The last 3 letters are for . . . do they want? This morning I had to attend a meeting downtown and decided to walk over to Zucotti Park afterwards. The protesters were there, making themselves heard but for the life of me, and I questioned a couple of them about what solution they were proposing, and exactly what they wanted the system to do, and not one could give me a cogent answer. If you're not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem. (Forgot who said it.) Hey, I am part of the 99% and I know change is needed, but I haven't a clue as to what needs to be done. The federal government is useless, as indicated by the performance of the Super-Committee, and we know the oligarchs are not about to begin policing themselves, so WTF can we do? And we don't need more drums.

The protesters, and I support them, need a plan. Right now they are an organized mob, a rabble, a bunch of people chasing their tails. And we all can figure out what happens in that last scenario when you stop.

Let me think some more.

More later . . .

So far so good. The weeknd is going rather well. We had fun watching the balloons being filled on Wednesday and then seeing thm float by on Thursday. Micah's neighbor invited us to watch from her windows that front on CPW so we had a birdseye view of the parade's kick off and it was spectacular. That's the only way to watch it.

Oh, and Wednesday night we had a blast at the new girl bar we went to. Ladies night at a lesbian bar; go figure. We had finger food and danced the night away, finally stumbling home at 1AM. We were up at 8 and scurrying down CPW to get to out fantastic vantage point. I was spotted by a girl from my school and her mother was a bit put out that they had to sit in grandstands while I was going to be on the 15th floor. Sure, it's because I so well connected.

Dinner was wonderful, and just because I'm a vegetarian, doesn't mean I can't overeat, and did I ever. After dinner and before dessert we took a walk through the park which helpd make room for a ton of pumpkin pie and cheesecake. The post prandial entertainment consisted of one of the guests playing a few random classical numbers on the piano. She was quite good too.

Laurie and I walked back to my flat around 9 and were barely able to get undressed before tumbling into bed. And did we ever sleep!

We made amends on Friday by walking up Amsterdam to the Hungarian Bakery for breakfast and found ourselves in a conversation with some guy about Kerouac and Holden Caulfield. That's a match up, yes? Anyway, it was interesting, albeit without any sense being made.

Must run. We've a party to attend tonight and I have to get dressed, and pickup Laurie at her place. It's with her friends, literary types, so I can't wear my post-doc jeans and sweatshirt.

More later . . .

Is it finally here? Yes it is and I am ecstatic! After a department-head meeting this afternoon of which I am chair, I flew out of that place and damn the rain. I got soaked traversing Central Park -- one last cloudburst and I was right under it -- but made it home determined to enjoy my four days. After changing I went down the street to watch them beginning with the parade balloons. So much excitement. Really fun to watch. I met up with my famous author friend -- oh hell, her name in Micah -- and we oohed and ahhed over everthing like kids. Later we went to Starbucks where she insisted I look at a couple of her latest chapters, which I must say, were quite good. Tomorrow Laurie and I will be at her place for dinner and we both can weigh in on the merits of her latest ouvre. She's having about a dozen people and it should be fun.

Laurie is spending the night and we're leaving in a minute for a new girls' bar that opened on Columbus.

More later . . .

You know, I hadn't the foggiest that I'd not written anything in such a long time. The saying goes: "Time flies when you're having fun", but I've not been having much fun. It seems it's all been about work. What with the new assignment at school and all that entails, and my editing - consulting with the famous author, there's been scant time for little else. At school there's a lot of politics to get used to and I cannot believe the amount of time I spend at these metings, and the endless habd-holding of the parents hands. Oy Vey!

On the brighter side, last Sunday was a glorious day for the NYC Marathon, and we had a super time. A dear friend, Olivia, ran and placed quite nicely. Later we all went home with Liv, who lives in ThVillage, for a kind of brunch. There must have been 10 0r 12 of us there. Laurie came home with me and spent the night but that meant she needed to taxi on over to her East Side digs to ger ready for work in the morning. Worked for me because she dropped me at school along the way.

A couple of weeks before we went to Boston, and  quite unabashedly,her mother asked if we were "a couple". Really caught the two  of us off guard because we've never seen ourselves as "a couple". Riding Amtrak home we talked about it and realized that most people see us as just that, be we don't. We both have a fear of committment I think. We decided to leave things just as they are; each having a toothbrush at the other's flat.

Other than that we had a delightful weekend, seeing a lot of her old friends and looking in on her old haunts. I've always liked Boston. A number of years ago I took several course at Harvard's School of Education. Actually that's how we met.

Oops, must run.

More later . . .

Something I forgot: Foreign students being recruited by top schools and having their tuition paid, along with illegals getting financial aid while Americans are being denied admission or are forced into the capitalist maw of lifetime debt.

And we wonder why the country is circling the drain so rapidly.