July

July 2, 2011
Ela was supposed to be busy, but turned out to be free today. I’m glad I didn’t really do much the night before and didn’t really drink so I was up and active before 12:00PM. I was running around, showered up, and making plans for what to do in the city. I get into the city early by 2:00. I got into the city at a record speed because I guess people are either vacationing and out of NYC or staying in for the weekend. The traffic was just nonexistent.
I go to Banh Mi Zon, which is the best banh mi I’ve had in my life. I wanted to go to the “best” coffee, Abraco, but it was closed for the long weekend. Ela finally gets in and I meet her at Grand Central and then we walk all the way to Central Park through the street fair. It’s pretty cool. It’s 14 blocks of street food, jewelry, pictures, paintings, all kinds of stuff.
On the way, I stop at a few French bakeries and then we go by Whole Foods. We then walk to the lake in Central Park and see a couple get engaged on a gondola. We then see this Asian couple trying to paddle because they have no clue how to, which is hilarious. The guy then finally figures to row, but forwards, instead of backwards. A pushing action instead of a pulling action, which looks silly because everyone is rowing correctly.
We then walk all over around and see this electic group of people dancing to funk music. There are people on old school roller blades, people hula hooping, shirtless men dancing around (both hugely fat and jacked ones). Ela said that after watching all those characters, that she will never feel weird again. I say that I feel like I’m a depressed person. I’ve never seen people so happy about dancing to funk music, and I bet they’ve been doing that for 4 hours straight with no break.
We then go and sit around at Columbus Circle for a bit until she goes home. I made it seem like she could hang, but I don’t know, she doesn’t ever drink anything because she has to drive back home from the station. It’s a decent code to go by because Germany apparently is a lot rougher on drunk driving than here.
I wait around and have nothing to do for a while. I grab dinner at Xi’An Foods and wait around at International Bar. Scott and Bola show up and then we go to Sophie’s with Stefan. We hang there for a bit until Stefan has to split. The three of us then go to Manitoba, which is pretty low key, but a very cool bar.
I then get into an argument with mostly Bolanos and a bit of Scott. I try to explain to them that we’re only boys and that Howard Kantrowitz giving his speech at the graduation party was one of the most important moments of his life. If he’s going to shed a tear, then so fucking be it. Next to marriage, having children, etc., I can really understand the impact of that moment. Bolanos’ defense is that he cries at other events, which is means nothing to that situation. He then says that he supports not externalizing and that Howard’s feeling should just be “understood” by his family, without saying anything. He also said he just wouldn’t give a speech in the first place. Then obviously, it’s just Bolanos’ psychological issues of not being able to publicly speak around friends and family, and then the bigger issue of not being able to show emotion to loved ones. That’s definitely something that needs therapy, at least if that’s the case when he has children and a family.
A view he did defend was bitching about his graduation party. Apparently some random family friend wanted a bottle opener and Bolanos told him it was a twist off. The guy responded in a joking way that he didn’t just graduate from college. So random dumb comment by nobody. A year and a month away, our hero still is livid about nothing. You mad.
Either way, Aaron comes with these Asian twins and a guy and we go to Sophie’s. On the way, we stop by Sunny and Annie’s where one of the twins drops a bag of chips and steps on it. The Korean owner tries to deal with the ruckus, but Aaron is on top of it. He drunkingly shouts at his pal, telling him that he needs to pay for the chips that he has stepped on. He is very commanding and the owner figures that Aaron has taken care of the situation and backs off.
Outside of Sophie’s, there’s a few thrown out matresses. This guy jumps on then and looks like he breaks his face on the fall, but apparently he’s fine. Aaron tells the guy that he now has bed bugs. The guy’s friend then calls out Aaron that he’s a paranoid hypochondriac or something. Bolanos and I jokingly play out what it would be like if the bugs got onto you if you simply on jumped on a mattress.
At Sophie’s, Aaron’s friends split as well as Scott. Bolanos, Aaron, and I stay for a bit until I drive Bolanos and I back.

July 8, 2011
Corinne finally gives me a call earlier in the week and she’s free this Friday. I haven’t seen her in months and I even had her birthday gift that was from months ago that I never ended up giving her. We make plans to do our usual Kenka. Ela’s bestie from home is visiting, Lena, so I meet them up at 9:30 at Kenka. We chat and stuff, it’s a good time. I bring up going to Boston at some point and Ela hits me and has to remind me that we already made plans to go in the first week of August. She told me a month ago, how am I supposed to remember that. Okay, there we go, I guess her and I are visiting Boston and Corinne soon.
After Kenka, we go to Ela’s favorite place, McSoreleys. The Germans have to go back to the hotel because Lena forgot her ID. Corinne and I have a dual beer combo. Corinne has to get home when the Germans get back. She’s moving back to Boston next week because of family issues.
Aaron joins us and after another round, we go to the usual, Sophies. After a few more drinks, we go to Lovers of Today bar, which is a really awesome speakeasy. On the way there, I need to catch up with them because I left my umbrella at Sophie’s. I end up racing a cab and running top speed in the East Village. Bad idea. I’m lucky I didn’t fall, break my face, or completely tackle someone. Aaron said I almost did.
After that, it’s getting late, but we go to Aaron’s apartment to see the sunrise on the roof. I stupidly decide to get ambitious and could’ve caught the 5:19. Instead, I wait around and the Germans split up and I go to Penn Station waiting almost an hour because I missed the 5:19. Taking the 6:19, real fucking classy. I even have to buy a newspaper to keep my sanity because my iPod is out of power. The walk back isn’t actually that bad because I’m sobered up almost and it’s very nice and sunny.