this just in...

the late night news report said this about the event i witnessed earlier tonight:
because of no permits, the union square "block party" was terminated by police.

my favorite quote from a foreign tourist watching the east. 16th street "holding cell":
"i thought america was supposed to stand for freedom and free speech. sure doesn't look like that now."

so true! this is disgusting.

i'm even MORE PISSED after watching the bullshit speeches of arnold, laura and the twins. arnold is so full of crap. can he use his fucking movie one-liners anymore for political gain? "i'll be back" and "economic girly men?" give me a friggin break. laura bush looked like she just got out of her botox appointment and didn't say anything of substance ("my husband is a good man with decency and compassion." YAWN). and those twins. make me want to barf! they thought they were so damn cute. "our grannie is so not hip! she thinks sex and the city is something married people do but never talk about!" and this just about killed me "...but our parents will shake it like a polaroid picture if we ask them." THE WORST!!!!!!!!!!

i hate republicans.

on a lighter note, i just got the new jill scott album and am LOVING it! so go get it.

chaos in union square

i was pretty bummed i had to work today, but hey, gotta pay da bills. i would have rather been out with the people, exercising my first amendment rights. but lo and behold, when i left work and walked through the east side of union square i got caught right in the middle of what seemed to be some sort of police riot. hundreds of cops swarmed the area, on foot, on bikes, on scooters, in cars and yes, there were a couple paddy wagons ready to take in more unruly protesters. i had just missed the immediate action. from what other spectators told me, a group of musicians started to gather and march around the square. apparently tons of people started to follow, dancing around and shouting out. i suppose the numbers got out of hand, stopping traffic on the streets and the sidewalks and the cops decided to take action. doesn't make any sense to me.

i stood around for a while, along with many other bystanders trying to get a glimpse of "police brutality" but there were so many cops swarming the site, you couldn't see what was going on. next thing, i could see them carting in about 10 plastic hand-cuffed kids into the van. wonder what they did to get arrested? i just read there have been 500+ arrests made since last thursday.

soon enough, as i was standing around, being a looky-loo, the chants began "this is what democracy looks like, that is what a police state looks like" and "who are you protecting?" nuttiness. i have a feeling shit's just gonna get crazier as the week wears on.

luckily i'm not working tomorrow and will be out there. hopefully with more reports. so stay tuned...

takin it to the streets!

as you may have all read/seen by now, yesterday was the big protest march in the streets of nyc and i decided i had to check it out and be a part of it myself. my reasons for going were a combination of wanting to be there to add to the numbers, to speak out against this administration, to shout BOO when walking past madison sq. garden, and also purely for curiousity sake and great photo opportunities. yes, i am angry at what is happening in the world and i felt it necessary to be there, but i'm also not sure what peaceful protests accomplish. besides the local news broadcasts, they showed about 5 minutes of a GIANT (500,000 strong) march on the NBC nightly news, basically saying not much happened. the national news was WEAK and i had a feeling they wouldn't give the protest justice. but that just goes to show. the news had to keep a positive light on the RNC, when there are thousands of angry people from all over the country (and the world) who were there to make their voices heard: WE DO NOT SUPPORT THIS PRESIDENT OR HIS FUCKED UP POLICIES AND IDEALS (not to mention his corporate cronies)! it was maddening. but still, i was glad i was there with the masses in the sweltering heat.

this was my silly contribution (an iron-on lettered shirt that i made that morning. even had to get up early to run to target to buy a friggin iron! HA!):



i also made a little slideshow for those of you who are interested in seeing some pics of the day. mostly of clever posters/costumes/kids/etc. you'll get the idea. and yeah, the song selection is a little, um, something, but still fitting (get into the mood people!). :)
enjoy! disclaimer: it's about 7mgs and might take a while to download (oh and it's chronological of the day... not to coinside with the song lyrics. i don't have that much time)!

what's your favorite image/poster? i have mine.

escape from new york

if you could choose between these three places, where would you go?:
1. brazil
2. japan
3. new zealand

here's my dilema. so i got this free ticket to anywhere in the world deal on american airlines. i was stoked and i'm finally ready to put to it to good use. i still have some saved up money that i decided i'd use to go on a month long trip, solo style (as i've never really gone on a big trip far away all by myself). i wanted to go somewhere that was far far away, to get the biggest bang for my buck with the free ticket. AND after tooling around in trees and pretty nature, i thought i'd like to go somewhere that wasn't so metropolitan. maybe do an adventure style trip. so the obvious choice was new zealand. total natural paradise and was my father's favorite country he'd ever visited. oh yeah, and lord of the rings and shit (kidding. kind of).

