bit by bit

i am finally car-less and it's a beautiful thing. i had two days off in a row and decided to drive the car out to my brother's place for my parents to pick up on the weekend. i piled into the car- armed with coffee and lots of quarters and small bills (couldn't remember how many and how much the tolls are) and headed out to PA.

once i got to the tunnel- i realized that i left my brother's house keys in my apartment. damn- that meant having to find a place to stop and wait. in any case, the ride- except for passing periods of near blindness (i hate driving during dusk, the glare is horrendous) and near passing out (i always get sleepy driving long distances)- was uneventful and i made good time. i found a CVS near chimmy's house, bought some magazines, and headed over to dunkin donuts to have a coffee and read.

half an hour later, i met chimmy at his house and waited for the missus to get home. we exchanged christmas gifts and chatted in the meantime. dinner was at yang ming, a surprisingly good chinese restaurant not too far from their home. after feasting on hot & sour soup, fried lobster served in a coconut curry sauce, a tasty eggplant and tofu dish, and 4 spice beef, we waddled our way to the grocery store where i was astounded by how cheap groceries were.

back home, we watched the first half of superbad before we all got tired and went to bed. the next morning, chimmy dropped me off in philly's chinatown and i grabbed the 9AM bus back to nyc.

it took me over an hour to get home- F train to 60th & lexington, transfer to the 6, and the 6 to 77th. i didn't mind one bit. it was funny, it was as if i haven't taken mass transit before- seeing the different types of people and listening into odd bits of conversation... i had forgotten how much i love it all.