted on DeKalb and Alex took me home.

Saturday was both a grueling and a wodnerful day. My computer was all fucked up and infected, so I spent most of the day reinstalling windows, installing Norton, scanning files for viruses, and attempting to do my homework. I was really frustrated and angry the whole day until around 9:45 when Alex called me to tell me to check my e-mail. I had a message from him that said the following:

my love, my love o how do i long for u kiss
i miss your sweet voice
that sooths my heart
i long for u sight
a sight that makes my heart jump
so if you would like to do me a favor
please open your door

At first I wasn't sure if I was really supposed to go to the door, but when I looked out the window, I saw Alex standing by my door. How sweet of him..He came over to make me happy and to help my parents and I prepare food for my sister's birthday the next day. We spent a nice time to gether cutting vegetables and such, and afterwards, we lay around a while, enjoying each other's company. I so didn't expect him to come, but it really did make my day and I was so happy.

Today was definitely kickass, too. Michelle turned 9 today. Happy birthday, my little, annoying but loveable sister. I hope you stop hating me because deep down inside, I still do love you. Anywho, as was done in the last two years, we celbrated her birthday in Staten Island as a sort of Dingle Daisy reunion. Before people began to arrive, Alex and I played hackey sac with his sand sack. Although I play terribly, I definitely got better after our one on one session. Next time, be more patient with me, love. Anyway, he taught me many new techniques so I was pretty happy. Soon after, everyone began arriving. Mike, Sandi, Max, Morris, Gela, and Yan came and we ate food together. After some time, Sandi, Max, Morris, Alex, and I walked over to Sandi's house to spend the time there. 20 bucks and an hour or so later, we had Yan roll skillfully for us and we blazed. It was so crazy. It all lasted so long. Eventually, Alex, Morris, and I decided to walk back to the barbeque, which we did. Mike and Ilya were playing handball when we came and came to show us their red, swollen hands, which were scary to look at. After Ilya left, Mike, Morris, Alex, and I walked over and sat by the beach. We talked and reflected and shivered by the seaside. At around 7:30, we left the barbeque because is was really dark, gray, and cold. I got around at around 8 and finished my English essay. Let's hope it didn't come out too badly.

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekends. Blast it, another week is coming up, but that's a week closer to my seeing Cream with Morris. Hurray!! Later guys.

Thursday was the day of the Regina Spektor show. After school, Alex and I went to my house and dropped off our stuff and frolicked a bit. At 6, we left to Union Square and sat in the pizzeria there and ate while we waited for Oleg, Regina, Dima, and Lena to arrive. We played around with the foil, made little foil animals, and directd a video with them. When everyone came, we made a quick stop by Starbucks where the men got themselves double-espressos. Then, it was off to Irving Plaza. The line outside was enormous, but when we got it, there was hardly anyone in the standing area. We quickly took our places and waited. We came at 8:15 but the show didn't start until 9:00, and Regina wouldn't go on until 11:00. First, there was this dude, Langhorne Slim, who played guitar and sang in a quirky voice. I really liked his songs and now regret that I did't get his CD. Oh, well. In the middle of his performance, a string on his guitar broke, but he kept playing. He still managed to do really well, even with another band's guitar. I respected him and enjoyed his music. After Slim, Devochka came on. Devochka is a band that plays sort of gypsy punk. The bassist also played the tuba, which was awesome, and the violinist played the accordion, too. They were really upbeat and brought a whole lot of energy to the crowd. The guitarist was drinking expensive red wine and getting drunk and everything marveled. Anywho, when Regina finally came on, every got really quiet. She did an hour and half set, which was upsetting, and people sang along with her, which she encouraged them to do, but it pissed some people off. We were so tired of standing in the heat of the crowd for 5 hours that we walked to the pizzeria and sat there for a whole hour drinking our various drinks and talking. What a tiring night. I got home with Alex at 2:30, he left, and I finally fell asleep at 3:00.

