magicbeans. nothing if not awkward.

woke up all tangled in my blankets, dreaming of living in a photoshop file of a world, all complicated with layers. calls to sonali and chris and a bagel by myself in manhattan.

(it was raining when i left the house, but warm.)

(a girl on the subway was checking me out.)

sitting and eating my bagel, i was feeling jealous that i have to share sonali's time with other nmh friends. and as if on cue with this thought, bret calls, 'i was thinking about driving down today.'

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i met sonali and trevett at the met. there is a show of chuck close's work up there now. a lot of it is stuff that i saw at the american academy in rome, but still cool. and also a lot of the process work and equipment: plates, woodblocks, etc. chuck close's work made a very strong impression on me when i was young. i don't know when exactly, or where i was exposed to it, but i still feel the reverberations from it.

the three of us wandered around the modern wing. looked at a few baroque works. the antique instruments.

we went for lunch, and on the way chris called. 'i've figured out exactly what i want for my next tattoo. we should go and get inked today.'

'i really should try to get in touch with er!n first. since she and i were supposed to go and get tattoos together. but i also feel like i should just be impulsive and go and get it done.'

'well let me know. i'm going either way. after i meet up with my sister for dinner.'

'cool.'

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we walked around central park. bret arrived in the city, and we planned to meet at union square.

sonali would have been happy to go out to a bar, but trevett wanted to see a movie, and she acquiesced. bret and i looked for a coffee shop that hadn't been put out of business by starbucks.

while we were sitting in the coffee shop, allison.m called. with plans to go to the royal oak later. she said that she'd give brooke my number the next time she ran into her. i told her i was planning on getting a tattoo. (i had gotten voicemail from er!n while i was on the subway. she gave me her blessing.)

bret and i got on a train going the wrong way. doubled back. sat in union square and talked and waited for chris to call.

and so i got a tattoo. i really went through with it.

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bret and chris and i met back up at the royal oak afterwards. allison never showed, but there were other risd kids there.

and home. and bed.