so i started doing all this research (procratination at it's finest) and found this really cool sounding camping adventure tour in NZ geared towards people travelling solo (not for 18 year old drunk college kids). yeah, yeah i wasn't too into doing one of those group tour thingies, but this one actually sounds pretty nifty. i could do a shorter trip and see what it was like, to get my bearings. anyhow, i found all these message boards with people raving about the tour and i really started to get excited. then i finally made the call to american to check it out. oops! this particular free ticket doesn't go to NZ. OF COURSE IT DOESN'T! bastards. i should have known.

so my other options now are brazil (which i've already been to... AND LOVED) and japan (which i've been dying to go to, but it's so damn expensive). plus (this is gonna sound like i'm a total wuss) i was thinking since i'd be solo style, it'd be nice to go to country where they speak english, you know?

here's my latest thought (opinions are welcome since i have a very hard time making decisions these days): bite the bullet and spend the money to go to NZ. the major cost factor is the airfare. getting around there isn't all that bad and the tour thing seems reasonable. THEN, i could still use the free ticket to go to carnival in brazil for 2005 (would LOVE to go again. best trip ever so far). it's SO cheap there and i never got to see rio or sao paulo and i'm sure i could convince some friends to come along. OR should i just wait and go to japan some other time???

HELP!

close, but no cigar

i ALMOST went through a break-up this weekend. in my 13+ years of dating and going through relationships, this is the first time i didn't throw in the towel so easily. we actually worked through it! amazing? yes.

i've always been one who gets the idea in their head that "this just isn't working. forget it. i'm done." i say what i have to say (usually the frustrations i've been bottling up) and said boyfriend at the time gets upset, but just lets it go, without a fight (i.e. i've dated lots of pussies). well, this time, i was actually challenged! alex is very insightful (more so, than i thought). he'd picked up on a lot of my nuances and life patterns and we had a serious honesty session. and the results were positive.

it's true. i do give up too easily. always have. when the going gets tough, i move on. this, i was told, was something i should work on. and obviously, i agreed. the fact that i was actually emotionally challenged, gave me a lot of respect for alex. he really is a great guy. and whether it works out or not, it's still good to take this as more life practice and experience.

trip pics

yet again, ariel has pointed me in the direction of my new internet obsession: flickr. think friendster and photo sharing combined. it's a little bit clunky (in beta version... a la friendster's good ol' days) and sort hard to figure out all of the features, but once you do, it's hard to turn away.

have a look for yourself. i posted some photos from the recent trip. there are two sets: one of the wedding weekend and one of the rest. leave a comment or a note in there. it's fun and i'm sure you'll be using it in no time!

returning and reflecting

it's been great being back in my apartment. i love my apartment. it's cozy and it's got all my stuff. i didn't leave the place the first two days i got back. i think after all that getting around, i just wanted to stay still. back to the office job the next couple days, which were fine (kinda nice to work again too... weird?).

i've also been out the last two nights and have been having so much fun, visiting with friends. i think i was so in boyfriend world the last couple months, i kinda neglected the few friends i have here (not the best idea, but it happens). and (i hate to say it), i think i miss being on my own (yikes!). am i just destined to be solo?

when you grow up with completely independent people all around you, i think you learn from example (nurture vs. nature?). my single mom raised me. she dated one guy for a bit after she ended things with my dad, when i was five, and never really dated again. so the primary example of how to live, was this totally independent woman, raising me and making enough money to buy a house and send me to college. then there was my aunt... same thing. single woman doing it all her own. and my grandmother (their mom). same thing again. 3 strong-willed ladies fending for themselves and never needing men around. hmmm...

my dad re-married, but then separated when i was in my teens and lived on his own after that. and his mother, after her partner died, she was on her own. AND my uncle (dad's bro). single bachelor for his whole life. interesting, no? this is ALL I KNOW so it's only natural that i would migrate towards that lifestyle. i always think it's because i haven't met the right person, but maybe, just maybe, it's because after years of witnessing the elders in my life doing it all on their own, that's what i'm destined to do too. i long for companionship and then it comes to a point where i just want to do my own thing without having to call and explain that i don't want "boyfriend at the time" to be around for a while. is that selfish of me? maybe the happy medium is to find someone who is equally as independent and doesn't bug out when you turn down a dinner date.

