"Yesterday all my troubles seemed so far away..."

They were. Bobby, my teacher friend from I.S. 666 has been suggesting we hang out since school started. It hadn't happened until yesterday, though. One weekend he went to Florida. Other weekends I spent alone, recovering from a week of school. Yesterday, we finally met up on the Upper West Side, ate at Koronet, and ventured downtown. Bobby jokes that the farthest downtown he goes is our West Harlem school, because he lives all the way uptown in Inwood. He could gallop to the Bronx in mere minutes...if he ever wanted to. (I'm kind of an NYC geography snob. The Bronx and Queens have nothing going for them, as far as I'm concerned. Oh wait, the Bronx has a Target. That's it).

Bobby brought along a visiting friend from Florida, Sean [insert color surname]. I also have a color for a last name, so that was interesting. Actually, it's not all that interesting, but I feel solidarity with all the color surnamed people out there. We endure incessantly unoriginal teasing for years of our lives. Sean and Bobby were clearly getting on each other's nerves after a few days of living together in Inwood. They're operating on very different schedules and haven't ever spent so much time together. The critical three-day window after which fish and guests start to smell had already passed.

We first went to a gathering of Puerto Ricans on a street near me, thinking it was a street fair. I have no idea what it actually was. People were speaking, flags were flying, candles were burning. Hmmm... We found the real street fair after going to Bank Street Bookstore and the boys enduring my neighborhood tour. I saw a cool pair of mod blue shoes that Bobby hated and I loved. Alas, they didn't fit. We also ran into Kathy, who was peddling homemade soaps and dolls. Sean was meandering around the fair, buying organic apples and sterling silver earrings. Early on, Bobby teased him about being a healthy eating food snob.

On to downtown! We went to Chelsea to go to flower markets and the flea market. I was followed by a few different obese housecats that were hanging out in shops. One very large orange tabby purred as I pet him and then heavily jumped into my lap. I nearly fell over, as I was squatting down and not really balanced. I then suggested we try to go to the Village to Magnolia Bakery. I'd wanted to visit for a few years and had never been. Bobby asked if anyone on the subway knew how to get there, and we got eager directions from an elderly man.

There was a long outdoor line to get into the bakery. It was fortunately moving pretty quickly, but it was still ridiculous. At one point, a man carrying a ukelele and wearing a green and yellow matching shirt and short set walked by and said, "Now don't you feel silly waiting in line for cupcakes?" I thought somehow should ask him the same thing about carrying a ukelele and wearing such a weird outfit. Nonetheless, Ninja Turtle man had a point. The cupcakes had too much frosting, weren't moist enough, and the chocolate icing just tasted weird. Like coffee grounds or something. The moral of the story: BE NOT LURED INTO MAGNOLIA BAKERY. 'TIS AN OVER-RATED TOURIST TRAP, METHINKS. Buy some Funfetti mix and make much better cupcakes yourself.

Bobby, Sean, and I drank sodas and ate bad cupcakes while watching attractive dads play with their attractive kids at the Bleecker Playground. Good times. We then headed to Christopher Street for general people watching before heading back uptown to Koronet. I love that pizza. The boys were still annoyed at each other and left for Inwood. I walked the few blocks back to my apartment. I watched the premiere of Saturday Night Live, but wow, was it a task. It was just not funny or fresh. Kanye West came across as really constipated. I don't like the new songs. Tina Fey was gone, so Horatio Sanz co-anchored Weekend Update. Too weird. Tina, come back! Bring the baby, but come back! I had no idea Maya Rudolph was pregnant, either. Megan was right about her breasts getting bigger and bigger. I seldom notice things like that.

That's my story. There were so many good quotes I can't recall, but this will have to suffice. Well, never mind, here's one thing that I find amusing:

Me: [guessing the name of a guy that works at Koronet] I think his name is Constantine. I think he looks like a sensitive soul.
Bobby: I think he hates working at a pizza place.
Me: What do you think his name is?
Bobby: I'm gonna go with Guiseppe.

His name is Greg.

Okay, one more:

[A car is stopped in the street. On the back passenger window is says, "For sale" and a phone number is written. The driver has his window rolled down].

Bobby: How much?
Driver: More than you can afford.
Bobby: Seriously, how much?
Driver: I don't want your money!
Bobby: How much is the car. It says, "For Sale."
Driver: Oh! Oh! Four thousand dollars.
Bobby: I could afford that.
[The driver drives away when the light changes. We laugh at his overly suspicious mind].