Trip of a Lifetime (Day 1)

So...basically.... I love New York. With every last cell of my heart. True story. :)

In the words of Simon and Garfunkel,

"New York, to that tall skyline I come, flyin' in from [Provo] to your door
New York, lookin' down on Central Park
Where they say you should not wander after dark
New York, like a scene from all those movies
But you're real enough to me, but there's a heart
A heart that lives in New York
A heart in New York, a rose on the street
I write my song to that city heartbeat
A heart in New York, love in her eye, an open door at a friend for the night
New York, you got money on your mind
And my words won't make a dime's worth a difference, so here's to you New York."

Here's my story:

I got to see the sun set over the mountains of Utah and rise over the skyscrapers of New York City. In between, I got about 4 hours of sleep on the plane. Then I waited in the airport for my family to get close. Even in the airport, everyone walked quickly, with a purpose. Even the birds flew around the ceiling with an incredible sense of business. And I was so tired, that all I could think was thank goodness for ipods. They work miracles on sleepiness.

In due time, my family arrived and we drove to a parking garage, and then took the subway into the city. I love New York accents. I could spend all day just listening to the people there talk and never tire. We stood in a line to get half-price tickets for a broadway show, and as we were about 30 people back, a broker came through the line with tickets to that night's show of Wicked. After some bartering, my dad consented to buy them. :) After that adventure, we got lunch (Andrew and I had frozen yogurt from a stand on the sidewalk), and rode the Staten Island Ferry.

Oh look! They're holding hands!!!

The ferry didn't go to Ellis Island (it's the Staten Island Ferry, after all), but it did provide a nice drive-by. :)

After that, we did more touristy things, like visit the top of the Rockefeller Center. You could see almost everywhere!!!

This crystal waterfall was inside the Rock, and it was absolutely stunning!

Other visits included M&M world, walking through Times Square (and mostly just walking everywhere. I think that was my favorite part of my visit, just being able to walk everywhere and see so much new stuff) until it was time to see the show. The only unpleasant part was walking past an irate man who was trying to raise money for something or other. Apparently, someone had ticked him off, and I got called a racist mother-f***er as I passed. Other than that, I loved seeing so many people, all with their lives to live, somehow brought together in Times square, somehow making New York as exciting as it is. I love that city.

The best part of the day, of the night, of the entire trip, was seeing Wicked in the Gershwin Theater in New York City. It changed my life.

I loved every minute of it. I don't think I stopped grinning during the entire show (except for the parts where I cried).

After the show, we got back on the subway over to the parking garage. I saw this lovely ad, which I hope you appreciate as much as I do.

The parking garage was closed, so we walked around the block to the police station, where they told us that a security guard should be there and let us in to get the car out, which, when we returned, he did.

We drove to the Phillips' home in Syosset to stay the night.

And thus concluded Day 1 of my Trip of a Lifetime. Stay tuned for Day 2. :)

Harry Potter Part 2

Alas, I'm missing my last chance to see a Harry Potter film at its midnight release by being in an airplane at that time tonight.

Can I please live here?

http://www.boncherry.com/blog/2010/08/07/giant-piano-house-in-an-hui-china/

Robin Hood

So...I watched the entire 1st season in approximately one week with my friends. I love the fact that it's summer and I can do this. :) Oh, and I may be slightly more than slightly attracted to this fellow here:

Movie of the Day.

Splitscreen: A Love Story from JW Griffiths on Vimeo.

This is genius, really.

Quote of the Day

From the book I'm reading for Psychology, Steven Pinker's How the Mind Works:

"The mind is never so wonderfully concentrated as when it turns to love, and there must be intricate calculations that carry out the peculiar logic of attraction, infatuation, courtship, coyness, surrender, commitment, malaise, philandering, jealousy, desertion, and heartbreak. And in the end, as my grandmother used to say, every pot finds a cover; most people-including, significantly, all of our ancestors-manage to pair up long enough to produce viable children.

Imagine how many lines of programming it would take to duplicate that!"

Dating and Such

The following video was made by an FHE group of my ward last year. Such the best. Someday, I hope to be able to make videos like this. Oh, and I don't appear in this film, but I was reminiscing of the goodness of that ward and this movie. Again, Such the best. Enjoy!

(500) Days of Provo from Porter Hoskins on Vimeo.

P.S. Provo is awesome.

June, She'll Change Her Tune

I like this song. And Simon and Garfunkel in general. Here's the lyrics:

April come she will
When streams are ripe and swelled with rain;
May, she will stay,
Resting in my arms again

June, she´ll change her tune,
In restless walks she´ll prowl the night;
July, she will fly
And give no warning to her flight.

August, die she must,
The autumn winds blow chilly and cold;
September I´ll remember.
A love once new has now grown old.

Mixed up Video

but still really cool. Mi piace.

The End of Spring

This was taken on one of our many, many walks around Provo. I'm going to miss Joel. A lot. But hey, only a month to go until I see him in New York, and then another month after that until I see him in Provo again. Think I can make it? Only time will tell. He's helped me through this term and finals and life, and he puts up with my silliness and lame puns. I love him. Provo just won't be the same without him. Well, this is the end of Spring term. Let the summer begin!!