Rollercoaster ride.

We finally went on an overnight hike! It had been such a long time, and my calves are still a little sore. We went to Shenandoah National Park, hiked over two ridges, crossed two creeks, almost saw a bear, ate lotsa food and had a great time.

Also, did you know that New York City is actually not a city, but a giant amusement park? And I'm not just saying that because there's all kinds of different people down there, creating an entertaining mix or because of the numerous other entertainment opportunities or because it's just so much fun, but because to go there, you have to pay an entrance fee. Bet you didn't know that. I realized this the other day, that no matter what you do, riding the train, going by bus or driving your car, you will have to pay up at some point if you wanna go to Manhattan. And if you ever went by the UN place, you know they got plenty of flags. And I'm told more flags equal more fun. Remember, you heard it here first.

Glow-in-the-dark ice-burgers.

Couple of things, folks: An ice-cream truck goes down our road every night. We got some for the first time last night, and apparently one of the neighbors had complained the day before and asked the guy not to go down our road anymore. Cause her kids can't have that sugary stuff, and it appears that she is unable to not consume when given the opportunity. One of our neigbors, with a very noticable Jersey accent, was ranting, talking about how the ice-cream truck's all-American, being red, white and blue, and communism and free enterprise and whatnot. Almost a note-to-self case. Last weekend we went to the Secaucus diner for the first time. Words can't describe. The thing is shinier than a diamond smuggler's toilet bowl (that's after the smuggle was successful and the "diamond recepticle" has been emptied). And if you like to work on your chewing routine, you know, like dancers do with the help of mirrors, it's your place to be.

And also, if this city would just turn off the light at night, instead of reading under the blanket until morning, or being scared of the monster in the closet, or thinking it's necessary to keep the porch light on all night just in case and because it doesn't like those automatic lights, or whatever it is it's doing, maybe it could finally get some freaking sleep. It's true, when you look at the sky at night here, it looks like dusk all night long. It's a soft, orange-blue luminescence most nights. Yeah, I'd like to say something more poetic about it, but you just need to come here and see to appreciate it and come up with your own stuff.