like i said, yikes. who knows though. maybe it's just a phase and i gotta ride this out. time will tell.

trippy trip part 3

so we were on the way to chez panisse, the famous restaurant that alex, mr. chef, was dying to try. we had a good 6+ hour drive to get there in time for the reservation that he had made a month ahead of time. we left a little more than 7 hours early for stops and whatnot. we stopped in ashland, oregon to check out the cuteness of town and to take a little walk through the park. back on the road for a loooong stretch. thank god for the ipods (although that battery power issue was a big ol' pain!).

next stop, weed, california. we just had to stop there. duh. took a couple pics. then alex was dying to stop for a smoke break. i was warning against it, but he insisted. so we stopped. of course i got a little paranoid (most of you know my oklahoma story... if you don't email me). at that point we were cutting it a little close to making it in time to the restaurant. then the worst happened. we hit bad traffic in the middle of nowhere in northern cal. we were stuck. turned out to be a roadside fire. things weren't looking good, so i called the restaurant saying we might be a little late and could we get a later reservation. no go. and they would only hold our table for a half hour. uh oh.

another snag along the way... we missed the exit to the bay area and the next exit after that was 10 minutes away. a 20 minute lag. we were never going to make it. alex called next asking if there was ANY way we could get in... he was a chef too, was dying to go the restaurant, we came in from NY, we were driving down from oregon, we hit traffic, the whole sob story. and no sympathy! well la di da. the worst part was that they took $50 for the res from his credit card and told him he couldn't get it back if we didn't make it. that just pissed him off and the trip from that point took a turn for the worst. dear sweet alex became very very angry and there was nothing i could say or do to make it better.

the worst part was that we actually made it to the berkeley exit right at 6:30 (the latest we could get there) and we called to see if we could still get the table. they had given it away already. SORRY! good thing was they decided to give him the $50 back. but still, alex was so mad. it was shitty to say the least. i tried to make it better, saying that it was good that we'd get to san francisco earlier, that we'd find a good restaurant there, and we'd have more time to tool around the city. wasn't working. and then we hit horrible traffic on the bay bridge (my most least favorite bridge... i always picture the big one hitting and falling through the cracks). we made it to the hotel and alex was still fuming. put a major chink in the fun.

i had no idea where to go to dinner, so i did a little research online and found a good chinese place (which was his next choice). luckily it was really good and he wasn't so pissy anymore. we had a great walk around the north end, up to coit tower and down around the cute little streets of SF. i really love that city. i lived there for a summer, but that was a long time ago and i blocked out most of that period (or i was just too stoned on dank nugs to retain any of the memories). next was a trip to the top to check the music scene. funnily enough, i ran into a guy i had met before who was djing and working the door. that was a free entry. sweet! the club was lacking, the music ok, the drinks weak. at least there were two lame white chicks getting busy on the dance floor that we had fun watching.

the next day was MUCH better than the day before. started out at crepes on cole (my local fave breakfast spot). we decided since we weren't spending the couple hundred at dinner the night before, that we'd spend it shopping. i knew just where to go: haight street (my old hood). alex got a sweet hat and great shoes and i picked up an amazing japanese poncho and some brown boots that i will where to death come fall/winter in NY. we scored. shopping is always the best cure. i really wished we'd had more time in SF, but alas, we had to get going. alex really wanted to go to the monterey bay aquarium and since he missed the restaurant i was sure to get him there on time. we made it to monterey with 2 hours to spend in the aquarium. it was awesome. we were pleasantly baked and i took a zillion digi pics of the jellyfish which will soon be on my desktop! so fun. i also had planned on us driving down highway 1 to check out the cool view (hadn't been that way in some time). unfortunately it was completely cloudy and you couldn't see the full view, but it was still pretty cool. made it to big sur before dark and walked around the stream. LOVE THAT TOWN!

the rest of the drive down the 1 was totally dark and i opted to drive it. ugh! it sucked. i was driving like an old lady, leaning forward, forehead almost touching the wheel, foot hoovering on the break. the goal was to make it to LA by that night. SF morning/afternoon, down to monterey for the aquarium til 7, highway 1 all the way down to LA in one day??? what was i thinking? after stopping off in san luis obispo for a quick bite, alex drove the rest of the way and we arrived at amy's in santa monica at about 2am. that was the longest day yet. but i was happy to wake up in LA.

