I woke up at, well, i don't really remember because I kept going back to sleep. I didn't go to bed till 2am the night before.
But when i finally did wake up it must've been 11am, or noon.
Ate the rest of last night;s dinner, played with Cheesecake, re-readthe first half of the Communist Manifesto to get my charge up for therest of the day, and drank a cup of freshly brewed coffee that Aaron sokindly made me.
It smelled damn good, and tasted even better. I usually put almond/soymilk in my coffee, if i ever drink it. Although, i know i swore not todrink anymore because of last time, BUT! Last time i hadn't eatenanything, really,and it was the middle of the night, and this time itwas not espresso, just black coffee and I sipped it. Slowly. Savoringthe rich creamy flavor.mmm
No effects, whatsoever. :)

We left the house around 1:30 pm i'd say, grabbed the train to 14th st,downtown Manhattan, transferred to the F to the East Village. We gotoff at Delancey st., Aaron got 10 potstickers for $2, haha what a deal,and scarfed them back while I read about a vegan sandwich shop inBrooklyn in some newspaper.
we walked over to E. Houston to check out Ashkara Restaurant - I readonline they had vegan options and falafel BAR! with belgian fries.
They did! I got a small falafel sandwich, but after I filled it withpeppers, pickles, tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, hot sauce, garlic sauceand carrots, it was a fattie.
All full. I have to say that was the best damn falafel I've ever had in my life. and i've eaten a lot of falafels!
Ashkara Vegetarian Restaurant. 189 E. Houston st. 4 stars.
but, their Baklava wasn't good at all. :/

Then, we walked more around the East Village, heading toward TheStrand. (big ass second hand bookstore in NY) I <3 the strand. Onthe way I saw 3 hydrants busted open leaking water everywhere all downthe street...so negligent. one of each corner. There's pictures, checklater.

At the Strand, i found a cooking book ALL. ABOUT. GARLIC. ! it's called, can you believe, "Garlic". haha.
Also, i found The Diaries of Isabelle Ebrhardt: Nomad. I love thisgirl. We are somehow connected. I can just feel it. I feel so muchrelation to this woman. So much energy. So much love for the desert.
I also bought 2 other books, i can't remember cause I shipped them home today.
So much more but i will continue later, i am rather parched.
-B

Continued:

After Strands, we met up with Cody and headed to Phebes Bar for the Russian Meetup.
http://www.meetup.com/nycr..ussian/
Met a few cool people and talked to one russian girl who traveled to Egypt and asked her all about it.
I learned a few phrases also, contained herein are phonetic translations:
Kak Skezat - "how do you say?"
Zdrovstoycheh - formal greeting
oichin priyatna - pleaure to meet you
horrosho - good
kanyeshna - of course!
osta rrojna - be careful (warning)

Then booked off to Lauralee's house in Chinatown/LowerEastSide.
she has a new kitten named Bubu.
Cool ass roommates, and i got into a hot hot heated debate with anArgentinian Jew about the Gaza strip, soup-of-the-day wartime. I kindofneeded some verbal action. Haven't had it in awhile.
It was interesting. He was arguing for his "people", and I played anthropologist and broke down how race doesn't exist. lulz.
also we spoke on Bloomberg, capitalism, things i can't even remember.

Then, L.B. got a txt from her rmmate who went out to an open bar that she was incapacitated.
We struck a cab to the bar, picked her ass up and got her into a cab.
There was a horrible breakup scene outside the bar after they took off.
and i quote, "I just dont understand how you can leave me like this, so suddenly!??"
Man. close to home, but im patched up. I still heard her though, through my bones, i shivered.
I heard her, through my veins, blocked arteries.
she was a mess, and i could only envision the following months for her, a reflection of my recent past.
and i quote, "I'm 30 years old, i just cant play these games anymore, i can't be with you."
and she sobs. and she yells. and he walks.
down Stanton, away from her life. Friends yelled obscenities and coddled her.
and i took off. I took off to go find this 24 hour vegan Indian place, Punjabi.
Lordy lawdy, internet articles are decieving.
Was vegan all right, BUT, appeared as a liquor store,with a deli case of food.
Not my thing at 2am. surprisingly.
Skipped back to Bleecker in Greenwich village and got my $2 falafel that i get everytime im here.
Yatagan falafel on bleecker. $2
right next to Esperanto cafe, where as a first-time new yorker 3 yearsago i spent pratcically every single night for 30 days straight in,from around 9pm till 6am or sometimes 7am.
I was a vampire in those days.
Esperanto cafe - great for Vampires. vampires who need free wi-fi.

I stopped in for some Genmaicha and spoke to another russian far east russia.
said he wanted to move to Cali so he could grow his own marijuana. lulz.
went to the W4 st station and just missed the A Far Rock train, but tomy advantage i continue my travels of meeting random people. I sat downat the bench and this guy starts talking to me. I tell him i'mtraveling and where I would love to go. Etc etc. He tells me how heused to travel when he was my age. He got his degrees in accounting andhad a real good banking job after his vagabond days. lost his job dueto stock market crashs, laid off bullshit, and is now 30 (and i quote,"im already 30 and i'm a host for a restaurant in NY") He's also afairly attractive gay man (he told me this ) withno partner, and isdepressed about the way his life has turned out. Even though he'ssitting there giving me advice about living life to the fullest andbeing aware of my surroundings, (he doesn't know me at all! lol).
He pulls out a 40 of malt liquor. haha. and we get on the next far rockchatiting away, him divulging all his lifes "tribulations". What is itwith people sharing their lives with me after 3 minutes of talking tome? Do i give off a therapist vibe? that was (slightly) rhetorical.

So, i got home around 5am. fell asleep and woke up at 11am to hot hot heat. not the band, the fahrenheit.
Tomorrow's blog soon to be, stay tuned.
Love and light to all!

B. J. Young