Rocking a pink wig, wings and covered in glitter. Just a regular Friday around here...

I saw one vampire child on my way to the subway today and a pregnant prom queen while walking down 6th Ave during lunch, but not too many costumes otherwise. That is, outside of the office. We've got some random wigs and headbands in addition to major league sports outfits and super heroes. I have got a pink shaggy wig which, funnily enough, doesn't look too different from my real haircut. And, a pair of glittery wings which have covered me and my whole cube from top to bottom in a layer of glitter.

On Wednesday, I met up with C & A (the Austrians) and I showed them the view from LIC of Manhattan. They were estatic and it definitely hit them that they were in NYC. It was cold and the wind kept reminding us of that, so they took a few (hundred) photos and then we headed back up to the train while they told me about their day and the crazy things they saw. This included a batmobile and the naked cowboy. We headed to Woodside for a little pre-Halloween pumpkin party/America's Next Top Model. And, this is what happened...

*Non Twitter initiated topic...

Today and yesterday were self inflicted stress and pain. They just were. I had shit due ages ago and I had it started. Other work stuff just got in the way so I didn't complete it and I'm in the dog house. I am honestly a little unnerved by how much this affects my whole being. My face is hot, I feel a cold coming on and I'm in a gray mood. It feels like the time I got into a huge fight was C. many years ago. At that time I remember being completely on edge and self censored in a way to try and avoid all types of conflict and my shoulders were so tight I might as well have been a professional weightlifter.

On the reverse, I do have to acknowledge the kindness of acquaintences. A friend of a friend stopped by today while on her vacation and she brought some German magazines for me. I am at a very desperate level of trying to get my German back up to a minimum crappy level of conversation. (minimum-crappy, that's descriptive, isn't it?) I'm reaching for straws, that's for sure. At any rate, I'm meeting her and her friend tomorrow evening to show them a view of Manhattan from the Queens side and then taking them to a pre-Halloween party including pumpkin carving! Yay!

In NY and coffeeing. I miss the Twin Cities (until snow hits and then I dislike it until spring).

I miss the Twin Cities when I'm not there. This past visit, I missed it even while I was there. It's always inevitable that I'll get up and go- I want to be a mobile person, I strive to be a mobile person, however this time the Cities was different. I hit the perfect part of the year, fall. The colors change, sweaters come out and my friends had time to visit. I was able to plainly see the path in life I didn't take by leaving Minnesota. I know I wouldn't have ultimately been happy if I stayed, but the blatant view of 'what I could have had...' was unmistakable. The thing is that I'm still not ready for a life back in the Cities. I'm closer to it than I was a few years ago, but it still feels like a life to settle down into. It's the 'settling' part I can't quite commit to.

Grand Ave...oh how I miss thee...

MacGroveland/Grand Ave./Summit Ave/Cathedral area is fantastic. This is one of my favorite areas to have a coffee in when I'm at home. The neighborhoods are cosy, the food is brilliant and the coffee is great.

Live from Minnesota

I feel my social calender while in the Cities has been kind of full. It's a little betraying because if I lived here, I wouldn't be nearly as busy. It has been nice to see so many friends, though. I am glad that it still 'works' between us all despite all of our various paths since our friendships began.

Landed. I'm here. I'm fine. I need a little more sleep.

I am here in Minnesota. At JFK I had to get rid of a few things from my suitcase because it was too heavy. Since I decided to pack my suitcase with only un-did laundry, I threw out some old shirts and stuff. A young couple looked to be on their way home with some overpacked bags and their mother supervised their unpacking, downsizing and packing. Actually, she didn't do much supervising of them as she did me- at one point she saw me putting things in a separate bag (which would shortly find itself in the bin...) and was like "if you're just going to throw it away, I'll take it..." Um. No. As I mentioned earlier, this was some nasty laundry. Why would I throw out new clothes? I got up to the check-in counter and the check-in lady looked at the bag and then looked at me..."You're over by 5 pounds. Do you want to check in a second bag for $25 more or pay the excessive weight fee of $100?" No lady. I don't have another bag and I don't want to spend any more money. Finally she decided to overlook the few pounds... I am keeping this in mind for my return trip. I am kind of annoyed by the new charge for luggage, at least on domestic travel. My previous trips in the recent past have been international, so I haven't had an issue with weight limits (because they're higher!) or even extra charges for checking a piece of luggage. This is certainly a new world of flying for me.

I am in the land of 10,000 lakes. I wouldn't be a good Minnesotan if I didn't somehow mention that there are actually more than 10,000 lakes here...

The descent into the Twin Cities is always nice in the fall...the leaves hadn't quite changed color, but it was just starting. Topped it off with a Caribou after landing: perfect.

Kein Alkohol ist auch keine Lösung. Ich hab es immer wieder versucht...Es würde gehn doch es geht nicht gut

This is basically an extended Oktoberfest post. The good thing is that the Oktoberfest evening ended early enough for me to get home, sleep a few hours, pack and then head off to the airport.

Minnesota here I come! (As long as Northwest doesn't go bankrupt and I survive fake-Oktoberfest activities tonight.)

The countdown for MN always begins a few days before departing since I like to make sure the airlines aren't going to go bankrupt. Northwest manages to file for bankruptcy what seems like once a year. And now it looks like Sun Country is following the same path. Perhaps I may never make it back home in the future!

The word 'Oktoberfest' fills me with a mixture of concern and excitement. Concern because of my personal experience with consuming liters (notice the word LITER is in plural) of a certain beverage in Munich. That whole experience and story will need to be saved for another day when I feel like talking about Italians, Ami's (exchange students and soldiers) and a never ending trip on the train. The excitement part is that remarkable German connection...even though I know it's a Bavarian thing...and Bavaria was never my favorite part of Germany...it's German nonetheless and even the idea of a Germanlike outing is appealing. When we all actually gathered at the bar, it never ended up being German or even fake-Oktoberfest-y. I guess it doesn't matter much in the end...a good time was had by all and that is what counts.

The Epic Battle was fun, but I don't know if we won it...

This sort of relates to the 'No Pants' post I made earlier. The group who brought you No Pants on the 6 Train also did a little something called the MP3 Experiement on Governer's Island. A hysterical time was had by all. E. and I rode the ferry to the island with a couple hundred fellow participants and a person in a bear costume. Full on bear mascot type of costume.