Sleep-deprived, I trudged to school the next day. I can't understand how I stayed awake until 7th period. During 7th, I suddenly woke up and everything was bright and friendly again. Alex and I decided not to go anywhere after school because we were so fucking tired, so we just went back to his house. I lay down on his bed and passed out until 7 o'clock when I was awoken to the announcement of diner. We ate and then went back to Alex's room, just lying around talking and listening to music until 12. It was a peaceful night.

Saturday was all messed up. My parents wanted to leave, but due to some circumstances, they didn't. Instead of staying with my sister for the night, I went to visit my great-grandmother and then met up with Alex, Oleg, and Lena at 9-ish. We sat around Oleg's house where he rolled, terribly, I might add, and then walked to Tara's backyard to get rid of the evidence. The rest of the evening we spent in Oleg's basement. First, Oleg played pool with Lena and Alex. Then, Alex and Oleg invented their own game which was fucking hilarious to watch. Basically, Oleg would roll balls continuously at Alex who was trying to hit then on the other end with a pool stick. What a show. We took a break and walked over to Steve's for food, glorious food. Pocky's + seeds + Star Crunch + black and white cookie + white cheddar cheese doodles + fudge cookie + plantain chips + Symphony chocolate + pineapple juice = heaven. After munching, I played ping pong with Lena, then with Alex, and then with Oleg. Oleg whipped me and my pitiful forehand, but it was fun to play because I hadn't played in so long. Eventually we went up to Oleg's room and sat around for half an hour or so until Alex called car service for me and Lena and we went home.

Sunday was a drag. I had to do my summer assignment which consisted of so many parts that I almost killed myself. But I finished it in time, even a day early, so I got an extra 5 points today. Alex came over for some frolicking after school and I spent a large part of my evening uploading pictures on petri. What a hassle. Now I'm too tired to think, so I guess it's a clear sign of what needs to be done. Can you imagine, if your name was Sleep, I would be doing you right now.

So today is our 2.5 anniversary so I decided to make Alex a little gift. I got him a capo, which he wanted for a long time. Of course, he realized what the reason for the gift was after school on the train. Typical, no? Oh, well. I guess generalizations aren't as bad as people make them out to be.

Friday was great. Second day of school didn't suck too much. I got to see Baskind, my American teacher, who is awesome. I got really happy when I realized he's also going to be teaching economics in the Spring. Newman's class was also fun. We talked about Bob Marley and Rastifarianism, which was cool. 9th period I have gym with Ms. Marrano, who I adore. We're going to be doing yoga, which is perfect because its the best kind of gym to have the last period of senior year. Plus, I have gym with Anna Sorsher, Margie, Emily, Yishi, Annie, and a bunch of other people. It's going to be wonderful. After school, Alex and I went to the city. We first went to 34th street where Alex wanted to get me a GameBoy for a gift. I once told him how much I wanted one when I was little and he was considerate enough to remember. He wanted to fulfill my childhood fantasies, but I unfortunately had to decline because I probably wouldn't have time to play. But the thought was wonderful and I was so happy that he thought of me and considered my wishes. How wonderful he is...We walked to Union Square to get Alex chocolate, high-top Converses in size 10.5. Shoe Mania didn't have his size. Neither did Foot Locker, David Z., or Michael K. We must have walked into at least 15 stores in search of his size, but not ONE shoe store had it. How ridiculous is that? We walked all the way to Prince street, maybe even further, and nothing. In Urban Outfitters, I saw Erika, who scared the shit out of me, and Gabby. I didn't find anything there either. Disappointed and hungry, we walked along Spring street and stopped at a pizzeria on Mott. I don't remember what it was called, but it's supposedly the oldest pizzeria in the city. They make a pie with some different kind of dough, tomato sauce, fresh mozarella, and basil. It was yummy. Afterwards, we decided to get dessert at Rice to Riches, a rice pudding parlor. It really is like a ice cream parlor only with rice pudding. They must have had at least 20 different flavors. I got peanut butter flavor and Alex got caramel flavor. They gie you the rice pudding in these awesome bowls that close better than tupperware and these strange spoons which are like plastic spatulas. We sat in the park and ate out rice pudding. Our next plan was to go watch a movie. We walked to Sunshine but found nothing; we walked to Village East but found nothing. Finally, we decided to walk to Angelika to watch Broken Flowers. We had extra time and we were tired, so we made a stop at Starbucks. During the movie, Alex fell asleep because there wasn't very much noise, sound, or dialogue. I managed to keep myself awake to enjoy the movie. Bill Murray is really fitting in the roles he's played in his last 3-4 movies. I like it. After the movie, we went home. We both fell asleep and missed the Bay Parkway stop, so we ordered car service at Kings Highway. I got driven home and then Alex was driven to Brighton. I had an absolutely wonderful time and my feet still served as a reminder on Sunday.

