I have been living out of a suitcase all summer. The people I've talked to who didn't leave say the summer flew by but to tell you the truth I feel as if year has passed. I was hoping to get upgraded as I did on the outbound leg but no such luck. I was sitting next to a couple about my age who, when they weren't talking loud were voraciously making out. When the stewardess asked her if she wanted a snack she said, "He's my snack," and stuck her tongue down his throat. Just what a guy who'd just been dumped by his girl needs to see. Then in flight I played the trivia game on my touch screen against the rest of the plane. I rarely lose and this time I was really on fire. Only one other person, somebody in seat 38A was anywhere close. After I won I got up to go to the bathroom and went back instead of forward so I could see who I beat. I was hoping it was a cute woman and I would say something incredibly witty. About four rows back I realized that I had beaten a fourteen-year-old boy. So much for feeling like a genius.

I landed at JFK at midnight New York time and just as I was waiting for my third bag the belt broke for an interminable thirty minutes. Then I got a car to take me home and we were mysteriously stopped at the tollbooth of the Triboro bridge at one in the morning with hundreds of other cars. Nobody honked, a police car was there lights swirling and then, after about fifteen minutes we were let through. I was starving and was about to ask the driver to make a pitstop at an all-night McDonalds but didn't. I haven't been home in a month but luckily there was frozen bread and peanut butter and jelly.

Today I went out in the city and it's still so fucking exciting to me. I feel like I'm where I belong, in the center of everything. The subway, however, is quite filthy and I was wondering how a city could let something so vital get so dirty. I saw a plaque at 18th street saying the station was built in 1910. The original tiles are pretty but c'mon. At 96th street, changing to the local, the 1 train was creeping into the station suspiciously slowly. Against my better judgment I got in. It went one stop to 103rd and then the conductor said the next stop would be 125, skipping my two stops. I grumbled and got out and walked but the late evening was gorgeous so it was actually a treat. I was actually singing to myself as I walked. I noticed a crazy homeless guy up ahead of me and as we passed he on purpose banged into my shoulder, muttering angrily to the voices within. I love New York.