Coney Island

Saturday's flight was the second worst flight I've been on. The first was on a tiny plane in Taiwan that experienced so much turbulence, people were puking wholesale all over the place, and when you walked out, there was vomit in the aisle. I can't even remember where we were going.

So this flight, which was supposed to be a direct flight, ended up having to re-fuel in Salt Lake City because it was too hot. That wasn't a problem. A little bumpy on the way to Utah, not too bad. We're leaving Utah, and the plane is going faster and faster on the runway, things are getting rumbly, and then we suddenly brake and start taxiing around! Panic!! Turns out they had to because somebody didn't close the fuel cover door thing. Half an hour on the runway. Then a pretty bumpy ride to JFK, reading made me motion sick, so instead I watched 4 hours of ANTM, a season I don't really like. Nothing else was on. Caught some of a Mets game and most of the new Fantastic Four movie. It's terrible how spoiled all this sounds but remember, JetBlue has good prices plus televisions. By the time we landed, my brain felt like mush. Then 40 minutes for the bags, 20 minutes for a cab (another student asked me to share a cab, as it's $45 to anywhere in Manhattan from JFK). I get to my room, which is quite nice, and my collegeboxes (stored stuff) haven't arrived. And they still aren't here. I have no cooking utensils, no towels, no books, and so forth. I spent 3 hours at Target yesterday, which is more time than anyone should ever be at Target.

But today was great fun. Two friends and I went down to Coney Island to walk on the beach and go to the aquarium. I hate to say it, but the aquarium isn't worth anywhere near the admission, but it was fun all the same. I didn't see any of the promised sea otters and penguins, and little kids kept grabbing me. There was a giant walrus, though. Very crowded, but what do you expect for Labor Day weekend. Then we hit up Chinatown so I could buy some things, including my favorite Asian raisin bread. They have some lotus paste with egg moon cakes, which are my favorites, but they're a little pricey. Maybe my mother will send me some :p When in doubt. . .

This is a charming game called "Shoot the Freak," where you literally shoot a dude in body armor who I assume is being paid to do it.

There was some sort of police convention going on, or something. There were about 7 squad cars, and they were towing away a SUV.

Maybe they were investigating this double-stuffed animal-homicide. The dark side of Coney Island. And you thought you'd seen it all in Requiem for a Dream.

I hope everybody had a good weekend/holiday!