we had breakfast with dennis hopper then next morning. well, he was two table down, but that was a pretty good star sighting for alex (he even knew who he was! the boy isn't too up on his celeb. unlike someone else i know. heh). on to venice. muscle beach, silly street performers, bad street arts and crafts. the day was perfect. hot, sunny and clear with a cool breeze. it was definitely a beach day. we headed straight for malibu after that and spent the hottest hours of the day on the beach. it was just what we needed. a little relaxation. i was feeling my painfully white skin getting fried. only thing i could do to salvage the burn was get in the water. AH! so good.

next was meeting up with wanna who took over driving in the convertible (a must for LA sight-seeing). i had been chatting up in-n-out burger to alex the entire trip and we were finally going. and man, was it good! he was dying. so funny to take an in-n-out virgin to have their first. loved it. we picked up michael later and headed to the water park in downtown LA to a free concert. met michele there. great to see her for a bit. the crew wasn't feeling the music so we left pretty early. we had time to kill as the plan was to go to jahmal's (the authentic jamaicaan speak-easy; LA's best kept secret) after hours. another quick stop at the short stop for beers and pictures in the photobooth. next was meeting up with sara, callum, mark, jom, bucky, arya, etc, etc at the red lion. more time killing and beer drinking. and finally, by the time 1:30 rolled around we made it to jahmal's. i hadn't been there in ages and it was cool to be back. that place is such a freakin trip. you really do feel like you're in jamaica (eventhough i've never been, it's exactly how i picture it). we got our drinks and our ganga lollipops and made our way to a side room. fernando joined us by that time along with some other random LA homies. some serious jamaican dude walked into the room, dreads to his butt wearing rasta colors and greeted mark (the resident hanger outer at jahmal's) with an enormous joint. in a room full of 10+ people that thing went around about 7 times. craaaazy. needless to say, we were all very very stoned. good times.

the evening ended at about 5am at mel's diner where bad karaoke was going on. a black dude singing coldplay? HUH?? it was weird. i ordered a waffle which was worse than an ego and we got back to amy's at dawn. what a night. next day, was bay city sandwiches, a walk on 3rd st. and a movie which was the only energy we could muster that day. we met up with wanna, michael and mai for beers at the brewery before heading down to fallbrook that night. it was basically the end of the trip. i could tell alex was bumming, but i was ready. it was non-stop since the wedding and i was pooped!

got to the hometown by 11 and introduced my mom to alex. i wasn't worried. my mom is the coolest and treats everyone equal. we chatted for a bit. alex was shy and quiet, which annoyed me a little, but what was i expecting? meeting the mother? that's always a little nerve-racking. i met with my grandma briefly the final day of the trip. just stopped by to say hello and goodbye. took alex on a mini-tour of fallbrook. met with my aunt. then alex, my mom and i drove down to san diego to meet with debbie, my step mother. poor alex. had to spend the last day of his trip meeting my whole family. well, it was fine. we were at her house for about an hour and then it was off to the airport. sad to say goodbye to my mom as always, but i was really ready for to get home. all in all it was a fun trip... we saw and did so much. i learned a lot about my boyfriend and our relationship (both good and bad). they always say you learn the most about your significant others on vacation. it was an ambitious trip mentally and physically, to say the least.

trippy trip part 2

the saga continues...

after the fabulous weekend wedding on bainbridge island, alex and i jumped in the car to start our journey down the west coast, from top to bottom. the drive from the island to portland was the first leg and probably the most beautiful drive. the islands and the trees and the views of the giant snow-capped mountains on either side of us were all just breathtaking.

we made it to portland before it got dark and checked into our motel. it was nice to have a bed after a couple days of sleeping on the ground. that night we just drove around the city. i tried to find this cool looking brewery i saw the first time coming through town and i actually found it again, in the pearl district, but it was closed. guess portland shuts down pretty early. then i remembered this other cute little pub that i saw the first time in town and actually found that one too. something that amazed me on this trip was my amazing sense of direction (not to brag or anything!). i mean i always knew i had that knack to be able to find a place i've been to once, but that's usually in a town that i know. i was able to do this in a completely new city. not bad (i really should go on the amazing race! HA!). anyway, we sat down to beers and burgers, which was perfect. cute boys in that town too (not that i was looking. ok, yeah, i was).

