kaleidoscopic breathing exercise

This is actually a sneaky backdated post - I'm currently sat in a lovely air conditioned hotel room in Massachusetts, contemplating the crazy road trip ahead, though more on that later. I know I was pretty awful over the last 6 weeks in terms of updating my blog, mostly because I knew every post would bring me closer to the end. Some pretty exciting stuff happened though, so I'll give you a retrospective selection of the highlights.

Some weeks ago now, I was taken out for a posh dinner and then to see one Amy Winehouse live at the Highline Ballroom. She was skinny, mouthy, covered in tattoos and had some seriously scary hair, but the girl can certainly sing. I had a great time, felt very weird about hearing a north London accent after so long surrounded by New Yorkers, went home and woke up the next morning to write a brilliant paper on William Blake.

If anything - and I know it sounds a bit lame, but bear with me - this semester has been characterised by my academic success. That might be a bit pre-emptive given that I only have one of 5 grades back so far (A+ at 98% ta very much) but for the first time since... well, I started uni pretty much, I've been keeping up with the reading, studying for tests, and turning in papers on time. I haven't pulled a single all nighter (though admittedly I've done some pretty hardcore essay sessions, including the last one where I wrote 4500 words in 9 hours) and I'm really hoping this is a sign of things to come. But back to the interesting stuff...

I've been hitting the poetry slams pretty hard over the last four months, and the two most exciting nights were undoubtedly the final, which lasted 4 hours (what!) till 1am, and seeing the slampapi himself, Marc Smith who totally rocked my world! Even though I was a bit of a loser and didn't go and speak to any of my favourites before I left (Chad Anderson, who I am a little bit in love with, Jeanann, Taylor Mali, Shappy, the list goes on...) Urbana was a huge part of my New York experience as well as seriously boosting my mental health. If I ever (fingers and toes crossed) move back to NYC I am determined to at least get my arse up in front of the open mic... good times!
I've been getting some other culture and stuff in too - including trips to the Brooklyn Museum and Botanic Gardens, and a return to the Museum of Natural History, which has a fantastic Human Evolution display. I got to revisit all of my favourite bits of studying at Oxford, but wasn't nostalgic for the place at all. I have finally reached a point where so many wonderful things have happened that might have never happened if I hadn't decided to leave... well, what-ifing no longer seems to have any point. I'm happy with the way things are, and I wouldn't change them if I could, accept maybe to get myself back to New York! Besides, I was completely in love with the classes I took this semester, and would much rather be visiting museum displays on human evolution than writing papers on it. But anyway... The Brooklyn Museum had an amazing feminist gallery, which had some really interesting stuff on gender and transgender experience, which probably stuck in my mind after writing about 'Writen on the Body,' which I recommend to all and sundry. The narrator's gender is never revealed to the reader, so you really question all your assumptions about gender and relationships... In other news, the botanic gardens were pretty awesome too!



I've been spending plenty of time just trapsing around the city, falling in love with the skyline (though I'm the first to admit that having horizons again is pretty exciting) and discovering randomness. A bit like this rooftop public garden right around the corner from Grand Central, in the shadow of the Chrysler Building and overlooking 3rd Ave. The city is packed with hidden places like this, making walking to and from school quite the adventure.

There's also the everyday magic.... like my beautiful girl Kassie, shown here in post Phantom of the Opera craziness at Planet Hollywood - a pretty awesome night all told. Kassie and I have shared several fantastic drunken adventures, countless movies, and exchanged stories about our less than conventional families. Though I'm sad not all of my friends were around for the second semester, I'm thrilled that I got the chance to get to know Kassie better, she's a fantastic, strong, independent woman who has listened to me rant about Grey's at great length and shared my insatiable love of diners. Incidentally, Kass worked at the wonderful 71 Iriving, a coffeehouse frequented by none other than...

...Mr Rufus Wainwright, who performed for free at our local Barnes & Noble. Part of the beauty of New York is that there's always something happening, and often on your very doorstep. The doorstep of campus happens to be Central Park, which is to this day my favourite piece of New York.



This is the inscription on the side of the main campus building, fitting given that I studying Emerson in my first semester. It says "We are of different opinions at different hours, but we always may be said to be at heart on the side of truth". I like it, probably moreso in the knowledge that Emerson wasn't big on grand external theories of truth, but more interested in everyone figuring out their own version.

My favourite reading place - 7th floor skywalk.

Bethesda Fountain, Central Park. Right on the bank of the boating lake is a weeping willow, under which I spent some of the most peaceful hours of my whole life, reading, thinking and just chilling out. Hopefully I'll get to go back there one day, but I think the peace I found in New York (a little ironic given what a crazy hectic place it can be) is something I'm going to take with me for a long time yet.


I could go on for a lot longer, but really I'm busy getting excited about the next adventure, and if this year has taught me anything, it's that the rest of my life can be as exciting a journey as this time has been.