Task: Look up "resistentialism."

A good source tipped me off to the above word. It's a gem. Look it up.

The second day of the new year was more productive than the first for me. I slept at Rinnz's last night, where I binged on The Office and Arrested Development and Scrabulous and finally reclaimed my stolen beer garden stein. And battled the cat, of course.

This morning I finally went to the bank, became a member of the Metropolitan Pool and Rec. Center (ID card and everything), and volunteered (for a measly half-an-hour) at an animal shelter. I thought I was just going to sign up to be a "cat-petter" in the future but they put me to work right away. Basically I was cleaning out cages and refilling water and food dishes with a funny guy named Oscar. My heart was a little bit in tatters at the sight of all those cats in their cages, but they seemed sort of content and at least they are well cared-for. There was one guy who only had one eye-the other socket was just empty. One cat arrived at the shelter with four kittens- none of them her own! She's nursing them and everything....and she's pregnant herself. Call me a crazy cat lady, but....that gets me. I'll go back in a week or so, probably. I got the sense that they can use all the help they can get.

Then I took a stroll around Greenpoint, found an errant apostrophe on a statue, passed a lovely hour or so at the charmingly contrived or contrivedly charming Roebling Tea Room (I'll be going back), and then fought the good fight to stay warm in this meat locker I call an apartment. Today, I won. Tomorrow? You might find me frozen solid.

Tomorrow, really.....back to work. Finally. About time, too-- I'm jesssssssst about to have no money. (The skin of my teeth, the skin of my teeth.)

Goodbye, blue Monday!

So after moping a little last night, I decided I'd had my fill and that I wasn't going to do that any more.

This morning I had a wonderful breakfast of grapefruit, banana bread with peanut butter, hot chocolate, orange juice...certainly the nicest morning meal I've had since moving here. (If this seems an insignificant conversational jaunt to you, just imagine how delicious all of those things are. Really think about it. Then, wonder if it was worth mentioning. Right?)

Then I took what turned into a three-hour walk-- over the W-burg bridge, through the Lower East Side (excuse me, the "bargain district"), into Chinatown to make some frivolous purchases (orange pear earings? new wallet? wastes of money? hello!), then back over the bridge and to home. It was lovely because on the way over, it was light, and on the way back, all the lights had come on- including a "SAVE DOMINO" on a building on this side of the river. I got a really good look at all of the Domino complex on the way over, including the famous sign. Ever since reading "Sweet and Low," I've been obsessed. I think Megs is the only one who is as enthusiastic as I am. :)

No work tomorrow, so Erin and I are having a lazy night tonight, including sleepover in Queens, and then I might do something fun like go to the Nat'l History Museum tomorrow afternoon. I also have to go to the animal shelter a few blocks down to sign up to be a CAT PETTER. Yes. That is actually what they call it. Too. Good. To. Be. True.