the next day was more driving around the hills and showing alex how cute portland was. he was into it for sure. next was washington park. i wanted to ride the cute little train through the woods so we went up to get tickets. $12 seemed a little steep, but that was also the entrance fee for the zoo. so we took the little train and walked around the zoo for a bit too. it was hot that day! in the 100s, but sunny and clear and there were beautiful views of mt. hood. we didn't have much time in portland because we had to be in southern oregon before dark (a 5 hour drive).

that drive down the 5 was equally as beautiful, driving along some winding mountain roads down into the medford/ashland area. we were fortunate enough to stay at my family friend's cabin on the rogue river, on the way up to crater lake. we got there just in time for dinner, which sam and lynn had prepared. i was feeling a little nervous about bringing alex around, since sam and lynn are like my second parents, and he gets a little shy around new people. but everything was just fine. they were friendly and made him feel comfortable and the conversation flowed, so no problems. the food was great and the accomadations ever better. we got our whole own apartment overlooking the river! so nice!!!

woke up the next morning to fresh baked blackberry muffins made by lynn. yum! alex and i packed up the car to drive up to crater lake that day. OH, that drive!!! huge pines lined the narrow roads all the way up. it was a perfect hot clear day and when we got to the lake, it was absolutely bright blue and shimmering. we were both in awe of the natural wonder. pretty cool. we took a little smoke break (thanks ariel!) off the trail and came back to watch the chimpunks and took about a million photos of them. silly, but fun. after a while we made our way back down the mountain and ate at the cutest country cafe and ate very berry pie. mmmmm...

then it was off to check outthe natural bridge. that photo does not do it justice. it was amazingly cool (i'll put up my photos later). we got back down to the cabin by 4 and took a swim in the river which was fantastic. sam shared a smoke with us and alex and i just chilled in the hammock next to the river for the next few hours while sam and lynn got the gourmet dinner ready. we were living like kings. steaks and salads and wine. all so good!

next day we had our longest drive yet. had to get to the bay area by 6:00 for dinner reservations alex had made at chez panisse. that was going to be his highlight of the trip... a famous restaurant he was dying to try and would set us back a couple hundred bucks.

part three to be continued...

trippy trip, part 1

(disclaimer: this is going to be a long journal-esque post about the last two weeks of my trip.)
so i'm back home in NY. sounds so weird to say "back home" when i was just in my californian home town yesterday. the trip was long but good. flew out to san diego 2 weeks ago, right after getting a big shot in my ass to overcome my illness. got in a car with my mom the next day and drove up past sacremento. stayed in a roadside motel and continued the drive up to portland, oregon the next day. long drives! but good. got some really good mom time in.

we stayed in portland that night and tooled around the city the next day. portland sure is beautiful. i was kinda trying to convince my mom to consider moving there after she retires, so i drove her all around the amazing hills overlooking the city and mount hood. the woodsy-ness of those hills make me so happy. it's all so GREEN! and the cutest houses you've ever seen tucked in among those trees. she was digging it. especially after walking around washington park and sniffing all those yummy roses. pretty sweet.

the city seemed a little sleepy. not much activity. maybe that's just coming from NY and expecting the hustle and bustle around the taller buildings. the fashion sense round those parts seemed pretty non-existent. lots of fleece and rubber bottomed sandals. HA! but i loved that everyone road their bikes around, drank lots of coffee and seemed genuinely happy. i could live there for sure.

anyway, i left my mom in portland (she met up with my aunt who flew in later that night) and made my way up to seattle in her car. my big trip plan was rather clever, if i do say so myself. i arrived at ariel and dre's at about 9 that night where i was warmly greeted with hugs, a fancy cocktail and some new friends. we just hung out that night. it was great to see the happy couple! i was glad i got a little extra time too, as i figured wedding time would be a little hectic.

woke up the next day to some famous seattle rain which worried me a little, knowing we'd be camping and i was still slightly under the weather. i left for the airport that morning to pick up alex (his first trip ever to the west coast and a new camper!), terra and her boyfriend kevin (also a novice camper and new to seattle), who were all flying in from NY. i was the little tour guide that day. we drove around capitol hill (a & a's hood) and then downtown to pike place market. didn't have much time for anything more. sorry kids, no space needle today. we got our stuff together and headed over to the bainbridge ferry.