My parents woke me up too early, which pissed me off. After breakfast, my mom and I did the laundry until 4, when they left to Staten Island. At 5:30-ish, I left to Alex's house. I had to wait for him to finish his shower and *ahem* shaving. Then we went outside to hang out with Eddie, Dima, Zoya, Marina, Steph, and Boris. First we went to eat Chinese food and then walked to little Bedford. On the way we saw Olga with Justine and stood around talking. When we got to the park, there were a bunch of people. I sat on the benches with Marina, Steph, and Rem. Everyone else hackyed under the lamp. At one point, Eddie got kicked in the face, or he got hit with the hacky in the face. I'm not sure, but it was funny. After some time, everyone came to sit on the benches. First we played telephone, then charades, then telephone again. George Bush uses Q-tips to pleasure himself. At 10-ish, Zoya and Steph left and we saw Justine off. We were standing around Olga's driveway babbling when we noticed some little kid staring at us through the window. We started doing shit to scare him. We'd huddle around in a circle and when Eddie saw him peaking out of the window, we'd count to 3, turn around, and do something stupid, like point at him, stare, or do jazz hands/spirit fingers. I was fun. We hid behind cars and then behind a van. Alex R. and Eddie did the robot, both terribly, although Alex's was really, very bad. After we got the little kid out of our systems, we sat in Olga's driveway and started talking about civil rights and affirmative action. Thank you Dima, Olga, Alex, and Alex for an enlightening, argumentative conversation. My parents called to warn me of their arrival within 15 minutes, so Alex and I went back to his house. I did him a small favor and then my parents came. We dropped off Alex and then went home.

I woke up today at 9:30 to my cell phone. Lena called to talk about college essays for about half an hour. I got up and started doing my homework. I called Anna to wish her a happy birthday. HAPPY 17th BIRTHDAY ANNA!!!<3 After making and eating breakfast, I went back to doing my homework. My parents left to Staten Island again. When I finished doing my work, I went to Alex's house to take a long-awaited shower. We lay around a bit, frolicked a bit, washed a bit, and then frolicked a bit more. We ate dinner while watching Curb Your Enthusiasm and Heavyweights. We lay around on the couch watching Van Helsing and relaxing. I basically spent the whole evening in a towel. It was just so wonderful lying around, talking, kissing, touching, all that funky stuff. It was a perfect evening and a most wonderful way to end the weekend. I love you Alex!

Yesterday was fun, too. In the morning I got a haircut for school and then went to the city to do a little shopping. I bought myself a pretty shirt and new jeans. I then met up with Anna, Julie, and (little) Anna for a sort of reunion thing. We went to eat at Applebee's, which was terrible, but fun. We then decided to walk up to Central Park and stopped at a shoe store on the way. When we got to the park, we sat around there for a while and watched some homeless guy show off his sick dog. At around 7 we got on the train and began our sex talk, but it was too late since everyone had to go her own way. It was great seeing everyone again because it's been 3 years since we met up in a complete group. We all changed and we all had something to say. It was interesting and fun to reminicse and talk about those thigns we are now interested in. Hopefully we'll be able to do it again soon.

That's about it for now. I'm just so tired. I can already feel the impending doom of all the work that's going to smack me in the face tomorrow and next week. I'm not all that thrilled.