as we drove off the ferry, i looked behind me and saw the biggest, brightest, most beautiful rainbow ever. i almost got in an accident trying to look at it for as long as i could. this had to be an omen of a great weekend! we arrived at the campsite (sacred groves, ariel's mom's property) before dark, set up our tents and met with the other campers. ariel's mom had us do a little ceremony where we all held hands in a circle and introduced ourselves, which was a little silly, but i liked it all the same. i think i'm cynical about that kind of stuff, but i actually do enjoy it (the old girl scout, summer camp dork in me).

that night was pretty chilled out. hanging around the bonfire, eating some good food, s'mores, rum from a flask, joints, the whole bit. a great start to an excellent weekend. next morning was more hanging around the campfire, chatting it up with new people... all of whom i really liked. there's nothing like spending time with new people whose company you actually enjoy! i took a couple hours that day to figure out what i was going to play for my little dj set that night. i must admit, i was a little nervous, not knowing what was going to get people dancing. i'm the dj that likes to play the groovy background music, but i kind of hate the pressure to get people up and grooving... you just never know what will work in those situations (playing for parents, their friends, random co-workers, and ex-ravers??? what the hell gonna get them up?). i ended up selecting a little bit of everything, hoping it would make everyone happy.

the ceremony started at 5. i got dressed pretty quickly. it was a hilarious site to see all of the girls in nice dresses and shoes coming out of tents and walking through the woods. the ceremony was up at a lovely little bed and breakfast across the way. i decided to contribute to the festivities and decorated my chest with stickers spelling out "ariel n andreas forever." it was acutally a big hit. everyone that looked at my chest got a big smile and plenty of people took my picture (i loved that, camera whore that i am!). the ceremony was beautiful. you can read ariel's account of it here. during their vows i cried my little eyes out. i've known these two for their whole relationship (all 7 years) and they are just the best couple around. it's so nice to see two people who you truly admire and respect get together and announce their commitment in front of all their friends and family. just plain lovely.

dinner and drinks followed. then the toasting. then the cake. after that, i had to run back down to the party area to prep for the first dj slot. pretty soon the wedding party made their way down and i started with the first dance song, which went into a fantastic rare groove version of "take your praise" which everyone actually got out and started dancing to. i was amazed. i was kinda thinking it would take michael jackson or prince to get the people up, but they were ready for whatever which was great for me! not as much stress. the set moved into some more soul and funk, then some recognizable stuff (yes, i did play jacko and prince... works every time), then into a couple latin numbers, into some nu-jazzy stuff, a little afro-beat, some grace jones into metro area (really got them going), some hip hop (not so much), and finished off with some broken beat. all in all i had a great time playing music. i could have played much more, but i knew the drugs were starting to kick in for most folks and they wanted some harder stuff (and i wanted to be where everyone else was at that point!).

what a trip! a wedding rave party. everyone seemed to be on something. it was hilarious, but fantastic. alex had the time of his life. he was a dancing fool. i had a mellower time, just wanted to talk to and be with everyone. sitting around the bonfire next to ariel way late in the night i joked "how are any of us going to top this one ariel?" her response: "just have your friends do everything." it's true. everyone had their part in the wedding which made it extra special. it was truly a community event and i think each person in attendance had a wonderful experience. yay for ariel and andreas!

part 2 to be continued...

ER

day 5 of my illness, and i had not been feeling any better. i woke up this morning thinking i had made some progress, but in a couple hours i was back to feeling horrible. when dori stopped by to drop off a little package for the trip, she suggested that i should go to the hospital. i considered it myself, but i just hate hate hate doctors and hate hospitals even more. every time i get sick i like it to go away naturally, without heavy western medications. but when i was standing outside, feeling ridiculously weak and when the sun spots appeared before my eyes, i figured she was right.

alex walked with me to the emergency room (luckily only 5 blocks away). i was dreading it, thinking i'd have to take a number and sit uncomfortably in the waiting room for hours, getting chills from the high A/C. but luckily it was pretty empty. i was called in to see the doctor in no time. when i told the nice cute intern my symptoms, he looked down my throat and gasped. i have pharingytis, which is like strep throat (inflamed lymph nodes). the nurse gave me a shot of penicillin in my rear and fed me pills for my fever and to reduce the swelling my throat. they said i should be feeling better by tonight, which i already do! i can't believe it was that easy. so it looks like i'm on the road to recovery and will be fine to fly tomorrow!